It’s Sunday morning. I am at work because of tight work deadlines. My work is kinda blocked and my devs are trying to fix it. Meanwhile I am writing. For the past two days I am feeling kinda good inside. It’s been drizzling here in Bangalore. It’s dark and cloudy and gloomy and chilly! If I close my eyes and take a deep breath, I can almost feel Seattle in my lungs. Due to the drizzling rains here, the streets are wet and deserted. I can vision the wet streets of Seattle, the slow-steady rains that fall all day long with intermediate breaks for few minutes. The streets are always less crowded in Seattle. So, on my bike ride to work, if I ignore the shabby street stalls on the road side and just focus on the wet road and trees, it does really feel like I am in Seattle. It’s November so it’s chilly here and there too. The only thing missing is probably the holiday season lightings and decorations on streets and in malls.
Oh Wait! Most importantly my friends are missing around me. My closest friends at Microsoft, my Seattle Thriller dance group friends and my roommates!
Frankly, I never was happy to move back to India after living for 3 years in Washington. We humans are so adaptable. It’s really surprising how we just gel so quickly to our surrounding and people and situations. It’s almost taken me a year to settle back here with respect to people, culture, facilities and way of living. And I feel at peace now than how angry and frustrated I used to be when I had just returned. Another factor I see is the proximity to husband, parents and close relatives. Living alone in Seattle, I remember cozying up in my apartment in Bellevue with a slight amount of the heater on in my bedroom, having some hot Indian comfort food Mung-dal Khicadi or steaming Fried rice or the best – hot Maggi/Curry noodles with the best entertainment – watching Seinfeld episodes. Being away alone from family would make me think so much, have sleepless nights. Now I feel at peace. There is no more worry, there is a stagnant job in hand and there is my husband by my side, with parents reachable in my time zone.
The past two days have brought good old memory of Seattle in Bangalore… I can imagine my American friends celebrating Thanksgiving with their family and friends, Indian friends going on vacations during the holiday. I wish them all a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and Happy Holiday. Hope this year has been good and brought peace to all. Miss you Seattlites!
Happy Thanksgiving J
Three years stay is long enough. Its not very easy to forget the celebrations, occassions
ReplyDeleteI loved this Shilpa. I see that you indeed have taken a piece of Seattle into your soul, back to Bangalore with you. We miss you here, in the rainy streets of Seattle, too, as we move toward our holiday celebrations this winter. It is wonderful that you continue to share your life, and thoughts with us here, and I am so glad you have your family nearby. Happy Thanksgiving, to you, Shilpa! Pam
ReplyDeleteI miss seeing everyone dress up for Diwali, and learning those "certain" words, so you definitely left a part of you in Seattle too :-)
ReplyDeleteWe miss you too Shilpa!
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