My Food For Thought

I am in Hyderabad, its day one of my four day sojourn. I expected this trip to be a series of interviews between me and my parents. I was dreading the inevitable unanswerable questions. Every time I cross the threshold of Hyderabad Airport, I feel like my mind’s screaming to rush back inside and get on the next possible flight back to Mumbai. I know I am being a total selfish bitch, I mean who wouldn’t want to spend time at home, eating nice food, lazing around in front of the TV and being pampered.

But this time it was a little different because I was meeting S’s friends and all I could think about was to get out of the airport so that we could go for a quick dinner before rushing back home. And I could vouch that this was one of the best times I had in the city. It was a nice night with good friends, super funny conversation and a great bottle of Chilean wine (S, I am just immortalizing the night :D). I have been worrying too much lately because of the all the shit happening around me but for one night, I was feeling light to just not think about all the crazy stuff and savor the moment.

The next day my parents invited my brothers’ friends for lunch and I was stuck working for my project (which my asshole of a manager insists on completing even though officially I was on leave!). Anyways, the lunch was freaking hilarious. It was me, Pavan and Raghav (both my brother’s school friends). Pavan and my brother was like BFFs since kids and both of them went to the US of A. So, for my mom he is like the subject matter expert on all things US. The poor guy was interrogated on such topics as: the eating habits of an average American, their societal behavior, vegetation and the quality of students and the statistics like an average GPA to something as weird as their marriage success rate. Pavan just sat there gaping dint know how to go about this whole exercise. The poor kid was being put through the Spanish inquisition under the disguise of an innocent lunch.

After lunch we decided to go for a coffee and talk about the “good” stuff. So, we headed to the only place I know in the city, Mochas :). He was indeed experiencing the US in his own unique way. He has become pretty good at Spanish went about proving it by saying something like, Hola amigo como estas like Pavan Kalyan, his name sake which was pretty funny (to get this reference you have to go through  the process of self-flagellation via tollywood movies). Apparently there were a lot of Mexican dope heads (who offer him weed for a beer can!) he is friends with and a gay manager who hits on him every chance he gets. And, this is not all; he was actually robbed at gun point in his last work place.

I got so scared listening to all this, is all of this working-your-ass-off-all-night and run to attend classes all day worth it? Is this the better life the kids thought they would lead when they applied? My brother never tells me anything, but I shudder thinking about the things he might have been through.  It might not have been bad, it might be counted as rites to passage. But, there are scores of kids going there to the Promised Land for a better life, but how would you define a better life? Is it being able to get piss drunk and being dragged back to your house at night only for you to get up the next day at six to open the store that you work in? He was leading a happy life here now he there thinking about his next meal because he has maxed out on his education loan. I hope things work out for him.