Its been a while..I know..yet again since my last post. I have been plain lazy to update it although I keep telling myself I will pen down interesting events in my life. Since September passed, life continued to be exciting. October, the puja season of Kolkata, saw lots of public holidays. We of course took that opportunity to head off somewhere for a good break. And we did starting with Goa. Goa was awesome especially since we stayed in a quiet stretch, in a hotel with a private beach. Thereafter, we headed to Bali for an absolutely romantic villa stay. Bali was spectacular, and turned out to be one of the most relaxing holidays I've had. Right after Bali we headed back home to Kolkata, to await the arrival of my cousin from Singapore. Yes, we DID have visitors to Kolkata while we were there. Soon after she arrived, we left for the eastern hills, namely Pelling, Kalimpong and Kurseong. Not very developed infrastructure wise, the hills had lots to offer. Tranquility, splendid mountainous (snow-clad) scenery, cold weather and lovely food. Having spent about 3 days there, we headed back to Kolkata where my cousin and I embarked on our shopping cum eating spree. Each day saw us going out and coming back with loads of bags. How I love shopping in India!
November was a quiet month with not much activities till 23rd November. On 23rd November, we heard of our posting. As much as we were told and were looking forward to a posting out of the West Asia and Africa region, we were being posted to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Then, it was a nightmare coming true. We spent a good number of days deciding if we should take up the new posting offer or be subjected to the risk of being sent back to Singapore. Once one is initiated into a posting lifestyle, you get used to a certain level of comfort which is unmatched if you return to Singapore. Plus, we had nothing to lose spending 2 years in Saudi Arabia, despite all the cultural restrictions and curtailing of freedom for women. I was gungho about the move and told V to take up the offer without looking back once I was convinced I could live the next couple of years in a black garb. I know I will lose my identity there but I am who I am. Nothing and no place will change that. At least, I can leave Saudi Arabia with a stamp from the immigration and a story to tell my children and grandchildren. So 10th Jan was to be our last day in Calcutta.
Soon after we heard of our move and decided on it, we headed to Delhi where V's best friends are and spent the weekend at a palace cum hotel near Jaipur, Rajasthan. Xmas was spent in Singapore with my cousins who had come from Bombay and New year was spent in Bangalore with in laws and more family. Days passed so quickly thereafter with springcleaning and packing up in Kolkata. Kolkata will always have a special place in our hearts.. For one, we moved there just 2 months after our wedding. So its as good as being called THE place where we took our initial steps as man and wife. Kolkata also has a special place in our hearts because of the love and warmth we have received from people around us. Never did we think we would settle down so fast and so well in an unknown territory with an unknown language. V's office colleagues have showered us with so much affection that we hold close to our hearts. Thirdly, Kolkata has awesome cuisine which I can safely say no other Indian city can match up to; right from the street food which my tummy is finally acclimatised to and to the higher end restaurants. Thanks Kolkata for increasing our waistlines! While we bade goodbye to Kolkata, the city which hosted us well for 1 year and 7 months, we made a silent promise that we would return to Kolkata some day and anticipation of what our new destination would be like.
During our stint in Kolkata, I have learnt lots; both on a personal level and professional level. As much as India is a developing nation, the experience I have gained living in such a nation has taught me valuable lessons. In a system with disorder, things still work. The human touch exists despite the wide expanse of each city. I have learnt to become patient with certain things and not expect the speedy service we Singaporeans are used to. I have learnt to experience things the hard way, even if it means something as simple as eating in a street stall and falling ill the next day, even if it means not knowing Bengali and having to approach Principals for work-relates reasons. At least, at the end of this stint, I havent wasted my life. I have earned myself a teaching certificate, some experience in a teacher training organisation and am almost reaching the end of my montessori course.
I hope to do more studying in KSA (kingdom of Saudi Arabia) as my application for MA in TEYL is almost complete. I hope to travel within the West Asia region, particularly Middle East and Egypt while in KSA. And most importantly, I hope to spend more amazing days with my best friend ,V, as we embark on our third year of marital union in a couple of months. How time flies!
Adios
November was a quiet month with not much activities till 23rd November. On 23rd November, we heard of our posting. As much as we were told and were looking forward to a posting out of the West Asia and Africa region, we were being posted to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Then, it was a nightmare coming true. We spent a good number of days deciding if we should take up the new posting offer or be subjected to the risk of being sent back to Singapore. Once one is initiated into a posting lifestyle, you get used to a certain level of comfort which is unmatched if you return to Singapore. Plus, we had nothing to lose spending 2 years in Saudi Arabia, despite all the cultural restrictions and curtailing of freedom for women. I was gungho about the move and told V to take up the offer without looking back once I was convinced I could live the next couple of years in a black garb. I know I will lose my identity there but I am who I am. Nothing and no place will change that. At least, I can leave Saudi Arabia with a stamp from the immigration and a story to tell my children and grandchildren. So 10th Jan was to be our last day in Calcutta.
Soon after we heard of our move and decided on it, we headed to Delhi where V's best friends are and spent the weekend at a palace cum hotel near Jaipur, Rajasthan. Xmas was spent in Singapore with my cousins who had come from Bombay and New year was spent in Bangalore with in laws and more family. Days passed so quickly thereafter with springcleaning and packing up in Kolkata. Kolkata will always have a special place in our hearts.. For one, we moved there just 2 months after our wedding. So its as good as being called THE place where we took our initial steps as man and wife. Kolkata also has a special place in our hearts because of the love and warmth we have received from people around us. Never did we think we would settle down so fast and so well in an unknown territory with an unknown language. V's office colleagues have showered us with so much affection that we hold close to our hearts. Thirdly, Kolkata has awesome cuisine which I can safely say no other Indian city can match up to; right from the street food which my tummy is finally acclimatised to and to the higher end restaurants. Thanks Kolkata for increasing our waistlines! While we bade goodbye to Kolkata, the city which hosted us well for 1 year and 7 months, we made a silent promise that we would return to Kolkata some day and anticipation of what our new destination would be like.
During our stint in Kolkata, I have learnt lots; both on a personal level and professional level. As much as India is a developing nation, the experience I have gained living in such a nation has taught me valuable lessons. In a system with disorder, things still work. The human touch exists despite the wide expanse of each city. I have learnt to become patient with certain things and not expect the speedy service we Singaporeans are used to. I have learnt to experience things the hard way, even if it means something as simple as eating in a street stall and falling ill the next day, even if it means not knowing Bengali and having to approach Principals for work-relates reasons. At least, at the end of this stint, I havent wasted my life. I have earned myself a teaching certificate, some experience in a teacher training organisation and am almost reaching the end of my montessori course.
I hope to do more studying in KSA (kingdom of Saudi Arabia) as my application for MA in TEYL is almost complete. I hope to travel within the West Asia region, particularly Middle East and Egypt while in KSA. And most importantly, I hope to spend more amazing days with my best friend ,V, as we embark on our third year of marital union in a couple of months. How time flies!
Adios
