Until then...

Well, it has been quite some time since my last blog! Trust me, a lot had happened during this time frame and that’s exactly what I am going to talk about!

Germany will always hold a special place in my life. I got an opportunity to not only see the endless beauty that this marvelous country encompasses but I also got a chance to understand its rich culture and heritage.

Being literally star struck by Germany still couldn’t fill the vacuum what I felt by being away from India. So, while I was going out to nearby places with my friends, I was also after my employer to allow me to come back to India.

Finally, after months and months of follow ups and requests, I got the nod to travel back!

Hence, the long pause between my last post and today. I am now in India after having spent a wonderful year in Germany.

Needless to say, it feels so good to be home. No amount of luxury and riches can replace the calm you feel at home. I was staying alone in Germany; my family was here in India. So, when I met them after more than a year, it was all so overwhelming! I could instantly see what I was missing all along – the warmth and affection of my closed ones’.

But the journey from Germany to India during this Covid era was nothing short of a massive struggle! First of all, I hate air travels! I suffer from Airplane Ear - I have severe ear ache as soon as the plane begins to descend for landing. Unfortunately, you cannot travel by train to India from Germany! Owing to Covid Restrictions too, there were so many additional tasks that I had to do – pre-travel Covid Test, extra paperwork, declarations, etc.

But, to be frank, all this didn’t really deter me! I was so elated to be going back home that these were very trivial problems. As I was working from home, I had already done most of the packing – especially my clothes! Covid cases were surging in Germany and we were under a partial lockdown. I was really worried about air travel being affected owing to this. I was going home after tremendous efforts and I really didn’t want things to go awry at the last moment. So, until I had my travel ticket with me, I was still worried and tensed. Since my travel was arranged by my employer, I was to fulfil all the clearance formalities and only after finishing all of them, I could get the travel ticket.

After finishing all clearance formalities, I received my travel ticket. I remember, I got the email at around midnight and I pretty much didn’t sleep post that. My happiness knew no bounds. I think I was simply gazing at the ticket for good couple of minutes just to be sure I received it! When you are too happy, you often go a bit crazy. I like this kind of craziness.

I also had to take the Covid test prior to traveling. It was quite scary to go to the Test Center. Covid became a serious concern in Germany from mid-March and since then I was ultra-careful, cautious and avoided any unnecessary travel. I went out with my friends a couple of times but we adhered to all recommended guidelines. I was safe until now and didn’t really want anything unwelcoming to happen days before traveling. A day prior to the travel, I went for the test. It went pretty well and didn’t take more than 10 minutes for the entire process. I got the negative Covid result within a day.

The family with whom I was staying were equally happy that I was finally going back to India, but they were also a bit sad that I was leaving them and I shared their feelings! We were staying together for more than a year and it was obvious that we got close. They were like a family to me and although I was happy to be back to India but I was also sad to be leaving this family that I had earned here in Germany.

Although due to Covid I couldn’t get a chance to go shopping, but I did manage to get small parting gifts for my German family. They were so happy when I gave it to them. The gifts weren’t very expensive but when we are connected by hearts, feelings outweigh materialism. Since I love to write and I always used to give them small handwritten cards on occasions of Christmas, New Year, Birthdays’, they thought it was the perfect time to return the favor! This time, they gave me a handwritten card! One from all of them and one specially from the little girl. I had grown very close to her. To me she was like my little sister. She had specially mentioned on the letter to read it when I am in the flight or when I have reached home! Trust me, to control curiosity is a very difficult task. But I did it! I read her letter when I was home and I was all tears whilst reading it. Emotions gushed all over me! The little girl wrote so much and I could literally feel her sitting right in front of me and speaking to me what she wrote in the letter.

Their sweet gesture would always remain with me and to me the stay in Germany was so nice majorly because of them. I would definitely miss all the small talks I had with Mr. A – about life, about God, about parenthood, about the way of living. I would miss speaking to Mrs. A at lengths about our lives, families, taking advices from her. I would miss speaking to the little girl whenever we met in the kitchen – about how her day went in school, about her studies and her cute adorable giggle. I was going to be back with my family, but I knew I am going to definitely miss this family here!

In such a short span of time, I had developed such a strong bond with them that to leave them was far more difficult that I thought. But, in this era of technology nobody is really very far, unless we want it that way! So, I knew, I would be in touch with them. I also have to go back to Germany in couple of years to attend the girl’s graduation!

I also made some great friends and thanks to Facebook for that! There is a FB community for women in Bonn and thanks to that, I made a couple of great friends! It was only because of them that I could survive during Covid times. Our little outings – walk through the vineyards, stroll along Rhineaue, birthday celebration, lunch invitations, walk into the city center – without these small getaways, staying all by myself would have driven me nuts!

Friends truly make you smile. They are the ones with whom you can share everything and find solace in moments of sorrow and despair. To say them good bye was very painful, way more than I imagined!

Two of my friends were not even in Germany when I left! But we ensured that we met before I left Germany. I met one in her home and we had a nice Indian lunch together. The way we met is as strange as it can get! She had posted in the FB group about ways to take care of the Tulsi plant (it is a sacred plant in India). We immediately clicked and started chatting and then one day she invited me to her place and we thoroughly enjoyed the time. I would really miss all our conversations, her delicious food, her beautiful home and its décor! I am sure when she is in India, we will meet again and this time, I’d invite her to my place for lunch!

I met the other before her trip to India. I also met her via FB. She was so protective about me, and I loved going to her place for my cup of tea! She made the best tea and I miss that a lot! We celebrated her birthday and that was one of the best moments I had in Germany. All girl gang – cake, wine, food and endless fun! We sang, we danced, we had the best time! We used to meet a lot and go out for walks along the Rhine – discuss our lives, our likes, dislikes, our families. I will really miss her. But again, when she is in India, we are going to have the same fun time together.

My sister’s childhood friend stayed close by. I met her a couple of times-we even had a girl's night together with her friends and it was amazing! The time I spent with these girls was so crazy and fun! Trip to Cologne was fun – especially the visit to the chocolate museum for all the wrong reasons! The night out was fun at a totally different level. I had a great time. We talked a lot, ate a lot, danced a lot! I am going to miss these girls. They are in Germany for a better future and I wish them all the best! They have all worked really hard for this and I want them to reach the epitome of success in whichever career path they choose. Kudos to their families for supporting them and being their source of strength. I didn’t get this kind of support from my family. I would have achieved a lot more than what I am now had my family been a little more empathetic and supportive towards my career aspirations. It's very important that parents understand what their children want and support them in every way possible. Parents are the guiding light after all. Encourage your kids to follow their dream and aspirations, correct them when needed, support them as much as you can.

Luckily, one friend of mine was in Germany, and we went for our last Escapade together to Brühl Castle! She is my most priceless possession – being a German she made me acquainted to so much about Germany and its rich heritage. With her, I almost always felt this sense of enlightenment. She had some or the other insight about every place we went to. It was like a telepathic connection with her. It never felt like we only met a couple of months ago. So, when I broke the news to her that I am going back, she was really sad. But we both knew this was coming. I think couple of weeks before my travel, I went to her place and we cooked Chicken Curry, Eggplant and Rice. She was very interested in knowing about Indian cooking and she literally noted down all the recipes. I am pretty sure she’d try it on her own. A day before my travel, she came home and we had our last meet up. It was very emotional. We didn’t cry but tears are not the only way of expressing grief. We knew what we were about to miss and letting go was a real pain. We promised each other to stay in touch irrespective of the distance and I am so happy that we do talk every now and then. Of course, it isn’t as often as it used to be, but I guess we both have got our chores to look after. The fact that we still stay in touch is good news and I’d like to keep it that way!

Love & Affection is a two-way emotion – you give some, you get some. I never realized but I had grown so attached to the place, its people – that going back was as difficult as much as I wanted to return! This was because the way I loved this place and its people, I got the same amount of love from them. I had built my little world in here and to leave it, was a pain like no other. I was to leave my family and friends in Germany to unite with my family and friends in India. I was not a big fan of this bargain! But we cannot control a lot of things in Life and we need to learn to live and stay happy with what Life bestows upon us.

So, I decided to take the positives and just discard the negatives. My stay in Germany was majorly clouded by Covid lockdown. But I still managed to make some great friends, roamed around some breathtaking places, earned a family for life. So, I do not have any qualms. This one year will stay in my heart as one of the most precious memories. I went there alone – all sad and depressed with lot of inhibitions. But I came back as a happy person! Now that’s the kind of bargain I love!

This is how my life resonated all the way from India to Germany and back! I experienced a roller coaster of emotions during my stay. I became more spiritual – realized the power of being close to the Almighty. I became more positive – realized the power of being strong no matter how strenuous the circumstances get. I became more easy-going - I stress myself a little less and try to pacify the situation rather than aggravating the problem. Altogether, I became a better human being and that’s my greatest accomplishment whilst I was in Germany.

I don’t know if I would go back there again. We never know what the future holds for us. For now, I am so thankful to God and the Universe for giving me this opportunity to explore a new dimension of my Life. I learned so much and I will keep learning. I will keep learning to be a better person, to be more empathetic, to be more friendly, to be more loving, to be more humane. I will keep doing what I am doing.

Until then...

Stay Safe. Stay Healthy.