Silver Lining

It’s the first day of the month. 2020 has been a real bumpy ride for all of us! This year, each new month arrives with lots of hope and equal amount of despair. But, to survive in such strenuous times is what makes us strong! We didn’t give up yet, we won’t give up now!

With this intention in our minds, let me now resume the story of my quest! ☺

Cowboy Mansion was a nightmare. It kind of disappointed me and made me rethink my decision to move to a foreign land all by myself. AirBnB accommodation was anything but comfortable and homely. Long story short – I was in a soup!

But then something clicked my mind. An incident which was buried deep under all newly manufactured memories. I had requested to be a member of Bonn Expats group on Facebook prior to coming to Germany.

After my request was accepted, I had also posted a request there for any suitable accommodation for me. The response was lukewarm and wasn’t much helpful, except for one! A kind lady did message me that there’s a family living in Bonn and are looking for a female tenant. She shared my contact details with the owners. After a couple of days, the landlady (Mrs. A.) contacted me. I told her, I’d love to see the place after I land.

…and that was it. After coming to Bonn, I pretty much forgot about it.

I wasn’t considering this apartment primarily because it was far from my workplace. I was looking for a place closer to my office.

But after struggling and failing hopelessly to find anything good, suddenly this short conversation with Mrs. A. struck my mind. I didn’t waste a minute extra to reach out to her.

She was the kindest person I had met so far here in Bonn. We spoke over WhatsApp messages to fix a suitable time to visit her home.

I visited her home with a colleague of mine. It was far from my office location. But, the house was just so beautiful. It immediately felt like home. Mr. and Mrs. A. were so warm and welcoming. We spoke so much – about our work, about our likes/dislikes, our families… list goes on.

Mr. A. was an extremely spiritual person. His opinions about faith, life and humanity touched me! In this world of hatred and deceit, I was astonished to find someone so selfless and pure!

Mrs. A. then offered me Indian sweet that she got from her trip to England! Such a “sweet” gesture of offering “sweets”! ☺

I loved the house. I loved them even more. I confirmed to her that I will rent the room. But, a thing was still bothering me in the back of my mind.

This place was so far from my office. So one thought constantly kept pestering me - Is it feasible to stay there even if things materialize?

Nevertheless, last bit of suspicion vanished on that Diwali night!

So, if you haven’t read my earlier posts, this is the time to read it! I had spoken about Diwali night in length in my earlier post. In conclusion, I was really upset that night. I spoke to my family and I felt a little better post that. But, I was still not over my loneliness and depression.

At that very moment, Mrs. A. sent me a message wishing me Happy Diwali and asking me if I am doing well. She confirmed the date on which they would come to pick me from my AirBnB accommodation.

Her message moved me. I just couldn’t control my emotions and I messaged my heart out to her. When I told her about what happened, she immediately said that they can pick me up earlier than the decided date.

These words of assurance and love from her finally ended my quest!

Finally, I found my Nest. I found my Home! But, most important, I found a Family to call my own!

I informed my family back in India about the same and they were so happy. They were finally relieved that I will now be taken care of!

I also informed my AirBnB host that I will be moving out before my duration of stay finishes. As if she cared! Nevertheless, I followed the advance notification protocol!

My countdown to a fresh start had begun!

I had packed my things early morning although they were coming to pick me up at 3 pm!

Excitement overtook common sense and I wasn’t complaining!

It was 1st November, 2019 - start of the month and start of a new chapter! I was so happy to see them, happier to move in and happiest to finally have a place to call “home”.

I think by now, you would have guessed the reason why I called them Mr. & Mrs. A. – A as in ‘Angel’, which they are!

It is exactly 9 months since I have moved into this nest and I could not be any happier! Of course, I need to travel a lot to my workplace each day. But that’s a very small price that I have to pay and I would not have wanted things to end any other way!

They take care of me like their own child. I love talking to them and listening to them and their take about different things. They love Indian food and I love cooking – so it’s a WIN-WIN here as well!

In such short time, we have grown so close to each other that now when I go back to my family in India, I am going to be really sad & upset to leave this family of mine which I have earned!

Attachment is a very tricky emotion. You have no control over whom you grow attached to. But when you are attached to someone, letting them go, or leaving them, creates a vacuum that cannot be filled.

But that’s Life! It’s a journey and you have to keep traveling!

So, that’s the story of how I finally found my Nest! 15th October to 30th October – These 15 days taught me a lot about being strong and positive. It also taught me how to deal with loneliness, stress and depression. But most important, it taught me how to fight back and rise up stronger than ever!

That’s why I believe in the “time is relative” theory. The span of time doesn’t dictate the outcome or extent of your learning!

With that I conclude my post. I was able to successfully find a place to call Home. But, that’s just a part of the experiences I have in my Life. …and I shall continue sharing them with you all.

Until then, like I always say – Stay Happy, Stay Safe!

I have come across different kind of people throughout my life. Some good, some bad & some worst! Nobody is perfect is the golden rule that we need to accept as soon as possible.

We are all flawed human beings. We are flawed; hence we are humans and not God!

But with all our shortcomings, can we at least strive to improve? Strive to be a better person? Strive to be more caring? Strive to be more humane and more empathetic?

This is not taught in any education system or it is not part of any course. These are Life Lessons!