As I lengthen my steps to quickly get out of the cold, I come across a Pottery Barn store with a window display of a baby’s nursery. The whole setup is monochromatic, with every single piece of the display being in varying shades of brown—from the lightest beige to the darkest coffee-brown. I take a look at myself and realize that I’m dressed in the perfect monochromatic palette as well, just like the entire city is during winter.

Back in India, no matter the season, the cities are always green and colourful. So are the people’s clothes and their moods. And when it comes to baby nurseries, they’re a riot of colours, except of course the ones done up by those who have deep pockets and can afford to pursue their obsession with everything Western. But in India, these muted and dull colours that are so popular in the West are called ‘English’ colours!

The beginning of December is undoubtedly one of the best times to be in Chicago, before it gets extremely cold and the sun disappears for days in a row. When I was still in India, I never really understood the emotions behind the famous Beatles’ song ‘Here Comes the Sun’. But when I moved to the other side of the world for my graduation about nine years back, I finally got the lyrics of the song like never before.

If you’ve grown up in India like I did—I grew up in the lanes of Chandi Chowk in old Delhi—and watched reruns of a lot of American sitcoms, especially Friends, then you must’ve assumed by now that I’m headed to a coffee shop, like Central Perk, after work. Because that’s just how dreamy the life of working professionals in America is for the aspiring middle-class Indians who are desperate to win a lottery to the States. Oh yes! There’s even a visa temple in my country that promises hassle-free visas, by God’s grace, to its many devotees.

Except that most people in America actually order takeaway coffee that they then drink alone. They don’t necessarily have a group of six best friends who’d die for each other. American television told us the most beautiful lie, just like how social media paints a perfect picture of things in today’s day and age.

This is my morning routine though, picking up a takeaway cup of coffee from Josie’s café, which is home, and then going to work. That’s where I’m headed right now, by the way.