Life outside the country!

Ha ha I have jumped right from my childhood to the "old me" of today. Will write about childhood and arrange those posts as and when it comes..

"Life outside the country" is the last part of the episode after the above two.

This is all about the time from 2004 onwards when I came to Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA for my Masters in Plant Pathology and a brief gap in between for 6 months in home after my Masters and resuming as a PhD student at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.

There were so many funny incidents that I can think of during my first trip in plane, that too such a long distance trip to US and afterwards adjusting to the lifestyle, academics and people here.

I have managed to travel to at least 20 different states in US, staying with friends or family or retreat centers, went to at least 10 different universities either for conferences or interviews or friendly visits and the list is getting bigger...

I have made very good friends here, from different parts of the world, learned a great deal about different cultures and ate a lot of different varieties of food!

I remember my first trip ever within US was done all alone, that too in the Greyhound bus and that too through Gary, Indiana, a scary place where I have heard "mugging" is a commonplace thing. This trip was a dream come true for me as it enabled me to meet Swamiji at Kalamazoo, Michigan in June 2004. My tryst with H H Bodhananda Saraswathi happened back home towards the final days of my UG life about that I would write in a separate blog later. After that I really wanted to meet HIM in person which I knew would be able to do only when I am here. I am still amazed how all the words that HE uttered and the email that HE sent, came to pass later in my life!

When I think of HIM, I can visualize a moving glow of light, an ocean of knowledge!

I am blessed with his guidance during those days when I was completely alone, home-sick and thought that there is no point in academics and studying..

HE told me that after two years you will be better placed and lo! after two years so many friends came and better, I became an AOL family member!

The love and affection that Venki, Sriram, Gowri, Heidi (my most beautiful AOL teacher), Raghavan and many other AOLites gave me; supported the bud of spirituality in me. And there is no looking back, this joy is always growing and always giving!

On a different note, fast forwarding to present...

Today a plant in my lab blossomed! I am very happy that after two years of consistent and persistent care, this succulent plant started to produce flowers (will put photo once it completely flowers)! I never thought that it's a flowering plant even, but didn't lose hope.

That's what it takes for a bud or any living being for that matter to blossom.

Care and Share..

;-D

The small succulent plant that gave an inflorescence more than twice its height. This is my lab, see my work bench and microscope (I keep it safely covered by the red cloth:-) also.