I have been to the US many times, and have even lived in three of the four timezones. But the first visit was obviously special. It was made even more memorable by the circumstances under which I made my first "touchdown" on US soil.
I arrived in the US on one extremely snowy evening in January '96, bang in the middle of the "Blizzard of 1996" - one of the worst snowstorms in US history with over 20 inches of snow in a single day! Imagine a person who has never before seen snow in his life, watching the snowbanks towering above the aircraft as it taxied into the gates at the JFK airport! I was on my way to Boston via New York, and what a welcome the weather gave me! My connecting flight to Boston was next morning, and as luck would have it, as the Boston-bound aircraft was coming into the gate for boarding, it slipped on the icy runway and sustained damage.We had to wait for a replacement aircraft. I was really glad when I could finally snuggle-down into the warm comforter in my Boston hotel. I will never forget those eventful hours - I think I saw enough snow in one day to make up for my 20-plus years of living in a snow-free region!
You would think that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me - and I thought so too. But I was wrong. Three years later, when I was back in the US and living in Chicago, the city was hit by the 20th century's worst snowstorm - with over 22 inches of snow in a day! But that's another story, for another time...
Well, as you can see, my first meeting with the US was far from warm! But after getting to like snow, and after experiencing the wonderful fall season, I came back with many pleasant memories. Those months on the east coast are now an indelible memory. Here's a small poem I had written back then to try to capture my feelings and my attempts to replace the Queen's English with the American English dictionary ...
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On a cold, freezing, winter morn, all alone,
I landed in Boston and let out a groan...
Amid these mounds of snow I would have to stay!
Would these bleak snow-fields be my only experience of the USA?
Time marched on, I settled down.
And could distinguish between "french fries" and "hash-brown",
To - "How are you doin'?", I replied "Good"!
Made burgers, bagels and steaks my regular food,
And changed "city-centre" in my dictionary to "downtown".
Winter became a friend, no longer a foe,
I even started enjoying the snow!
After a snowy night,
The fresh, white mornings were a delight.
The snow-man I made one day looked real, you know?
The cold, unfriendly Boston, that had first frightened me,
Turned into a wonderful place - warm and lively.
I roamed her streets a million times,
I fell in love with her Red, Orange, Green and Blue lines.
Walked the Charles-river-walk, went whale-watching at sea.
Winter changed to spring, and spring to fall,
My photo-album grew bigger, my bank-balance small,
I drove around gazing at fall-foliage for days,
And managed to get lost - always!
Those days, from my fondest memories, I can can still vividly recall.
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