This sunny Thursday morning in SF Bay area finally finds me with enough time to come back to this space. My shipped boxes have finally arrived today (at the cost of digressing I am going to wonder again why the land transport is called shipping and the ferry transport as cargo..English really is a 'phunny' language)and I can finally claim to have completely moved from the east to the west and then from the east coast to further west to the land which is fast on its way to becoming India away from India.
So anyway coming back to the part where I begin justifying the title...I finally bid adieu to Boston last week.The possible prospect of a little less cold, and the gigantic prospect of a lot more money and close family nearby together were successful in drawing me like bees to honey. I must have had at least a gazillion people asking me how it feels to be leaving Boston. Truth be told, initially there were absolutely no feelings.I can honestly say that Boxes, furniture,packing, room rental,sublease were only some of the words which were haunting me for the week that I had given myself to make the migration. But when the last piece of belongings had been packed and the last box shipped and the furniture taken away..I must admit that I felt a little heartbroken. Heartbroken to be leaving my roommates and friends who have been my family for the last 2.5 yrs.I never mentioned them because I swore I wouldn't write about anything personal.But its quite unfair to not mention the people who meant so much to me. And its unfair to keep their unique characteristics from the world..because they're such amazing entertainment.
I will miss the motormouth chatter making it seem like the UN was having its annual conference in our apartment. I'll miss the fact that I would walk into one of the bedrooms and find one of my roommates sprawled on her bed like a dead person to freak me out.I'll miss stories of cops making a visit because someone jumped over the terrace into the next building. I'll miss nightly sleep adventuring..I couldn't find another word for all the antics my roommate indulged in,in her sleep. She'd be attacked by avalanches and crocodiles,and what not and all the while her poor comforter bore the brunt of it all as she whacked it crazy.If not beating off dangerous attackers she'd be running (while sleeping on her bed), as though its the last sprint of her Olympic race. Not just that, this Indiana Jane would also occasionally grace the dead quiet of the night with a "whoooooo", "yuck" , "hmm hmmm" or "what the hell are you doing here!??" to send me into multiple seizures.
I will miss the endless banging on the bathroom door everyday to end some beauty baths. I will miss hearing of people attempting to learn swimming in the bath tub!I will miss having around small toys which even 2 yr-olds these days don't play with.I will miss hearing the latest updates on Star voice of India, sa re ga ma pa and other several talent competition results that no one gives a toss about, but which are discussed in our apartment as though it were the nightly news. I will miss the heated debates about India's past present and future by some of the people who don't feature anywhere in the makeover plan (a.k.a, US). I will miss people relishing absolutely wacky and weird food combinations like glucose biscuits and jam etc.
I will miss going out where people order exorbitant dishes to drive you to bankruptcy. I will miss Saturday movie night where we would spend 2 hours discussing which movie to watch and eventually get too tired to see the movie itself.I will miss pretending to agree that Abhay Deol is amazing!I will miss answering quiz questions about the personal life of every random personality from Bollywood. I will miss the stupidest uses and meanings of Hindi words in a sentence.I will miss having my cooking tasted by the most difficult critics in the world. No food is ever perfect, plus the expressions are priceless. I will miss Ts and Ds being unnecessarily stressed in every god damn sentence.I will miss the exasperated looks when I misplace yet another pair of glasses.I will miss having discussions where constipation might seem deadlier than cancer.I will miss the endless laughter the unexpected tempers and the amazing food variety.
I will miss the fact that everything that one needs was within a mile radius of the apartment.I will miss encountering a familiar face every time I step out of the apartments. I will miss being exasperated that the Desi network in Boston is too strong. I will miss the fact that in spite of checking the temperatures a zillion times, the Boston weather will manage to surprise you.I will miss the nip of the air as you step out dressed as a grizzly bear.I'll miss how seeing the Fenway Park from my window and hearing the cheers from the stadium before I hear them on TV.I will miss cursing the fact that whenever you're in a hurry the train will always give Northeastern University stop a miss.
I will miss the last minute plans which turn out to be the best of trips. I will miss the long long chain letters which never reach any conclusion. I will miss the red brick constructions where each construction is unique.I will miss all the ghost stories about the old buildings. I will miss the musicians at Harvard and Downtown T stops. I will miss exclaiming each time how beautiful Boston Commons looks. I will miss the fact that even in the harsh winter there's always something going on in the city.I will miss the walks near the Charles dodging the crazy runners and watching a gold blanket being spread over the evening rowers.
And so I bid adieu..in a flurry of meeting people, saying goodbyes and intermittently pausing to breathe.Boston gave me a farewell to remember by doing what it does best, manifesting itself in myriad weather conditions within a matter of 48 hrs.While I enlist all the things I will miss about Boston I realize I have more reasons to keep coming back..
So here's to Boston..the land of brain, beans and baseball..
