A beginning is only the start of a journey to another beginning
It’s been almost a month since I set foot in the US. I am now settled in my new home and have almost completely tuned myself to the pace of life here. The place I live in, Troy is an awesome place. Maybe not as lively as Bombay or NYC but definitely a conducive environment for life in graduate school đ . The sheer power of absolute independence here is overwhelming but at the same time can get a little worrisome. I am now responsible for everything I do from laundry, groceries shopping, paying up bills on time and offcourse cooking my own meals while juggling a hectic schedule at gradschool. Â The summer here surprised me by being almost as relentless as the average Indian summer but most people here tell me to literally “enjoy the sun while it shines” because winters are awfully long and severe in Troy.
I live in an apartment just across the campus and it’s a very convenient 2 min walk to my department. RPI’s campus is breathtakingly beautiful with a mix of Gothic-style and neo-classical architecture punctuated by lush-green lawns and neatly lined sidewalks. Classes have already begun in full-swing and I usually have a busy week with lot of classes to attend as well as to TA. Being the only Indian in this year’s graduate class of Materials Science & Engg. made it slightly difficult to get used to the academic surroundings and break the ice with people around but in just a matter of 2 weeks, I now feel at home here. It feels really good and sometimes even unreal to be in the company of some great professors known worldwide for their research and peers who are graduates from universities like Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, Rose-Hulman, Columbia etc. I guess this calls for me to work really hard so that I might live upto such high standards.
Lastly, life here (atleast upto now đ ) isn’t all about classes and research. Friday evenings have now become synonymous with beer binges which include darts, beer pong, pool and some good, greasy food :).  There are a  lot of hiking trails in the Adirondack Mountains nearby which I plan to explore in the coming weeks. And just before I sign off, in all probability, I will be seeing Porcupine Tree Live in Radio City Music Hall, NYC in 3 weeks \m/: a way of redeeming myself in style after having missed them foolishly at Mood Indigo in Bombay last year  :P.
Cheers,
Nikhil