The Week That Was

Friday: The Boy had an office brunch planned with his team-mates and their families. In the last four years of him being with this Bank, this had never happened. We were all excited and looking forward to this. The over-priced brunch with unlimited food and drinks had only one amusing aspect – the Indian magician. We smiled, we laughed and even wrote him a recommendation in the review page. Just that it wasn’t so much fun; we were only trying to get our money’s worth by enjoying everything that was being served!

Saturday: We went shopping for the upcoming trip. Listen to this: we sold our previous car to a person who was driving a 15-year old car before that. He works with this group that manages stores like Zara and Mango. This guy, through no persuasion of ours, offered us his 35 percent discount card! Decent people that we are, we’ve asked him to come twice in the last 15 months and he has been so generous and kind. I can’t tell you how happy he makes me!!

We also went to my close friend’s new villa. She use to live one floor above mine before I moved a mile away from her. After 4 years, she has now moved at a bigger house which is miles away and it is quite disheartening. The villa is gorgeous but that doesn’t make it easy for me to visit her. Damn these changes.

Sunday: I thought I’d start packing! Ha, who I was kidding! I lazed around on the sofa all day and loved everything about it!

Monday: We went to the close friend’s house again. She sent us emotionally black-mailing messages. Since we just love to meet, I mocked at her message and went any way. It takes more than 30 minutes to reach her place and costs a bomb. Oh, I don’t know when I will stop cribbing about that.

Tuesday: A friend invited me for lunch. I just love it when someone else cooks for me! Being a housewife, you tend to get bored with your own haath ka khaana. It is a respite when someone else makes the effort of inviting you over. Now I have met this girl a lot of times socially and also as couples with our respected spouses. This was the first time we were meeting alone. I opened my heart to her and it felt great. It makes me comfortable to know that the person I am interacting with knows a few things that are very close to my heart and I don’t have to pretend. Ofcourse I don’t open up to every Sally, but once I call someone a friend, she needs to know who I am before I can really talk.

‘Who I am?’ sounds like a celebrity line, doesn’t it?

Wednesday: I thought I’d pack, ha, who I was kidding again! The only smart thing I did was cooked lots of food so that I wouldn’t have to enter the kitchen on Thursday.

The other smart thing I did was that I downloaded a lot of videos for long, boring journeys. Cheap air tickets should give us a to-do list as well; and they should hire me to make that. 

Thursday: I thought it would be a busy day, turns out, not so much. I cleared the kitchen in the first hour of waking up. And packed the suitcase in the second. Oh ya, I am a pro by now!

The rest of the day has been spent in calling home, and counting my blessings. I can’t wait to get on that plane now. Our last long trip was in 2013. Since then our trips have been no more than 9 days. I am looking forward to rolling on the green grass, inhaling the smell of trees, eating desserts, strolling around beautiful cities with nothing on my mind, kissing the Boy out in the open, panicking over getting on a train, irritating the Boy with my plans and then missing things on my itinerary, clicking a thousand pictures, and most of all, making a million memories.

See you on the other side of possibly the best holiday ever. *

*I tend to get overwhelmed by each new destination and somehow feel that it is indeed the best ever. I also keep praying that insanity prevails and my enthusiasm remains the same forever. 

It's September!

It seems I've been away from the blogging world for quite some time now. As they say, life took over and I could not find time to talk about it here.

The last post I wrote was about a dear friend's baby shower. As much fun we had on that particular day, it was in no way compensatory for the trauma that followed. 'A' had a doctor's appointment on the very next day and was asked to go the emergency room. It was her 30th week (most pregnancies last 40-42 weeks), and we were not expecting this.

Since no private hospital here in Bahrain takes a case before 34, she had to be taken to a government hospital. Even though the facilities there are the best in the country, not knowing any doctor in such a critical situation was nightmarish. After keeping her under observation for 2 days, they decided to do a c-section. The babies were born and taken directly to the incubator where they would live for a few weeks till they are ready to face the real world. The mother, initially shocked, worried, emotionally a wreck, is now doing ok and is all set to take care of the babies. Oh, she had twin angels, by the way!

Between the home and the hospital, our lives as close friends got very busy as well. When you live outside your own country, you are hugely dependent on friends for support. While one was constantly in touch with the friend's mother back home so that she can make the perfect food for the new mom, I tried to be the emotional support at the hospital. This government hospital in an Islamic country doesn't allow men to stay over-night in a private ward. For the first time in my life, I stayed in the hospital for over three nights and fared decent!

Now all we want is for the babies to become stronger and come home. In a few months, they would become so adorable and cuddly!

The other thing that is now keeping me busy is another holiday. Oh yes, every one we tell this to goes green with jealousy and cannot understand how we manage to do it all. Well, some people have kids, some people have work, and some people dream to travel the world. Obviously, we are doing the third one and refuse to be judged on that.

We leave this Thursday for a fortnight. This time we would be touring Amsterdam, Brugges, the Black Forest in Germany and Munich for Oktoberfest. This holiday was planned in December last year and a lot of it is from the bucket list. Also, we got a three-year Schenghen visa this year, so be prepared to see a lot of Europe on my site. Frankly, I don't think the whole world compares to this beautiful continent. So even if we go there over and over again, I wouldn't mind it at all!

I've not even completed my last holiday's trip report. Hopefully the memories of the new one wouldn't blur the last. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case ever. Isn't that the reason we travel - to make new memories that last a lifetime?

Prost! (That's 'cheers' in German - the only word I remember so far because it is going to be used a lot during the beer festival!!!)