Beyond the piggy-bank

So, when Booba came back from Nigeria, everyone asked him how much he had managed to save during his 3 months there. After all, people make a lot of money when they go abroad, don't they? His reply surprised us a little. He told us that he had not made a single penny and in fact, he thought he ended up spending a lot from his own pocket.

Apparently, there is a big difference in the policy that governed his company (and mine, of course) and other Indian service-based companies. Here, we are not given any extra salary on a per day basis when we are sent abroad. In fact, no cash ever reaches our accounts as an allowance. You can only claim what you spend. Of course, you do not need to spend out of your own pockets - they give you a corporate credit card which you are expected to use for all the allowed expenditure. You save the receipts and you submit them for verification and then the company shall pay the credit card company, leaving you with little scope for any means you might devise to save some money for yourself. We cribbed a lot about it and complained about how unfair it was. We cursed our fate and slept thinking how cool it would be to go to the US, save a few thousands of dollars and come back home and spend them happily - after multiplying them with 47.

I have heard a lot of such "success" stories - about how so-and-so went to the US for 6 months, managed his/her food and other expenses with a mere 20$ a day, saved the reminder and returned home proudly. The other day, I was having dinner with one of my colleagues. We went to an expensive restaurant that served Mexican food - only because our expenses were taken care of. Our dinner there alone cost us 32.5$, each. Over the dinner he told me about how he had been to the US before, sent by his previous employer, and how he used to eat only Maggi (brought from India - cheaper) for most of his meals to maximize his savings and how all his friends did the same (if not Maggi, something else). And then, it dawned upon me. The simplicity of the realization was so amazing - it just left me smiling.

By giving us a corporate card and reimbursing our expenses, we are convinced to just have a good time! When people realize that they can't save this way, in a bid to make the most of it, they start spending well. They stay in comfortable hotels, have great food, go to nice places and on the whole, have fun! They are liberated from the burden of 'trying to save' and they do not feel guilty about 'trying to enjoy' and i think, that in itself is something every one of us deserves. I agree that many people have the need to save - responsibilities and all that. No offense intended at them for doing it. But, I think, if we have an opportunity to save, we succeed in finding a justification for it or do it anyway just because we are "supposed" to - its in our blood - we are Indian, and more importantly, human - it is natural.

All I am saying (mostly to myself and of course to all those people who might be thinking like I and Booba did) is, it is okay to have a good time for once. It is okay to spend. It is okay to not "save" - especially when you can't! I probably won't be any richer when I go back. I may have, in fact, spent a couple of thousands from my own pocket. But, if a few thousands of rupees is what it takes to go to the US and have a great time, I think I am okay with it. I think I am more than okay with it!

Interesting Conversations: Episode 1 - The Arrangement

The scene: I just sat at the counter at the local Irish pub after a long day of shopping at the Mall of America. I was feeling very tired and just wanted to grab a quick bite and go back to my room. I ordered a bowl of soup and was waiting for it when a party of 3 people - an elderly couple and a young woman came in and sat beside me.

The lady: Hi there.

Me: Hello.

The lady: So whats up? What are you doing?

Me: Me? Im waiting for my soup.

The lady (leaning towards me a lot): Soup? What soup are you having?

Me: Split pea and pork.

The lady: Ooo. That is nice. I am leaning because I can't hear properly. I am an old lady, you know?

Me: Haha. That's alright.

Blah blah..went on for a while where the lady told me that she was visiting Minneapolis - she was from LA - grew up near the beach - her husband was a Minnesotan - they were in the town to catch the game (its the football and baseball season, btw).

The lady: How long have you been here?

Me: About a week. I will be here for 2 more weeks.

The lady: So, how do you like Minnesota/America?

Me: Its a really nice place. I like it.

The lady: So, what are you here for?

Me: Well, I work for Oracle, a software company (yeah, I had to tell the people outside work a lot here. Not a lot of people know/bother about the software companies). I came from India. I was sent on work.

The lady: Oh. Then you must be a smart guy. < turning to her husband > He works for Oracle, a software company. He is a smart guy. < the husband nodded his head in agreement >

Me: Haha. I hope so.

Blah blah..She told me about this woman she met when they were in South Africa - how she was full of life and hospitable - how she bought a sari from her - how colorful her shop had been - how the entire experience was unforgettable and a dear part of her life and so on. She went out to talk to someone else and the husband and I struck a conversation.

The husband: So you are from India, huh?

Me: Yeah.

The husband: I guess, you don't like the Pakistanis then.

Me: Haha. I haven't got anything personal against them but yeah, the two countries are kinda rivaled.

The husband: Yeah. I don't like them either. But if you guys go to war against them, I think the Chinese will go to war with you to support Pakistan.

Me: Yeah. That's what everyone says. In fact, India has got a lot of troublesome neighbors.

The husband: Yeah. But I'm with you guys.

Me: Haha. May be we will call for your help then.

The husband: Haha. Yeah. I don't really like the Muslims. You must be a Hindu, right?

Me: Yes.

The husband: Yeah. I've got no problem against the Hindus. < the lady came back > I was just telling him about the whole Muslim thing.

The lady: Yeah. We don't really like the Muslims. We've got nothing against them but we don't really like them.

Me: Hmm.  < the lady went away again. She was kinda dancing to the music >

The husband: I like Gandhi. He was a good man.

Earlier today, when I was shopping, the guy at the counter saw some Indian currency in my wallet when I took it out to make the payment. He was so excited and asked me if he could see one of the notes and I gave him. He recognized Gandhi and kept fondling the note. I had a 10 rupee note in my wallet and I gave it to him and told him that he could keep it if he wanted. He was really excited and happy and thanked me like a hundred times. I was reminded of this incident when the husband talked about Gandhi and I took out my wallet to show them a hundred rupee note.

The husband: Woah! Is that Indian Curreny? Awesome! < he called his wife > Check it out. He has some Indian currency and there's Gandhi on them.

The lady: Really? Wow. How much is it worth? Like 20 bucks?

Me: Nah. Less than 2.5 dollars.

The husband: No way!

The daughter: Daddy, give him 20 dollars. Lets keep this.

The lady: Yeah. Give him.

Me: No no. I can't take 20 dollars from you.

The lady: Okay. Ten dollars at least then.

The daughter: Oh yes, you can. < she snatched my wallet - took a 10$ bill from her dad and put it in my wallet - gave it back >

Me: Oh, you guys! Well, let me give you one more then. At least take one more.

The husband: Thats great. Okay. I will have one more then.

So, I gave them one more. The lady was so happy - she told me that she would never forget me - she would frame that note in a glass box and keep it in her living room and finally she went back to dancing.

The husband: That was sweet of you. You are good kid. < to the others > He is a nice kid.

Me: Haha. Thank you. I hope I am.

The husband: So how old are you?

Me: 23.

The husband: Is there the whole arranged marriage thing still in India?

Me: Haha. Yeah. Its more of a choice now.

The daughter: Marry me. Daddy, "arrange" my marriage with him.

Me: Haha. Are you younger to me?

The daughter: No. But how old do you think I am?

Me: Uhmm..25-26?

The daughter: F*** you!

The husband: Haha. You are right. She is 25.

The lady: Yeah. She likes to think that she is still 21. She feels bad that she is getting old.

Me: Haha. < to the daughter > If it helps, you don't look 25 though. You look a lot younger.

The daughter blew me a kiss and looked happy.

The husband: You are a really nice guy. Your parents raised you well.

Me: That, they did sir.

The husband: I like India. The food and then bolloywood.

Me: Haha. So you know about bollywood then.

The husband: Of course. I am into the movies. I work for MGM. We put movies on the planes.

Me: Oh. That's cool.

The husband: Yeah. Did you watch Inception?

Me: Of course. Opening week.

The husband: And Shutter Island?

Me: Yup. I watched that too.

The husband: Hmm.

And then we talk a bit about movies - about Aishwarya Rai - about India and Indian food in general -  Indian restaurants in the town and so on.

The husband: You are a really nice guy. If you don't mind me getting personal, how much do you make in your job? 50000 dollars a year?

Me: Converted to USD, its about 15000 dollars. May be a little more than that!

The husband: Really? That's all? < to the others > He makes less than 17000 dollars a year!

The daughter: Hire him. < to me >You will be a rich man now - my dad will hire you.

The lady: Honey, please hire him.

Me: Haha. In India, its a decent salary. Its more than what a lot of people make.

The husband: Hmm. Have you got a card with you?

Me: Oh. Let me see. Yep. I got one. The designation on it is old but everything else is valid.

The husband: At what time do you have to go to work tomorrow?

Me: 8 I guess.

The husband: Hmm. That's quite early. Here is card. I will send you an email or I will give you a call sometime.

Me: Okay. Thank you.

We were kinda done with our dinner and were getting ready to leave. I really enjoyed the whole conversation. We talked for more than an hour but it never got stale. I did not want to forget these warm people. I remembered that I had a camera with me and asked them if I could take a picture with them. They were more than happy to do it and we got a picture clicked. I was feeling a little awkward when we got close to pose.

The lady (sensing my dilemma): Yeah, we are going to have this pic taken in the American way. Put your arm around me.

The daughter: Yeah. Around me too.

Click!

Them: May be this meeting between us was "arranged" ;)

Me: May be.

We hugged and said goodbyes and then I left. They were, by far, the nicest people I have met in Minneapolis. Now I am not saying this because they might get back to me with an offer or something but its because I really mean it. I was having such a good time that I hung back for more than 50 minutes after finishing my soup. God bless them!

Travelog: A for America

"Are you okay there, honey?", asked the waitress. She was talking to me. I was kinda staring at a bunch of guys in business suits having drinks and watching the baseball game on the big TV - so I probably looked a little lost. Yeah, I was more than okay. I was just thinking about the world's most famous country - the food, the culture and the people and what a fantastic mix it all was.

I am reminded of a conversation (more of an argument, actually) I had with one of my aunts a few months ago. It was about the Americans in general. She had been living in the US for more than 20 years and she was in love with the country. She had embraced the whole American lifestyle long back and constantly vouched for the Americans. I had taken an opposing stand and we kept debating on which was a better country. She kept talking about how warm and helpful the Americans were while I was being pretty naive by pointing out the recession, the high divorce rate, the crime rate, the fast food, the obesity, the junk food and every other cliched negative thing I read about the country. I was being supported by the others in the room and she couldn't take the bombarding anymore. She just said, "You know what, you can say all you want but they are still some of the nicest people in the world. You need to be there to believe". How true!

The two words that came out of my mouth (and that I heard from other people's mouths) more than any of the other word in the past 3 days were "Thank you!". The politeness is infectious. A lot of people who are not used to it might get irritated by it over a period of time, but I am not one of them. Not yet, at least. A more narrow minded person might wonder if the person greeting you actually knew you from somewhere or if it is mockery or if she (or he) has a crush on you. You might think its all pretentious, but trust me its not. It might be simple customary courteousness which is no big deal for them, but it is genuine. We (people from the east) feel so pampered and respected. At least I did.

I really love the way they treat each other. For us, waiters are waiters and janitors are janitors. For them, the waiters, the janitors or anyone for that matter, are people. Ever wondered why its an American way to address everyone at work (including your boss and of course his boss) with their first name (and not "Sir") or why you are expected to tip around 15-20% on the bill amount? To me, its dignity of labor and professionalism in action.

We keep debating about the excessive consumerism of the Americans, but I think it is more of a choice. If they want to spend all their money and by doing so, live life king size, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Its one life you got, after all and it is okay to have such an attitude. Saving and being conservative is something which we taught ourselves and I think it is wrong to judge the others on that basis. We have no reason to expect them to follow our philosophy. We are happy this way and they have the right to be happy that way.

Coming to the much talked prevalence of junk/fast food, I think we fail to realize ta=hat they have an equally large selection of the healthiest foods. A joint that serves burgers and fries also serves salads and soup. Percentages can be quite misleading. If one in every three Americans is obese (which gives us about 30% obesity rate), one of the other two is really really fit. In India, if one in every ten Indians is obese (which gives us only a 10% obesity rate), at least five of the others are fat/not fit/"on their way to being obese" and only one qualifies as being "really really fit". Oh, we have a lot of junk (if not "fast") food too. Its just in a less popular form - its not burgers and fries - its puris and samosas.

I agree that three days in one city and that too among a very niche crowd in downtown is not a great sample space to make all these impressions. The cynic in me mocks at the impressed me. Of course there is bad too. There are jerks among these people too, where are they not? All this rosiness is likely to wear off with time but this wonderful "first take" is worth cherishing. For a visitor like me, its always a far more defining experience as a lot of things which the Americans take for granted are not quite so back home. We kinda tend to have an ideological advantage, which, when combined with all these nice things here, can leave you feeling content and wise.

I wonder if I can enjoy an evening at a pub back home where most of the the bartenders and the waiters think it is cool to be rude and aloof. Like I said to one of my friends, "One is tempted to wish that you belonged here, but much remains to be seen yet."

Wake me up when September ends..

People keep congratulating you. You are provided with a big list of "things to buy" by your friends (which keeps getting longer and longer). Relatives call you up to check if you have packed everything. Your parents try and dig up long forgotten contacts and make sure you carry their phone numbers and addresses with you. Some shopping and a lot of packing.

This, precisely, is what happens when you are about to travel to the US for the first time - especially on a short trip. So I am about to travel abroad for the first time - 3 weeks in Minneapolis, Minnesota on a B1 visa. In about 84 hours from now, my flight shall take off from the Bangalore International Airport and in about 22 hours from then, I shall be setting my foot on the American soil (or concrete, may be). I might look very naive in making this sound like a big deal but I think it is a big deal if you want it to be and I want it to be.

It has always been my dream to go to the US. To go to the No. 1 country in the world. To go to the country that made movies like 'The Titanic', 'Pearl Harbor', 'The Lord of the Rings', 'Avatar' and 'Inception' (yes, I do realize that I am not actually going to Hollywood - just dramatizing). To the country that, allegedly, started the "recession". To the country that gives us most of our IT jobs. To the country that created GRE and GMAT and all that. To the country everyone around you seem to be traveling to or planning to travel to. And finally, I got a chance.

So let me live this dream I have been "incepted" (I still can't get over "Inception") with. Wake me up on the 1st of October when I would be flying back. Wake me up when September ends :)

Zzzzzz....