Day 1 impressions

The first impressions of a new country may fade but are never forgotten. Based on when we come, why we come, and how we come... each of us will get our unique stamp , quite unlike the more uniform predictable stamp on our passports. I came in a rather regular way for Indian women... Marriage. Having resolved never to go abroad to stay at the age of 13, destiny had other plans. I fell in love with a guy , and the guy fell in love with his summer placement company. I followed him here. No regrets. You see, he also fell in love with me. Was I curious? A little perhaps. Excited? A little. At the notion that I may bump into Hugh Grant at Heathrow airport. But otherwise, travel is a way of being for me. If I do not travel, I do not feel secure, and this first trip was in the beginning of One more trip. The packing was interesting.. but I shall save that for another post. Day 1 impressions...Glamorously lit duty free shops at Heathrow airpoet with so many perfumes and teddy bears and chocolates on sale. Nicely carpeted corrdiors leading from the flight doors. HSBC's huge advertisements which made me wonder for an instant if they owned the airport. their more interesting ads of local banking, global banking.. something. I still love their ads. It was May, so a cool pleasant chill breeze. Lots of people waiting for their loved ones or wards just like any other airpot in the world. And then as we drove by, houses... white, uniform, hey almost identical it seemed then. I now know different. Pretty flower beds at every corner. That was the first thing floored me. I love flowers and had never seen so many in a concrete city environment.. London's a park in city in a park. Big roads, traffic that seemed to be going in remote mode. My husband's reassuring face. yup, That was Day 1.