My trip back home

Hi all,

Its been a long time since I last blogged. Its just because I have been terribly busy with the whole tankcleanking and dock preparation operations onboard Richard Maersk. After a lot of delays and even more operational problems we did make it to drydock yesterday at Lisbon in Portugal. Among all these things my sign off date kept getting delayed too. Well, I made it off the vessel yesterday and hopped on to the flight back home (literally 3 flights back home).

Mr Shahrukh Khan - now I know what you felt at the airport in US few months although I din't go through exactly the same. At one of the checkpoints I was asked if I had some arms or ammunitions to declare (Chat reaction = ROFL). I told them laughing that I indeed did not have any arms or ammunitioms to declare. I think I saw some brows relax around. This is probably the limits of paranoia for the white people. Do they think the real terrorists would actually declare their arms and ammunitions at customs or like pay duty. Now that would be quite interesting to see.

So that was the issue about Europe and probably one of its many escalating issues in the start of this century.

I had a good question all for my friends especiallly some of my batchmates who might stumble upon this post. I might even get my ass kicked some day because of this. Are you all really proud to be Indian? I was proud and all when I first left the country. But the more time I have spent outside the country in the past years I think I am much less proud to be Indian than I was earlier. Ofcourse I am still attached to it... Its my motherland and always will be. I am sure everyone would have travelled alongwith a lot of Indians. The sheer volume of the plane is 50dB higher than normal. Sometimes it dubs out the engine. Nosepicking, burping, staring at people with big eyes for minutes and minutes, staring at every girl from top to bottom, cutting nails: these are all that I just noticed. There are so many more. Its just embaressing for me sitting beside these people. Its just a 3 hour flight from Dubai to London. I don't see the need at all to do all those Indian things. Its a little sad for me. I have seen the quality of life outside now and I want that for my family. Thats where I would probably like my kids to grow up in some day, a mature, healthy and discoplined environment.

I dont have a conclusion for this post. Its just what I had been thinkin for the past years and decided to put it down today in some sort of writing. It helped me pass 30 minutes on this flight too. :)

Basu

PS: The seat belt sign has been on for the past 30 minutes; people are still standing around and talking as if in their backyard. Every one of them standing is ofcourse as you might have guessed Indian.

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Location:Vithalbhai Patel Rd,,India