I wait for Thursdays. That is the day when I have a very brief conversation with an outsider that has almost become a ritual. The water guy from Nestle! He also happens to be a compatriot - from Changanachery.
Thursday is also the day our weekend begins and I go to the kitchen at 5 a.m. with a song in my heart "thank god it's Thursday". I have two days to unwind and not dread the morning preparation of breakfast and lunch.
And Thursday is when we sit up late into the night till about 2 am just watching TV or visiting a mall. Never mind that we have to be up early for the Friday mass or Sunday School for kids. Friday is our Sunday here. Jesus died on a Friday, so Friday is just as holy, I console myself.
But I miss my Sundays back home. When the pace of life goes backward and there are fewer vehicles on the streets.
p.s. My other compatriot friends include elderly Moosakka at the provision shop who has a pleasant word for many Malloos as they shop for veggies or the cashier boy from Mahe at Carrefour who calls me chechi as if I am his chechi :)
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Our Residence No. 2
In the beginning of May, we bid goodbye to the one-bed apartment that sheltered us for the past three years - rooms with a corniche view but a kitchen with no view, rather so dark and dreary that I needed electric light at mid-day. It depressed me no end to the latter part of our stay, with lack of gainful employment adding to the misery.
As we began looking out for a new abode, my conditions were that all the rooms should receive natural sunlight, have built-in cupboards and a balcony. The rent had to match too, so we werent too hopeful. But as luck would have it, we discovered that a family was planning to move out of a quaint old building across the street. It had all three of the clauses we had been looking for, but no car park or swimming pool inside unlike a couple of others we had shortlisted.
Wisdom prevailed, not in a small measure on account of the rent. Moreover, those who heard about our move said it was a privilege to live in there and to look no further - an Emirati landlord which meant electricity tariff was lower and no hidden charges like in buildings managed by real estate. V said in jest that the lobby looked like a haunted house with its dark wooden panelling, antique looking lampshades and chandeliers, paintings of an era long gone past, and regal but not loud chairs. The apartment was perfect - a spacious hall with wooden cornices, light fixtures carefully and tastefully chosen, a splendid view of the corniche from the hall and bedroom, a view of the sea from the other bedroom and kitchen balcony. There was a storeroom to boot.
In summers, sunlight greets the kitchen by 5.30 am and leaves reluctantly past 7 pm. Since the kitchen faces west, sun light doesnt bother me in the morning as I cook; the plus point is that I can leisurely put the clothes for washing as the sun rays fall on the balcony after 1 p.m. And they are dry by evening. The sea breeze is an added joy.
These may not seem great to people living in airy traditional houses in Kerala but for those of us constrained by space in big cities, these seem such a boon. Especially here where many building planners have not bothered about providing sunlight in the kitchen or bath.
Now for some potted plants in the balcony to make the scene complete :)
As we began looking out for a new abode, my conditions were that all the rooms should receive natural sunlight, have built-in cupboards and a balcony. The rent had to match too, so we werent too hopeful. But as luck would have it, we discovered that a family was planning to move out of a quaint old building across the street. It had all three of the clauses we had been looking for, but no car park or swimming pool inside unlike a couple of others we had shortlisted.
Wisdom prevailed, not in a small measure on account of the rent. Moreover, those who heard about our move said it was a privilege to live in there and to look no further - an Emirati landlord which meant electricity tariff was lower and no hidden charges like in buildings managed by real estate. V said in jest that the lobby looked like a haunted house with its dark wooden panelling, antique looking lampshades and chandeliers, paintings of an era long gone past, and regal but not loud chairs. The apartment was perfect - a spacious hall with wooden cornices, light fixtures carefully and tastefully chosen, a splendid view of the corniche from the hall and bedroom, a view of the sea from the other bedroom and kitchen balcony. There was a storeroom to boot.
In summers, sunlight greets the kitchen by 5.30 am and leaves reluctantly past 7 pm. Since the kitchen faces west, sun light doesnt bother me in the morning as I cook; the plus point is that I can leisurely put the clothes for washing as the sun rays fall on the balcony after 1 p.m. And they are dry by evening. The sea breeze is an added joy.
These may not seem great to people living in airy traditional houses in Kerala but for those of us constrained by space in big cities, these seem such a boon. Especially here where many building planners have not bothered about providing sunlight in the kitchen or bath.
Now for some potted plants in the balcony to make the scene complete :)
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Drawings
One major task as we prepared to shift house last month was sorting the kids stuff. I came across many drawings and best-out-of-waste creations of Mira in the process. Many went into the bin but a couple of them I packed or clicked a picture of. Some of them look very amateur but convey her active mind and caring nature.
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