“America is a tune. It must be sung together.” ~Gerald Stanley Lee
I landed in Canada on July 2nd, 2024 to see my son Zubair, spend time with my grandchildren, and be away from the routine schedule of daily life. To spend more quality time, we decided to visit the United States of America for a week.
During our stay, we did some sightseeing, explored some restaurants, met relatives, and refreshed old memories while making some new ones along the way.
A picture of me outside my relative Tariq Razvi's residence, our host.
Me and my nephew Omer Syed, who runs a state-of-the-art clinical lab in Chicago.
Exploring Restaurants
We dined in the restaurants pictured above. Hyderabad House is one of the oldest Indian restaurants. It has a family section which offers the nostalgic Saudi feel and the owner is from my home city of Hyderabad, India. It is located on the popular Devon Street in Chicago.
Ghareeb Nawaz is also one of the few restaurants which opened long ago. It is famous for its South Asian dishes as well as its very affordable pricing.
Lastly, I visited “Libanais” known for Lebanese food. During my time working with Aramco, I was fond of Lebanese food, and dinner at this place refreshed those memories. The food was tasty and there was a comfortable ambience.
Meeting Relatives & Cousins
Meeting with relatives in another country creates an atmosphere of home away from home.
“Having a place to go is a home. Having someone to love is a family. Having both is a blessing.” ~Donna Hedges
I met Rayyan, the grandson of Tariq Razvi, at his residence during a dinner gathering arranged in honour of our visit to Chicago. We had a spectacular feast. Later, my eyes caught sight of a Black Belt certificate for Rayyan. I congratulated and encouraged him toward further self-development.
The next day we attended a lunch at my cousin Riyaz Ahmed's house in the suburbs.
I met my niece and her family at their residence in West Roger Park, Chicago. We had an enjoyable time playing with her cute little daughter.
I met my nephews, and sons of ex-Saudi Aramcon, Shaik Mustafa Ali (badge #143789), Adil and Bilal, in Chicago. They are currently pursuing their higher studies.
Refreshing Memories
I, Mohammed Ifteqaruddin # 140948, Technical Advisor Mechanical Services, Ras Tanura Refinery was honoured to visit the National Board (NB) of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors in Columbus, Ohio in the year 2004 on behalf of Saudi Aramco to attend a Seminar.
On returning, I shared the knowledge which I gained during this visit. I reviewed the Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedures (SAEPs) and Refinery Instruction Manuals (RIMs) and updated the information that I acquired, passed it to the Operation Engineers, Technical Services Unit’s Instrument Engineers, Inspectors, Maintenance Engineers, Relief Valve Technicians and Trainees, throughout the company.
Upon the successful completion of this training, the following certificate was provided.
Visiting UIC
Making use of this trip, I decided to visit the University of Illinois, Chicago, where my son Zubair graduated with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering in the year 2016. I was unable to attend his graduation at that time. Zubair was very happy to see these pictures as it’s the place where he gave his 100% to graduate with flying colours.
The United States is known for its diversity, innovation, and cultural influence.
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel