Been to London

I am reminded of the poem "Pussy cat pussy cat where have you been?" Yes, I am talking about my London experience. I have a lot of experiences to share and today being Friendship day, I've all the more reason to pen down my experiences.

The last 6 months' period has been a journey in its own right. It all happened in a matter of a week's when my husband was asked to shift his base to London and was forced to move out of a house that was just occupied for 1 and 1/2 month by us. We had planned a lot of things for our stay in Manchester. But it was not meant to be that way. We vacated the property and came down to London taking all our luggage and household goods jam packed in a car and that was the last day of our Manchester stay.

London beckoned us with hands wide open and here we are till today. There is always a thing about this city that has amused me."Cosmopolitan". I,sometimes wonder whether the natives feel out of place in their own country. March 6 was the day when we relocated to London and there has been no looking back since then. As they say, friends are your family when you live outside one's motherland. How true it is!! There was this generous couple who accommodated us in their  apartment for a whole month. Wonder what we would have done had we been in  their position. Meeting people whom I have never known or heard of from friends has become a daily affair. Be it an Iranian, a British or a Ghana national!! There is so much to learn and they love to learn from us as well. 

I am amused by the different shades people. There are friends who have been so good to us till this day,who have always been willing to help us. There is a person who is down to earth even though he is a great achiever and his wife, a talented girl who is a professional and supports him so well, there is a happy go lucky couple,  and there is a couple who organise get to gathers and love helping others and the list goes on.  The birthday celebrations, the late night chit-chats, the bhajans, the lunches and the dinners, the cricket matches and the football matches... It has been an enjoyable journey and  every weekend has been eventful.

 Today, I had been to a Gurudwara to attend a Langar organised by one of our friends. It was a nice feel to attend such an event outside my country. It would have been like any other event if it was organised in India since it is very common there. But when I attended this one, I could realise the importance of it and how such events help numerous people who are not able to afford a 3 course meal everyday including students. I met so many people there dutifully helping out to do their bit. There was no difference amongst people. A person from any caste,creed, colour could enter and do his/ her bit. It was a friendly atmosphere and I could sense a feeling of oneness. I could interact with people whom I had never met before in my life and could connect with them easily. We were happy sharing our stint . The mood was light.How I wish it was the same back there in India too. I have learnt one thing after staying away from my country-- Respect! Though, I have never looked down upon people, now-a-days, I have consciously developed this attitude to Respect people for what they are. Every individual around us has something in him/her to offer to this world and we need to respect that. 

It is not only about meeting people here but also about finding a place that pretty much makes you feel that you are staying in your own place. Yes, when I was introduced to this place called East Ham, I dint feel like I was in London. I could here people talking my mother tongue and smiling and understanding what I was looking for. Wow, the world has shrunk so much. From vegetables to fresh Jasmine flowers, Tamil weekly magazines and what not. You name it, you get it. I am not missing anything as far as the food is concerned. 

The journey has so far been very nice. I might not be in this country after a few months's time. But the memories and learnings I carry are for a lifetime!!