Life has a way of balancing things out. After my plans to visit the USA were derailed in early 2022, I finally found myself happily packed and ready to fly in late 2023 . Adding to the excitement, I had just submitted my thesis a week before (such a relief). The reason? I was headed to the land of dreams to present my work at the prestigious San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2023. A big shout-out to ICMR for sponsoring the trip!

A Bite of the Big Apple 🍎
No trip to the USA is complete without visiting New York City – the iconic “Big Apple”, right? Lucky for me, my flight itinerary generously gifted me a layover: 7 hours on the way in and a luxurious 20 hours on the way back. Just enough time to roam around the city and explore its heritage. In NYC, I had my good friend, Dr. Dx as a generous host. He showed me around Central Park, gave me a quick tour of his lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and even made breakfast (future Michelin-star chef alert!😋).

Oh, and let’s not forget, with his help, I managed to get a small yet satisfying taste of the city that never sleeps.

Hello, San Antonio!
From NYC, it was time to head to San Antonio via a midnight flight with a quick layover at Dallas-Fort Worth. Now, midnight flights might sound romantic, but trust me, they are not – especially when your body is protesting against all the time zone shifts. By the time I reached my Airbnb, I was utterly drained. The Airbnb itself was… interesting. Picture this: a quiet neighborhood that looked too quiet to someone from bustling Delhi. As if that wasn’t enough, the house had an attic. If Hollywood horror movies has taught us anything, it’s that attics = ghosts. Let’s just say I didn’t sleep much that night. Was it jet lag, or was it the thought of a ghost crawling down from the attic? We need not explore it further.

The conference kicked off early the next morning, and I dragged myself out of bed, dressed up, and headed to the venue. It was incredible to be surrounded by a sea of scientists, clinicians, and researchers from around the world. But my excitement took a dip when I realized that there were no designated lunch breaks or food stalls! Heartbroken and hungry, I Googled my way to a nearby Indian restaurant called Tikka House, which saved me with some spicy food pleasing my palates.

The second day was my day. I had my poster presentation. Standing next to my work and interacting with delegates from around the world was nothing short of exhilarating. The feedback I received from international scientists was fantastic, and it was truly rewarding to see my research appreciated on an international stage.

Presenting our work at @SABCSSanAntonio. Come say hi. 🧬 👋 pic.twitter.com/pRWRKLiF9u

— Dr. Tryambak Srivastava (@imtryam) December 6, 2023

The remaining days of the conference were packed with excellent sessions and Coffee became my best friend. 😉

The Oklahoma escapade
It was time to meet my best friend Dr. Dey, who was doing his postdoc at the University of Oklahoma. Inspired by Sheldon Cooper (Bazinga!), I decided to take the train. Enter: the mighty Texas Eagle, which runs from San Antonio to Chicago.

The train ride was a mixed bag of surprises. For starters, the stations were deserted most of the time because they only open during boarding hours. Plus, they have a system where a housekeeping staff collects your luggage, which felt very fancy. The journey itself was peaceful, with mostly elderly passengers taking their grandkids for a train adventure. Oh, and fun fact; there’s something called a “layover” during the journey, even with a direct ticket. Sheldon didn’t prepare me for that! The journey took an unexpected turn when somewhere between Dallas and Oklahoma, the train hit someone. Yep, you read that right. Everything came to a standstill for hours while the authorities dealt with the situation. The elderly passengers even prayed for the person, which was touching.
When I finally reached Oklahoma, Deep picked me up, and I crashed at his place. Shoutout to that mattress. The next few days were pure bliss. We ate homemade Indian food, slept in, and talked endlessly.

Oh, and we made a couple of TikTok-style videos (Sorry, but I would say all such shorts and reels as tiktok only) because, well, Deep is darn good at it. These are safely backed up in my cloud for now. We roamed the city, shopped, and also caught the movie Animal, a solid dose of adrenaline and drama to cap off my Oklahoma stay.

Back to the NYC (and Reality)
Before I knew it, it was time to head back home. Unfortunate that on the day of return, I had to take four flights back to back. OKC to DFW to SAT to DFW to JFK followed by a long journey from JFK to DEL. Another 20-hour layover in NYC! Once again, Dr. Dx came to my rescue. We spent the entire night exploring downtown Manhattan, grabbing a meal at a Bengali restaurant, and soaking in the electric vibe of Times Square. Truly magical.

We also hopped on the infamous New York Subway, but let’s just say Delhi Metro wins this battle, hands down.

The next morning, after a solid nap, I squeezed in a visit to the Empire State Building. But honestly, solo travel isn’t my cup of tea, so I kept it short and sweet.

As I boarded my flight back to India, I reflected on the unforgettable experiences I had in the USA. From the resilience of NYC to the warmth of San Antonio, from train rides to late-night adventures, this trip had it all. Coming back home to India felt just as special. There’s no place like home and definitely no food like homemade Indian food. Until the next adventure, I will cherish the memories (and those TikToks 😉) for a long, long time.