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With dreams and hopes keeping tears from
falling down, I waved to my family and took a step into the
future, a step away from Chennai, a step into the Lufthansa
flight to Houston. Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in
the US, was to be my home for as long as I wanted. Newly-wed, in
a new country, I spread out my wings, exploring and enjoying the
vibrant life Houston had to offer.
Living in Houston does have its perks, the
saree boutiques displaying the latest designs and fashions from
India, the chaat shops dishing out the yummy Indian junk food,
the 22 carat jewellery stores, the grocery stores stocking
everything from toor dal to frozen Malabar parathas. With quite
a big desi community and the humid hot weather, Houston feels
home at times, well the rest of the time I would be glad if I
were at Pondy Bazaar bargaining my way through.
Welcome to Vini’s Corner and take a trip with
me as I walk through life in Houston. Vini’s Corner is going to
be all about me, my life, my opinions, my reviews, all served
strong and hot. Grab a cuppa and enjoy your trip into my world
at the space city.
Let me begin with a few facts about Houston:
With a population just over two million, Houston is a bustling
city, well, not as crowded as Singara Chennai. Unlike most parts
of the US, Houston enjoys pretty mild winters. In fact, only 14
measurable snowfall events since 1939 have been recorded. And in
case you haven’t made the connection between the warm weather
and the number of desis; take this - Houston’s housing costs are
28 per cent below the nationwide average and 48 per cent below
the large-metro average. Warm weather, comparatively low cost of
living, Houston has all the makings of being a desi-preferred
destination in the US even though there are hardly a handful of
software industries.
And calling Houston home are some great
engineering and medical universities, Baylor College of
Medicine, Rice University and University of Houston to a name a
few. Each year, Houston desis pull out their red carpets to
welcome distant cousins, sons or daughters of their best
friend’s third cousin’s neighbor (well you get an idea, right?)
laden with dreams and big suitcases packed to brim with whatever
survived the X-ray machines, sniffing dogs and the custom
officers. Making their way through numerous hassles, young minds
get to work with some of the best professors and pave their way
to success.
Vini’s Corner is a chronicle of the life of a
hyper-active, fun-loving, adventurous, 20-something student and
wife striving to balance between work and home, passions and
career, traditions and practicalities and, of course, Chennai
and Houston! Welcome aboard!
- V
http://poohsden.blogspot.com/
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