** I came across an interesting concept of A-Z blogging so I'm going to give it a shot. My blog's been dead for a while, let's see if this is enough to revive it.
A is for Atlanta
Atlanta was the first thing that popped into my head and I didn't have to look any further. The city that's been home to me for the last 3 years and will be for only the next two months, is very dear to my heart. I can claim to know the city quite well, well enough to say it is one of the most beautiful cities in America. From tourist attractions like Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta and High Museum of Art to parks like Piedmont Park and the Chattahoochee River National Recreational Area, this city has a lot to offer.
As my stint in Atlanta comes to an end, I wonder what the future holds for me. I am nervous and anxious at the same time. What will life in India feel like, will my time in the US have been a success or will it have been 3 years lost in oblivion?
Atlanta opened my mind to several new ideas. It was a city where I learned to bake, crochet and braid. These three interests or hobbies have really engulfed my life the past 3 years. How can I forget hiking? The natural state of affairs found in the city has helped build a real connection between my husband and myself.
It is a city, I lost myself in and found a whole other me. I think I went through a quarter life crisis at 25. I incidentally got married at 25 out of the blue I fell in love with a man and decided to tie the knot. While marital life had its challenges, it brought a whole bunch of challenges that I hadn't faced before. I packed up my life and followed my husband India to Atlanta. It was a way to leave an old me behind and attempt to build a new one with him. The initial few months were torture for the both of us. Seems like I am hard to please, I couldn't be happy. I was bored and moody and unhappy. Gradually I started finding new ways to keep myself engaged to pass time.
I started with hiking. I found a club that hiked on a regularly, 3 years later I am a trip leader and have a whole bunch of friends from all walks of life. They are all twice my age, wiser and healthier than I. They have inspired me to love and treasure the outdoors.
I also rediscovered crochet. It started as way to make my husband a phone case (which incidentally I never got around to completing). I bought a skein of multi-purpose yarn, a set of hooks and I haven't looked back since then. Some of friends were kind enough to commission a few projects, the few dollars I earned gave me a sense of pride and I'm sorry to say, a sense of self-worth. The projects I created baffle me even now. All of the projects were the brain child of designers all over the world and I have to give them credit.
One of the first things I saw when I came to Atlanta was an oven. My mother never baked, so I never grew up with one. It seemed like a privilege to have one, and I cannot imagine my kitchen life any other way. On the first day my husband showed me how to turn it on and that was it! I started baking cakes, cookies and even breads. I discovered a whole other world to cooking. Baking cakes opened a new arena for me in terms of cake decorating, I have spent countless hours on youtube and other websites learning skills to create unique cakes, I have all these ideas in me and am waiting for an outlet!
When I came to Atlanta, my hair was a novelty to everyone I met. It was butt length. I got numerous questions about it like had I ever cut my hair (if only they knew how short it was 7 years ago :) ) how do I wash it, how long it takes to dry etc etc. A few months before I left India, in an attempt to do something fun with my hair, I watched a few videos on different braids, when I came to the US, the joys of high speed internet enabled me to watch hundreds of different braiding techniques. Needless to say I discovered another one of my interests. Although my love of braiding as waned in the past few months, that hobby is always there for me.
so if you ask me if Atlanta is special to me, Oh yes it is. It is the city where I learned to drive, I learned to love and I learned to live. :)
A is for Atlanta
Atlanta was the first thing that popped into my head and I didn't have to look any further. The city that's been home to me for the last 3 years and will be for only the next two months, is very dear to my heart. I can claim to know the city quite well, well enough to say it is one of the most beautiful cities in America. From tourist attractions like Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta and High Museum of Art to parks like Piedmont Park and the Chattahoochee River National Recreational Area, this city has a lot to offer.
As my stint in Atlanta comes to an end, I wonder what the future holds for me. I am nervous and anxious at the same time. What will life in India feel like, will my time in the US have been a success or will it have been 3 years lost in oblivion?
Atlanta opened my mind to several new ideas. It was a city where I learned to bake, crochet and braid. These three interests or hobbies have really engulfed my life the past 3 years. How can I forget hiking? The natural state of affairs found in the city has helped build a real connection between my husband and myself.
It is a city, I lost myself in and found a whole other me. I think I went through a quarter life crisis at 25. I incidentally got married at 25 out of the blue I fell in love with a man and decided to tie the knot. While marital life had its challenges, it brought a whole bunch of challenges that I hadn't faced before. I packed up my life and followed my husband India to Atlanta. It was a way to leave an old me behind and attempt to build a new one with him. The initial few months were torture for the both of us. Seems like I am hard to please, I couldn't be happy. I was bored and moody and unhappy. Gradually I started finding new ways to keep myself engaged to pass time.
I started with hiking. I found a club that hiked on a regularly, 3 years later I am a trip leader and have a whole bunch of friends from all walks of life. They are all twice my age, wiser and healthier than I. They have inspired me to love and treasure the outdoors.
I also rediscovered crochet. It started as way to make my husband a phone case (which incidentally I never got around to completing). I bought a skein of multi-purpose yarn, a set of hooks and I haven't looked back since then. Some of friends were kind enough to commission a few projects, the few dollars I earned gave me a sense of pride and I'm sorry to say, a sense of self-worth. The projects I created baffle me even now. All of the projects were the brain child of designers all over the world and I have to give them credit.
One of the first things I saw when I came to Atlanta was an oven. My mother never baked, so I never grew up with one. It seemed like a privilege to have one, and I cannot imagine my kitchen life any other way. On the first day my husband showed me how to turn it on and that was it! I started baking cakes, cookies and even breads. I discovered a whole other world to cooking. Baking cakes opened a new arena for me in terms of cake decorating, I have spent countless hours on youtube and other websites learning skills to create unique cakes, I have all these ideas in me and am waiting for an outlet!
When I came to Atlanta, my hair was a novelty to everyone I met. It was butt length. I got numerous questions about it like had I ever cut my hair (if only they knew how short it was 7 years ago :) ) how do I wash it, how long it takes to dry etc etc. A few months before I left India, in an attempt to do something fun with my hair, I watched a few videos on different braids, when I came to the US, the joys of high speed internet enabled me to watch hundreds of different braiding techniques. Needless to say I discovered another one of my interests. Although my love of braiding as waned in the past few months, that hobby is always there for me.
so if you ask me if Atlanta is special to me, Oh yes it is. It is the city where I learned to drive, I learned to love and I learned to live. :)
