This was my third trip to United States, each time, I end up experiencing something new. The first time was the most thrilling and exciting for me, the second time was more relaxed and this time was predictable.
It had been just 2 months since I returned from the States but I was required to go back again. I felt like I came for a vacation to Nepal. But I was prepared to go back in a very short period of time. On 28th of February 2018, I along with my colleague Monika set off on our journey to Boston.
The advantage of going to a familiar place is that you can adjust more easily. I was glad to meet all the happy onshore Deerwalkers. The weather however was something I could never get used to. It was the same as the last time I was there. Oh how I wished for the warm sunny days. But unfortunately my prayers were not heard by the weather gods. Instead, during mid-March, there were several crazy winter storms in the east coast and that filled the city with 18 inches of snow.
As usual there was a tons of work to be done but a busy week at work always deserved a fun filled weekends. We always tried to make best out of it. I listed out the places that I missed in my previous visits. The 360 view of the Boston city at Prudential Tower, a nice long walk overseeing the water at Boston Harbor and the historic market place – the Quincy market are the must go places when you are in Boston.
If you really want to travel and experience the landscapes there is no better way than by taking a road trip. You get a close view of things that you miss when you take a flight. At the end of March, we went on a road trip to Niagara. Though it was not the ideal time to visit the place, the place looked stunning. It looked like a giant frozen wonderland. I wanted to see the fall from the bottom and experience the thrill of the mist crashing into my face. The weather however was too cold and unfavourable.
It’s no surprise that when people make a long drive, they end up with a lot of funny and inspiring things – the memories made along the way. I had lots of fun with a bunch of interesting people – the silent Manish Dai, sleepy Saroj Dai, curious Pratik, reserved Monika and moody Anil. It was in all a very memorable trip.
On the second week of April, I along with Monika and Binita went to Chicago for a client visit. It was a beautiful coincidence that I was travelling to Chicago on the same date as I had during my first visit in 2017. People say that visiting the same place again would not live up to the expectation, but I had a thrilling and wonderful experience during this subsequent visit as well. We got a chance to train the onshore team at Chicago and bond with them. During this period I realized the value of work Deerwalk was doing for them. Finally our stay in Chicago would not have been possible if not for Bill and Barbara, who were great hosts throughout our stay. We also tried our best to cover some of the interesting places of Chicago – Millenium Park, Navy Pier, Willis Tower, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, etc.
New York is always a good idea. It was our last travel destination. The lights, the sounds and the crowd of people in NY is always overwhelming. NYC is famous for many mesmerizing and alluring landmarks – Time Square billboards, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, etc.
On 2nd May 2018, we returned back to Kathmandu with wonderful memories and a great bunch of experiences. As a saying goes ‘It doesn’t matter where you’re going it’s who you have beside you’, I realized that the journey is only as interesting as the companion. Fortunately for me the companions were the ones that made this journey memorable.
This trip was meaningful both professionally as well as personally for me. I am thankful to Deerwalk for believing in me and providing me this opportunity. The guidance and support from the overseas team made my stay so comfortable and remarkable. The journey is never ending. There is always going to be growth, improvement and adversity; you just need to take it all in and continue to grow, continue to live in a moment.
