Sunday, July 29, 2012

Moving

This weekend, we moved to our new home.

I'm writing this sitting in a room piled with belongings, and outside, work still goes on - I can hear talk, banging, drilling and I can smell paint. 

The house is not quite ready yet, but we moved in anyway.

Our previous home was special to me.  It was the first home I managed on my own. (We lived with S's parents until then.)  It was the place I learned, experimented, unlearned and blundered in.  We had a lot of lovely times there.  Of course there were bad times too, there always are, but I prefer to remember the happy ones ;)  It was small, but convenient.  [As Puttachi grew, we realized it was getting smaller ;)]  And of course, this home was next to a lovely park, where we had some beautiful times, Puttachi and me.  I'm going to miss that park, definitely.  Though we've moved only about 4 km from this place, the park is not across the road any longer! :)

And it is so true that memories make a home.  Yesterday, after we moved all our belongings to the new house and cleaned the old house, I stood there, looked around.  It is amazing how much this rented house that we lived in for 3.5 years, absolutely empty, totally devoid of all our belongings - seemed more like "home" than our new house, which is our own, and where all our belongings are.  Memories - good ones at that! 

Puttachi hugged the walls of the old house and bawled, saying she didn't want to leave it.  No wonder. It is the only home she has known.  On our last visit to the park, she even hugged the park (don't even ask how.)  Anyway, it took us a while to comfort her and drag her away from that house!

And I've found that it is also true that the kitchen is probably the heart of the home.  The kitchen is not yet ready in the new home, so we are living out of boxes.  I discovered how many elements it takes to make a cup of tea, only when I had to look through three different boxes for the vessel, the strainer, the mugs, and the tea.  I hadn't paid much attention to packing, because I had assumed that I would empty the contents of all the boxes into the kitchen cabinets, and only then start cooking.  Who knew that the people who come to work had other things in mind, and wouldn't have the kitchen ready? :)

So, the first two days, we ate the food I had manufactured on an industrial scale before moving out of the old home (while Puttachi spent the two days happily at her friend's house.)   After that, we ate out and at my mom-in-law's place, and late on the third day, I made the first cup of tea, and then some soup which we ate with bread for dinner.

Today, I whipped up a quick veg pasta with whatever I could find, for Puttachi to take to school.  And then I went into the room for something, came out, and felt the heat radiating out of the open kitchen, and felt a warmth that was much beyond the physical one.  This finally felt like "home."

This is a nice place, one we got after months of searching, and then months of renovation.  A very nice, green apartment complex with lots of space and facilities for Puttachi to play in, great location, aaaaaand - walkable from Puttachi's school! :D

Here's to predominantly happy times in the new place too!  Cheers!

10 comments:

Nithvin said...

Hi Shruthi!
Hope Puttachi settles down in your 'new' home soon. My daughter also kept talking about our old house for a long time after we moved to our new house and wanted to go back back there some times.
You know what..When I read about the park in your blog, I kind of identified it and the couple of times I have come that way, would think 'Shruthi's house must be here some where ' :)
So, happy unpacking to you and hope you all settle down in your new house soon.

Sowmya said...

congratulations on the new home Shruthi!

Sarangi said...

When I read that u moved to a new house, I felt "Puttachi is going to miss the park". This was how I felt decades ago when we moved out of Basavangudi. Its a nostalgia even to this day!

Wanderer said...

Congratulations on the move. I don't know how it feels yet because I am still in that small 1bhk house, the first one I made home. But I can recognize with how you make a house a home. I didn't feel at home even when we boiled milk for the first time. It is when I started cooking and the kitchen ingredients increased, did it feel like home :)
Happy unpacking and decorating the new home. Do we get to see pics?

Aarthi said...

All the best Shruthi!!
.. so your daughter is a true tree hugger :)

Your post reminded me of leaving my small rented place....
saying thank you to inanimate objects... didn't feel weird!

Radhika said...

You have expressed it all so well. I could visualize every bit of it. You searching for tea strainer, Puttachi hugging the park, the workers busy drilling something . . . .
While you both will surely miss the park, you will soon discover something better in the new place too. And the park is always there for weekend outings.
Best part is the school is walkable from the school. Such a bliss. You’re saving sooooo much of time for Puttachi. All the time is hers.
Wishing you and your family a very happy, fun filled life in the new ‘home sweet home’.
Am sure now that one big task of moving is complete, we can expect lot more of your writings.
Good luck Shruthi :-)

Achu said...

Congratulations on moving to the new place! :)
Sounds like a great place, hope you loads of happy times ahead!

Dhanya said...

Congrats on your new home Shruthi :)

parijata said...

Wish you a great time at your new place.
Of course, knowing you, you will have a great time ! :)

Shruthi said...

Nithvin, I'm sure you got it right :) Thanks! Puttachi is slightly more reconciled now.

Sowmya, thanks!

Bhavana, bingo. I miss it too.

Wanderer, exactly! :)) And no, you know me.. no pics :)

Aarthi, I know exactly what you mean!

Radhika, thanks so much :)

Achu, Dhanya, Parijata, Swaram, thank you all :)

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