It has been a hectic few days. In the middle of parents coming down, filling up all available luggage in the house and realizing we needed more and then some, panic laden trips to the mall to somehow manage last minute bargain on more suitcases, shuffling, re-shuffling, counting, losing count, flying tempers, some tears, some arguments, some pampering, some control freak-ness, many sorries, goodbyes, excess baggage, a short long flight, I realized that change is not the easiest, most natural thing when you are pushing 30. Just when for the first time in life, I was beginning to feel settled with pretty much everything one needs to feel settled, uprooting came with a lot of excess baggage, quite literally.
But when I got off the flight and smelled the air and the familiar mugginess of Bombay days minus the noise, in the middle of a beatiful KL night, things seemed to fall a little in place. A little. 4 hours of intoxicated sleep later, when I woke up this morning to bright sun outside the hotel window, things seemed to fall more in place. But it was only when I started meeting locals here as a part of the house hunting project, and phone calls started flowing in from new acquaintances and old friends, that it all felt just right. We have not decided on a house yet, but at least there was brilliant biryani for lunch. And good company. And adrak chai at a friend's place, as opposed to the usual "let's meet for drinks" routine. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the drinks. But there is something very warm and homely and friendly about adrak chai. And then there was the familiarity of Sarvanaa Bhavan and people and the things we spoke of. Familiarity and some wide eyed wonder. When you are pushing 30, change begins to look better if it has familiarity thrown in for good measure. In the end, we all turn to what we know, and when this happens in the middle of what you thought will be a wild adventure in unfamiliar territory and were just beginning to lose sleep over not just that but also the fact that you are not exactly the person you thought you are, it's just the chocolate icing on the rich fudge cake that you are not craving right now because there is so much else to look forward to.
I couldn't have asked for a better start. Really.
But when I got off the flight and smelled the air and the familiar mugginess of Bombay days minus the noise, in the middle of a beatiful KL night, things seemed to fall a little in place. A little. 4 hours of intoxicated sleep later, when I woke up this morning to bright sun outside the hotel window, things seemed to fall more in place. But it was only when I started meeting locals here as a part of the house hunting project, and phone calls started flowing in from new acquaintances and old friends, that it all felt just right. We have not decided on a house yet, but at least there was brilliant biryani for lunch. And good company. And adrak chai at a friend's place, as opposed to the usual "let's meet for drinks" routine. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the drinks. But there is something very warm and homely and friendly about adrak chai. And then there was the familiarity of Sarvanaa Bhavan and people and the things we spoke of. Familiarity and some wide eyed wonder. When you are pushing 30, change begins to look better if it has familiarity thrown in for good measure. In the end, we all turn to what we know, and when this happens in the middle of what you thought will be a wild adventure in unfamiliar territory and were just beginning to lose sleep over not just that but also the fact that you are not exactly the person you thought you are, it's just the chocolate icing on the rich fudge cake that you are not craving right now because there is so much else to look forward to.
I couldn't have asked for a better start. Really.
3 comments:
Wow, sounds overwhelming, in a nice kind of way :) Wish you all the luck and hope you enjoy every minute of the newness. Make the most of it while it lasts. My "newness honeymoon" lasted a good 10 months before I fell into a routine like I would anywhere else. And now I have to shake myself out of it every now and then, to remind myself that I LIVE in goa and that I should make good use of it!
So true about looking for familiarity in every adventurous venture :) Wish you find the perfect house very soon!! Keep us posted, T.
@haathitime, I know what you are saying. My average stint in any city is about 3 years, so I have moved around quite a bit. Just that this time it is different because I also feel responsible and this is the first time I have switched countries. Believe it or not, I am sort of looking forward to it right now because it has been crazier than I thought was possible. Phew! Once I know what the routine will be like, I will be happier getting in and out of it now and then. But it is the routine and what it will be like, that I am thinking about most :D
TSAS, I am THIS close to it :D Whoppee! Counting minutes to it, actually. But I don't want to jinx it by saying anything!
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