Last days in the States
So... *deep breath*
My parents had a housewarming party on August 13th, at which they also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary (technically the 30th anniversary of the first time they met) and announced my graduation and my cousin Pranami's recent marriage. I had invited some old friends, but only two responded in the affirmative, so rather than have a weird 100s-of-Assamese-people-with-two-American-friends party, I uninvited them and told them we'd hang out separately. This turned out to be a wise move, as there were lots of little children running around and no responsible "big kids group" (as there was in my day) to keep them in check. So, besides answering "So are you excited?" (with reference to Japan) over and over again, I spent the evening hiding billiard balls and my coolest Star Wars toys from tiny hands. My dad rented a margarita machine, which was a fantastic idea, except that, with the a/c working so hard to cool that many people on a hot mid-August Houston night with the outer doors constantly opening and closing, the circuit tripped repeatedly. People hardly noticed though, kept chatting away, and my poor dad kept running out to the garage to flip the breaker (I'm not sure I'm using the correct terminology for all this). All in all, I'd say the party was quite a success. People came from all over, and Sid's dad and sister even stopped by on their way up to Austin for the closing night of Sid's play. It was very touching to see so many old and new faces there to support my parents. Even though parties are so much work, I do hope my parents have more (or that people at least visit them often), because it's an awfully big house for just two people and a cat. On another note, it was very bizarre to see a whole new generation of kids in the position my friends and I (who were "the little kids") used to be in. An out-of-body experience almost. And to think Jaana and Raxi are going off to college and Orie is a junior in high school... messes with my head.
So the following week was pretty quiet. My sister hung around for a few days. We ran errands and hung out with some of her old friends. Amber (who actually came to the housewarming party) has a new baby (born in May); it was very exciteen to see her as a mother. I also spent one evening with Stefanie, going through wedding and honeymoon pictures. It was a lot of fun actually, and I wish we'd been in better touch through college. I'm so honoured that I got to be a part of the wedding though, and I intend to find the perfect gift for them while I'm here in Japan. We went and saw the house she and Chris built and were closing on that week; I'm so glad I don't have such grown-up concerns on my mind just yet, but Stefanie seems perfectly at ease with it all, which is reassuring. I sort of see Stefanie as my Amber, so perhaps in four or five years, I'll be meeting her first baby as well. She also made the observation that Lisa has always been mature and independent for her age, so in a way it makes perfect sense for her to be ready to marry, so I feel "better" about that (not that I was feeling bad). I just wish I had gotten to see Lisa and meet her fiancee Mike before they left for Virginia and I left the country. I'm hoping desperately that she (and her parents) will come out to Japan/Osaka to meet (her brother) Michael this winter once his mission's over. That would be something, to hang out with Lisa in Japan!
The *really* exciteen thing that happened during those last weeks was that my hard drive failed. Yes, my brand new, less than three-month-old Mac. It just up and died on me, the 15th I think. This was *very* upsetting, tear-worthy in fact, as I had spent all my time since arriving in Texas ripping all my music and inputting everyone's addresses and phone numbers, and, if I had to get the hard drive replaced 1) the data would likely be unsalvageable and 2) I wouldn't have enough time between getting the computer back and leaving the country to redo all the work. But my sister drove me to the Galleria Apple store where they took my computer and said it would be done by Sunday (the 21st) at the latest. It was the best I could hope for, since I would be out of town for the weekend anyway.
My sister left the 17th and Brett arrived the 18th. My dad and I met him at the airport; we drove to the car rental place and picked up the rent car (a very girlie royal blue sporty car of some sort complete with a ridiculous spoiler) then drove back to my 'rents' house for lunch. My dad reheated everything, the fish and veggies and rice and I don't know what else. I think Brett was a little shocked, but my parents thought it was very important that we have a good meal before hitting the road (surprise surprise). So we ate a lot, my dad left for work, and Brett and I took off for Austin. I drove most of the way (being more awake and more comfortable in a non-SUV than he), and we arrived at his sister Jodi's house around dinnertime. We had barbecue (mmm brisket) for dinner, for which I was very grateful (it was on my list of things to do/eat before leaving the country), and then crashed at the house. We "helped" Jodi give Arden (born in April) a bath, complete with frog towel (I do think Arden is the most adorable baby I have *ever* seen, no offense Amber) and then watched some rather entertaining vintage sex-ed (VD) videos. I don't remember exactly *why* Jodi and Owen had these videos, but yes there was a real purpose to it.
The next morning I met Fuji, the only one of my friends besides Stefanie to yet make any effort to see me. Okay, wait, that's a bit of a lie. Benton did call the day before I went to Austin, and I did talk to Chip at some point, but besides Stefanie and Fuji, everyone else was mostly talk. Time was getting so short though that I decided it was up to everyone else to make the overture. I intended to slowly savour my last week and didn't want to be bothered with the stupid scheduling crap I always seem to end up doing. So back to what I was saying, Fuji picked me up in the morning from Jodi and Owen's (very cute) house. We had a quiet, pleasant brunch, except for when he said he intended to cut his hair (DON'T!!), and I returned his box set of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He even "allowed" me to see the house he shares with Phil and Bogart (the dog). I got the feeling he was a little reluctant to let me go... can't say I blame him. ^_~ All joking aside, I'm really glad he's still such a big part of my life, even with all we've been through. (Yes, Fuji, I just publicly acknowledged how much you mean to me.)
Back at Jodi and Owen and Arden's house, we all fell asleep in the drowsy Texas summer afternoon. Then Owen took Brett and me to a local (very cool) music store. There was a live act there from (come to think of it) New Orleans. The best part though were the free vinyls Owen picked up on the way out and that Brett bought me Sin City. ^____^ We also got ice cream at Amy's, which was pretty swell too. ^_^
That night, after the grandparents picked up Arden, Jodi, Brett, and I met Owen at a bar near the Alamo Drafthouse. I had my very first Mexican Martini (yum!) and Brett ordered some exotic Brazilian thing. I don't remember the name of it. I think Jodi had a Mojito, which I tasted and hated because of the mint. Everyone else in the joint seemed to be drinking Cosmopolitans... even the males. Very disturbing. From there we went to the Alamo, where Owen had reserved us seats, for Brett's and my very first Sinus Show (Red Dawn). Each of us got shout-outs from Owen during the show (very cute), and our meal was (surprisingly) on the house (don't worry, we left a generous "tip").
Owen had another show to do, so we said good-bye and Jodi drove us up to the grandparents' (Owen's parents') new house in Austin... in a pretty ridiculous neighborhoud with street names like "House of York" and "Prince William" (all the more ridiculous because Owen's parents are originally from the UK). But the house (huge, no matter what John and Judith say) overlooks a nature preserve, and they have a glorious back deck (with way too many stairs) and a colour-changing pool and hot tub. The three of us soaked in the hot tub until Brett got frighteningly pruney. When Owen joined us, he was full of energy and very eager to watch Sin City, but the rest of us couldn't stay awake unfortunately so he watched it alone... and loved it.
The next morning, John and Judith had made an elaborate brunch for us, with enchiladas and fruit and I-can't-remember-exactly-what-else. I was quite amazed by their generosity, especially since I had never met them before, but didn't quite know how to get this across without being incredibly awkward or crude. Owen had a Red Cross training session (wow! I just realized what incredible timing he had with that) so he had to run again, and John and Judith had errands. Jodi, Brett, Arden, and I hung out and watched a squirrel attempt to get at the Egerton's squirrel-proof feeder, and then, sadly, it was time to go. I'm really grateful for getting to see Arden as much as I have. She promises to be quite a handful... but what an incredible baby. ^_^ She's so curious and eager to be self-reliant and already has such personality... I am an unabashed, avid Piglet Pie reader.
Brett and I returned to Humble and my 'rents' house after returning the car. Again, we were overfed... all week long. In fact, I put in so many requests, that my Mother spent the entire next day (Sunday) in the kitchen. Quite a labour of love, and I was really touched. There were no meals that day. Brett and I just ate as it came off the stove. And what a bounty! Bhaja maas (fried fish - catfish), aloo paratha, luci and aloo bhaji... it was really unbelievable. And the next day there was choph (I really have no idea how to spell that), which Brett and I helped her make. During the days we lazed around, I re-ripped most of my music and he played bass, and in the evenings we watched movies - Mulholland Drive, The Iron Giant, Sin City. As for my high school friends... Benton stopped by one afternoon on his way back to school (BYU), Joy dropped by one evening after class (coming straight from Houston), and then, the last day, Brett and I drove into Rice Village to meet Trey, Richa, and Sid at a bar. It was a short visit... to be honest, I had little patience for socializing at that point but knew I would regret it if I didn't go, so thanks everyone for making the effort. In the end I was unable to make all the final, long personal phone calls I'd wanted to, which was a little upsetting. I hope you (you know who are) understand, and please know how much you mean to me. And remember, two years will fly by. There's no getting rid of me.
I don't know how much of that was interesting to anyone... I apologize. I'm working toward Japan, I promise.
So the itinerary was originally as follows:
Houston (24th) -> Paris (25th) -> Delhi (25th/26th) -> Guwahati (26th-30th) -> Delhi (30th) -> Tokyo (31st)
However, our Air France flight was late arriving in Houston on the 24th, which meant we would miss our connection to Delhi, so our travel agent switched us to a KLM flight to Amsterdam with a connection to Delhi. After a little confusion and hassle at the check-in counter in IAH (Bush Intercontinental), we were given boarding passes and checked our baggage. (Prior to this, we saw Brett off in the domestic terminal for his flight back to New York. To understate, it was nice having him around to keep me sane during my last week.)
And I think that's more than enough for today...
My parents had a housewarming party on August 13th, at which they also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary (technically the 30th anniversary of the first time they met) and announced my graduation and my cousin Pranami's recent marriage. I had invited some old friends, but only two responded in the affirmative, so rather than have a weird 100s-of-Assamese-people-with-two-American-friends party, I uninvited them and told them we'd hang out separately. This turned out to be a wise move, as there were lots of little children running around and no responsible "big kids group" (as there was in my day) to keep them in check. So, besides answering "So are you excited?" (with reference to Japan) over and over again, I spent the evening hiding billiard balls and my coolest Star Wars toys from tiny hands. My dad rented a margarita machine, which was a fantastic idea, except that, with the a/c working so hard to cool that many people on a hot mid-August Houston night with the outer doors constantly opening and closing, the circuit tripped repeatedly. People hardly noticed though, kept chatting away, and my poor dad kept running out to the garage to flip the breaker (I'm not sure I'm using the correct terminology for all this). All in all, I'd say the party was quite a success. People came from all over, and Sid's dad and sister even stopped by on their way up to Austin for the closing night of Sid's play. It was very touching to see so many old and new faces there to support my parents. Even though parties are so much work, I do hope my parents have more (or that people at least visit them often), because it's an awfully big house for just two people and a cat. On another note, it was very bizarre to see a whole new generation of kids in the position my friends and I (who were "the little kids") used to be in. An out-of-body experience almost. And to think Jaana and Raxi are going off to college and Orie is a junior in high school... messes with my head.
So the following week was pretty quiet. My sister hung around for a few days. We ran errands and hung out with some of her old friends. Amber (who actually came to the housewarming party) has a new baby (born in May); it was very exciteen to see her as a mother. I also spent one evening with Stefanie, going through wedding and honeymoon pictures. It was a lot of fun actually, and I wish we'd been in better touch through college. I'm so honoured that I got to be a part of the wedding though, and I intend to find the perfect gift for them while I'm here in Japan. We went and saw the house she and Chris built and were closing on that week; I'm so glad I don't have such grown-up concerns on my mind just yet, but Stefanie seems perfectly at ease with it all, which is reassuring. I sort of see Stefanie as my Amber, so perhaps in four or five years, I'll be meeting her first baby as well. She also made the observation that Lisa has always been mature and independent for her age, so in a way it makes perfect sense for her to be ready to marry, so I feel "better" about that (not that I was feeling bad). I just wish I had gotten to see Lisa and meet her fiancee Mike before they left for Virginia and I left the country. I'm hoping desperately that she (and her parents) will come out to Japan/Osaka to meet (her brother) Michael this winter once his mission's over. That would be something, to hang out with Lisa in Japan!
The *really* exciteen thing that happened during those last weeks was that my hard drive failed. Yes, my brand new, less than three-month-old Mac. It just up and died on me, the 15th I think. This was *very* upsetting, tear-worthy in fact, as I had spent all my time since arriving in Texas ripping all my music and inputting everyone's addresses and phone numbers, and, if I had to get the hard drive replaced 1) the data would likely be unsalvageable and 2) I wouldn't have enough time between getting the computer back and leaving the country to redo all the work. But my sister drove me to the Galleria Apple store where they took my computer and said it would be done by Sunday (the 21st) at the latest. It was the best I could hope for, since I would be out of town for the weekend anyway.
My sister left the 17th and Brett arrived the 18th. My dad and I met him at the airport; we drove to the car rental place and picked up the rent car (a very girlie royal blue sporty car of some sort complete with a ridiculous spoiler) then drove back to my 'rents' house for lunch. My dad reheated everything, the fish and veggies and rice and I don't know what else. I think Brett was a little shocked, but my parents thought it was very important that we have a good meal before hitting the road (surprise surprise). So we ate a lot, my dad left for work, and Brett and I took off for Austin. I drove most of the way (being more awake and more comfortable in a non-SUV than he), and we arrived at his sister Jodi's house around dinnertime. We had barbecue (mmm brisket) for dinner, for which I was very grateful (it was on my list of things to do/eat before leaving the country), and then crashed at the house. We "helped" Jodi give Arden (born in April) a bath, complete with frog towel (I do think Arden is the most adorable baby I have *ever* seen, no offense Amber) and then watched some rather entertaining vintage sex-ed (VD) videos. I don't remember exactly *why* Jodi and Owen had these videos, but yes there was a real purpose to it.
The next morning I met Fuji, the only one of my friends besides Stefanie to yet make any effort to see me. Okay, wait, that's a bit of a lie. Benton did call the day before I went to Austin, and I did talk to Chip at some point, but besides Stefanie and Fuji, everyone else was mostly talk. Time was getting so short though that I decided it was up to everyone else to make the overture. I intended to slowly savour my last week and didn't want to be bothered with the stupid scheduling crap I always seem to end up doing. So back to what I was saying, Fuji picked me up in the morning from Jodi and Owen's (very cute) house. We had a quiet, pleasant brunch, except for when he said he intended to cut his hair (DON'T!!), and I returned his box set of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He even "allowed" me to see the house he shares with Phil and Bogart (the dog). I got the feeling he was a little reluctant to let me go... can't say I blame him. ^_~ All joking aside, I'm really glad he's still such a big part of my life, even with all we've been through. (Yes, Fuji, I just publicly acknowledged how much you mean to me.)
Back at Jodi and Owen and Arden's house, we all fell asleep in the drowsy Texas summer afternoon. Then Owen took Brett and me to a local (very cool) music store. There was a live act there from (come to think of it) New Orleans. The best part though were the free vinyls Owen picked up on the way out and that Brett bought me Sin City. ^____^ We also got ice cream at Amy's, which was pretty swell too. ^_^
That night, after the grandparents picked up Arden, Jodi, Brett, and I met Owen at a bar near the Alamo Drafthouse. I had my very first Mexican Martini (yum!) and Brett ordered some exotic Brazilian thing. I don't remember the name of it. I think Jodi had a Mojito, which I tasted and hated because of the mint. Everyone else in the joint seemed to be drinking Cosmopolitans... even the males. Very disturbing. From there we went to the Alamo, where Owen had reserved us seats, for Brett's and my very first Sinus Show (Red Dawn). Each of us got shout-outs from Owen during the show (very cute), and our meal was (surprisingly) on the house (don't worry, we left a generous "tip").
Owen had another show to do, so we said good-bye and Jodi drove us up to the grandparents' (Owen's parents') new house in Austin... in a pretty ridiculous neighborhoud with street names like "House of York" and "Prince William" (all the more ridiculous because Owen's parents are originally from the UK). But the house (huge, no matter what John and Judith say) overlooks a nature preserve, and they have a glorious back deck (with way too many stairs) and a colour-changing pool and hot tub. The three of us soaked in the hot tub until Brett got frighteningly pruney. When Owen joined us, he was full of energy and very eager to watch Sin City, but the rest of us couldn't stay awake unfortunately so he watched it alone... and loved it.
The next morning, John and Judith had made an elaborate brunch for us, with enchiladas and fruit and I-can't-remember-exactly-what-else. I was quite amazed by their generosity, especially since I had never met them before, but didn't quite know how to get this across without being incredibly awkward or crude. Owen had a Red Cross training session (wow! I just realized what incredible timing he had with that) so he had to run again, and John and Judith had errands. Jodi, Brett, Arden, and I hung out and watched a squirrel attempt to get at the Egerton's squirrel-proof feeder, and then, sadly, it was time to go. I'm really grateful for getting to see Arden as much as I have. She promises to be quite a handful... but what an incredible baby. ^_^ She's so curious and eager to be self-reliant and already has such personality... I am an unabashed, avid Piglet Pie reader.
Brett and I returned to Humble and my 'rents' house after returning the car. Again, we were overfed... all week long. In fact, I put in so many requests, that my Mother spent the entire next day (Sunday) in the kitchen. Quite a labour of love, and I was really touched. There were no meals that day. Brett and I just ate as it came off the stove. And what a bounty! Bhaja maas (fried fish - catfish), aloo paratha, luci and aloo bhaji... it was really unbelievable. And the next day there was choph (I really have no idea how to spell that), which Brett and I helped her make. During the days we lazed around, I re-ripped most of my music and he played bass, and in the evenings we watched movies - Mulholland Drive, The Iron Giant, Sin City. As for my high school friends... Benton stopped by one afternoon on his way back to school (BYU), Joy dropped by one evening after class (coming straight from Houston), and then, the last day, Brett and I drove into Rice Village to meet Trey, Richa, and Sid at a bar. It was a short visit... to be honest, I had little patience for socializing at that point but knew I would regret it if I didn't go, so thanks everyone for making the effort. In the end I was unable to make all the final, long personal phone calls I'd wanted to, which was a little upsetting. I hope you (you know who are) understand, and please know how much you mean to me. And remember, two years will fly by. There's no getting rid of me.
I don't know how much of that was interesting to anyone... I apologize. I'm working toward Japan, I promise.
So the itinerary was originally as follows:
Houston (24th) -> Paris (25th) -> Delhi (25th/26th) -> Guwahati (26th-30th) -> Delhi (30th) -> Tokyo (31st)
However, our Air France flight was late arriving in Houston on the 24th, which meant we would miss our connection to Delhi, so our travel agent switched us to a KLM flight to Amsterdam with a connection to Delhi. After a little confusion and hassle at the check-in counter in IAH (Bush Intercontinental), we were given boarding passes and checked our baggage. (Prior to this, we saw Brett off in the domestic terminal for his flight back to New York. To understate, it was nice having him around to keep me sane during my last week.)
And I think that's more than enough for today...
posted by Bibhatsu at 03:17
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