Surrounded

Yes, there are in fact reasons to come to CMU (hint, hint TJers). However, the weather is not one of them.

What's the Pittsburgh weather generally like? Well, it rains basically every other day. Not just any rain, though. It's a light drizzle that puts your laziness to the test. As soon as you step outside, it's easy to notice it's raining. However, it's a light enough rain where you would consider just walking through it instead of retrieving your umbrella from your room. On the other hand, there's the distinct possibility it could get worse. I've faced this dilemma at least twenty times in a mere two months of living here, and every time I spend a good 5 seconds thinking about it and then second-guessing my decision.

There's even justification for why the weather is like this. Apparently Pittsburgh lies on the "windward side of the Allegheny Mountains." I've probably mentioned this before, but I can't get over the fact that Geosystems was vaguely useful. Or, as Nelson might say, now that's real life application!!

Maybe that's why, then, I started noticing how beautiful Pittsburgh can be. This afternoon I took a walk ... one long overdue, I suppose. It was sort of spontaneous. I just walked out of the dorm, and I happened to have Kee Young's camera in my pocket. Unfortunately, I was also in a t-shirt and socks/flip-flops. I got some funny looks as I ventured out into the real world. Whatever. It was worth it.

I never really noticed much about the street I lived on. I suppose it was curved. It was a culdesac, but the sign at the top of the road said "dead end." My mom always hated that. Apart from its shape, I suppose the only other defining characteristic it had was the extremely deep drains. My current street of residence is nothing like that. It's a road with a yellow line down the middle. There are two crosswalks within 200 feet of each other. Cars and motorcycles always line the sides. Sounds distinctly city-like, I suppose. Maybe. Still, it's a marvel in it's own right:

My walk may have been spontaneous, but I knew exactly where I was heading. To Schenley Park (no, it is not another sch'd location within Hamerschlag), the place I had never been despite it being located within half a mile of my dorm. My walk took me past various other amazing sites.

The pathway from my dorm to campus has never looked better. Here, I'm standing at the campus end, and at the very end you can see a dorm, which is just in front of Hamerschlag. I walk through here every day. The rain makes it an ugly trip. Sunlight, on the other hand, makes it something worth turning around for.

Walking back around, I headed for the actual direct path to the park. On the way I passed Skibo Gym, where I play badminton twice a week. More importantly, at least to me at that time, I passed this tree.

I wasn't even the only one captivated by it. There was a group of random people taking pictures of it as well.

I also passed by the IM fields, where I've played frisbee, football, and soccer. Actually, I'm supposed to play for the TSA (Taiwanese Student Association) soccer team on Monday. I sort of stand out. At least the other non-Taiwanese members are either Chinese or Korean ...

Leaving campus, I walked through random woods. I didn't really know where I was. Nor did I particularly care.

It wasn't too hard to find the park. It's a pretty noticeable open patch of green.

It was beautiful.

Pittsburgh is really the only place in the United States my family has a connection to. My dad went to school here for 5 years. I could trace the route he jogged every day to stay in shape. My mom and dad met here. Things I can't say about anywhere else within 10,000 miles of here.

Now I understand why my dad was somewhat excited to send me to school here. Maybe he saw this coming. Imagined me standing where he stood, 30 years later.

I've met people with incredibly strong ties to their home and family. I've also always known that mine has been rather weak. Raised entirely in America. Unable to speak my native language. Introduced to my relatives too long ago and too early in life for me to ever remember their names.

But standing there, I felt something new. Not the sensation of meeting long lost family members. Rather, the feeling of finally locating your roots. My family comes from India. But where it started - the formation of what I call my family, my mom and dad's hard studies which provided me the opportunity to return to Pittsburgh - is right in front of me.

I never thought I'd encounter these feelings now, after moving away from my parents. Strange how that works. A product, most likely, of homesickness and the irony of my location. Regardless, it's nice to form bonds with my family. To experience what my parents did, and hopefully to come out of it as proud, educated, and caring as they did.

That's the goal, anyway.