A new beginning

The year 2020 started with a bang. I flew back to Germany to a new area and a new house and a new routine on the first day of this year. T was with me and bags full of love and stuff, back from Mumbai. It was a freezing evening, and due to the delay of the Air India flight, our whole schedule got upset, and we reached Karlsruhe in the evening at 7:30 pm. There wasn't a single taxi on the Karlsruhe central station, and our friends, Monika and Harshal, rushed to our help. Harshal picked us up from the train station and took us home. Monika had cooked the tastiest meals as always, and I felt so much at home. They both accompanied us back and brought our stuff to the new house. God shows his presence in such people and their selfless help.

25 cartons were waiting for us in the cellar on the next day. After a good night's sleep, T and I got to work. I first arranged all the stuff from our bags that I had got on our way back. After that, we literally attacked the cellar. T suddenly took charge and gave me instructions on how to bring the cartons upstairs and how! I suddenly felt as I am listening to an adult who knows things about shifting and moving so well! He helped me a lot in bringing the boxes, arranging the stuff, mostly in his room and the kitchen. In fact, he arranged all the utensils that I had for the kitchen on his own. He had his own way of organizing stuff, but I let him do it without interfering much. He was enjoying the activity a lot, and I was enjoying seeing him take so much interest in household stuff. He was suddenly feeling responsible for helping me out. I was kind of drilling that into his head since the time we left Karlsruhe and went to India. I was telling everyone about the work that we would have to do after going back. I was doing this in front of T purposefully. I also specified that he was going to help me with that. I think that helped a lot, and he took responsibility without realizing it. He suddenly grabbed the position of a man in the house and helped me around. His presence was very evident, and I didn't feel like I was with a 7 years old kid. For the next week, we both very religiously took to arranging things in the new house. The new home is actually smaller than the previous one, but it has a high storage capacity in almost all the rooms. I worked to my heart's content, but the kitchen needs a second helping. It isn't up to my choice, and I need to work on it a little more.

The area here is quieter, and there are fewer people seen on the road. The only noise that can be heard is of the fast trains and the trams that pass by. From my kitchen, one can see and hear the passing trains and trams. The apartment where we stay is a 14 storeyed building, and I have seen only old people with their dogs while entering and leaving the building and in the lifts sometimes. The apartment is very close to the S-Bahn (local transport) station, and there is only one shop, Edeka, at a walking distance where the basic things like fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese, etc. can be bought. T's school is about 10 minutes by walk, and I accompany him to school and back as we are new here.
 

Lifting the boxes from the cellar up to the lift was a big task. Some cartons were light, some were heavy. I lifted a few heavy ones and moved a few others that were beyond my capacity. The enthusiasm for working in the new environment later cost me my back. The new bed, which is not very comfortable and smooth, added to the woes, and my back pain resurfaced again. Now, I have to do some exercises to get rid of this back pain. I have already started walking and exploring the new areas around with Monika, who is my guide and partner in walking now.

I am very excited about this new beginning of my life. Days will tell what's in store for me here!