TATA Interactive Systems: Go Hawks!

When I was asked to go onsite to Iowa City for three months, I was a little hesitant. It was more than just Mumbai to Iowa City – I’m sure you’ll agree that a change of temperature from an average of 30C to one of –20C is not particularly pleasant. However, I agreed. And here I am.

The flight was fairly uneventful, but I did have an interesting conversation at the immigration counter in Chicago (my port of entry).

Sam (the immigration guy with a friendly smile): So this isn’t your first time visit to the U.S.?
Me: No, I’ve been here before.
Sam: Where are you headed?
Me: Iowa City.
Sam: And where did you go the last time?
Me: (suspicious tone) San Francisco.
Sam (grimacing): Yikes! You’re gonna hate it in Iowa City then. It’s in the middle of nowhere. And compared to San Francisco it’s, well, BORING! Alright here you go…go through Gate 7…

As I waited for my connecting flight in O’Hare, I mulled over what Sam said. “Flee” was the first thought that came to my mind, but it was too late; my flight was announced and I needed to rush.

A blast of cold air literally paralyzed me when I stepped out of the airport at Cedar Rapids, IA. I rushed into the first taxi I found and headed to the apartment I was to be sharing with a colleague.

It’s been three weeks now and I’ve settled into a comfortable routine. Work 9—5, go home, stare at the walls for bit, cook, chat online and with my roommate, sleep. And yes, Sam was right: I quite hated it here because there’s really not much one can do in the biting cold outside. Until yesterday, the most exciting thing I had done was go to the Barnes & Noble store at the mall and visit the Public Library (which, by the way, is an absolute treasure).

Then, yesterday, one of our client contacts here caught us just as we were leaving the office and handed over some tickets to a university-level basketball game. It was the University of Iowa “Hawkeyes” versus the Northwestern University “Wildcats.” Now, I’m not much of a basketball fan (my knowledge of the game begins and ends with Michael Jordan), but that didn’t stop me—here was an opportunity to got out and still not freeze, and I wasn’t about to let go of that.

So, we rushed home from work and went straight to the Carver Hawkeye Arena, where the game was to be held. The place was teeming with people of all ages, dressed in black and yellow—the Hawkeye colors. We took our seats and I quietly absorbed the electric atmosphere. People around me were passionately discussing who would win or rushing to get some food. I didn’t budge from my seat because I didn’t want to miss ANYTHING! When the home team came on court, the band launched into the “Iowa Hawkeye’s Fight Song” and the crowd went wild. Everyone sang along as the lyrics flashed on the “HawkVision” screen:

Hawkeyes Fight Song

“The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,
Let every loyal Iowan sing;
The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,"
Until the walls and rafters ring (Go Hawks!)
Come on and cheer, cheer, cheer, for IOWA
Come on and cheer until you hear the final gun.
The word is "Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,"
Until the game is won.”

It wasn’t very difficult to get swayed by the passion of the song and the crowd; soon I found myself cheering every field goal the home team scored and booing every time the opposition scored.

The timeouts during the game were also fun. The cheerleaders would come on to the court and perform gravity-defying moves. Herky the Hawk egged the crowd on to make more noise and to keep cheering. During half time, the Step Dance team from the University of Iowa put up a great performance too. And through the game, lots of freebies like t-shirts and mini basketballs were continuously thrown into the crowd. The two kids sitting next to me tried hard but couldn’t get their hands on anything.

As the game continued, I learned more about the game and its associated “lingo.” I now know what terms like three-point line, jump ball, and air ball mean. And when the Iowa Hawkeyes won, everyone went completely wild, including me. It’s great to be in Iowa City!

(Rohini Gupta is a lead content developer with Tata Interactive Systems)