Feature

My Days in America

Shoboj Ghosh

IT is Man's inborn habit and interest to know the unknown, to see the unseen, to enjoy the new things with a view to filling his mind with new ideas, knowledge, thoughts and experience. Travelling is an important way to gain knowledge and acquire education too. My visit to America contributed in all the above respects. America is known as the 'God gifted' because of all the things that are found there though life in America is far more difficult than that of here. I first visited America in 2007 and stayed there for almost 2 years and I would never forget the experince.

When our plane landed at JFK Airport, I was really amazed at the view from the Airport because it looked so huge. My uncle and aunt were present at the airport to receive me. We went to my uncles' house in a place called Broadway where there was a nice garden in the backyard. The environment was really clean. Within a week of our arrival in America I got myself admitted into school near our house. The school was called 'Henry Grandstain High School'.

There was a basketball court in our school. We had a gymnasium inside the school and also an indoor sporting area for various indoor games. Behind the school, there was a large vegetable garden. There was a large playground in our school too. There were also two large fields; one for playing football, while the other one was for playing other sports.

The primary classes were from Grade 1 to Grade 6. After Grade six high school starts. The educational system for the primary classes was mainly project based. There were 4 terms per year. In each term we had different projects. Depending on the projects we used to go on excursions in order to learn about the subjects practically. Our school used to start at 8 o'clock in the morning and end at 2 pm. In the middle we had recess breaks and lunch breaks. We also had a large cafeteria in our school.

In America the transport system is very good. There are metro buses, electric trains, taxies etc. In the busy areas the trains run underground. These trains cover most of the city areas. The long distance inter-city trains also run from state to state. There are trains and buses connecting New York with other large cities like Texas, Atlanta, Washington etc. The buses and trains are very comfortable. Various kinds of transport tickets like two hours, daily, weekly, monthly, six-monthly as well as yearly are used and one can use the same ticket for two types of transport. The telecommunication system in America is also very good. There are various mobile companies and land phones services in America that also provide good Internet facility.

In America various types of sports are played. The most famous sports are baseball, football, handball, and basketball. Baseball is very common all over America.

When the temperature goes up, most Americans go visit the coastal areas. In New York there are a lot of tourist attractions. Among them are Coney Island, Brooklyn Bridge, Kaufman Astoria Studio, and Astoria Theatre. There are huge supermarkets like Pathmark, Bravo, Stop & Shop, Duane Reade, Trade Fair, P.C. Richard and Son, Best Buy. There are also sea beaches, parks and rivers. A lot of tourists come to America during the winter season to enjoy the snow.

There are many festivals in America. There was a festival in our school on the occasion of winter solstice. It was the shortest day. The festival started at night when all the students lit candles. There are also other festivals. For example, the New Years celebrations take place in the most grand fashion. There are fireworks and everybody gather in the restaurants, nightclubs, bars and celebrate the New Year. There are also celebrations for Christmas, Eid, Durga Puja etc. Among these festivals the biggest festival is of course Christmas. Everybody waits for the day throughout the year.

I returned from America in late August of 2009. On my last day in America I bid farewell to my friends. As I made my way to the airport, I kept thinking about the good times I have had in America. As our plane took off from the ground, I got to see a bird’s eye view of the beautiful city of New York. I miss America as if it were my hometown. I consider myself fortunate for having the chance to make a vacation to my second home for ten whole days.