Deaf in DC: A Memoir

24. Travels in America

92 24 Travels in America ONE OF MY GOALS WAS TO SEE ALL FIFTY STATES DURING my time at Gallaudet. Despite the little money I had, I hoped I could at least visit the forty-eight contiguous states. The only way I could achieve this goal was to travel with friends who had cars or use the wonderful American invention called hitchhiking. My two efforts at hitchhiking were total failures. I waited for hours and no one stopped. I noticed other people being picked up and also noticed the gimmicks they used. An attractive girl would strike a pose with her thumb out while the guys with her were standing away from her. I gave up and looked for opportunities of traveling with friends. My big opportunity after the short trip to NYC with Sambo came in the summer of 1969. Kirk, the graduate student from California and of the camping experience , caught me in the hallway one day and asked if I was interested in going to California with him. Kirk was graduating in May and was going back home for a job. The word California got me all excited, followed by the big damper when I thought about money or rather the lack of it. Kirk must have read my expression and he smiled. “You do not have to pay for anything except for your food,” he said. “What about the hotel on the way?” I asked. “No hotels, Sahib.” Kirk liked to throw in colonial vocabulary. “We will be camping.” “You mean,” I asked, “you will pull that funny camper behind your jeep all the way to California?” “No,” laughed Kirk, “that wasn’t mine to begin with. We will be using my pup tent for sleeping.” I wondered what a pup tent was. The other tent that had emerged from a huge box on wheels and produced two queen-sized beds was t r av e l s i n a m e r i c a 93 called a pop-up camper. After doing some linguistic gymnastics in my head, I concluded this pup tent would have only one queen-sized bed. Without thinking further, I moved my closed fist in an up-and-down motion to convey a resounding “yes.” This was a free trip, since I had to eat wherever I was, so the food wasn’t exactly an expense. I didn’t think of other indirect expenses. Going on a “free” trip is like buying a car. There are always other expenses. I didn’t think of the wages I was going to lose while traveling and didn’t think about how I would get back to Gallaudet. Kirk wasn’t coming back. At that time, however, I was too excited to think about anything else except seeing California. “Will we go through Texas?” was an important question I asked. “Yes,” Kirk said, “you can see Zane Grey’s world.” There was no turning back now. I was going. The idea of seeing cattle stampeding, the Rio Grande, saloons, and cowboys with ten-gallon hats sent me dreaming. “Can you drive?” Kirk brought me back to earth. “Yes.” I lied. I could drive a little, but moving a car from here to there and driving on an American highway in a Jeep are not the same. But the idea of driving got me more excited than traveling itself. I didn’t want to look backward, so decided to fib about my driving ability. “But,” the truth took over, “I don’t have an American driving license.” I forgot to mention that I didn’t have an Indian driving license, either. All for a good cause. “Good.” Kirk was happy. “You can spell me when I am tired.” Little did Kirk know the kind of spell he was going to experience. To travel in America in style and to blend with the locals when we passed through Texas, I decided to buy two pairs of jeans and two denim shirts to go with them. I wanted to look rugged. That was a mistake. One looks rugged only after the clothes have seen some rugged time. In the beginning, I looked like a cowboy going for his first dance or getting married; this was not the look I wanted. I packed a small bag with three changes of clothes, my camera, and a kit for brushing my teeth and shaving. Kirk packed his jeep with his clothes, books, and sports goods. Kirk, who claimed...