From there to here....

OK peeps…resurfacing now …from INDIA!! Ooo YEA!

Alrity now..for the hubby and me this year has been extra eventful…so keeping up the spirit of the unpredictability….2011 had to top off itself with a giant leap to Incredible India!

Just 4 weeks ago this whole idea which was in back burner started taking prominence and the idea of making hay when the sun of “eventfulness” shines on us got into effect. Booked tickets for munchkin and myself to Bangalore, better known as the silicon valley of India! Needless to say I was a little nervous, a little excited and a little overwhelmed all at the same time. Oh yes, in case haven’t mentioned it already I have nothing to do with IT. I am an architect (the building construction wala types). Why then Bangalore is something that will get clearer to my dear peeps as the blog progresses!

Being away from my own home country for almost 10 long years...with intermittent visits only thrice, none of which were for more than 4 weeks at a time…makes me wonder the meaning of the term “home country”. In my mind I feel and think, I was never away from it, but then is it just a belief that I have been nurturing? India is a part of me but will it make me a part of itself? Ah…all the answers will unfold soon in the weeks to follow.

December 5th 2011: the day marks itself as an adieu to the gorgeous New York City and “take care until next time” to hubby: the rock in my life. The flight was much smoother than I thought it would be: no, not because I have a phobia of flying but with a munchkin like mine, well I am just glad that my neighbors in the flight could sleep , watch movies or do whatever they wanted to their heart’s content. On a special note I would like to express my gratitude to the crew of Jet Airways for extending and lending their hand in helping my 11.5 month old be as comfortable as humanely possible on the flights (EWR-BRU-BOM-BLR)…and of course my munchkin’s charm was put to an appropriate use. Mommy darling welcomed a dozing munchkin and me literally with open arms at the BOM airport. Wow! I am home :-)

The new BOM airport is coming up surely and I overheard airlines crews talk proudly of MIAL. Well well…yours truly was also a part of the design team: ahem!

One thing that I noticed and had trouble with at BOM and BLR airports is lack of luggage carts or porters to help the disabled at the drop off point of the shuttle running between aircrafts to the terminal. Yes, at both the airports there was no jetway to the terminal, instead ramp stairs take you down and then you board a shuttle which takes you to the terminal. It required considerable effort to carry a sleeping baby, two carry-on of 7 kg each and a laptop bag to the carts. Oh yes, and for some weird reason the stroller which was gate checked is delivered at the baggage claim!?

The family at BLR is enthusiastic and exuberant at 4 am to welcome us …Wow! I am in my home :-)

To all this welcoming and all munchkin goes wide awake and starts singing in his language (psst: I think it’s the national anthem) …..

Next few days are spent in getting some mundane things taken care of: bank account, cell phone et al. Also, Munchkin celebrates his first birthday and we celebrate our 5th anniversary…aha life’s uniqueness.

In my first week my sensory radars are sleep deprived, jet-lagged and tired. But the initial glimpses are quite interesting.

Most of the household here have green sustainable practices without making an effort or a cry about it. Starting with kitchen: I notice that the fresh produce here is almost half; sometimes one-third the size of fresh produce in USA. Hopefully these here have lesser chemicals. Most Indians buy seasonal produce and therefore it tastes better. The second thing that was missing was kitchen “paper” towels, our home has 2-3 kind of wash-cloths, each for a specific purpose. Water is solar heated and all the rooms specifically the kitchen and bathrooms have ventilation. Hmm….my carbon footprint here seems like will be smaller than the one back in USA…well we will find out.