Aboard The Immigrant

My sympathies lie with my co-passengers. Our ship, The Immigrant, is at mid-sea with no green pastures visible on the horizon. Everywhere I look, I see the sea… the deep dark blue sea.

I’ve been been in this country for the past 4 years. Looking back, I realize that almost 60% of my time has been spent dealing with my visa issues. It all began when I walked into the Consulate in my home country to get a student visa.
A few days after landing here, I remember walking into a bank and asking for information to open an account. I was asked for my SSN. I had no clue what that was. I trudged back to school to meet my adviser and she gave me a “bonafide” as proof of my legal presence. Armed with it, I went to the bank again. I had to wait 90 mins and explain my “SSN” less situation to 3 people before I could open an account and deposit a check I had brought from home.
I heard that for the past 2 years, SSN’s are not issued to immigrants on an F1 visa. One would need to have a “job offer” letter in order to apply for an SSN while on an F1. I was probably among the last few to get my SSN before this rule came into effect. The government may have its reasons for bringing in this rule, what concerns me is “were the repercussions completely thought through?” Be it a credit card, electricity signup, bank account, apartment rental … almost anything and everything requires one to have an SSN. So, if it’s not issued to “certain” immigrants, what’s their alternative? Why aren’t these institutions aware of the alternatives?

Years have passed since that day at the bank but my sense of insecurity as an immigrant hasn’t reduced an iota.

Every time I hear a layoff is due, I fear so much. I know everyone does. But it’s the fact that it’s just not my finances but my very “remaining in the US” that I fear for the most! I have been asking around and I still do not have a concrete reply to “how many days do I have to both find another job and file for an H1 or leave the country, from the day I AM FIRED?” So when need to cross that bridge, it looks like I would have to deal with all these immigration issues and its different interpretations in addition to what any other person will be facing: Unemployment!

I can’t make any long term plans like buying a house without facing a 15% more on the risk factor than a citizen peer would face.

I’m not the first person on this well trodden path, its just that I loathe being here at this point where I’ve traveled too far to go back but too less to reach my destination.

It may just be my Capricornian self searching for a sure foot while scaling a steep slope but isn’t it what we all strive for, security, peace and contentment?

Yahooooo! I own a Yaris!

Twenty days after I started on my new job, I started searching for a car. My budget was 15k, option - financing. I called / emailed all the Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Suzuki dealers within 30 miles and asked for price quotes. I received 9 calls on an average everyday form these dealers. All in vain!
A month passed, then two. I was still "carless"(mind u there is no e!!!). Thanks to the folks at home, I always got a ride when I needed one.
And then it all started again. This time I had decided I only wanted to buy a "sub compact or a compact". So, I started off with the following on my list:
1. Yaris (Toyota)
2. Aerio (Suzuki)
3. Sentra (Nissan)
4. Accent (Hyundai)
5. Corolla (Toyota)
First I test drove the Yaris. Frankly I hated it! The AT was so sluggish and the car seemed to have no power at all. But the look and feel of the car was just too cool. Everything except the engine was great in the Yaris. But looks weren't just good enough for me at that point. I wanted to go zoom!zoom!zoom! and I knew the Yaris wouldn't help me there. So out went the Yaris. Four more to go...
Next I tried the Sentra. The 125HP engine felt good...especially after driving the Yaris... but there was nothing cute or great about the car. The interior and design was just "ok". Still the good price and power of the engine kept it on my list.
I couldn’t find an Accent to test drive. The local dealership didn’t have it. But the main fact that made me drop the Accent was its 110 HP. If the Yaris with 105HP was so bad, I was sure the Accent wouldn’t be any better. There goes another option.
Down to three now...
The Aerio. I really do like this car. It’s got everything in it. 155HP engine, climate control, AWD, 6 CD changer that plays MP3, power doors and windows, cruise control...u name it and Aerio has it..that too for a very cheap price. The few drawbacks were...the look and feel is not so good. The interior looks to be made of cheap plastic and doesnt have elegance; very less MPG. With the gas prices soaring and with very less resale value, I had no choice but to drop the Aerio.
So, that left me with the Sentra and the Corolla. I didnt want to buy the Corolla. It’s so boring!!! Nothing exciting about it. Come on man...I'm planning to buy my first car...Y would I want to buy a COROLLA??????
I was so dissatisfied. I didn’t even want to test drive it and when I finally did, I hated the Corolla even more because it was the best I had driven in the last few days. I had this bad feeling that I would end up with the Corolla. I returned home and reflected over the happenings of the last 2 days. ok..the Yaris didn’t have much power but everything else was great. The MPG was spectacular. Ya right ...what more could you expect from a small car with a 105HP engine...anyways... The Accent was OUT! The Aerio was great but I was not ready to end up with a "fully loaded" car that would drain my purse with the escalating fuel costs and give me next to nothing when I sell it in a few years. So the Aerio was OUT too! Hmm the Sentra...good price...but nothing interesting about it. The Corolla...everything nice about it...except the fact that I hated it! Don’t ask me why....
I just didn’t like it!
Hey wait a minute....if I am ready to compromise on my likes and dislikes and get ready to buy the Corolla...then Y don’t I just compromise on the HP and buy the Yaris? ooooooooooh....good thought...interesting....You know what...I'm buying the Yaris!
I shopped on the internet for a good price. I played one dealer's price quote against another and did all those cheeky things and finally got a good one!
It’s been three weeks to this day since I bought my car. Its great and I love it. For some reason...the transmission doesn’t seem so sluggish now...Looking back, I think driving my sister's Accord had spoilt me. I guess.. I got so used to the 250HP engine that I just couldn’t accept a less powerful car!
Anyways, My Yaris is true to her name...beautiful and elegant and more than everything...SHE IS MINE!!!!

Selling off my pet!

I bought my first car on April 21st 2004. T'was a Toyota Corolla '90 model. A perfect student car with dents, scratches, 156k miles and a good engine. The deal started and ended in 4 hrs. I was just walking into the ECS building at school when Pintwo called me. He told me the details of the car and that the owner wanted to sell it off by the end of the day as he was moving to Boston that night.
I had a look at the car, had Pintwo, Warrier and Mihir test drive it for me( I didnt have a license!) and closed the deal. The car stood idle, parked outside my apartment for about 11 days. I used to look at it and feel this kind of joy in my ownership. Its fun to recall the two days when Warrier, Bonnie, Anu and me used to drive to the DMV in the night and practise parallel parking. Poor Warrier, I really wonder how he managed to coach us all!!! Hats off to him!
Almost a month passed by the time I managed to get my license and really use my car. I enjoyed every moment of my mobility. MY car was termed the "UTD bus to Viewlocity". I almost went to every phase in Waterview to pick up a colleague before going to work. The car
was filled to capacity but still it never broke down on us even once. My "turn down the AC while accelerating" and "floor the pedal" acts were always the topics of conversation and fun during those 12 minute rides.
We shared a special bonding, me and my car. Its has seen me cry my heart out, laugh my head out and most importantly it gave me those precious 10 minutes of content and happiness almost every night when I used to drive through Waterview Parkway and just sink in the calm
and serenity of the place.
I'll always remember you my pet and hope you turn out to be just as lucky for your next Owner, as you were for me!

Talk'ing on Google? Here's a tip!

Peeping into another person's desktop has become a habit for many. Especially when there is an orange flashing minimized messenger window on the taskbar. So how do you keep your chat windows open yet keep them off the taskbar???
Hmm, I heard this trick from a friend and it has helped me a lot as I sit facing the wall of my cube, working on one montior and any person walking by can easily scan the contents of my other monitor(which happens to be the primary) and note all the applications i have open.
First, get Google Talk! I really like the the simple frames of the chat windows which do not call for one's attention.
Second, open google talk focus on the bottom end of the frame and close it. Even when you close it, the application is actually only hidden from view. So position your open chat window right at the point where the bottom end of the Talk's frame was. It would seem as if your chat window is "attaching" itself to something and simultaneously you will notice that the taskbar entry for chat window has vanished.
So now, you can traverse to your chat window by an "alt-tab" and hide it the same way.
Isn't that cool? Thanks Jag, thats a cool trick!

Y all the fuss???

My mom sits beside me, gives me this patronizing look and says, "Try to stop eating meat. Its not a good thing. " And she rambles on about how being a nonvegetarian eventually reduces my spirituality. I've had these "talks" with her every now and then but nothing has changed my eating habits. Come on, I like my chicken!
I totally agree with my friend Sarah on her views on this topic. "Its always the vegetarians who fuss. I dont like egg plants. But I dont pose a disgusted look when I see it being served!" She's right. I've noticed this a lot in restaurants having a buffet. The vegetarians walk around with a tense+ disgusted look on their face. You will find them reading every word on the labels and wear a distasteful expression if the dish seems to have meat.
Looking at these "veggies", I'm torn between sympathy and irritation. My mom has been a vegetarian all her life. My dad started off as a meat eater and later became a veggie too. My sister was and remains to be an "eggetarian". So essentially, I'm the only "meat eater" in the family. When we go out for dinner, we try to steer my mother clear from the "non-vegetarian" servings. This also limits our choices in restaurants. "No fast foods ( McD is so not veggie friendly! You ask for a veggie burger and end up with the 2 slices of a burger bun with one slice of a tomato, one lettuce leaf and some ranch in between. All this for $4) , no TEX-MEX(pinto beans has beef in it and black beans for some reason, my mom hates!) and no Thai, Malaysian or Vietnamese cuisine(their curry bases are supposed to have fish sauce in them)". So the options boil down to just Indian restaurants, preferably ones that serve only veggie food or else I will have to accompany her to the buffet table and shield her from the sights of Chicken tikka masala and fried fish.
I feel so bad her choices are so limited. But it irritates me to no end when she tries to talk me into giving up my chicken. Ma, I respect your choices in food and have never tried to influence you. Why dont you reciprocate that? Is it the "teacher" in you that always tries to force me to do things that you think are right? Why all this fuss?

Its snowing!!!

Its snowing here in VA today. Its the first "proper" snow that I am seeing after the "snow in the morning, sun in the afternoon" gimmicks that happen in Dallas. The flurries are so pretty to watch.
I remember the first time it snowed in Dallas(first time after I arrived in the US) in 2004. It was on the 14th of Feb. Bonnie came running in the middle of the night and woke us up. We were all so thrilled to see the flakes sway down to the ground and pile up. I played all morning in the snow and hated to go to work. By the time I returned, half the snow was gone but the excitement remained.
It snowed again later that year but not so much. Just enough to cover the cars and grass with an inch of snow. It was around the same time that I got my cellphone with a camera(Sanyo PM 8200) and took a lot of snaps of my snow topped car with it.

Hey..I got a job!!!

I got a job 50 days after my graduation. It has given me not only a source of income, but also confidence and a sense of my worth.
on Jan 23rd, I saw a job posting on washington post and applied to it. On the 24th, I had a phone screen and on the 27th I was invited for an in-house interview. After a 2 hr tech grilling, I was offered the job. Its a nice feeling to be part of an org where your contribution means a lot. I like the sense of camaraderie that exists between all the team members.
I passed the first couple of days at work reading documentation. I generally find this the most boring part. But this time, the project is so interesting that I really was very interested. Ofcourse there were a couple of times when I could hardly supress my yawns....still, reading the documentation did help in giving me a better understanding of the project architecture. I have been given a Dell Latitude, a cute cabin and the option to telecommute.
Its been a week now and I know I took the right decision in accepting the offer.