Home?

Our trip from Mumbai to DC was long - an 8 hour flight, a 2 hour layover and an 8.5 hour flight - but it was uneventful. Both Luis and I slept, though not always at the same time. Overall, he was a great travel companion. Mark & JF picked us up from the airport (see previous post that shows all of our luggage) and safely escorted us to Sarah's house. Last night, Luis was up once for a diaper change at 3a and then I brought him back in to bed with me (and Ashley). We all slept until almost 7a. Yeah!!

It is weird being here. My friend Mary Beth is back in the States for a visit for the first time since moving to Mumbai last fall. She did a funny post about some of the differences she encountered her first morning in Jersey. My strange things would include being cold, drinking tap water and wearing socks.

I'm finding it difficult to put into words how I feel. Sarah's house is one of the warmest and most love-filled places I've ever been. And she and her family have been amazingly welcoming and accommodating. But I can't help but feel lonely. A strange word, it seems. This morning, Ashley, Luis and I went for a walk - like we did in Mumbai. On a couple of occasions, I counted the number of people I saw walking the ~ 1 mile stretch along the promenade. Both times, the number of people we saw walking in the other direction (not the people sitting, or walking my same direction) was about 175. This morning, I saw ONE person. One. It was odd. And it's so quiet here. Even the birds here are quieter. And there are no people. No cars. No horns. No one has come to Sarah's house (no Parvati, no Pauline, no Shabina, no Babu, no Biscuit Walla, no Anwar). There is no guard standing outside the door to pass and say good morning (or good evening) to on my way to take Ashley and Luis out. There are no dogs on the street.
At breakfast, Luis didn't eat much of his toast. I looked around the kitchen to figure out which would be the best window sill on which to leave the extra pieces for the crows and wrens. Oh yeah, there aren't any here.
I drove to the grocery store to pick up milk. I had no problem sticking to the proper side of the road or following the traffic signals/signs. But when I needed to make a left turn into the aisle of the parking lot, I had to remember that I did not have the right of way just because I could sense that the woman who HAD the right of way was timid. Remembering the right-of-way rules is going to be a bit tough.
The thing that was odd about the grocery store was the aisles of refrigerated items. In Mumbai, my grocery store had a small (like, really small) fridge where they kept butter, yogurt and one kind of cheese.
I am sure there will be dozens - if not more - things like this; things that remind me that I'm not in Kansas, er Mumbai anymore. And though we were in Mumbai for only 9 months and before that in the US for 32 years and 5 months, the truth is Mumbai was our home. It was were we lived with our family. It is where our life was. It was not perfect. And leaving was the right thing to do. But it's going to be hard to adjust. There are things I will miss (things I already miss). And it will be a while before we establish a new home.