I made a very tough and painful decision to move from Connecticut to Oklahoma in the summer of 2003. My co-workers could not understand why I was moving to a far-flung cow country and away from the bustling cities of the east coast. Some even said that people in that part of the country maybe still riding caravans or herding cattle all day long.

Well, I did not know much about Oklahoma at that time so I just smiled and told them that I wanted to be near the people from my hometown from India. The real reason was that I wanted my little son to be able to speak my native language better, when he would be around these people and their families.

I had a good discussion with my husband about the trip. We got all the necessary maps from the AAA. He became so overwhelmed by whole idea of moving to a very different state and became overly worried and anxious. Maybe it was too scary for him. We had to take into consideration about our little son too. We decided to go ahead with our plans.

On Day one, my husband drove for over two hours in circles over an exit, as he could not get past the state boundary of New Jersey to get onto the highway. It became clear that he was in no shape to be driving. He got very confused and we decided to rest that night in a motel. I had to rearrange the whole plan. The motel manager helped me with an outline of the routes we were to take. He was very sympathetic to me when I told him of my decision to drive, under those present circumstances.

I had neither prior driving experience nor the license! I only knew how to start and drive forward. I did not even know how to use reverse or any other stuff related to driving! The next morning when I told my husband that I was going to be the driver, he became a bundle of nerves, even though I assured him that I would be asking people for directions from time to time.

I drove for almost 8 hours everyday, stopping for occasional lunch and restroom breaks. He held onto the doorknob as tight as he could and started unnecessary nay saying about my driving which irritated me no end. I needed some support from him. Moreover, here I was - inexperienced with no driver's license and driving sometimes at 80-90 mph! I was concentrating on which cities or towns we had crossed and which ones were still to come.

The whole trip was no joyride as he was backseat driving and his constant nay saying was a big sore point. Nevertheless, I kept my cool and drove on. Whenever we stopped for breaks, I asked people for directions and they were very friendly.

At one point, I drove through a busy highway I-70. All I could see was 18-wheeler trucks all round me- left, right, and center! I began to sweat as I was scared of driving among those giants. My son started to get restless and wanted to get out of his car seat, while his father was no big help either. He needed help himself! It was getting crazy.

I had to stop at the nearest restroom area as soon as possible . After some snacks and some rest, we resumed the trip. Both of them fell asleep from sheer exhaustion: my husband - due to his constant fear about my driving and my son, from being fed and cleaned up. However, my husband woke up too soon and started his nay saying again! And for once, I had to warn him that I would leave him in the wilderness for good. That shut him up for good!

When we reached Tulsa, my friends were very surprised and bombarded me with so many questions about our trip. At this point, all I wanted was to shower and get some rest. When I look back on that trip, I shudder at the very thought of it! I could have been ticketed for speeding and driving with no valid driver's license and that too, with a young child in the car!

Thank god, we did not encounter any state trooper on the way! It was an eventful summer of 2003 and of my life!

I still cannot believe to this day that I drove across eight states of America without any hitch! Surely there was a divine power watching over me! Forget about my husband! It taught me to be more self-sufficient and mentally strong!

This is where my Manipuri mental strength comes in handy! And I am proud of my Manipuriness!