So I booked our tickets to India today. Our one way tickets. One way tickets that mean we cannot get back to Brentwood 6 weeks later. Tickets that mean there’s NO COMING BACK! *gulp* And so, R2I (Return to India) is ON.
I am thrilled at the prospect of returning to the motherland, chaat at Ajnabee, gorgeous sarees, dropping in on family on random days for lunch and so on. I am also nervous at learning to live in tandem with the family again. After being adrift for a decade, coming back into the fold will be quite unnerving, to say the least. And of course, there’s the small matter of how it will affect the children, my son, primarily. At 9, he will find the changes – new place, new faces, new food, new educational system – overwhelming.
But, the plans are not set in motion. Change is around the corner. Good ones, I hope.
it is more crowded, more noisy, more frantic, more expensive, more polluted, more irrelevant development with less space, less water, less clean air…..
found chennai and bangalore quite disappointing.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, Maals!
It will not be easy! But having made this choice, all the best for it.
I know you’ve been wanting to make this move for a long time.
Yes I have and even if it goes belly up, at least I know we’ve tried! Thanks for the wishes, Dipali. Need it!
welcome home, babe.
disappointing, tough, dirty, crowded, whatever it might be – there are people here awaiting you all.
@MM – Awww thanks hon. Now get rid of the band baaja.
hey it can be a lot of fun! we are all looking forward to having you here, we will meet and eat sundal on the beach, right?
@Kenny – AWESOME!!!!!!! Will def look forward to catching up with you again – and properly, this time! Maybe you can get me hooked on to running!!
Hey – Having tried it a year back after spending a decade in the US, there is no such thing as more crowded, more noise, etc. Its purely an irritant that you will get past within no time. Depending on the time you spent outside, the challenges personally have been to find the social circle that you want to interact with, the firangi food that you sometimes crave for and the personal space that you enjoy.
Even the above few may not be as bad when you compare the attention the children get and the fluency in which they blend themselves and become ‘Indian’. When you see them speak three or four languages without blinking an eye, you know you’ve done good.
ATB. No preparation helps, just come and take it all…
Hey Suren
Many thanks for your response. The points you’ve mentioned – personal space and social circle – are the ones that are preying on my mind majorly. I think I shld stop obsessing about it and just go with the flow!
Pingback: Content Shake-Up | Swings & Roundabouts
I had no intention of living in India. But it all happened in one month. We had to pack up, sell our stuff and leave. No amount of preparation would have helped me! It’s been almost 2 years and even now, for some things I miss living in a first world: power fluctuations, lack of oven cooking, crowd, eating out, nice wine, flamenco and so much more. .
But I hear in some parts of India some of these are not that big of a problem. One nicest thing is having a supportive understanding family to hold your hand through this tough terrain.
P.S: Where are you moving?
Hey Sowmya,
Ouch that’s harsh going back when you are in no way ready for it. I guess once you experience something different, you will miss it no matter what. Just like how I miss the comforts of home, murukku from Grand Sweets, bhel from Ajnabee etc all these years!!
But one big plus is I am moving back to my home town, Chennai. So I am looking forward to getting re-acquainted with my town. You in Chennai too?