Visit to MA state

lastweek I had been to West Springfield in MA.  The nearest airport is Bradley International, Harford.  Evnthough the flight time is75min I had to go to Chicago ( 1 hr back in Timezone), wait for 2 hrs and then took a fight to Hartford.  I started at DC at 2.30 PM and reached Residence Inn Hotel in WS by 11.00 PM.  I had to pay $15 for one piece of check-in baggage in US Airways.  Airlines are in bad shape in US.  From LA to DC, which is a direct flight having 4.5 hrs flight time, I spent around 226 $ for the flight. But for DC to Hartford the price was around $630.  I used to have impression that airlines are cheap in US. But, man with this one can visit India and come back. I took a cab form Hartford to WS city and paid $52 for 25 mins Journey. The same driver had gave me return ride.  We started chatting for Time pass. He had 5 divoreces and now has a columbian girl friend. He said he can not trust American woman anymore. He found his current girl friend in Internet. She is his age and not interested in GC is what he says. Once he purposefully went away from home and his 5th wife called him only after 5 days.  He wanted a wife who  wants to know why he is not home after one hr late. 

In MA, I met three of my colleagues from India who are from Mumbai. I met all of them for first time.  For one person I reminded him that I met him before. The vert next morning all three of them had their own lunch box and it continued for four days I was there. I had to finsh the job in 4 days and was busy making report in the evening. Finally I have acheived my target and was happy for the same. Last day one collegue offered me some rice at his room and I was very happy. It’s been many days since I had dal chawal.  I stayed in Mariott in DC and they feed you twice in a day.  I was eating cheese burgers and swimming in the hotel pool to burn it. the pool was eco friendly and they don’t use chlorine for cleaning. Some rock salt is used for cleaning . So it was really a good swimming with out having to make skin dark due to chlorine. Mexiacan fast food chain ”chipotle” was only source of rice. I occasioned it enjoyed the chipotle food.  I was not craving for Indian Hotels. When your alone you just try to eat whatever is convenient.  

MA is beatiful and seems to be thinly populated.  So far I lived always in suburbs in CA.  I wanted to see how country side looks like. MA fulfilled that.. We see wooden bunglows lined up with grass and thick vegetation in between. I didn’t see any Mcd in the vicinity.  There was only subway near by to our hotel and I had my dinner sandwich from them once. It was nice. I had some sweet onion dressing on the top. Generally I like subway. In  DC, I had been to one subway and that fellow was conservative in putting lettuce but put all varieties of alapenos. I told him to put all sauses (mastard, myoneese etc). Oh boy, I had to eat that some how. I was very hungry that time and eager to have footlong.  With that experience I was careful in my slection in the sub of MA.

Besides our hotel (residence Inn), There was this beautiful church. It was like European church they show in Bollywood. Located at a height on a small slope and surrounded by a lawn and not hindered by any trees etc. Myself and collegue went inside. But there was only one woman sitting there.

We went to Walmart in WS. In that campus there is only walmart. Had it been some city there would have been all the retails giants.  I was alone in DC and enjoyed the group in MA.

The company we were visiting is a toy company. They make all board games in US.  It’s any body’s guess the play toys are made in china. The popular monopoly (trade we call in India, I forgot what my son & his frends call it in pune — not marathi word) is their game.  I wanna buy a monopoly but didn’t have time to think about it. The toy company is located in Industrial Area.  People hv been working in that company for more than 20 yers. My collegue was saying Amricans don’t change jobs but change wives and Indians are reverse. These guys work for 4.5 days only. What a nice life yaar.  I liked life style better than the hectic & artificial life of  DC. Any where you go there is this diff between city and town culture.  The manager I was working with was tall, middle age with sharp eyes.  I gave him some tough time in posing difficult questions.  He was a gentle man and for me looked like Mahatma Gandhi. I had  met this young John who was explaining me some processes. I liked his cool attitude. He was talking like grab it, this guy etc. There are 3 Johns in that office. One is Boss. All 3 are nice Individuals.

to be contd.