USA Trip 2023 - Reflections - Part 5

We wanted to keep the next day a bit light and also my friend had to go to his office for some work. So after a quick breakfast, I met my former colleague for coffee. It was great to see him, and he was the last one on my checklist of friends to meet in the US. It’s always great to meet your friend after a long time and have a good chat. Next, I headed off to the Google office where my friend was working and had a relaxing massage in one of the famous massage chairs at Google. We also had a great lunch at the Google cafeteria and I got to experience the famed gourmet Google food. After lunch, I spent the rest of the day at my friends home just lazing around and watching a movie in Netflix. I got to experience the connected home tech with Google Home at his apartment, and it was magical. That evening, I headed out to meet my cousin for dinner and after a fulfilling south Indian dinner, I headed to my cousin’s home for the rest of my stay in the US. Wishing your friends good bye is always painful and it was no different for me when I had to bid farewell to my friend.

The next day, we refreshed and headed out to a neighborhood mall and shopped some more. After a delicious lunch prepared by my cousins’ wife, we started our way back to home – India. The drive to airport was again special – we drove through places that hosted our office and the hotel. Looking at them, I was reminded of my time in the US – what a beautiful 2 week journey it was! Finally, we reached the airport and finished all the formalities. As I sat the boarding gate waiting for my flight boarding, I saw something dearest to me – the Indian flag on my plane. I was never more happy seeing my country flag. As the plane took off, I bid farewell to US – the land that gave me so many memories over the past 2 weeks and I signed off until the next time.

What did I take away from this trip? A lot of memories, some captured here some captured in my heart. This trip was special to me on more than one front – professionally and personally. Looking back, I realized that life has a perfect timing for everything for us. After a tumultuous 6 months, life rewarded me with beautiful 2 weeks of relaxation and rejuvenation – both for my body and my soul. A friend of mine always used to say – believe in the timing of God and manifestation. This US trip of mine made me realize those words and I am thankful to the God for bestowing me this memorable trip.