Now that proposal is done, serious steps are being taken back home. Astrologers are being consulted, dates are being decided, hall is being finalized, friends and relatives are being told of the happening. Everything seems to happen at full speed. Too fast to fathom. It is one of those slow motion moments where one's life slows down to a near pause and things around continue to circle at full speed. While at the pause, he tries to write a blogpost.
She recently moved back to India and settled down in a job she likes. And she says it would be at least 2 years before she could think of a move elsewhere. That means only one thing: he needs to pack his bags and move back home. He does not beleive in separated life after wedding.That means change. One big happy change.
He is excited and apprehensive, both at the same time. Excitement kicks in for the known reason. But he could not fathom the apprehension. Is it the logistics to be taken care of during the move? or is it the new city he will be moving to? or is it the new job culture? Or is it missing Uncle Sam? Or is it the wedlock and the associated cold feet? He is not sure.
He tries to meticulously plan the move. He even has offers from his boss and colleagues for his car and furniture. After 6 long years, moving back seems like a big decision. As he thinks deeper, he realized there is nothing left for him in this country. He has travelled to about 40 states in this country and has tried everything from hiking to kayaking to rafting to sky-diving to para-sailing. He has done pretty much everything he felt he may not get another chance to do in his life.
At work, there were days where he has idled away doing nothing like a lazy bum. There were days where he has worked for 15 hours straight with hardly any breaks. There were days where he has felt like a rock star. There were days where he has wondered if he is even a right fit in this place. The brunt of responsibility, the feeling of a leader, the ponderings of a loser - he has had it all.
He wonders if he'll miss certain a few things in this country. Such as his Accord and the play of Suprabatham during the morning commute to work, his infrequent visits to Patel brothers, just to get namkeens and murukkus. He might miss the freeways, service exits, rest areas and the EZPass. He might miss Dunkin donuts, iHop and Starbucks. He might miss smiling and wishing unknown people. He might miss getting everything from movie ticket to flight tickets at kiosks. He might miss explaining good stuff about India to firang clients/colleagues. He might miss Falafel and Chipotle. He might miss the snow and the shoveling of snow in winter. He might miss being pulled over by the cops.
But he feels good about the move with a lot more good things to look forward to.
All said and done, he can't believe what started a 6 week travel has transformed into a 6 year stay in this country. And after this long, it is always hard for one to say good bye to a place that has (almost) been home! With a hard feeling of thanking this country which has seen him grow from a boy to a man, he looks forward to the touch down of the flight at Anna International airport in the next couple of months!
