Under the Texan Sun

Part I of a lot of catching up.

Where to start...let's see. The past couple days have been filled to the brim with excitement and adventure. 

Through careful observations and organization, I had the opportunity to complete an ELISA assay test independently at research this past Friday. This probably does not mean a lot to many of you readers, but it was a great feeling of success to be able to complete the task in front of me without the help of anyone with only a week's worth of training. It was definitely a confidence booster! And I'm all ready for what's next!

Also, I had the opportunity to see cells under a microscope. Living cells growing and repairing a wound right before my eyes! It was... unbelievable and to think that our body is composed of TRILLIONS of these units...each working constantly to maintain equilibrium in our bodies, support while we sit, stand, or kneel in prayer, breathe, or even think. It is a paradox of the "simple" and the "complex." It is the cell, the basic unit of life.

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On Saturday, I became acquainted with a little old Russian lady, Mina, who did not speak a lick of English. She came early in the morning and spent the day helping my host family clean the house. We exchanged smiles upon passing and every now and then a few words like hello, how are you? To which, she replied in very minimal broken English..."Fine, thank you." 

During lunch, she shuffled by and in Russian said,"priyatnogo appetita!" After a few repeats, I gathered through her accent the word "appetita" and realized she was saying essentially "Enjoy your meal!" Like, bon apetite or buen provecho! It was a giant leap forward as we bridged our communication gap a little further. I responded thank you and asked her how to say it in Russian. She taught me: "spasibo," thank you.

Now Mina's, face was lined with hard work, struggle, and a long life. She ached to tell me her story, but our language barrier was difficult to cross. The only Russian I know is "Privyet," meaning hello, "babushka" meaning grandmother, and "nyet," meaning "no." So, with such a tiny vocabulary in Russian, it was difficult to hold a meaningful conversation, but Mina tried nonetheless. With paper and pen in hand, she began writing the word "rabota." With the use of technology, I looked up the word and learned it meant "work." She continued to write various numbers and words down, and the conversation got harder and harder as she spoke faster and faster. I could not understand her message at all, and at one point, she had tears rolling down her face. It was time to act fast, I ran to my room, picked up the phone and called various people to help me connect with Andrey, our International student from Russia. After finally getting a hold of Andrey, I passed the phone to Mina...and her face lit up and the biggest smile appeared on her face as she spoke in her mother tongue to Andrey. It was a beautiful, unforgettable moment. After the phone call, I spoke with Andrey and he told me she basically wanted to just talk to someone.

It can be so frustrating and hard to try to speak to someone in a country where very few people speak your native language. Mina was so grateful, and she was in this happy state for the rest of the day. When her daughter came to pick her up after work, she told her how wonderful the phone call went and thankful she was. It was so kind and sweet of her. It's a small world after all. 

Under the Texan Sun

Part II of a lot of catching up.

Shadow the dolphin!

Sea turtle swimming by!

Corpus Christi: What a city! Closed in with beaches and resorts from all sides, it was a great weekend escape. I started off the day at the Texas State Aquarium. I got to touch a sting ray there. Slimy...with a rough back...but so slimy. I'm not going to lie, I thought about Steve Irwin the whole time I was with the sting rays. May he RIP. Irwin was such a brave man of his time...the Crocodile Hunter.

Anyways, I then walked around the park and saw giant turtles, sharks, the Gulf of Mexico, dolphins, sharks, jellyfish, and all sorts of aquatic animals. The jelly fish were so graceful and elegant as they floated through the water. Beautiful creatures, and my favourite animal to see. 

Gulf of Mexico sand!

After the State Aquarium, I visited the Art Center and checked out the Dr. Seuss exhibit with original secret Art Deco works by the man himself, Theodor Seuss Geissel. It was excellent and such a pleasure! I also stood and interpreted some of the other works in the gallery...walking towards and away from each art work and looking at it in different angles, searching for meaning while listening to Mumford and Sons. (Mumford's music opens me up and makes me feel so open and vulnerable). So while listening to Mumford, I felt as if my mind  opened even wider and the thoughts swimming around became much more profound.

One painting struck out to me, and I greatly enjoyed it, though I can't recall its name for the life of me right now... what I do remember is that it was on a large 5 ft x 5ft canvas. On the canvas, lay what appeared to be a human...(the whole painting was created in red hues with some black adding shadows and dimension) so it was hard to tell. As I walked away from the painting, I began to distinguish a shadow of another being...it appeared embracing the first human. Bodies converging... It was beautiful. At first, it just seemed like someone took different shades of red and plastered it on canvas and sold it for over $1,000. But, with some time and thought, the painting opened up a secret...a simple secret. I felt love, horror, enlightened...every emotion in the book after the realization of what I was seeing. (I know I sound like such a dork right now :P  hehehe) But really, it was cool.

Next stop was shopping. Now in southern TX, Spanish and English are equally predominant. Menus are written half in Spanish and half in English, so many people are bilingual. While at Macy's while purchasing my brother a present, the sales clerk asked whether my host family or I speak any Spanish to which I responded..."Si! Yo hablo espanol!" We continued to speak some more in Spanish..the usual..where are you from? "Soy de India per vivo en Memphis. Estoy visitando Texas." Meaning, I'm from India, but I live in Memphis. I am visiting Texas." The lady was so impressed she told me my accent was so great and before I told her I was from India, she asked if I were from Mexico! Such a great confidence booster! Love Spanish so much! :) It made a great ending to a great day.

Under the Texan Sun

For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game. 

Day 4: Baseball. Before today, I had no idea what the game of baseball was all about. The All-American sport. But soon, I realized how fun it was! Though, I went to a kids baseball game, I still had a blast! All the kids were so good and were so fast! And seriously, they could pitch way farther than I could ever throw in my life. It was so great!

Ryan, me, and his little brother

The game I saw today was between the Red Sox and the Astros...mini version! I couldn't help but think of Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa during the game. I grew up learning and admiring those baseball legacies and imagined these young, talented children before me running around the bases and hitting home runs to one day grow up to be just as great as those iconic men in history. It's incredible! These kids definitely have the drive and hard work ethic to prove themselves to do so! 

Also, one of my favourite moments of this afternoon was watching one of kids run all the way to home base...even when several parents told him to stay at the base he was on. He wouldn't listen; he went with his heart...and he ran all the way home! Now the parents, were not purposefully discouraging him or anything. Every time a ball got near to a base he was running to, someone accidentally dropped it...and during those moments, he just ran as fast as he could. His perseverance got him a home run!

glorious

 When he got back to his teammates, Ryan, one of his teammates, said, "I told you you could do a home run! I'm proud of you kid!" as he ruffled his hair. Now, Ryan is a six year old, one of the brightest and wisest 6 year olds I know. Throughout the whole game, he initiated all the chanting and cheering for each of teammates as they were batting or doing a good job and even got the entire team going with his charisma and optimism. It was INCREDIBLE!!! Even when he was batting, the whole team cheered him on.  I learned a lot from him today.

Finally to close the day, when driving back after the baseball game, I came across something that literally made my jaw drop. The sunset. It was... unbelievable. There were so many different shades of orange and was absolutely breath taking. I just stood there and basked in its final rays before it set thanking God for yet another beautiful day, another chance to live, breathe, and love. 

Under the Texan Sun

To be or not to be...a Texas A&M Kingsville Javelina

Day 3: Today was the first day of orientation at the Texas A&M Health Science Center. I learned about the research project I will be working on and am so excited about getting started with it. I received my official ID card with lab access and even filled our some fancy adult job forms. :) Pretty cool, pretty cool. :)

Work!

So while exploring the campus, I discovered that the Texas A&M Kingsville mascot is Porky the Javelina! Oh dear Lord, JAVELINA!!!! I INSTANTLY thought of GCB! haha! But then later today, I found out that GCB was going to be cancelled! SO SAD. That show was hilarious! 

The weather was gorgeous again today...I love living 30 minutes away from the Gulf of Mexico, and I love watching the palm trees sway in the Gulf breeze. So relaxing. :) 

Well, that's all for today, folks. Campus was really great, and I'm all ready to make some research progress! :)

Dinner!

Where I get to work! :)

Under the Texan Sun

High of 86° It' ain't that bad.

Day 2: Texas weather ain't that bad, ya'll. People warned me of the scorching, sweltering Texan sun, but I beg to differ. Today was absolutely gorgeous. Now, it had its moments, yes, but the heat was definitely bearable. I'd even go as far to say it was enjoyable. The breeze was unbelievably gentle, and the scattered clouds were a sight to see. Resting on a cool blue canvas, the white wisps of clouds appeared boundless, floating into the distant horizon. It was as if Picasso had come alive and painted a masterpiece in the sky and dared you to look away. It was utterly beautiful. 

Under the Texan Sun

Is Texas Toast just called toast in Texas?

let the adventures begin!

Day 1: Flying is a unique experience. It's quick, efficient and gets you from point A to point B in what seems like no time at all (minus the delays and such) For example, traveling via car from Memphis to Dallas takes about 14+ hours but when flying, it takes a little more than an hour. That’s ONE hour to get across the country. It’s almost as impressive as the hour flight between England and Ireland. Key word: almost. haha No but really, that’s impressive. Flying is a surreal experience.

Above the clouds!

Let me explain. Imagine...one moment, you are on the ground, gradually gaining speed and momentum. You realize within a few minutes that through powerful and meticulous engineering, the exceptionally heavy aircraft you are on will effortlessly lift into thin air and defy gravity. YOU will defy gravity. Crazy huh?

As the plane’s speed increases getting closer and closer to take off, you begin to rise into the air and find yourself moving forward and suddenly…pop! Your ears pop! You’re in the air! You are flying. It’s magic. There is this overwhelming tug forward, backward, up, and down as your body adjusts to the aircraft. Physics. You rise higher and higher above the artistically designed city you are leaving behind. (as for me, the Mighty Mississippi winded away from me in the distance…and then she was gone).

Adios Memphis!

 You disappear into this mystical haze as you ascend higher into the heavens. Below you, a sea of the softest and purest cotton forms the perfect pillow. Above you, the bluest of blue skies lingers and challenges you to touch the sun. But you’ve already achieved something even more magnificent. You defied gravity. Each cell of your body defied gravity and is now moving at 600 miles per hour. That’s SIX HUNDRED miles per hour.  And now you get to sit back and cruise in the most surreal paradise until time to reach your destination. It’s beautiful; it’s peaceful. It’s flying.