Soman Itty (1974)
Perhaps this platform is for intellectual jargon, but I want to add my follies as an FOB (Fresh off the Boat)
[Who said so? This platform is for sharing anything and everything…. Editorial Team]
Just thought I will list some of my follies since my wedding in 1978.
We left for REC Calicut from Kottayam soon after the wedding. We were living in the professors’ quarters, since everyone with children wanted to stay near the main road for easy access to the school bus.
Being health-conscious, I decided to make my morning drink: egg with milk. I boiled the milk, then cracked a raw egg into it and tried to mix it. Instead of adding a beaten egg, I had added it whole, which gave me a mixture of omelet and milk instead of a homogeneous drink.
Another episode is about a trip to downtown Calicut. This has to do with our newly married life. We thought about adding some spice to our so-called married life, so we bought apple juice. The funny part was that we drank only two teaspoons a day. We thought the juice was like honey, where the normal dosage is one or two teaspoons. Life went on like that in Calicut.
The rest happened after I reached the USA in 1983. The Fall semester had started at Brooklyn Polytechnic (later Polytechnic Institute of New York). The graduate classes were in the evening, starting at 6 p.m. and going on until 11 p.m. Cooking facilities and refrigerators were not allowed in the dormitories. I could locate my room on the 16th floor by seeing my grocery bag with the milk outside the closed window.
During the first week, I went to Wendy’s for a cup of tea. I opened the tea bag and asked for a sieve at the counter. The man told me, “You’re not supposed to open the tea bag.” So, being a smart guy, I made sure I did not open the sugar packet either. The rest is history.
As for hair conditioner … for months I applied it to my hair, never knowing I had to wash it off.
Some dudes came chasing me after classes late at night. They asked, “You want pot?” I said, “No, I have enough pots and pans at home.”
Finally, my Indian name was P. I. Itty. In India, I was never worried about the sequence. While getting citizenship of the USA, I had an opportunity to change my name. I even considered changing it to “Dustin Hoffman”. However, at the interview, nervousness got the better of me. Hence, I am now “Itty Itty”, in the format the USA wants—first name, last name.
If you have a smile on your face now at my expense, that is all I need. Life’s lighter moments have to be cherished and loved too. Ha ha..😁😄
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The author graduated with a BSc (Engg) degree from REC Calicut as part of the first ‘semester’ batch in 1973/74. After M.Tech degree from IIT Madras, joined as a lecturer in REC Mechanical Engineering department. In 1983 left to USA to pursue PhD studies. Secured PhD degree after seven years. By that time the rules had changed at REC, so could not go back to the previous job. Hence, stayed back in USA. After 20+ years of service as a Bridge Hydraulics Section Engineer/leader currently enjoying retired life.
