The year was 2011, the month was July and we had been married just over 3 years. And we faced a big decision around changing our city. That meant moving out of home. Both of us had never lived away from home. Not for studies or our jobs. My first move out of my parents house was after my wedding. And even then, I moved to my in-laws house. In effect, I went from one well functioning household to another where there were elders to take care of most things. So when we had to decide to move to the city of Kolkata, saying that we were apprehensive was putting it mildly!
We discussed and debated and discussed and debated. And then I had to travel on work. I remember that I was attending a training in Bangalore when hubby’s offer finally came through. He was excited by the role and I could sense he was keen. Fortunately, my boss agreed to the move and we could move. The only thing holding us back was the decision to move to Kolkata. Looking back at those days, I am sure the fear was not because of the city itself. We would have been in the same situation had it been Bangalore or Hyderabad or any other city in the world. Our concerns were around the move itself. Finding a house and then turning it into a home! That is easier said than done.
The good thing was that we were thinking along the same lines when it came to the setting up of the home went. Hubby travelled to Kolkata before me and checked out various options. Thereafter, I was to join him for a weekend and finalise a place. We were to actually shift after a month. That was a weekend og going across the city from one corner to another. Those who are familiar with Kolkata would realise what I mean when I say we saw places near Park Street, Salt Lake and Gadia. That was literally the length and the breadth of the city. We saw pigeon holes, lavish floors and new age condos. We struggled with location, direction and budget. We checked popular property sites but found nothing interesting. Finally, we were in the hands of the real estate agents. I do wish that the property sites had better features back then, like allowing us to look at similar properties using a map based GUI! Did you know that Hosing.com has that? I am looking for a flat right now and this feature is a big help!! Anyway, I digress. Back to the Kolkata story. So I was lamenting on the lack of good information on the internet and having to rely on the agents. We were shown a 4 bedroom fully furnished apartment in a condominium complex, complete with a swimming pool and gym. The furniture was contemporary and minimal. We agreed. Needless to say, promises of cleaning, painting and repairing were not carried out and we had to reluctantly move in.
And so began the ordeal of managing a toddler, a full time job and a newly setup home in a totally new city. I think I pulled along because of three things
- Being allowed to work from home by my boss
- Having brought my own maid from Delhi
- My family being okay with my average housekeeping skills
It was an experience of growing up. Finally having to take up all domestic responsibilities. It was almost like a Start of a new life!