Syncing to a new pace

Slowly but surely you start to compare. Compare the place you have been all your life which is your "home"; to the place you are now which is already termed "foreign" in your head. There are both saints and devils at play when comparison begins in your little head during the vacant hours of night. Of course, you won't like the new smooth road if you get a speed breaker before you were able to anticipate it. I bet, everything seeming so lovely for months will suddenly seem fake to you when the beauty stares at you routinely. The classic imposter feeling is definitely going to creep in when everyone else talks in German and you are left in the corner feeling small for not being able to fully participate in the conversation which seems the only way to be social. For all these little moments that I witness, I want to tell myself to breathe and remember the good stuff - fresh healthy air, clean water, good roads, and above all the amazing opportunity to learn. Breathe it all in and maybe try to sync into the new environment even if it feels so awkward.

My efforts to enjoy this process of syncing myself with this new pace of life is sacred to me. I chose this life. I choose to be present and live each day to the fullest even in the most mundane yet awe-inspiring days. I feel lucky to be the chosen few who have actually let our intentions be heard by the universe and manifest in due course of time. Europe has always fascinated me. For me, people living in Europe symbolize people who have the greatest gift for mankind; they have time. Time to have a relaxing coffee at the cafe, time to workout or go for a jog, time for socializing with friends, time to spend with thier kids, time to read or daydream at parks! I was actually joking about how people here are at the fifth level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Food comes naturally here, you could eat a simple fruit and bread and call it a meal. I haven't seen people fuss over clothes or shoes. They will have good stuff but it's not flashy and repeating clothes is fashionable. Traveling by the city bus is exciting as you may end up meeting a hotshot conductor of an orchestra one winter morning. My list of wonderful (which is Wunderbar in German, a new word my son taught me today) simple actions which are considered luxurious by my standards can go on. Its been only 8 months and I seem to have learnt more about the "foreign" world than I could ever being in India.

Although, my heart still belongs to India, my country-my home. We may have our usual struggles of commuting for about 3-4 hours daily for work and traffic being mad but our colleagues slowly become our second family. So much so that we end up spending more than usual time at the office without bothering too much about it. Our actual family is also extremely strong, yes we quarrel but we tend to be the rock and pillar of huge support. Family can be notoriously helpful and the reason for so much drama in our lives. The reason for our extremely active social life is extended family and their celebrations. Festivities symbolize seasons for us and act as another big reason to come together. Food is central to all celebrations and I cannot believe any day in any family like ours to ever go without cooking something epic. Maybe that is the reason our food culture is so alive and popular even in the west. Warm food right from breakfast to dinner is the norm for us. It took me a whole 6 months to probably give myself a break from all the cooking here in Salzburg. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to service in India and this has been the trend since the Raja Maharaja's generation. Labour, in general, is cheap in India and damn I have made good use of this in the past. Getting the carpenter, plumber, or electrician at an hour's notice was simple in Mumbai. We ordered groceries over the phone and call the dhobi (guy who washes and irons clothes) to deliver our clothes at our doorstep.

The major part of my day still goes in filling the void that is left here with no help but surprisingly I still have time to connect with family (I never spoke so much to my folks even when we were living in Mumbai and them in Delhi), write blogs, read books, paint (which I had never done before), play with my son and teach him Maths! While my search for the next big gig goes on, I am glad that settling in has not been a big issue and our decision to move even during the pandemic was a good one.