As I say Good-bye
As I leave the city today, I thought back on all that I am going to miss in this place I call home. [Day 14 of “One Day, One Blog” — a challenge I set for myself for the month of January 2019.]
This is the last morning in an apartment where I have lived the longest stretch. 8 years and 7 months.
The nostalgia is overwhelming.
When I look back over this decade, the losses are definitely more. Of course, some of the greatest gifts also came in this decade.
Relationships and opportunities I had not dreamt off came into my life here. Time changes everyone. But the last 8 years broke down every notion I had about myself and left me to rebuild the pieces.
If I have lost some of the most important people in my life, I have also gained a lot of love, friendship and trust. There were many who held my hand and lent me a shoulder while I gathered the strength to keep moving forward. I will miss them.
I will miss the people who walked the road less traveled with me.
I have complained non-stop about the double standards of people and “nosiness” of relatives — I will still miss them
I will miss the narrow lanes and majestic trees of Fort Kochi. The quaint Cafe’s where I would sit and watch tourists walk by — where I will now visit as a tourist.
I will miss the antique shops of Jew Street that I’d scourge for hours and leave without buying anything. ( Hmm… Perhaps those shopkeepers may not miss me much).
When it rains next time, I will get worried before I realise why. I will remember the floods and say a quick prayer that it does not happen again. I will also smile thinking of all the human greatness I saw firsthand in those days.
I will miss the joy and warmth with which I am welcomed by the students when I visit a college.
I was fortunate to watch the “start up” life take birth in Kerala and grow with it. I will miss all the hands that were always there to guide me along.
I will miss the temples and churches in Kerala. For some unknown reason, none of the grandiose temples outside Kerala impress me as much as the ones here ( a bit of racism perhaps?).
I will miss this flat which was the de facto party place for all my friends and my brother’s friends.
I will miss Shyam who walks in without ringing the bell and sits in the dark, unannounced.( This does sound creepy out of context but I assure you it is very non-creepy and I will miss him freaking me out)
I will miss Rahul running over to check out our bar — and then telling me I am useless for not keeping it well stocked.
Dear Lulu mall, I will miss you so much. I don’t care what Jikku says — walking across to you to buy just a packet of milk is still fun.
I learned Kalaripayattu in this city — I will miss those wonderful people who gave me the confidence to push beyond my limits.
I will miss the weather — actually not so much, Mumbai is pretty much the same on that count.
I will miss my fish curry and aviyal and sambhar — no, its not the same there.
I will miss the joy of fighting with auto drivers in malayalam.
I will miss being away from home.
