Manipal diaries

        
          When I saw him in the morning, he greeted me with the usual crisp salute followed by the morning greeting. As I went closer to talk to him, I found him unusually quiet today and his face had some shadows of sadness. Completing the last 6 hrs duty of his service must be quite an emotional experience.
   
       He is our 'Paale dai' (security guard dai) who also happens to be our favourite 'coz of his kind, gentle and cheerful nature. Today he is completing 37 yrs of service; 24 yrs in Indian Army, 5 yrs of private job and 8 yrs as guard here in Manipal.

      He seemed pleasantly surprised to see his farewell gift. I liked his expression. I'll miss him around and the memories he used to share from his Jodhpur posting during army service .. With a small prayer in my heart for his well being and good health, I carry on to work.

Things that change when you start living as an expat

Life might be difficult for a while, but I would tough it out because living in a foreign country is one of those things that everyone should try at least once. My understanding was that it completed a person, sanding down the rough provincial edges and transforming you into a citizen of the world.” –                                                                                                                                           David Sedaris

Moving abroad and starting over in a new country is one of the most terrifying yet exhilarating adventures ever. Life as you know it will change – and we’re not just talking addresses and laundry detergent.

1. Home is where the heart is

When you move abroad, you will join a special club: You will have two addresses, two languages, and two currencies in your wallet. Let’s not go as far as to say that you’ll have two personalities, but you will definitely always be part of two worlds – your old and your new home. The two worlds will probably become more and more of a blur over time, but there will most likely always be mail sent to your parents’ house or a bunch of boxes stored in a friend’s basement.

2. Care packages start to mean a lot

Even though we can order almost anything online these days, getting a care package (a box of treats from back home) is better than perfect hair on your birthday. Of course, everything in said package will taste a gazillion times better than fellow food that hasn’t traveled the world. At this point, you will also have to choose a care-package strategy: You either devour it all at once and leave no traces behind, or your become a master rationer who works magic with the expiration dates to make everything last for as long as possible.

3. Goodbyes get easier (sort of)

Even though hardly anyone is good at putting the good back into goodbye, farewells do get a little easier over time. Maybe it’s because you know that you can go home and curl up on a couch that smells familiar – no matter where you travel to and from. Maybe you’ve also found a way to temporarily turn off all emotional organs, and you know that after a goodbye there’s always a hello.

4. Friendships intensify

Moving away and putting a large body of water or land between you and people you care about is hard. You will quickly learn who goes out of the way to stay in touch or uses their vacation days to come visit. There will be people who distance themselves, others will come closer. It’s basically a sentimental version of going through your clothes and trying to figure out what you want to keep and what you have outgrown.

5. Challenges look different

Sure, living by the ocean is amazing. But you will still have to pay bills, fix clogged toilets, and recover from a nasty cold. Just because you live in another country – that may or may not look like paradise – doesn’t mean your problems will stay away and everything’s gonna be a walk in the park (or the beach). The honeymoon phase will end – always, and no matter where you are. Even though your friends may envy you for your life abroad, they might not realize that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

6. Guilt lingers

Remember your mom’s face when she learned that you can’t make it home for Sunday night dinner, but you promised to come by the week after? Now, imagine this face when you’re trying to explain that you’re not coming home for Christmas because you couldn’t get time off (or because that roadtrip with friends was just impossible to say no to). Oh, and you probably won’t have time for a visit until the summer after. There’s going to be guilt trips (no pun intended) – and you will have to focus on quality instead of quantity.

7. The show goes on (with or without you)

Tough love: Exciting things will happen without you – friends will get married, babies will be born, and legendary parties will be thrown. You’ll probably miss a whole lot of it and only catch selected moments on social media. It’s really hard to accept, but – and it may or may not be a silver lining – it will be the same for your friends who miss out on all the amazingness in your life.

8. You see home in a whole new light

You might have moved abroad because of the weather or the crowded/boring streets. However, if you explain to people from another country where you live, your photos or descriptions are usually met with fascination and interest. Getting this outside perspective can give you a whole new appreciation for those streets back home and the nasty weather you normally complain about. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and possibly more patriotic – especially when you’re cheering on your country even though you don’t even like (insert sport of choice here).

9. You start doing as the locals do

Little by little, you will become a local. It starts with learning the local language, but it goes way beyond understanding conversations. Eventually, you will know when to go to the market for the best deals, you’ll find a coffee shop where they know what you want before you even order, and passionately discuss local elections on the bus. Even though you will probably never become as local as someone who grew up in your new home, you will assimilate and catch yourself “doing as the locals do” – being part of a new culture is a pretty awesome feeling.

10. Home? Home!

It becomes hard to answer the question where your home is, as it usually involves a lengthy explanation (see point 1.). Sometimes, it really is where the heart is. Sometimes, it’s where you spent your childhood or where you lived during an important life event. For me, home is where my laptop is and where the Wi-Fi connects automatically.

Unforgettable Pokhara - Jomsom flights

     Partially frightening, completely exciting and adventurous mountain flights, to my ever favorite destination in Nepal. Every flight experience has been unique; extremely disappointing delayed or cancelled flights from Pokhara itself, awesome view of pristine snow capped massifs at almost equal height of them, petrifying mid-air turbulence, hilarious expressions of horrified co-passengers, beautiful view of flying over the Kali Gandaki river and between the narrow passage of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountain, and the best part saved for last - the supremely stylish landing against the wind. Stylish 'coz the aircraft has to abruptly descend little lower and immediately take a U turn. So if you're sitting on the right side of the aircraft, you are technically forced to almost fall on your co passenger sitting by your left side. I wonder how it feels to be sitting on the left side. All this for just a few seconds but it seems like you're in for the last flight of your life. Happy flying !!

Scientific reasons for traveling

       

       Travel is most commonly thought of as a recreational activity, something people do for fun. So sure, it can definitely be a blast, but as it turns out, seeing new places is also crucial to keeping your brain full of creative ideas.
       Travel experiences increase both cognitive flexibility (the mind’s ability to jump between different ideas) and depth and integrativeness of thought (the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms).”
      The connection between an increase in creativity and travel comes when you head to an unknown destination and actually immerse yourself in the culture. So while chilling at an all-inclusive resort in the tropics may help you to unwind, it probably isn’t going to do much in the way of helping expand your cognitive flexibility. Instead, head to a destination where you can mingle with locals, check out small markets and eat where the city’s residents eat. The experience needs to be immersive.
       Another factor to consider is to avoid choosing somewhere too dramatically different from what you know. The researchers say an especially different place might come with an overwhelming intimidation factor, and keeping to yourself blocks out crucial experiences that come with increased creativity. That being said, if you’re an extroverted, fearless kind of adventurer, this could also have no effect on you.
       While this is great motivation to finally splurge on that international trip you’ve been considering, an adventure abroad is obviously not a possibility for everyone, but it doesn’t have to be. You can still reap these creative benefits by making subtle changes in your daily life: take a new route home, explore an unfamiliar part of town or maybe volunteer with an organization totally different from what you’re used to. So long as you can keep those cultural blinders off, the new ideas will keep rolling in.

(Copied and pasted from an article I'm unable to remember now)

Joys of traveling

     D-e-l-i-g-h-t-f-u-l full moon playing hide and seek amidst clouds ... !!
     It may not be a leisurely long drive tonight and the traveler is all tired and sore with hours of traveling across countries. But these are the moments - of watching a moon being your playful follower, thinking about the sweet parting conversations with dear friends who insist that you return back 'for sure' even before you've set out on your journey, meet little children excitedly sharing endless stories to unknown captive audience, kindness and patience of the takeaway joint staff when you place your order just when they are about to close for the day, and knowing that you're lovingly covered by the love of friends and family worrying/ praying for your safe arrival to whatever destination you're headed to - that make me forget all the distress and hassles. And I taste the best of traveling. 
      I've realized, I'm never a solo traveler. Wherever I go, I always travel with my clan ☺☺

Monologues while traveling

       On  some days, it's beautiful to sleep in longer, have no urgent to do list and your mind is at peace when you wake up ... The world around you seems to be going on at it's usual pace but you seem to be static and enjoying every movement around you(for a change)..., there's no hurry to be anywhere or put multiple reminders on your phone ... I can pay attention to a-l-l the sweet things my dear loved ones do for me, I can attend to every thought every word and store in my mind for later. My mind and body seems at rest and even my skin feels relaxed. I l-o-v-e such time(s) when I can take a pause, pay attention to the moment and thank God for His goodness that surrounds me, rest relax and rejuvenate and mentally charge my batteries for later .. Thank you blessed Lord for such moments 😇