Thursday, July 11, 2013

Two month old in Germany

I complete two months of having moved to Germany today. Two months. Phew. Two long months. Two really long months. Not one day I remember has been splendid or stellar. People say moving to a new land is exciting. For me it has been far from rosy. Let me admit that I did not exactly expect a honeymoon. I tried to mentally prepare myself for hard work. Even then, finding my way around, adjusting to a new house and new kitchen with limited supplies, new food and new ways of life, and most of all, being responsible 24x7 for the toddler has taken its toll for sure. Back in India, we had the day care which allowed me time of my own, family to fall back upon in trying times, occasional meetings with friends to look forward to, and work in terms of a consistent retainer position, even if part-time, that I cherished. It all stopped suddenly and entirely when I got here and miss it all like crazy every minute of every day.

In these two months, I have been through tribulations and utter turbulence of the mind. Why am I here? What am I going to do? How do I survive this? Questions that do not have easy answers. Questions, the mere thought of confronting which would send shivers down my spine. And now I am living with them every moment. Conclusion: Not an easy two months. But the positive side is this: I got through them, didn't I?

My "smart"phone played a heavy part in my life in the last few days. Especially social media networking which made me feel so close to friends and family and literally kept me going. Can't imagine life without checking updates last thing at night and first thing in the morning each day. Thank you facebook, whatsapp, gmail for being there!

Another person who really helped me here is the friend of a friend, though I never felt that the link was so long-winded. She welcomed me with open arms and loads of most useful advice. I like to call her my Santa Claus here! I don't want to mention her name here, but if she reads this post, she will know it is her. Thanks RR :)

Anyway, a lot of people I've spoken to in the last few days claim that they have gone through similar trying times in foreign countries. Most of them peg the difficult period at around six months after which comes a seemingly dramatic transition following which one feels truly 'adjusted'. At the moment that number of 6 months sounds overwhelmingly daunting. 6 months. I am just about a third of the way there? What can change so drastically in the next 4 months? Will wait and see. Will write again on 11th November and link back to this post then!

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