The ‘Home Coming’ series….4

     

     After an exciting nostalgic journey of my trip back home, it is now time to draw curtains over this series. While decorating the experiences, highlights, memories and adventures within the scope of words, the blogger in me has enjoyed every bit of the process. As words form the primary components of any blog, framing these interesting experiences with their aid turned into an exciting task. While the series comes to its last phase, final summary of the entire experience would represent a ‘happy and a true ending’.

    Ranging over duration of a month, every single day was filled with its own share of happiness, joy, adventure and novelty. Embracing warmth and love of home country, while breathing its air and walking over its soil was truly exciting by all means as ‘home coming’ brought loads of joy in its stock.

    While I summarize this series along the finale episode, I hope to include every single color and shade that made the trip absolutely wonderful in its own way.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 4: Summarizing the fun, frolic, flavors and feelings

   A trip marked with loads of fun, food, meetings and greetings, the summary deserves to be grand, just as its main content. While each of the episodes have conveyed their message loud and clear, the blogger in me looked around for novel ideas to present the final show stopper. With this, the idea of presenting one thought for every single alphabet from A-Z took birth! Sit back and read through this post, while framing your feedback; after all your words over mine can bring out the best from the blog!

1.       Amazing experience of touching the home ground, the trip was marked with love and affection for its land and people.

2.       Blessed with the opportunity to meet my little nephew for the first time ever, this reason alone marked the charm of the trip.

3.       Continuous talks and endless chats formed the central theme of the trip, as words chose to stay with me right till the end.

4.       Date with little nephew and days spent with him formed the best highlights.

5.       Eagerness to enjoy nostalgic trip over good, old days and excitement to visit favorite places marked the flow.

6.       Food, feast and some more food - as the dominating theme of the entire trip; relishing home-cooked meals and gorging on outside delicacies enhanced the overall flavor of the experience.

7.       Generation of remarkable memories and long-lasting moments that shall always stay close to me as my first trip back home.

8.       Happiness to meet family, friends, relatives and neighbors after long duration of years and distance of several miles.

9.       Interesting analysis between life here and there, giving way to practical differences between lifestyles and experiences of both the countries.  

10.   Joy of being surrounded with familiar people all around, with similarities of language, nature, behavior and thoughts.

11.   Key elements of the trip such as spending time at home, playing around with nephew and seeing the changes in the home city formed the best activities during this vacation.

12.   Long flight and extremely long journey to reach the home country seemed exciting as the experiences on the other end waited for their magic.

13.   Meetings and greetings were undoubtedly the only tasks of this trip, with great scope for photographs, discussions, chats and food.

14.   No scope for boredom or relaxation as every day was more interesting than the previous one and schedule packed to its brim.

15.   Opportunity to celebrate nephew’s first birthday was truly the best highlight of the trip as wishing this little superstar, while showering him with love and kisses was the entire plan since several days. 

16.    Participation in every task of the little nephew was truly exciting- from preparing his meals to playing with his toys, from forcing him to sleep to giving him a special bath, every task was enjoyable to the core.

17.   Question and answer session was one of the most common engagements of this trip, as answering the questions about lifestyle, food, travel, nature, environment, behavior, social life of the experience abroad occupied the center stage.

18.   Replay of old memories and events, while touring the city roads and admiring the life back then.

19.   Satisfaction of spending adequate time with family and friends, since days were limited, while plans unlimited.

20.   Truly memorable, remarkable and enjoyable in every way, a trip to be remembered forever.

21.   Unique experience of holding a little kid in my arms, while behaving responsibly as his aunt!

22.   Vast range of experiences and memories that gave birth to this series.

23.   Wonderful in every way, ‘Home coming’ was all about coming back to the place where the heart is.

24.   X-factor of this vacation was enthusiasm to look at my old belongings, clothes, accessories within my cupboard of my very own room.

25.   Year and a half long wait to visit the home city came to a happy ending as every moment spent was truly worth the wait.

26.   Zooming in all the fun, happiness and joy of the meeting, while zooming out patience for the next trip.

   With this, as the wonderful series of ‘home coming’ comes to an end, it is time to initiate the next phase of pondering soon. Till I return back with my blogs once again, ‘Happy reading and happier living!’ 

The ‘Home coming series’…..3

   

       While describing a journey or soaking into the feel of nostalgia, no series can be declared as ‘completed’, without mention of some of the most interesting aspects of that particular phase. Lightly termed as ‘highlights’, these aspects transform into wonderful memories, longing to stay with us forever. Highlights that dominate the plot of a series, factors that influence our experiences, moments, adventures and realities, such aspects remain close to our heart always.  While thinking about the fantastic memories of my home visit, I could not resist the temptation of penning down my own highlights. 

    

      Listing all the contents that made my visit memorable, as I touch yet another episode of this series, I can only hope for more feedback, comments, happiness and smiles. While writing about them shall open my luggage of joy, I wish to transfer those feelings to you, too!

SEASON 1, EPISODE 3: HIGHLIGHTS- from ‘Welcome’ to ‘See you again’

      From the moment, the eyes were greeted with a heart-warming board of ‘WELCOME’ into the home country to the moment of farewell, until the next meeting - excitement, happiness, joy, laughter, fun, emotions and smiles chose to stay with me. Be it meeting family and friends after a long time or walking over the lanes of the home city; be it gorging on favorite food or being surrounded by familiar faces around, several highlights such as these deserve an entry into the list. Offering the joy of nostalgia, love, warmth and connection, these factors colored the course of my month-long journey.

     As I take you all through this interesting list, I hope to include something and everything of all that resides in my mind, waiting to find a means of expression!

1.       ‘Just like you and me’

   The first observation registered by the eyes and mind was presence of my own country people all around. While residing in a foreign land teaches you the aspects of multi-cultural groups, diverse nationalities, foreign practices and novel beliefs, touching feet at the airport brought me back to the feeling called ‘home’. Though each of these experiences named ‘foreign’ and ‘local’ have their own unique highlights and low-lights, the feeling of being surrounded by familiar faces that sinks at that very instant transforms into the most valuable memory.

2.       Gastronomical ride to the villa of ‘appetite’

    Though my near and dear ones will remark about the incorrect inclusion of food as one of ‘my’ highlights, I do have valid explanation to justify this gastronomical ride! From home-cooked food over the cooking gas to bliss of outside treats, from favorite restaurants for a pre-decided fixed demand to spread of mangoes to the heart’s content, this journey was definitely about food, food and more food. Though I am a self-confessed non foodie, with no additional room for extra food of any kind, I did enjoy every local experience of taste and flavors. 

    Known for the unique blend of spices and traditional method of cooking, preparation of food from local ingredients on the home grounds did enhance the overall taste. While mangoes dominated the flow of this ride, enjoying the king of fruits within its royal kingdom was undoubtedly amazing. Each of the fantastic hands that made such scrumptious meals deserve special credit, after all happiness is where the food is!

P.S: Special mention of cooking gas was due to the practice of electric cooking range in this second home away from home.

3.       About meetings and greetings

     Undoubtedly one of the best highlights of this visit, meeting and greeting my family, friends, relatives and neighbors brought wonderful experiences and amazing memories. From playing with my little nephew to endless talks with his mother, from meeting relatives to making plans with cousins and friends, from capturing photographs as long-lasting memories to sharing experiences of the overseas life, every single moment with near and dear ones was valuable in its own way.

     Showering endless love and warmth, the essence of these meetings and greetings shall definitely stay with me forever.

4.       Flavor of nostalgia

    Revisiting the old lanes, roads, buildings and neighborhood brought back beautiful memories from the past. Thinking about the good, old times, while observing, analyzing, comparing and wondering about the similarities and differences then and now was nothing less than a fun game. Nostalgia and power of memories brought back the joy of past, while fueling the journey for the future.

     Be it the lane leading to my building or range of shops around, be it new redeveloped construction over old ones or the highways and usual traffic, be it local railway station or spread of markets and vendors, every factor forced me to dip into the sea of nostalgia. Probably one of the most engaging highlights of the trip, this flavor of nostalgia enhanced the overall feel.

   Though these four highlights have spoken a lot, occupying the entire space of the blog; several other tiny, little aspects have added their own colors, too. While it is impossible to enlist every single experience of this 30-days adventure, the highlights have certainly summarized it all.

   Hope you enjoyed the striking features of these highlights, as much as I enjoyed framing each one of them! 

     Till we meet again for the last episode in this series, happy reading! 

The ‘Home coming’ series ….2

        After successful transition into the usual routine and happy farewell to the most dreaded jet-lag, as the blogger in me continues pondering and playing with words, ‘The Home coming’ series certainly poses as a much needed fuel. Between packing and moving from the old apartment to settling into a new one, from acquainting myself with the new surrounding to exploring the world around, these new consistent changes have left me with little time to think about the good, old days. With so much to admire, remember, celebrate and share from the days back home, ‘The home coming series’ definitely needs to get back into action. As I unfold the magic of yet another aspect, I hope this episode entertains you, just like the one before.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 2: Rendezvous with the ‘little master’

       The primary reason behind my home country visit; the sole purpose of travelling for miles; the center of attraction right from the moment, I landed at the airport; the boss who framed my holiday schedule – meeting my little nephew for the first time ever and making memories with him were the only driving factors of this wonderful happy month.

      Watching him within the dimensions of a live frame for the first time was indeed a memorable experience, beyond the scope of words. Though words and sentences are assets of any blogger or writer, description of sensitive moments like these tend to fail quite often. Holding the one year old little boy for the first time was one of the most treasured moments, as an instant bond of connection surfaced between us. While several months and days were spent in the thought process about his reaction towards me, and several discussions were made about his willingness to come towards me, one single smile and look from his aunt was all that was needed, as this little bundle of joy picked up the relation instantly!

     This smooth transition from his mother’s arms to my own was truly one of the proudest moments for me, as the eager and patient wait of a year proved to be successful. Though virtual world connected us from the moment he was born, nothing could ever replace the joy of admiring his little features from an arm’s distance. While demanding a constant supply of his photographs, videos and description of little acts was an important job for me along every single day since his birth, magical rendezvous with him after a long duration of 365 days was exceptionally wonderful by all means.

     His parents, grandparents and my husband truly deserve credit for all their patience, as every single member contributed in a great way, along the last year. Be it prompt presence of mind while capturing his photographs and videos as exhibited by my father or detailed description of his cute acts as narrated by my mother; be it immense patience and strength to accomplish an online video session with a moody boss as demonstrated by my sister or patience to admire and appreciate same photos and similar description almost all day long as shown by my husband; each one of them must have been more excited for our first rendezvous.
 
    As I held this little superstar in my arms, I looked forward to cherish every single day in his presence. Determined to be with him all day long and refusing to entertain any distraction, disturbance or diversion, every moment of our time together was truly memorable. Though his enormous supply of energy did defeat me along several instances; losing to a cute, little hero like him was nothing less than a victory in its own way.

        From waking exceptionally early with his unique ‘good morning’ notes to being prepared for his next set of demands, from arranging his meals, milk and medicine to playing around with his toys, from changing his diapers and clothes to hunting for a replacement in-charge for a short break from duties, from staying alert and watchful all day long to finding him deep in his sleep with a calm and serene face, 24 hours in a day were certainly not sufficient. A little life that kept each one occupied, this little master was definitely strict by all means!
   
      Though his presence transformed the routine of every family member, his laughs and cries truly filled the house with happiness. Playing with him as a little companion of his own age was truly amazing, while we disturbed the house with cars, toys, balls and teddies. Sight of a cluttered room with a little mischief-maker running all around was one of the best moments, during this home coming visit.

        Celebration of his first birthday added happiness, joy, smiles and laughter to my trip, as the little boy crawled towards his first milestone. Innumerable stock of selfies, photos and videos with this little master will keep me satisfied for several months ahead. Till I visit him back again, his parents can be relieved from the pressure of sending continuous photos though I feel the urge to demand, quite often! Bidding good-bye to this little friend was undoubtedly the toughest task. Though staying away from family and friends may turn out to be difficult at times, nothing can be more difficult than being away from his little pants, shirts, diapers and toys!

      Though I have toiled to capture every single act of this little kid, getting him along would have been the easiest way to make more memories! While this may involve a difficult, long and a tedious process of pulling his parents along to this home away from home, frequent rendezvous with this little master on his home ground is the best answer to all the troubles.

    Till we meet again for our next session of games, demands, cries and laughter, sending all the stock of love and kisses for the new little hero in my life!

P.S: Dear Sister, as your son is too small is understand the significance of all the fame he has earned through this episode, you are more than welcome to shower the gratitude on his behalf ;) 

The ‘Home coming’ series

SEASON 1

   While you must be wondering about the confusing title of this blog, let me enlighten you about its usage. Though it may sound as one of the series on television, the writer in me has not ventured into script writing or story narration, yet!  As blogs are nothing but thoughts and ideas put into words, an exciting experience in the recent times has fueled this idea of home coming. After spending a month in my home country during the first-ever debut visit, when the blogger in me sat down with words, there was lots to talk about. While one single post would not be able to deliver justice to my flow of thoughts, this idea of series came to the rescue.

    Offering wide array of interesting experiences, this one month visit was truly colorful in every way. From meeting my little nephew for the first time to celebrating his first birthday, from talking about life overseas to relating it with factors back home, from riding over the waves of nostalgia to enjoying the most awaited unique gifts of the home soil, every single experience was wonderful by all means. Crossing the globe over several miles and travelling in the air for numerous hours resembled an adventure in its own way, deserving and demanding a post to its own name. With this, as the series of ‘home coming’ begins to unfold its episodes, I hope to paint the picture as expected.

    A term that stands for reunions, alumni meetings, association of ex-students and recollection of nostalgic memories, ‘home coming’ offered an apt title to the series. By reuniting with old folks and recollecting good, old memories; this ‘home coming’ was successfully enjoyed till the last bit.

     As the blogger in me takes you through these exciting experiences from the recent past, sit back and enjoy the series through these few interesting episodes. While some of you may relate with them closely, few others may have tasted such similar flavors before. So, whether you have lived these memories in the past, or whether you may come across with them in the future, let this series entertain you in its own way.

P.S: All the characters and incidences in the series are non-fictitious in nature! Resemblance to real-life situation is purely intentional.

SEASON 1, EPISODE 1: ‘An aerial affair with a heavy fare’

The ‘to’ journey

      Heavy dosage of excitement, loads of happiness, uncontrollable smiles and numerous dreams - describing the journey to ‘home land’ with the most correct choice of words, the inbound trip was nothing less than an enjoyable adventure. Flying along with parents enhanced the charm, as they posed as perfect travel mates to share my rising excitement. While their happiness reflected the eagerness of reaching back home after a touristy visit and my joy portrayed the essence of touching the home soil, our reasons differed, yet feelings matched.

        From packing the bags since several weeks in advance to accomplishing it as an awaited task, from planning the journey on a minute-to-minute basis to imagining the trip for several times in mind, from excited and sleepless night before the travel to impatient haste on the main day, the entire experience was exciting and entertaining. Eagerness to leave for the airport much before time, coupled with willingness to load the luggage all by self were some of the acts that made total sense back then, only to deliver laughter and smiles as I think about them today!

       Though the journey comprised of 16 long and continuous hours along with additional 5 in short breaks, excitement of touching the home ground erased away all the pain. Be it friendly smile of the airline staff or cold meals during transit, be it high elevation over the ground or company of clouds all around, every aspect of the travel seemed magical in its own way. Starting with excitement, moving through happiness and finally terminating into impatience, every phase of the journey was marked with its unique set of emotions. Eagerness to visualize my city after a long period of absence along with uncertainty of reactions clubbed together into an exciting outcome as every moment offered its own charm.

        From walking inside the aircraft to passing the long duration with entertainment console, from making attempts to catch some sleep to staring impatiently at the clock, every passing moment of the trip gained exciting momentum and interesting acceleration. Finally as the journey dropped us to the destination, my happiness and joy was truly over the moon.

    Stepping out of the airport, standing over the home soil and breathing air of the country combined into wonderful experiences that cannot be framed into words. Riding over nostalgic memories on the way home and admiring the beauty of the city that never sleeps, these fantastic moments were truly magical in every way. With an exciting aerial affair as the ‘to’ journey reached its goal, the next phase of stay welcomed me with open arms!

The ‘return’ journey

       While the ‘to’ and the ‘return’ differed in their purpose, experiences, memories and emotions, both of them were equally interesting. Excitement and happiness of reaching home during the inbound journey was replaced with satisfaction, joy and content of returning back during the outbound, as a home away from home longed for my presence! Loaded with beautiful memories, memorable moments, happy experiences and interesting talks as I boarded the flight back, eagerness to meet ‘the better half’ and narrate him every single experience fueled the return leg of this journey.

     Though traveling alone came across as an interesting learning experience, it was surrounded with loads of memories for company. Smiling over the happy moments of the past and rejoicing under the delight of their occurrence, the journey seemed shorter than expected. Powered with the eagerness to look at the bachelor state of the house, the novelty of every aspect made it interesting by all means.

    Returning back to the second home also seemed heartwarming and welcoming as an invisible bond connects me to it, after all home is where the heart is!

   While this blog is being penned down under the heavy influence of ‘jet-lag’, crossing countries and moving over the globe was definitely a unique adventure. As I frame other episodes of this series over the coming days, I hope to recreate the experience in a live and true manner.

Till then, experience the impact of this aerial affair with a heavy fare; light in its feel, heavy for the pocket!