The day finally came for me to introduce my cousin Siddhartha to America. I awoke abruptly from my alarm clock along with the bright sun peeking through underneath my window shades and realized that I needed to hurry and get to the airport. I jumped out of my bed, grabbed the first pair of jeans I saw, threw on a shirt, brushed my teeth, made a coffee, and I was out the door. When I arrived at the airport it was hard to see with all the people surrounding me. I cautiously checked the televisions to see what exact time his plane was coming in from New Delhi, India. A bald-headed man in a long white robe was approaching me and I knew it was him. Thankfully I was right on time and managed to locate him in the array of people. Was I ready to do this?
“Hello, so nice to see you again Siddhartha!” I greeted him.
“Nice to see you too.” Siddhartha answered as he firmly shook my hand.
“Shall we get started? There are so many places to see here in America that I don’t want to be wasting any time.”
“Sounds good to me.” He replies.
So we left the airport and as soon as we approached my car I knew he was afraid. He’s never been in one before so I made sure to let him know it was safe. I knew exactly where we were headed. Last summer, my sister and I wanted to get in shape but didn’t want to go to the gym, so we both decided on taking a hike every once and a while. Hiking up to the summit house is one of my favorite activities to do and when you reach the top, it feels so powerful and accomplishing. The beauty of the mountain itself and everything surrounding it when you reach the top is priceless. When I brought Siddhartha to the top of the mountain he just sat there and I was wondering what he was thinking. “How do you feel Siddhartha?” I asked him. “It reminds me of home.” He replied. I knew that it was the right place to bring him. He sat down on the rocks and started to meditate. The smell of fresh air and hearing the nature in the background is what made this trip special. We stayed up there for what seemed like 2 hours until we were both finally ready to accomplish the hike down. "Before I thought that I had to find peace by destroying my body.” (88) But now I realize that that is not true at all, Siddhartha says.
“Alright, enough peace and quiet. That is not what America is all about and you need some change!” After another half hour or so in the car we arrived at Six Flags New England, one of the very few amusement parks around us.
“Jill, where are we right now?” Siddhartha asked in amazement. “This is Six Flags, one of the busiest places I know.”
It is one of the most thrilling places to be because of the rides and all of the people there.
“I haven’t seen so many people in my life. This place and these people remind me of Kamala.”(45) Siddhartha says opening his mouth in awe.
After enjoying a few rides and eating fried-dough and a lot of candy, we decided it was time to head back to my house in South Hadley. I could tell he was sad for it to end and I knew it was a completely different experience for him. Why don’t we have these back home? I knew he was thinking. Just looking at the smile on his face after getting off of a ride was enough for me to say I did my job well. I knew he had been trapped in peace and quietness but he needed to experience something new.
“I didn’t even know that places like these existed!” Siddhartha says looking at me. “Why haven’t I gone to visit you earlier?”
I felt proud of myself to be able to give Siddhartha a whole new experience and have him actually enjoy it. “I felt as if I was home again in India when I was meditating on top of the mountain. It was a truly beautiful sight.” Siddhartha mentions to me in the car. “However, going to the theme park taught me that I don’t need only peace in my life but a mixture of both that and excitement. He has decided not to pick one path in his life but to have a little bit of both.
“When you were on the top of the mountain, I could tell that it was you and what you are used to doing back home. But when you were at the theme park I saw a whole other side of you that I think you enjoyed just as much as I did.”
“You are right cousin. I thank you so much for helping me realize that peace isn’t the only option. I cannot be satisfied for choosing one pathway in life. You have taught me well.”
We finally arrived back to my house and it turned out to be 11pm. It was time for bed and when we wake up it will be a new morning and a new day.
