This article was written by Kathakali Chatterjee.
What can we call Wisconsin? Awesome? Mesmerizing? Awful? Shocking? In India, my previous concept of Winter was nothing below 42 degrees and even then I used to wrap up! I was expecting it to be cold in Wisconsin, but not 25 below zero! To be precise, theoretically I knew it was going to be 25 below zero, but I was clueless about the impact of that temperature on my body. It was spine-chilling. But the beauty was breathtaking!
What can we call Wisconsin? Awesome? Mesmerizing? Awful? Shocking? In India, my previous concept of Winter was nothing below 42 degrees and even then I used to wrap up! I was expecting it to be cold in Wisconsin, but not 25 below zero! To be precise, theoretically I knew it was going to be 25 below zero, but I was clueless about the impact of that temperature on my body. It was spine-chilling. But the beauty was breathtaking!
I fell in love.
Sorry, I fell in Snow.
That was the first of many countless first experiences for me in
America.
My very first Independence Day celebrating with fellow classmates
reminded me of one of our biggest festivals in India called Diwali --
the festival of lights.
Lots of fire-crackers, candles, and celebrations!
The sensation was supernatural. It was time for my first Fall, or should I say, color riot instead? I observed the leaves changing and I remembered pictures I used to see in books when I was young. I heard the American Midwest was pretty as far as nature goes. I had no idea about the blessed grandeur.
Before coming to America from India, I had goals in mind: To learn something; to broaden my horizons; to give something back to the community -- but I had never thought of being the recipient of such natural magnificence in my life.
I started breathing again. Meanwhile, I made a couple of courtesy visits to some big American cities just to see what was there. I left feeling suffocated. I am still breathing here in Wisconsin and I probably will continue to breathe here for the next couple of years. When I first set foot in the American Midwest, I felt alive for the first time in my life.
The sensation was supernatural. It was time for my first Fall, or should I say, color riot instead? I observed the leaves changing and I remembered pictures I used to see in books when I was young. I heard the American Midwest was pretty as far as nature goes. I had no idea about the blessed grandeur.
Before coming to America from India, I had goals in mind: To learn something; to broaden my horizons; to give something back to the community -- but I had never thought of being the recipient of such natural magnificence in my life.
I started breathing again. Meanwhile, I made a couple of courtesy visits to some big American cities just to see what was there. I left feeling suffocated. I am still breathing here in Wisconsin and I probably will continue to breathe here for the next couple of years. When I first set foot in the American Midwest, I felt alive for the first time in my life.
This is quite a fine and touching article, Katha.
Your sense of wonderment and astonishment is excellent.
I felt as if I were experiencing Wisconsin for the first time right along with you.
Thank you for your support David!
My experience in Wisconsin is beyond words! I am a nature person and I just love to be here!
Great job on your Four Corner's post, Katha!
It brought back my memories of moving from New Jersey with its relatively mild winters tempered by the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf Stream to South-Central Indiana in January 1985.
The first day I was supposed to go to school, classes were cancelled because the weather was so cold it had frozen the brake lines on the school buses.
Now, I'm used to cold winters and can survive a -25 degree day.
It's the heat that is the Devil in the Midwest because it kills!
I appreciate you sharing the details of your life with us, Katha!
I look forward to reading more "Corners" from you as well as other interesting articles!
Chris --
You are so right about Midwestern Winters. They are painful and scary. A NY or NJ snowstorn is nothing like a Nebraska blizzard!
Hi David,
There's also nothing like a Midwestern summer thunderstorm, as well!
Hey Chris,
Thanks for your kind words!
I fully understand what you are saying!
It seems I am becoming a Wisconsite gradually because nowadays anything above 75 degree makes me feel jumping into the lake!
The temperature is supposed to rise up to 100 this weekend, yikes!
David,
I would love to contribute more in “corners†but unfortunately I have lost half of my pictures those were saved in a CD-RW.
While writing this article I have discovered that I couldn’t open one, somehow it got corrupt.
A picture is worth of thousand words...and I love to take pictures!
(Crying again…!)
Oh, no that's lousy news you lost your photos -- but such wonderful news you're crying a second time!
:mrgreen:
You need to back up your vital stuff, Katha! You never know when disaster will strike at you.
Take more pictures!
I know! :-(
I started taking pictures on the very first day I landed here but I didn’t have a flash drive with me then. Later I bought one and started using it but didn’t transfer all my pictures in it.
Paying the price now!
I had a picture taken of Lake Menomin in fall which almost looked like some place in Switzerland!
That too with a regular/ordinary Fuji Finepix! Nothing outstanding!
You should get a Flickr accoount so you can backup your photo images, Katha. Then you can view them on the web, too. You don't have to make your images public. You can keep them private but still have them backed up on a server far away from you so if something nasty happens near you your vital images won't be lost again. You can also share your images with the world if you wish!
Thanks for the brilliant idea! :D
You are quite welcome!
Let me know if you need any help!
Thank you Dave!
You are quite right about the last picture. That's one of my favourite!
You can see the same tree in the first photo - that's our school library - I took both the photos in the same place, only the time and the angle is different!