My Life in the Big Banana -- uhh, Apple. Week 1, Part 1.

Friday, August 27, 2010 - Saturday, September 4, 2010 (1:06 AM EST)

After a long travel from Los Angeles, a connection in Milwaukee, and an arrival in New York City, I wanted to sleep. We (my mother, great friend--more like family, and I) arrived at our hotel in Chinatown ready for some Zs. I hadn’t the opportunity to really digest the fact that I’d arrived in my actual dream, and that it was--is--unfolding right before me. On the way from LaGuardia Airport in Queens, I was talking to the cabby. The cabby was a Bengali man named Mohammed; I, too, am a Bengali man with Mohammed for a middle name, so he likely felt familial ties (whether that’s good or bad, you decide; I believe that there is some cabby in me.)
I was discussing New York City theatre with Mohammed. I asked him his favorite shows; he replied: “New York City theatre not for poor people. I can’t afford to take my family.” My heart sank. I could not understand not being able to take your family to see the best theatre in the world right in your very own neighborhood. Horrifying. I would like to change that.
My first week in NYC consisted of moving into my dorm, meeting my fantastic roommate, and much shopping for my suite (of which mom + friend did all). I spent many hours at Tisch and NYU various orientations and welcome activities (one of which to choose from was a class called “Sexploration.” Did I go?). By day three I was exhausted. I swore that if I heard one more squeaky-clean-ASB-knock-off from Virginia ask me if I needed directions to the bathroom, I was going to smack her. I decided to skip out on a few events to spend some much needed time with my mom.
After twenty years of being a two-person family, my mother and I have separated physically. However, we will never be separated emotionally or spiritually. When I received my acceptance letter from NYU, my mom said, “Raji. I feel like you and I have grown up together... we’ve been through adolescence together, and now we’re adults together. God is showing us the next chapters for our lives.” Together and separately my mother and I will complete our next chapters.
Part 2 of this article contains these things: Kristin Chenoweth, my new friend Ryan, Kelsey Grammer, Bernadette Peters, and Christopher & Fabio: a sweet, endearing couple I met at A Little Night Music. ... I would write more... but it’s now 1:21 AM and this NYC boy needs his sleep.

"My Life in the Big Banana -- uhh, Apple" will continue right after this 8-hour message.
...excuse me, is that snoring I hear?