North American Immigration Diaries - Where 'S/P' is 'XL' !!!

If you are expecting a series like Vampire Diaries etc, then you might as well stop reading here.

However, if you are even remotely interested in immigration related aspects - then you are in the right place !

I have been wanting to write this piece for a long time since i relocated to Canada (although just for a couple of years !). This is about the challenges that immigration poses and the adjustments you make - to fit yourself into a culture that is drastically different from yours.

This is the first of a series, which talks about immigration to North America, its challenges and the possible adjustments or solutions. It certainly may not be suitable to all locations within North America considering the diverse nature of this continent. However, I have tried to be as generic as possible. Enjoy the read !

Where 'S/P' is 'XL'

Welcome to North America - A land where everything is grandiose right from the Christmas turkey to a glass of Coke to the rocky mountains of Colorado. And all these seem even more bigger when you consider the fact that I come from a geography where even a cup of tea has transformed into a 'Cutting Chai' ! That reminds me that an 'S' cup of coffee is easily equivalent to 2 cutting chais.

The first thing you notice when you land in this continent is the size of cars. It seems as if we are living in an era where family planning methods have not yet been discovered and people have to plan well in advance !! There certainly has been quite a bit of debate over this but this love for Gas guzzlers seems to be catching up again.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12147304)
Courtesy BBC News

The next thing that would take you by surprise is the size of meals. North Americans, without any exceptions, have a great built and you need to understand that this has not happened overnight.. And by the time you understand this fact, you are already having the same diet ! I must, however, admit that diet in North America* is certainly more balanced than what you would have normally had in India.
(*French fries and Mayonnaise excluded !)


And the grandiosity extends to almost everything of daily use - Shoes, size of packs of tissue papers, size of eggs, milk cartons, average length of cigarettes, gloves and sizing of garments.

Garments, the main crux of this blog, are crucial to your appearance. And, if you don't choose them correctly, you may end up wearing baggy pants and baggy shirts all the time. It certainly is a different story if you think it is still fashionable !

'S/P' (stands for Small/Petit(french)) is the smallest size available in North America. You might have significant trouble finding a right sized garment if you tend to fall around the average height a typical Indian male (not sure about females though! - sorry for that).

For a long period now, I have been involved in this epic struggle to get the right size of garments. I have constantly been 'kid'ding about venturing into kids section. One fine day, I decided to give it a try and to my amazement/embarrassment/dilemma, I did find a blazer fitting perfectly !!! It was my day of realisation in North America... (Of course, I don't recommend this to everybody - else I might be sued for dragging somebody into depression !)

And the story goes on - Just that this one is indeed a GRAND story !!


And, as a concluding note, please do note that I have purposely not ventured out into size of condoms and other sensitive topics just to retain the 'G' rating of this blog !!!