Drive to Titisee

This week was a long weekend with 4 days leave all over Germany.

Germany and other European countries were celebrating Good Friday and Easter and so the Monday was also off. I had no plans to sit at home on this long week end. Thanks to the weather, we couldn't plan anything for 3 days at a stretch, but we decided to do 1 day trips and keep ourselves busy. My mother-in-law is also here with us, so it was a good chance to take her and show her around. On Thursday itself, Atul broke the news that he finally got the International Driving license and he can now explore the German AutoBahn (highways) by either buying or renting a car. He immediately set into action and hired a small Volkswagen Golf for a trip to Titisee (a lake in the Blackforest area, 165 kms away from Stuttgart).

Driving on German Autobahn is an experience in itself. I had tasted the speed in Sep 2003, when we had driven from Frankfurt airport to the university in Germersheim, near Mainz. Oh what discipline, what speed, what a drive it was!! Within no time, we had reached our destination without honking or traffic jams! Now, in 2013, the scene was not going to be different, I was sure and this time, Tanay, Atul and my mom-in-law were with me, so it was going to be all the more fun filled! Tanay was tied to the child seat, which he didn't quite like at the beginning. In Bangalore, we always carried him on our laps and here he had a separate seat of his own and had to remain seated during our drive-time. He reluctantly settled down once the car started and he fell asleep within sometime.

The road to the Titisee was just awesome. On both the sides, there were tall trees, covered with snow and the vehicles were passing by in no time. I was seated next to Atul and sometimes when I watched the speedometer, it had crossed 180 km/hr. I was aghast. It didn't feel like we were traveling at that speed. All the cars had put on their headlights as the light was low and the visibility was poor. I did not hear a single person honk in the journey of those one and a half hours. Trees, posts, valleys, rivers were just passing by and getting out of sight within no time. We finally reached the destination and parked our cars and went walking to the lake. It was a nice area with many shopping centers around. We had coffee and cake in one restaurant and then proceeded to watch the lake. The lake of course was frozen due to the heavy snowfall the area had experienced. We just roamed there for some time and got into a shop which had cuckoo clocks of all shapes and sizes. The blackforest area is famous for such clocks and almost every tourist who comes here pays a visit to the shop and enthusiastic people like us buy it too. We spent almost 2 hrs in that shop and finally bought a cuckoo clock, which we will have to take back to Bangalore with us and hence we got it nicely packed. We bought a few things for Tanay and headed back to Stuttgart.

Atul drove very carefully and proved that he is a good driver, no matter where he drives. Changing lanes, adhering to the speed limit, taking care of all the signs on the sign posts and driving at a great speed, all at the same time requires some technique and he is indeed good at that, I must say. We all had a nice time and a nice first drive so to say on the German Autobahn and we will be making many more such trips to different destinations..

Here we come!!!!!!!! zoom zoom vrooooooooom.

 

Sunny days are here again!

As I started from home in the morning for office today, it was a bright and sunny and after 2 days of dull and gray weather, I was very happy to see the yellow sun shining in the sky, though not very brightly. People living in Asian countries hardly pay respect to the sun; they take it for granted and even curse it in times of peak summer. But once you come to Europe, especially, central Europe, then the very sight of the sun during winters seems so much bliss!! As the train slowly climbed the hill, the weather changed drastically and the sun vanished behind a thick envelope of gray clouds. Suddenly it seemed as if our train was galloping through a white trail of clouds and fog. It seemed like a scene straight from a horror movie. Suddenly my cheerful mood dropped to a low and I felt very sad and lonely sitting in the train going to office, with no known face around me.

I got down at my usual station and there stood 100 steps before me, grinning at me. Everyday, I have to climb them in order to reach office. There is a bus route also, but then the timings are very weird and involve a lot of waiting period. I am amongst the first one to start walking up the steps and the last one to reach, all huffing and puffing and running out of breath.  Small children and old people overtake me easily and I really feel ashamed of my stamina. But then I say to myself that this is a good time to build stamina and reduce the paunch and shed a few grams here and there. Here in Germany, it involves a lot of physical activity like climbing steps, walking a distance to get groceries and stuff etc. I have also decided to say no to chocolates, cakes, sweet yoghurts, fruit juices. This will also help me in strengthening my health regime and will also help me cut down on consuming non-useful calories.

As I reached office, the atmosphere seemed light and happy as it was Friday. Most of the people were going to leave early as most of them travel out of Stuttgart to their home and families and friends and they have to plan in advance and catch trains accordingly. As I looked out of the window, the sun seemed back again and I thanked him for gracing me with his presence once again. My day went off well by the very thought that it is going to be a bright and sunny week end. It is now expected that the weather will change for good and the spring will set in. I am looking forward to this season, which I have never experienced in my earlier visits to Germany. The forthcoming seasons of spring and summer mean colourful and cheerful atmosphere and lot of people on road, enjoying the sun and making merry.

Am on look out for that colour and bright and shiny and sunny nature!

A nu life

I arrived in Germany on last Friday.

The journey with Tanay and my mother-in-law was fantastic. Tanay behaved like his usual self and did not trouble us much. We were very exhausted at the fag end of the journey, but that was anticipated. The week end was a saving grace and we could relax a bit. We went around on Saturday to buy things and then on Sunday, we were stranded at home as it was rainy outside.

Monday was the first day to new office, in a new profile and a new surrounding. I had to take a train from the place where I stay to the place where I work and it is hardly half an hour away from my house. I reached office within no time, without getting stuck in traffic or without getting delayed. Office was quiet and all the people were working meticulously. I could hardly hear anyone talking to each other. I settled on my desk and started working. A close friend of mine helped me get oriented in the different buildings and it all seemed very new and different to me. I was now working with the Germans, in Germany, a dream which any person learning German would look forward to. I know their language, I can converse with them very nicely and I hope to work like them and learn a few nice things which help me grow as a person.

As commuting time is less, I am thinking of doing something after office, once Tanay starts his creche. Maybe I join a dance class or a music class or a language class. Haven't decided exactly, what to do, but I would like to utilize the time as "my" time. Slowly getting used to this scheduled and perfect life, a life which has only "me" as a center point and where personal space and individuality matter a lot! Coming from a culture which is heavily people oriented, getting accustomed to this personal space oriented culture is going to be fun. I am going to get spoiled with all the basic things being easily available and also am going to get independent as there is hardly any help available from outside. One has to change the bulbs of his own house and one has to clean his own garden. One has to carry things on his own and one has to be on his own. One cannot expect any company here. People smile at you, but also keep you at a distance.

Well, how exciting can this nu life get!

Have to wait and watch!!

An evening to remember

On Friday, very unexpectedly, I got to know that my visa has arrived and I need to travel as soon as possible.

I had just finished the biometrics on Wednesday and as it went with others, I was expecting that it will at least take a week or so for the visa to arrive. So, I was all relaxed and suddenly this news came and I did not know how to react. There was a knotty feeling in my stomach. I was neither happy nor sad. Suddenly it dawned upon me that I have to leave my current work place, house, people, friends and go to Germany. Was I not knowing that I have to go there some day? Then why did I feel so uncomfortable at the thought of going to Germany? That was a strange feeling, but then I had to put that thought at the back of my mind and move ahead with the preparations.

I decided to pamper myself on the week end and make it the best possible week end before leaving my homeland. It was going to be the last relaxed week end of this year in this city, which gave me successful career, good friends and my dream house. Next week end, I would be neck deep in shopping and packing and there would be hardly any time to sit back and relax. On Saturday evening, my parents, Tanay and I went for a long drive. I realized that in these 6 years that we had a car, we had hardly gone out for a drive at night. Cool wind was blowing, the sky was lit with stars and the moon shone brightly. We happened to come across a stall "Goli vadapav", where they served hot and spicy vada pav (a famous delicacy in Maharashtra). Dad and I devoured 2 pieces each without any hassles. Mom and Tanay were not interested and were playing with each other. After a long time, I realized that I spent quality time with my parents where we talked about my childhood and all the hardships we went through in the past years. They are now a proud grandparent and equally proud parents, they told me. I did not know how to react, but I just kept mum and looked in their eyes. The silence spoke a lot!

After the vada pav eat-out, we went to the Naturals ice-cream parlor, where again dad and I took our favorite flavors and Tanay drank his favorite milk from the bottle. I thought he would doze off after his stomach was full and the weather was also so cool outside, but no he wanted to contribute equally to our conversations with his cheerful and wonderful company.

A day like today will come after a long time, I know. But I also know that the legacy continues and so does the love from one generation to the next. I will miss my parents for sure and I also know that there would be times when they would just look at my and Tanay's photos and weep silently. But they would be also blessing us and will be sending us their good wishes from time to time. Their blessings and good wishes will definitely help me and my family go a long way and make successful careers and will help us live an enriched and fulfilling life. 

Thank you aai, baba and Tanay for a wonderful evening!

A day off

I completed 90 days in the new work place and it seemed like a few years have already passed that I restarted with work.

Life had become so busy and hectic that there was hardly any strength left to do anything after coming back home. My little boy's lit up face and his toothless smile upon my return to home compensated for all the boredom which work brought in office sometime. I just got a few hours with him, say a two till he fell asleep like a good child. Then a quiet dinner followed with hushed voices fearing that we may wake up my boy.

On Monday night, after a long and tiring day, I came home as usual, but with a mild headache and as the night set in, my headache worsened. And during midnight, I felt as if somebody was hammering my head with a large chisel. I couldn't take it anymore and decided to tell my mother, who sensed my restlessness and woke up. She did acupressure on my head, gave me ginger and sugar to eat and finally at about 4:30 am, I could get back to sleep again. A bout of acidity had struck me after many months and it was just impossible to go to office after a long struggle with sleep and the headache. So, I decided to call it an off.

I informed my colleagues in office and went back to sleep with my little boy by my side who had kept his little hand on my stomach, being assured that someone is there with him. I watched his innocent face and felt so good. I went back to last year, where in this month, I was already moving around with a big belly, wondering if it will be a girl or a boy and lo and behold, this little fellow has turned our lives upside down with his presence from the past 11 months and we are not complaining at all.

We both got up at leisure, spent a lot of time together. He was rather surprised to find me home that day and he did not leave me for a single minute. I got to re-live the good old days with him and watched him play, shout, giggle, fall, blabber. Oh! it was such a relaxed day. I went with him for a walk in the evening and met my friends there. Came back to have a nice dinner and then put my baby to sleep.

I could spend little quiet time with the book, which I am currently reading. I got an off in a very unexpected way and thought, days like these help to rejuvenate and get back to work with renewed energy and vigor.