Souvenir De Paris

The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841-1935)

Some times I wonder if I am fool to walk so much even when there are several comfortable means to commute. I walked more then three kilometers in the evening to reach home and I could have as well use the public transport services which have become quite good these days. And also gone are the days when the narrow road of Mehdipatnam used to be a bottle neck; it's simpler now. And it hardly takes 10 minutes to reach my house when I catch a bus from that place. Some times I don't do that.

It gives me a mystical pleasures to walk long stretches without being disturbed. I wouldn't mind if I have company; I just need peace. The noisy traffic and the so assumed deafening sounds of horns of the vehicles are of little effect on me. I forget them when I am with myself. I even forget the loss of energy and feelings of pain in my legs. When people can find peace in their lifetime of wars, why can't I then walking on the side of a busy street?

Yesterday my uncle gave me a small replica of Eiffel Tower. He had brought it from France several years back along with a three foot one which was lost in time. He also showed me a similar replica which was made of glass. It looked liked the most beautiful monument on earth. He has this craze about everything from France. I couldn't understand why but that passion remains with all my uncles and even my father - some genes have transferred to me too! My uncle who is a French national keeps asking us to visit him as though Paris is in the neighborhood. Someday I would definitely go there - for my uncle, Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.

I had plans for learning French starting from January but I don't think it's going to materialize. Perhaps I can make an attempt by myself trying from books but I am not sure if that can be possible or it will be a wild goose chase. After English, it is French and Spanish that are widely spoken in the west and I have always wished I could get along with at least one - French preferably. I am not keen on much with the United States and staying there for long if I get the F 1 visa; I know Europe is a better place and all it takes for an engineer to settle there is the knowledge of German or French.

My mother is not happy with my interests in other countries - she wants me to be with her. And for that reason she says I am callous - emotionally hardened; because I am going to leave her. My uncle says I should go there, study, enjoy and come back. And my mother agrees. Of course staying there in US for long is not my objective. Europe of course sounds better. India is good but we don't have islands for sale here! And I have never liked the life Indians have in gulf countries. Things boil down to parents, money and the island - no matter where I am, no matter what I study, and no matter what currency I deal with. There are good tilts towards friends too.