London Diaries 1 | Heartache of leaving behind your beloved City!

The last two months for us have been very busy, in fact more than busy, very tiring and unsettling to be precise. On one hand  where we should have been filled with unbridled euphoria of relocating to the magnificent city and the global capital of the world, London, these thoughts were certainly not on top of our minds. Not to sound too smart, the thoughts of packing up , wrapping up, winding up and closing shop from OUR city took precedence. 

OUR city? Well, any city where you spend a good bit of time becomes your own city. But what do you call a city where you have a bevy of good friends living, where you got your first job, you have spent most of your professional life here, you started and spent all your marital life, you bought your first car, you bought your first house, you built your own home here, you got the most precious gift of your life, your child here and many such treasured priceless memories? This had to be among the most precious places of your life, easily among the best, if not the best. So to wind up and depart from here, even though for a short while is nothing short of a severe heartache!

And it isn’t just about the emotional connect but equally so about the ease and the comfort related to smallest of the things that this lovely city of Pune offers. The cosmopolitan culture, usually soothing climate and a variety of culinary and tourism attractions around makes it all the more lazily comfortable. And hence, every passing day to the departure day, made it very tough and heavy, it wasn’t just about leaving a city but more about going out of your comfort zone. No wonder when the day arrived it wasn’t any different, was rather even heavier and sombre. 

But over the years, the best part about leaving Pune has been that it calls me back. It has happened thrice so by that logic, hopes galoreJ. But as they say the show must go on, the transition to the new place hasn’t been a bad one. Though, there were scares about early adaptability issues in a city as diverse and huge as London but with a favourable weather, loads of Indians around, variety of eating options, plethora of beautiful places to visit, handful of good friends to guide and above all a cheap India calling facility made it a bit easierJ 

But this doesn’t mean that it’s all hunky dory from the outset.  To gear up to the much famed English school of etiquettes and mannerisms is highly awkward to say the least. Blazers every day? A shave every morning? Cans full of thank you(s) and sorry(s) in every walk of life? And a quick to appear, quick to disappear smile as a courtesy gesture? Boy! That is some change to adapt to. Nonetheless interesting times ahead, a beautiful country to explore and an far too interesting culture to adapt toJ. However, deep down the heart the beloved city and its comforts would still be missed!

--

kin…