The Last Night

Tonight is the last night I will spend in this apartment, this town, this country and I don't want to go to sleep. We've been so busy clearing the place and packing our bags that it is sinking in only now that I will never again see my beloved local library again; never browse the shelves at the neighborhood Target store again, never see the school wall where my son's silhouette adorns a mural...

Well, they say never say never! After all many NRIs have gone to live in India only to come back to their adopted country again. I fervently hope that we're not among those. Not just for patriotic reasons but also for the sheer logistical nightmare that it is! At every move we throw away perfectly good stuff just because we can't take it all with us. Time after time, we settle down, form friendships, develop attachments to people and places, only to pick up our bags and move again. It has happened to us and a lot of others that we know. So, we hope that we don't have to do it all over again, no matter how good life has been here. This time, I want the move to be permanent...or at least, really long-term.

So here are the things that I am looking forward to once I go back to India:

1. Indian Clothes: I have always preferred Indian clothes over Western ones. Especially tailored outfits that fit my otherwise 'unfittable' shape! I am so excited about wearing colorful cottons with embroidery, block prints etc. etc. once again.
2. Setting up Home: We will be in a city with no close relatives around. So setting up home will be challenging but at the same time I expect to have a lot of fun buying stuff for the home and doing it up!
3. School Uniform: I'm waiting to see my son in a school uniform. Since there are no uniforms in public schools here, I can only imagine how he would look in a smart, tailored outfit.
4. Travelling in India: This is something I've always wanted to do. Now that we will be living in India, we can use long vacations for travelling and visiting the famous and not-so-famous places around the country.
5. Working Again: Probably the most important great thing about coming back to India. No legal restrictions about me working and earning a living. Though I enjoyed my time as a stay-at-home mom all these years, now I'm itching to go back to work. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I will add more to this list as more ideas hit me...