MY AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

From 10-Sep-2016 to 23-Sep-2016, I visited Cleveland, Ohio, America on work for two weeks. This blog post contains some memories and experiences from the trip, most of it personal and not work related.

NOTE: As usual, I have avoided names as much as possible in this blog post. The links provide context and background information and need to be visited, in my opinion.

My colleague and friend in Bengaluru who has made several visits to Cleveland prepared me well. To begin with, he had told me about the pre-clearance counters in the Abu Dhabi airport and warned me that Chicago airport can be confusing while returning. His advice helped me in both Abu Dhabi and Chicago. While returning, I did not see signage towards the international departure terminal in Chicago. Since my friend had warned me about this, I asked the airport staff for directions, who guided me to take the train. Secondly, I got to know my hotel better thanks to my friend: there was a small kitchenette and a refrigerator provided in the hotel suite. Knowing this, I took ready-to-eat food articles like two-minute noodles and oats which I could use.

This was my first trip to America. In school, I was a huge fan of Batman and Superman comics (in that order) and then on the crime fiction writer Ed McBain novels. All of these books offered glimpses of a culture different from our own. Here was a chance to see what the country was like, actually! So, I was a little excited about this trip. One apprehension in my mind was regarding how I would cope with the jet lag. I decided to take things easy and not visit any other place, apart from Cleveland. On my flight, I slept little. Once I reached Cleveland, I dozed in the evening while I watched TV, but I resisted the temptation to sleep and only slept in the night. As a result, I did not feel the effect of jet lag too much. In fact, I feel that after returning from America, my sleep cycle has been upset more.

I found during my onward journey that all airports had good WiFi networks. Logging in at Chicago airport was not straight forward, but once I did get the free WiFi network, the connection was reliable. This helped me inform my family back home about the status of my progress.

I reached Cleveland in the afternoon. The expensive taxi drive to the hotel was a surprise. Taxi rates are expensive, probably because almost all of the population there owns cars. My hotel was on Landerhaven Drive. The hotel building is a sprawling one, much like most office complexes in the city. I settled into the comfortable room, thankful for the air-conditioner. Soon, I switched it off as I started feeling cold ! In fact, the weather and temperature were like Bengaluru, except that it was cooler in the mornings and nights.

What are my impressions about America? One obvious feeling I perceived was that of space. A friend said his house was just behind my hotel. I thought it would take a few minutes of walking to reach it. Actually, his house was around 4 k.m. away, I suppose ! To people in America, a drive of fifteen minutes or less is "near" ; for me, this concept took time to understand !

Another difference in America that struck me is the unfailing courtesy of people. Strangers wished me a good day at breakfast, people smiled as a greeting and held the door open when I came through it with my laptop. I imitated them in a day or two, thinking to myself how much better politeness felt ! I noticed a typical expression in the smiles of strangers, which seemed to say : "I don't know you, but out of decency, I acknowledge you !" I suppose I could call this sentiment artificial, but instead I find it just courteous. The same courtesy is seen in driving and public places. The queue is respected in America.

While leaving home, I assured my wife that the ready-to-eat food articles she sent would be used well. This proved to be easier said than done: it took me several trials to figure out that one has to press the knob of the electric stove and turn it to get it working ! One can imagine my (mis)adventures in the American kitchenette ! In the night, I watched a a reality show based on a cooking competition, to identify the world's worst cook among a few celebrities. The producers had picked the wrong people ! I would have won this contest hands down ! The first time I  cooked the ready-to-eat two minute noodles that I had brought with me, the tepid water settled separately from the noodles. I never knew that two-minute noodles could be ruined to the extent that I did on that day ! Appalled at what I had done, I decided that I would eat/ drink it anyway. I am pleased to report that I suffered no adverse effects due to my culinary skills ! My subsequent attempts were less disastrous and more edible, thankfully !

My routine in Cleveland during the working days was to set the alarm at 5:40 a.m., get ready by 7 a.m., eat breakfast and take the shuttle to work with a colleague who stayed next door. In the evening, the hotel shuttle brought us back at around 5:20 p.m. I would keep my backpack with the laptop in the room, drink tea or coffee, read U.S.A Today (sometimes) and then go for a walk. This happened on some days. On other days, an Indian friend took me to different places in Cleveland and hosted dinner for me. His parents are with him currently. It is curious how time spent outside work can develop a sense of relationship. I would have called this friend "just" a colleague a month ago. Now, after experiencing his hospitality in an unfamiliar place, I consider him as a friend. I felt as if I knew his parents too, though I was meeting them for the first time. Another reason why I have fond memories of this trip is undoubtedly this friend's support.

My first visit with him was to Buttermilk Creek in the Chagrin Reserve area, which is like a forest within Cleveland city. http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/North-Chagrin-Reservation4.aspx has more information. I saw water make steps out of the stone over hundreds of years.

The Buttermilk Falls Creek has cut the stone. A signboard indicates how the fracture in the stone is at 90 degrees, unlike other stones. I found this interesting.

These flowers on the way to a marsh made for a pretty sight.

To me, it seemed incredible that a forest like atmosphere could exist within a city, but here it was in North Chagrin Reservation Area !

According to the file name, it was 7:07 p.m. in the evening when this photo was taken : can one believe that  ?!

The setting sun made the landscape look prettier.

We visited Squire's Castle in the park. It has some history, as indicated at http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Squires-Castle.aspx.

On two evenings, my friend took me to the beach on Lake Erie. The size of the lake needs to be seen to be believed. Standing on the beach, I felt was on the coast of a sea, much like the Arabian Sea in Mumbai. All around me was water. There was the tide also. I saw and felt gentle waves against my feet and experienced the cool water. If I didn't know it was a lake, I would have believed that I was on a real beach on a sea or ocean ! http://www.lakeeriewaterkeeper.org/lake-erie/facts/ and http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/ref/eriefact.html have more information about the vastness of the lake, which happens to be the 11th biggest in the world. The surface area is around 25,000 square kilometers ! To put its size in perspective, India's Ministry of Statistics and Implementation has information on the size of India's states at http://mospi.nic.in/Mospi_New/upload/SYB2015/CH-2-POPULATION/Table%202.1.xls. I see that if the surface areas of Mizoram and Goa are combined, it approaches the size of Lake Erie ! Just imagining that there is a water body that can accommodate two Indian states is mind-boggling !

The twilight I saw on the lake shore were relaxing as the sun set, as seen in the pictures below.

The clouds make the sunset look like a painting !

I attempted to capture the waves on the lake shore here, but I was only partially successful.

I had planned out my walks. I used the Wi-Fi network in my hotel to download screenshots of my walking route and paste them into my note taking app on my smartphone. Thus, even without a network, I had a virtual map with me. Secure with this knowledge, I felt I would find my way back and indeed, I did ! I kept the hotel address and phone number handy with me, of course. Another factor that I had considered was the "keep right" traffic flow. While crossing a road in India, I look first to the right and then to the left before crossing. I realised that would have to change in America as traffic comes from my left side ! My solution was to wait, pause and look on both sides before crossing !

This bird looked out of the ordinary. I saw that it had a red neck.

The good part of Cleveland is that deer and duck can wander on to some of its roads and streets. I saw signboards indicating deer and duck crossings near my hotel. When I went for a walk to a supermarket, I saw two deer just before the bridge on Lander's Road. I don't who was more alarmed : me, being unsure how to react or the deer, surprised that there were people who walk in America ! As it happened, the deer quickly scampered away into the woods that they came from, even before I could think of photographing them. The adventure on this day was that I was unsure about a right turn that I had to take. I took a right turn earlier than I was supposed to and wandered right into a road with houses. That day was 9/ 11 in America. In memory of the terrible tragedy now associated with that date, I saw several American flags in the lawns of these houses. It being a Sunday, I saw people mowing their lawns. I guess this is routine for the Americans, just as we have our own routines and weekend activities. At other times, I saw a giant squirrel or chipmunk and a racoon or skunk dart across the road.

One evening, I walked along Landers Road, Mayfield Road, Brainard Road and Cedar Road, completing a circuit of more than 7 k.m. During the walk, I recall seeing only six people : one was a man walking his dog ; there was a girl jogging wearing her activity tracker and four others who happened to be just walking ! Due to the distances in America, people drive from place to place. Walking along the peaceful Brainard Road full of houses with sloping roofs, I felt the difference between India and America strongly. There are few roads where one can experience solitude in Indian cities.

This is Brainard Road. All the houses have sloping roofs and spacious lawns. The pavements are wide and the road is lined with trees.

Another colleague took me to Chagrin Falls. Curiously, this is termed as a village as seen at http://chagrin-falls.org/. The steps lead one almost to the water itself.

Chagrin Falls is a gentle waterfall. It is clean and well maintained.

On a Saturday morning, the power suddenly went off at hour hotel ! I and the colleague next door joked that America wasn't perfect : power outages happen there also, much like it does in namma Bengaluru ! Apparently, a car hit a light pole on Cedar Road leading to the black out for more than a couple of hours. We spent time talking waiting for the power to return.

I ate lunch and took a taxi to the Cleveland Museum of Arts, website: http://www.clevelandart.org/. There was a chalk show exhibition on the museum grounds. Children and elders alike were drawing on the paths, in the back of the museum. The atmosphere was like a carnival to some extent. The museum itself contains 30,000 pieces of art. The museum has an app that I downloaded, which provides more information on the exhibits in it. There was a Mughal art exhibition in progress, but I did not visit it. Instead, I spent time seeing the paintings and statues in the older building.

There are many paintings and status related to Christian and Greek mythology. This is one of them.

This chair was used by priests. It looked imposing and majestic.

In this painting, the painter has shown a reflection in the metallic jar. I found that amazing !

The flowers in this painting bloom at different times. The painter has waited for them to bloom and then combined them into this painting.

In the newer block, I found this exhibit from South America. The statue is of two brothers, artisans who are transformed into monkeys !

This is a bronze creation from more than 3300 years ago from our own Mohenjo Daro civilisation.

Cleveland is famous for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, website: https://www.rockhall.com/. On a Sunday afternoon, I took a taxi and headed downtown to visit the museum. I bought a $23.50 ticket and entered the museum, wondering what awaited me. The museum explores the emergence of rock and roll from its roots in the early part of the twentieth century. It is like a time machine for the Rock and Roll fan. The museum has music and exhibits of Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and groups like the Beatles and Pink Floyd. I have only a passing interest in rock and roll music, but I enjoyed myself at the museum. For true fans, the museum offers much more.

I ate lunch in the cafeteria on the top floor. The view outside made it look like a harbour, as seen in the picture. The cafeteria leads up to an area where the story of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is explained.

The story of "The Wall" begins in this photo, as told by Roger Waters.

The story of "The Wall" starts from an incident in Montreal.

The story of "The Wall" as told by Roger Waters concludes.

The view from the cafeteria in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is good. A small sparrow joined me for lunch, just beyond the glass !

I roamed around the downtown area of Cleveland after visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On that Sunday, it was the first match of the season for the local baseball team, the Cleveland Browns. Until then, I thought Cleveland was sparsely populated. That afternoon, I realised that I was mistaken. Downtown became a sea of orange (the jersey colour of the Cleveland Browns team) as young and old fans both wore the colour. It brought to my mind Bengaluru's own passionate RCB supporters in cricket's IPL and the relatively smaller set of football fans of the Bengaluru Football Club, as seen in https://www.facebook.com/bengalurufcfans/.

One trick that the Cleveland authorities have missed is showcasing Cleveland as the home of Superman ! The creators of Superman Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are from Cleveland. The Hopkins International airport has a Superman exhibit, but I didn't find anything else on Superman in the city itself. Considering that I paid $23.50 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I would have gladly paid up to $10 to visit a museum of Superman memorabilia. However, this is a personal preference.

In the Public Square in Cleveland, there is a monument for its soldiers who died in the American Civil War. I found two men inside the memorial explaining the significance of the monument to all visitors. There were few visitors. There are a lot of old buildings in the downtown area of Cleveland, including a public library. I liked a statue of Abraham Lincoln which is in front of a hotel.

This is the Soldiers' and Sailors' monument in Cleveland Public Square.

Lincoln's Gettysburg speech is visible on the base of the statue, which is available at http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm for reference. The words are inspiring and relevant even today, if we consider the sacrifices of our own soldiers in battle.

I took the rail (metro) back to the hotel. The rail frequency is good, but the connecting bus taking me from the station to my hotel comes only once an hour. I saw just one man at the bus stop. When the bus was due, a few people appeared. The people who travel in public transport time themselves according to the bus. In the bus, I saw a mixture of students and senior citizens, mostly. One of the students had also brought a bicycle along which was put in the front of the bus. Similarly, I also a bicycle being taken in the rail. While the taxi trip downtown cost me $50, the rail and bus trip cost me just $5.50, but the frequency of the buses is poor.

I thought I saw the supermarket I had walked to earlier that week and got down from the bus. Unfortunately, this was another outlet of the same supermarket chain ! I did not want to wait for another hour. So I set out walking on Mayfield Road, hopeful that I would see a familiar road or landmark. I saw a school, a municipality office (quite different from our municipality offices, incidentally: they are cleaner and smaller), a Freemason church and the odd small store or so. I walked for around 30 minutes when I finally saw roads that I had on the screenshot maps. Overall, this was another walk of more than 7 k.m. Due to the new sights I saw, I did not feel the time spent or any strain.

Writing this blog post had made me re-live some of my experiences in America : that is one reason why I write these long blogs ! The trip has made me realise some important things :

1.) Cooking is not easy as it looks on the cooking shows on T.V. !
2.) I could win the title of the world's worst cook !
3.) America is a country of vast spaces. Corollary: Everything is super-sized. The small cup of coffee is as good as two cups of what we get in restaurants in Bengaluru. I rather liked the French roast coffee and Tuscany coffee available in the hotel, during breakfast. However after returning, I told my wife that I want one cup of coffee at the restaurant near our house. So, instead of our usual practice of going "by two", we each drank one coffee. It was a very fulfilling cup ! In spite of tasting French roast or Colombian or Italian coffee, there is nothing quite like south Indian filter coffee - but I am prejudiced by my upbringing !!
4.) America is different. One eats cookies there, not biscuits and takes the elevator, not the lift. Apart from that one flicks the switch up, not down and traffic keeps on the right, not the left.
5.) I visited Cleveland at the right time. In December, the city becomes a blanket of white, from what my friends tell me. At work, I sometimes drank coffee watching a maple tree outside the window with its green leaves, wondering how it would look when it turned golden or reddish, as is seen in the photographs. During my walk, that question was partially answered when I saw one maple tree that had become russet coloured already. I suppose the city is more beautiful in the fall season.
6.) Solitary walks are a good way to experience a new place - and to create memories.

I experienced this sunset during one of my walks. It brought a fitting end to the day - and to this blog !