I am in Birmingham Alabama physically but in all other aspect I am still in Bangalore
I still do my daily chores according to the time zone we follow in that part of the world
The journey was eventful at times, started on 7th early morning , made sure nobody drops me at the airport and as I entered the terminal alone and it seemed to everybody that it was weird considering the facts for certain people there were dozens.
Anyways got my baggage screened and then the check in one’s weighed and then started the misery. The allowed limit is 23 kg on bags with a cabin baggage of 8 kg and my baggage statistics were 28 ,29 and 12 so in the middle of the Air France counter I open all my three bags and transfer stuff into one bag so that only one bag gets overweight and rest pass. Everybody in that crowded airport had a look at my stuff they realized all my packages, masalas and clothes. Managed to stuff in my bigger bag with all the books and again put it on a weighing machine this time statistics were 34, 18 and 7 so had to redo the whole process since on 34 you will end up paying higher penalty, At the end of this process my cabin baggage had masala’s, clothes bag had books and clothes were strewn somewhere in middle of everything else.
Feeling good after countering the above mentioned major hurdle. I confidently walk in to the counter for my boarding pass .Now imagine thisà
You are coming to Accenture bang 3 office and the security guard asking you “why are you here”?? well this his or her job for our safety so you will politely answer. Now imagine you get into the BMTC bus in the morning to come to work and you politely request the conductor for the ticket and he rudely asks you in a tone “Why are you going to Accenture” How would you respond?
I could not when the fellow across the counter questioned. It took me two minutes to digest it. Here I was being all nice, courteous and with a requesting voice and asking for a ticket and here he is asking me the reason why I am going to US when he has absolutely nothing to do with it. That was not all I had to explain him the technology I work in.!!!!!
Later after getting my boarding pass and passing through immigration counter the gentleman desired to see my company approval for travel when I happened to produce one and his careful perusal for one second He moved me to customs/security since they thought the company approval was stamped in 2005.Now I lost my cool, was sweating profusely and the words of the Swamijee from Bangalore ringed in my words “Son you would never set your foot on the foreign lands, They would call that plane back before it lands” It seemed that the company approval document had the following line “Accenture generated net revenues of USD *** in the fiscal year ending 2005 and my friend across the counter wanted it to be 2007.His team mates put sense in him and stamped the passport.
I waited for two hours in the lounge reading news papers there was an announcement of the delay but fortunately it was for 5 minute, Got into the plane sat on the second last row next to a German lady who works as a fashion designer. The plane was full of Indians, parents gong to meet their kids in US, Families with kids and software engineers. Only the cabin crew and people flying business class were EUROPEANS rest the plane was
full of Indians. One of the most “looked forward part” of the international flights by someone traveling first time is the liquor . The lady next to me was drinking wine after wine and the French cabin guy was more than willing to get her drunk I somehow was not in a mood so ordered for the strongest vodka finished in few gulps and woke up just before landing in Paris.
There were clouds over Paris so could not see much until the plane came low .My words would never do justice to this beautiful land and I promised myself that I would return One day to know her better. After bidding goodbye to the German lady and helping some Old Indians with the luggage and route map to their boarding gate. I pressed on with my security clearance.(Yes you have to do security check here)Asians are everywhere I met them at weird places they are at security, immigration , ticketing etc.
I boarded the delta flight around 11am Paris time and started the journey over Atlantic. The plane was flying so high above the clouds that you hardly get to see anything below except thick dense clouds. I found it pretty strange that the flight from Paris to Cincinnati did not fly straight they somehow follow a elliptical shape, as in they fly over Ireland in Europe and Rhode island in US when they could have avoided that. My guess is they want the planes to fly above the sea for the least duration The flight was uneventful and boring at times since there is no personal entertainment system, Had lots of coke and few pizza slices and slept off . Landed in Cincinnati airport 3pm local time.
Got my immigration and customs cleared easily and waited for the Delta flight to Birmingham The Comair flight was on of those small planes which have stairs inbuilt in the door It has capacity of just around 40 people and the seats don’t recline I was quite nervous at the start. It flew over rivers and the country side and within less than an hour I had landed at the Birmingham Airport, Now after coming from Paris and Cincinnati airport this is too small collected my baggage and booked a taxi to the hotel,
Now BellSouth office out of which we work is technically not in Birmingham it is in Hoover. The Hotel is technically not a Hotel it is a motel where you could drive your Car right up to the room ( J Please don’t laugh I have never seen such thing in India).As I checked in my head had started rolling ordered a coke and had a bath and slept off in the tub itself for about half an hour .Got up and called up my folks in India and slept off like a log. Thus ended my first international flight.
Posted by sabab 
Hmmmm 