Monday, March 20, 2006

What if ...

I have been able to travel quite frequently across North America for business. Most people think that I travel to the most fascinating places. I wish it was true, however, for every San Francisco, there is a small-town such as Lexington, MA that I visit. A common factor among all small-towns in the United States is the loyalty towards the local university or college.

We are in the midst of March Madness, a basketball tournament to crown the top collegiate basketball team in the country. I was in Raleigh, North Carolina, which houses four universities that are participating in the tournament. It is quite remarkable the passion that people showed here for their alma mater. I felt a bit envious since I do not feel the same way about my university experience. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy my time at UW, but it was the people that made my experience and not the school.

I wonder if I would have had a more enjoyable experience attending a school south of the border. I had a chance to visit Harvard University this past summer and marveled at the history and campus sorroundings. Similarly, I visited the University of North Carolina (UNC) and thought how nice it would have been to attend class in buildings with so much history.

A friend of mine told me that attending a Canadian university is the best value for education in the world. I have to agree with my friend as the cost of tuition for American universities is quite high. I don't have any regrets about my time in university, but for a few moments, I did ponder "what if".

2 comments:

Bilal Shirazi said...

Salam Ozair!

My Aunt and Grandparents live in Lexington, MA. I think it's a picture postcard for historic smalltown american towns. The minute men started in Lexington and it's where Paul Revere had his famous ride there? May I inquire where you were consulting?

Ozair said...

Wasalamz Bilal,

I will be at the IBM site in Lexington, MA next month.

If there is a Shirazi contingent in this town, there must be some good halal places to eat.

If you know of any good places to eat, let me know. I used zabihah.com for my last trip and it gave some good listing. But, I made the rookie mistake of not calling the restaurant before I went and the restaurant had closed down.

That is a lesson to all you kids is call before going to a place you have never gone.