The “T” Connects More Than Stations
by Lakshmi Iyer, Culture Writer on September 16, 2009 in Culture
It was my very first day in Boston. The woman at the Harvard International Office (HIO) was trying to verify all my documents. Due to some lapse by the Immigration officer, I had to find my way from HIO in Harvard Square to the Boston Airport and back – all in a few hours. Obviously, the glitch got sorted, which is why I am here, writing this article for the Citizen. But the highlight of my seemingly frustrating travel escapade was that on that very day, I discovered I already felt totally connected with this new city. The reason for this ‘connection,’ surprisingly, was the “T” as they (well, we) call it here. I love the system and that even as a newbie, it provides me with the freedom to be independent in the city. It reminds me of my home, thousands of miles away in Mumbai, India – where I would take the local train to reach anywhere. The ease of travel through the Red, Green and the Blue makes me feel like quite a local!
Since that day, I have continued to notice the various aspects of life at HKS and in Boston that make me feel more at home. That sounds rather ironic considering the fact that I am an international student and I am supposed to feel estranged in a place where everything is new. Of course, there are things that are completely new for me – from the “big” things like the different cultures, habits, people and their names, to more mundane things like how to actually cross the street in Boston, how to place orders at different restaurants, how to prepare for the Boston weather and what the ‘right of way’ Is. I still remember how appalled I was when a speeding car stopped for me at a mall so that I could cross the street –a complete “princess-like” treatment for me compared to what I did back in Mumbai, where everyone including pedestrians and car-drivers dodge their way to get ahead!
But maybe, at some level I was looking out for those parallels so that I do feel at home. I couldn’t help but notice threads of similarity amongst all the differences.
Of course, the similarity in aspects such as the T, or the night life and malls, could purely be an effect of globalization, urbanization and the fact that I lived in a metropolitan city. It is the similarity in personalities of people and our aspirations in life that really interests me. After the zillion introductions I realized that one could always find something in common between you and the person with whom you’re speaking. It did not matter where the person lived or came from, even though that person probably came from a country which prior I had only seen on a world map, or on documentaries on the Discovery Channel.
But the connections do exist. There are people who love Indian food like I do or who are hooked on Facebook and the internet. There are people living far away from their loved ones and people who will freeze like me this winter. There are people who actually chose to go for the ‘walk’ like I did during orientation, and there are some who are still deciding whether or not math is our friend!
Anyway, I could go on with the seemingly random but I think relevant connections. The bottom line is that there are tons of visible differences, but an equal number of commonalities that run through all of us. At the end of the day, we at least have one thing in common – the intention to make a positive difference and the will to ask what each one of us can do.
Comments
Got something to say?
