Bright Lights and the lessons learnt

The locale in question is a city of a lot of firsts, especially for me. For someone who has spent almost 22 years of life in a conservative environment such as that of India, United States of America promised a stay infused with cultural shocks, craziness and freedom which was more like “The Exposure: 101”. I arrived first time in New York from Buffalo in a Greyhound Bus which is quintessentially the cheapest mode of conveyance. Let me add, it was a Friday night. However, I was sure it was all going to be worth it. I was a girl on a mission determined on busting the myth behind phrases such as “I love New York” or “New York State of mind”. The city of lights shone bright even from far away and as we grew closer I could almost feel it in the air. The City I had dreamt of all this while was finally going to be mine. I arrived in Manhattan at around 2 am only to be taken in by surprise. Even at this ungodly hour the City was alive and kicking. All that gawking vanished as soon as I found myself fiddling with the map trying to figure out how to get to Brooklyn. Just like another poor international graduate students I had to depend on cheap stays. Luckily I had a very good friend staying in Brooklyn who was sharing an apartment with a Pakistani and Lithuanian kid. Being the only girl did not deter me one bit as it was taken over by the meeting-new-people excitement. My days were packed. From Statue of Liberty to Times Square, we did it all. I was like a kid in a candy shop, 24x7. Having said that, one experience still stands out, so much so that I find myself still reeling under its effect. It was one of those nights, strolling on the streets after not being able to get tickets to a Broadway show, we decided on getting something to eat. It was around 3 am and we almost managed to locate an oh-so-New-York food cart. Right when we were comfortably tucking in piping hot slices of cheesy pepperoni pizza, I saw an entire family of five, dressed to their nines only to be eating next to a construction site. With members ranging from 3 to 40 yrs. old they were busy eating with big smiles on their faces. I was compelled to think and rethink how easy it is to stay happy in this crazy world. I went back home a happier person. That is the thing about travelling, you watch people and you learn to extract happiness from those little nothings.