“Good-Bye”

And with that one last word, she was gone…

Around 2 months ago:

I was stumped by that one-liner flashing on my computer screen. It read- ‘Would you like to be a buddy, Jitin?’ The question was asked by my manager. On first thought, I took it as some sort of mistake. So, I reconfirmed and to my amazement, it was intended at none other than me. I thought for a split second and then answered in the affirmative. How I relish that decision now!!

Miss Patricia Wang (or ‘Pat’ as I call her) graced India with her presence on the night of 15th October. My colleague and great friend ‘Sohail’ accompanied me for her pick-up from the air-port. I knew her face but carried a sign-board with ‘Patricia’ written on it, just in case! Suddenly a cute girl walked out of the airport with an intriguing expression on her face and a yellow bag on her back. Both of us shouted: “Patricia”!!! Our eyes met and there was instant recognition. Something told me that the next 45 days (the duration of Pat’s stay) are going to be fascinating. This time around, I was right!

We had already developed a great rapport, even before meeting. This was courtesy: Instant Messaging (IM) service. What followed were some amusing conversations…

Now, Pat is an interesting character. She can be quite serious at times (read: 1 out of 10) and almost notoriously funny at other times (read: 9 out of 10)! But her biggest asset is: Adaptability. Even after couple of days in India, she was completely at home. So much so that, she had chosen her home-town also: Chandigarh! And it was this quality, which made Pat’s stay all the more enjoyable. Infact, she loved anything and everything about India from day one:
The food was spicy for her taste, but she made it look delicious…

She was unawares of the Hindi language initially. But in no time she had learnt many good words. (The best ones being: ‘Theek hai’, ‘Accha Accha’,’ Haan Haan’(with that trademark neck movement :-) and her favourite one- ‘Chalein’).

Before stepping on the Indian soul, she knew only a handful of people. After one week, she was friends with everyone!

And then came the exhilarating weekends…

We went to the Malls of new gurgaon and also checked out the small shops of its old counterpart. Patricia tried everything for commuting: the rickshaw, the auto-rickshaw, the cab and what not! Yes, she was fond of exploring all the new things…

Then came the Delhi trip which simply rocked!! (My best weekend to date here). Steve and Rishabh joined us for this rendezevous with the Capital of India. The ‘Fantastic Four’ explored the heights of Qutab Minar, the markets of Delhi Haat, the handi-crafts emporium, the spicy restaurant of Connaught Place. The best part was the visit to India Gate. This all-out fun ride culminated with the glorious Rashtrapati Bhavan (President House). We had the times of our lives.

The following days were even better: We had this night-out party (sponsored by Manish and Rachit) with Adi’s show being the icing on the cake ;-)

Then our dearest Sanjeev sir invited us to the Lotus temple. And this ‘terrific trio’ performed a total hara-kiri there. We had lunch at an outstanding South Indian restaurant with Sir treating us :-)

Miss Pat also surveyed the International Trade Fair, Delhi and the wondrous Taj Mahal etc!!!

And then came the D-day…

A befitting farewell followed, with cake, sweets and gifts pouring in… All of us penned down our best wishes on the farewell card!

The journey back to the airport was next. Life had come a full circle!

At 1.30 am in the night of 30th November, she checked inside the airport and waved us…

I was assigned as a buddy to her. And in the end, we were the Perfect Buddies!!

Take care Pat and stay in touch :-)