Location:-King Of Prussia,PA
I was two when i drove my first car with out a drivers license!!:)
కారు లేని లైఫు బోరు..
తగ్గి పొద యువత హోరు....
అప్పు చేసి దించు టైరు...
పాత దైన పోనీ గురు..
జీవితం లో జోషు షురూ...
The Change in N(R)I Life Style...
Before i dive and swim out of the topic i would like to make a few points which you should all note:) .
The change we are seeing in the NRI life style is not something that happened overnight while you were reading "Who moved my cheese",but it is a revolution with a good timing which i am happy to be a part of.Yes the economy is has taken a slap and there are amendments to this life style but i wish they are temporary and i am sure it will avenge back instead of following Gandhigiri and showing the other cheek.
I am not trying to generalize .And the lines below might not mean anything to you depending on the kind of VISA your passport carries and for how long America is carrying you.
Gone are those days when a NRI used to do the dollar to rupee conversion faster than a computer wheh he buys rice at the grocery store every weekend or a news paper on his way to work...
Thanks to the Internet...
Gone are those days when NRIs wait for the weekends to call home and discuss what really makes sense to them.Now all they discuss in the daily calls is what you see in the TV Serials(money/property comparisions etc) .That is the trend back home isnt it?
Thanks To IT..
Gone are those days when people back home wait for years for their NRI relatives/Friends to bring them all those goodies (Electronics,Costumes,Toys etc).
Thanks again the rate at which indian population here went up , we need not wait for months to watch a movie once it is released in INdia.We watch it the same day or sometimes we watch it a day in advance.
Having a car is not a luxury but rather a necessity.
It was not not too late before i I realized this fact ,but it was late enough that i walked the 6 mile marathon on my first day to work in philadelphia after missing the SEPTA bus.
No Car No Beer.The US-1 Story......
Once up on a time , not too long ago,there were Three Indians namely Sumanth,Murugan,Lingaraju who worked at the Sabji Mandi Technologies LLC-->(Meeku Free Free).
The Trio whose US-Life at the consultancy guesthouse is in the infancy stage don't have cars nor a license to rent one.The only time they get out of the guesthouse every day is when they go to office in the consultancy TAXI , to stay in touch with their Vendor Friends.
The Action...
US-1
One of the most busiest highways that runs parallel to I-95 and connects many important Destinations.One of those important places is the Beer Shop which the hitech sumanth found on google and the trio realize the true meaning of an OASIS.
Their feelings can only be expressed in the following lines....
The Feel- When devas saw that what is coming out of the ksheera sagara search/stir is Amruth that will make them immortal.
The feel -When A newly wed couple who live in two differenct countries -one works of UNO and the other for Red Cross and they need to cross serveral hurdles before they meet each other once every year.
The feel-When three indians who dont get a single interview call for a month realize that there is life beyond a Job and the path to get there is through beer(the modern day amruth)
So they start walking through the roads of America for the first time.As they cross the apartment complex and greet the teams from other consultancies they finally find the road/street which will lead them to their moksha.
The americans driving by look at the trio as if they have never visted India.
As they get close to a traffic light they suddenly realize that the footpath under their feet went missing and they are walking all over the road.Murugan spots a cop car coming towards them on the opposite side of the road,heads bent they walk like random guests at a uninvited wedding.As the car gets closer murugan gets ready to run as fast as he can.Lingaraju thinks of the best stupid reasonable answers.Murugan just prays.Thats the best thing that happened to him in this 27 years.Suddenly the car makes a right turn and gets in to the Dunkin Donuts on the other side of the road and gets in to the Drive Through.
They start walking quickly and reach US-1 "The Signal" ..This is where the cars that go in four different directions meet with out a gap.Spotting that there are no cars coming from the left the trio start crossing the road.The very next moment they hear a loud siren right behind them.The trio turns back with that scared look to realize that it is an ambulance and they get out of its way by running back quickly.
After 10 mins of careful monitoring they finally get to to the island of grass that separates the North and South bound lanes.With a few more honks behind their backs they finally get to the other side of the road in the next 10 mins.
As they walk in to the Wines and Spirits with a sigh of relief...
The initial feel is that of someone who gets in to heaven after a 30 days 31 nights vacation to hell.
They get different ideas one of them being - Drink as much as we can , rent a truck load every single bottle and take them to the guesthouse.
On their way back they do meet the cops who teach them how the red button on the pole next to the traffic light can be used by the pedestrians to cross the highway!!
Just before the titles role up..and as murugan and Lingaraju see sumanth with that angry look on their face,Hitech sumanth says...i should have checked the "By Walk" Section in the google map directions:)
They lived happily ever after *****For that Night - to be reminded in the morning that the modern day amruth works only for a night:)
<-------------------The Beginning------------------>
There are so many R&D sites/friends dedicated for cars.But here is a 3 step process from nani.com:)...
Step 1
Budget based on you per-capita income:)Depending on your past/current/future financial/visa status this is a decision that should make with extreme caution.
If you are here on a business trip or a trip which is less than an year you should try to manage with out a car. In the first case and in the worst case you should spend not more than 5k to 6k $.Belive it or not there are people/friends who can manage with out a car for years together as they might be working downtowns and have friends/roomies to take them out for groceries/movies..
2)Model/Brand
This is where the unknown person deep inside you might wake up out of his BMW dream.So now you know why step one will help in realizing your dream.
If you see too many hondas/hyndaias/nissans in an apartment parking lot ,you can sign the lease right away because thats an apt complex with full of Indians:).It is not just because , these brands are guaranteed to last long ,but also because of their re-sale value...
Extras...You can quickly save some good amount cutting down a few like the inbuilt GPS system.
3)Dealer/Showroom or Craigs list...By now you have a car in you mind and the cost on you brain.All you need is to find a good dealer .Friends/collegues/Relatives/Intenet can be of help here.
Once you have the list Call or visit each one of them and get the quotes ,compare and "Lock Kar Dae"!!.Of course you will have to bargain.If you are looking for one of those cheap/direct deals craigslist.com is a good place to start your search.
Yep i went through all this thought process along with cousins and friends before tieng the knot to my all new Honda Accord 2007 EX-L on aug 21st 2006.
I met craigs list and other dealers on the way before locking on the Conicelli Honda close to home.
I went there with civic on my Mind to realize that my Body will not fit in to it:).As i went on the test drive i fell in love with it as my hand touched its steering wrapped in soft leather....My all new honda Accord 2007 . Even today every time i get in to it i can feel the same feel i could on the first day when i drove it home escorted by my cousin:), and my first long drive to watch Stalin in New Jersey.It was just a 1.5 hour drive but i made it long enough by missing the exits:).Common guyz i dint go for that in built GPS which costs an extra 2K and was waiting for my 200 $ GPS which was on its way from amazon...
Now that is how i got a promotion from my 25 year old Toyota to Honda:)...
From Niagara to Atlantic City From NY to DC there is no place it dint set its tire on......
Car Guru (Lifein USA) Just Shuru.....
నాని
Thanks To IT..
Gone are those days when people back home wait for years for their NRI relatives/Friends to bring them all those goodies (Electronics,Costumes,Toys etc).
Thanks again the rate at which indian population here went up , we need not wait for months to watch a movie once it is released in INdia.We watch it the same day or sometimes we watch it a day in advance.
Having a car is not a luxury but rather a necessity.
It was not not too late before i I realized this fact ,but it was late enough that i walked the 6 mile marathon on my first day to work in philadelphia after missing the SEPTA bus.
No Car No Beer.The US-1 Story......
Once up on a time , not too long ago,there were Three Indians namely Sumanth,Murugan,Lingaraju who worked at the Sabji Mandi Technologies LLC-->(Meeku Free Free).
The Trio whose US-Life at the consultancy guesthouse is in the infancy stage don't have cars nor a license to rent one.The only time they get out of the guesthouse every day is when they go to office in the consultancy TAXI , to stay in touch with their Vendor Friends.
The Action...
US-1
One of the most busiest highways that runs parallel to I-95 and connects many important Destinations.One of those important places is the Beer Shop which the hitech sumanth found on google and the trio realize the true meaning of an OASIS.
Their feelings can only be expressed in the following lines....
The Feel- When devas saw that what is coming out of the ksheera sagara search/stir is Amruth that will make them immortal.
The feel -When A newly wed couple who live in two differenct countries -one works of UNO and the other for Red Cross and they need to cross serveral hurdles before they meet each other once every year.
The feel-When three indians who dont get a single interview call for a month realize that there is life beyond a Job and the path to get there is through beer(the modern day amruth)
So they start walking through the roads of America for the first time.As they cross the apartment complex and greet the teams from other consultancies they finally find the road/street which will lead them to their moksha.
The americans driving by look at the trio as if they have never visted India.
As they get close to a traffic light they suddenly realize that the footpath under their feet went missing and they are walking all over the road.Murugan spots a cop car coming towards them on the opposite side of the road,heads bent they walk like random guests at a uninvited wedding.As the car gets closer murugan gets ready to run as fast as he can.Lingaraju thinks of the best stupid reasonable answers.Murugan just prays.Thats the best thing that happened to him in this 27 years.Suddenly the car makes a right turn and gets in to the Dunkin Donuts on the other side of the road and gets in to the Drive Through.
They start walking quickly and reach US-1 "The Signal" ..This is where the cars that go in four different directions meet with out a gap.Spotting that there are no cars coming from the left the trio start crossing the road.The very next moment they hear a loud siren right behind them.The trio turns back with that scared look to realize that it is an ambulance and they get out of its way by running back quickly.
After 10 mins of careful monitoring they finally get to to the island of grass that separates the North and South bound lanes.With a few more honks behind their backs they finally get to the other side of the road in the next 10 mins.
As they walk in to the Wines and Spirits with a sigh of relief...
The initial feel is that of someone who gets in to heaven after a 30 days 31 nights vacation to hell.
They get different ideas one of them being - Drink as much as we can , rent a truck load every single bottle and take them to the guesthouse.
On their way back they do meet the cops who teach them how the red button on the pole next to the traffic light can be used by the pedestrians to cross the highway!!
Just before the titles role up..and as murugan and Lingaraju see sumanth with that angry look on their face,Hitech sumanth says...i should have checked the "By Walk" Section in the google map directions:)
They lived happily ever after *****For that Night - to be reminded in the morning that the modern day amruth works only for a night:)
<-------------------The Beginning------------------>
There are so many R&D sites/friends dedicated for cars.But here is a 3 step process from nani.com:)...
Step 1
Budget based on you per-capita income:)Depending on your past/current/future financial/visa status this is a decision that should make with extreme caution.
As this is the step which will lay foundation for the steps that will follow.If you are sure you are going to stay here for more than 3 years like me i would suggest you to make the big investment now.
Yes you can get a big loan ,but it will be good if you can make a 20% down payment which will not only get you a good interest rate but also helps you in paying less EMI at the end of every month.Depending on the brand/make you will be choosing in step 2 this will be somewhere in between 23 k and 40 k $$.
If you are here on a business trip or a trip which is less than an year you should try to manage with out a car. In the first case and in the worst case you should spend not more than 5k to 6k $.Belive it or not there are people/friends who can manage with out a car for years together as they might be working downtowns and have friends/roomies to take them out for groceries/movies..
2)Model/Brand
This is where the unknown person deep inside you might wake up out of his BMW dream.So now you know why step one will help in realizing your dream.
If you see too many hondas/hyndaias/nissans in an apartment parking lot ,you can sign the lease right away because thats an apt complex with full of Indians:).It is not just because , these brands are guaranteed to last long ,but also because of their re-sale value...
Extras...You can quickly save some good amount cutting down a few like the inbuilt GPS system.
3)Dealer/Showroom or Craigs list...By now you have a car in you mind and the cost on you brain.All you need is to find a good dealer .Friends/collegues/Relatives/Intenet can be of help here.
Once you have the list Call or visit each one of them and get the quotes ,compare and "Lock Kar Dae"!!.Of course you will have to bargain.If you are looking for one of those cheap/direct deals craigslist.com is a good place to start your search.
Registration and Number Plate
If you are buying it from a dealer they will be able to handle most of the work for you.If you are a craigs list fan then you got to know the closest DMV office and get the work done!!
You can also get custom number plates.
If you are buying it from a dealer they will be able to handle most of the work for you.If you are a craigs list fan then you got to know the closest DMV office and get the work done!!
You can also get custom number plates.
Yep i went through all this thought process along with cousins and friends before tieng the knot to my all new Honda Accord 2007 EX-L on aug 21st 2006.
I met craigs list and other dealers on the way before locking on the Conicelli Honda close to home.
I went there with civic on my Mind to realize that my Body will not fit in to it:).As i went on the test drive i fell in love with it as my hand touched its steering wrapped in soft leather....My all new honda Accord 2007 . Even today every time i get in to it i can feel the same feel i could on the first day when i drove it home escorted by my cousin:), and my first long drive to watch Stalin in New Jersey.It was just a 1.5 hour drive but i made it long enough by missing the exits:).Common guyz i dint go for that in built GPS which costs an extra 2K and was waiting for my 200 $ GPS which was on its way from amazon...
Now that is how i got a promotion from my 25 year old Toyota to Honda:)...
From Niagara to Atlantic City From NY to DC there is no place it dint set its tire on......
Car Guru (Lifein USA) Just Shuru.....
నాని
