When I got the news that I will be going to US in a weeks time then I said "YES" (my right hand with elbow pointing down in motion hitting the air four or five times) "This is the oppurtunity I was waiting for !". A weeks time is too less a time to prepare to go to any place and for US its TOO less. I sent mail to all friends in US about what to take & what not.I got loads of advice from people....'Take a jacket it will be very cold'.. 'Dont take any jacket...you'll find nice ones out there'...'Take a pressure cooker & some masala'..'Some medicines'...'Yes! take a dozen undergarments, socks!'...'Toothpaste!'...'Camera rolls'. There were also advices like....'Speak politely at the I94 interview'..'Dont take much in your cabin bag'... 'Smile this way'...'Dont smile much...it may look as if you are flattering'. All this advicing were too much for me but some were surely useful. You feel like all you knew all the years was crap. Anyhow I managed to pack everything ...well everything (I left my spectacles, my address book though). Two days before I had to give treat to my friends at the Purple Haze (I was thinking...in case my trip is cancelled...I will make these guys return my 2000 bucks). My heart was beating very fast when I was on my way to Airport. This was the second time I've been to the airport.First time to see off a friend of mine. Weird thoughts like meeting an accident on the way & missing my flight(although I was 2 hrs before) came to my mind ......First trip you know!. Finally I was at the Bangalore airport without anything happening to me. I was holding my tickets tight then a Sahara guy took my luggage. I was reluctant to give it till one experienced friend of mine(two trips abroad!) said that nothing would happen.That didn't stop me from keeping an eye on the luggage till it reached the check-in counter. The next hour I was looking at people in the airport ...how they move, how they talk and picking up some tips from them. Suddenly the feeling that I'll be reaching US in a days time took me to cloud nine. My friends who came to see me off kept advicing 'don't lose your passport at anycost'... but I was hardly listening to them. Then the call came for the Bombay(I mean Mumbai!) flight I bid bye to my friends promising them that I'll buy this, that for them. I was sheepishly following the queue. ......Now I was on my own.