From Germany, both I and my friend Elke boarded the Lufthansa flight at Frankfurt International airport on our way to the USA. It was an 8.30 hrs journey and for the first time, I flew over the Atlantic sea to go to another continent. Very un-interesting flight. In the afternoon of May 13th, we landed in Newark Airport in New Jersey. It was a moderate size airport but appeared to be a busy one. It was my first visit to the USA and I was naturally curious to see the places in the USA. My niece was there at the airport to receive us when we came out of the airport exit gate.
It is always a welcome scene if there is someone to receive you when you arrive at a new place. It is all the more exhilarating when one comes to a new country about which he has heard so many stories and is very anxious to learn and know more about it. Coming out of the Exit gate I stretched my neck to see where my cute niece was waiting to receive us. She was there just at the meeting point with a broad smile. Perhaps she must have felt that she succeeded in making me fly all the way from India to the USA and I was happy that at last, I could make it to the USA and I could go back with several pleasant memories with the active co-operation of my niece. That smile usually reinforces one’s expectations. I should say that my niece is very young and I admired her resolve to stay alone in the USA and lead a very successful career. The first thing we thought that we should be able to acquaint ourselves and chalk out how to go about during our short stay there. We went to a coffee shop in the airport arrival lounge itself and ordered coffee and while sipping the coffee, she made us feel at home. In fact, within one hour we felt as though we were there for ages.
My niece had shifted to a new big apartment just a few days earlier perhaps keeping our visit in view at the Hudson Riverside in New Jersey. To be exact her apartment is at a place called Edge Water. In fact, it is on the edge of the water only as the River is flowing hardly 100 meters from her apartment building. The scene from her windows is breathtaking as it looks as though a painted Canvass has been hung on the other side of the window.
ANOTHER VIEW FROM HER APARTMENTT
One can see the Hudson River and all skyscraper buildings of Manhattan with the Hudson bridge in the backdrop. On a clear day, the scene is fantastic. Though Hudson River to me appeared to be good for navigation, I hardly found any boats or ships using that canal or river in this part of the river.
Though I wanted to stay in a hotel, my niece insisted we stay in her beautiful apartment. Her hospitality was par excellant. i did not expect her to make such elaborate arrangements. Words fail me in explaining the way she treated us and made us feel absolutely at home. Sometimes I used to wonder who was a guest and who was the hostess. She had prepared herself to give us Indian food and as cooked in our house. She had marked or already identified the restaurants where she should take us. If I go on narrating this, I may not complete stating my experiences in USA.