What a lovely start to the day today! I connected with some dear friends from Manila and then from India. Had a chat with my Mom and thought about my conversation with my daughter yesterday. Happy, pleasant thoughts. All this before 9 am!
Whichever city I have relocated to I have had an 8 am friend. 8 am is the magic hour of the day when kids have been packed off to school and spouses are at work. After the hectic churn of the early morning, there is a sudden lull in activities and not enough enthusiasm to start on the dull routine of cleaning up, or cooking or paying bills or heading to the gym or any other gainful pursuit. That's when the phone rings in a most inviting manner and it is time to sit down with the second cuppa for a short chat with the 8 am friend. Every little detail is shared, what did you make for dinner, what are your plans today, the kid that gave you a hard time that day and of course the hapless hubby.
It was those mundane everyday exchanges that gave me the reassurance that I was not alone in my journey. It was not I alone taking those early stumbles and making cultural fumbles. There was a tremendous feeling of comfort in hearing people talking about the same problems. Like the Japanese tutor who learned more English from me rather than me learning Japanese from her! Or the complex tipping rituals in NYC. Dealing with an utterly different Mumbai than the one I had left behind 10 years ago or figuring out how to manage the 'staff' in Manila.
Until I have my 8 am buddy, I don't feel like I am settled. In Tokyo, it was my neighbor who would call me without fail as she drove off to work. This was often followed by thermoses filled with tea to be enjoyed by the school playground with other expat parents. In New York, it was coffee after dropping of the kids at play school at Two Little Red Hens and in Mumbai what would I have done without my dear friend and neighbor. We had tea every other day on her terrace with some yummy breakfast! Manila was filled with badminton mornings with the customary bottomless cup of tea and a whole bunch of friends. Yes folks, I will be the first to admit; it is a charmed existence.
It was those mundane everyday exchanges that gave me the reassurance that I was not alone in my journey. It was not I alone taking those early stumbles and making cultural fumbles. There was a tremendous feeling of comfort in hearing people talking about the same problems. Like the Japanese tutor who learned more English from me rather than me learning Japanese from her! Or the complex tipping rituals in NYC. Dealing with an utterly different Mumbai than the one I had left behind 10 years ago or figuring out how to manage the 'staff' in Manila.
I am eternally grateful to my 8 am friends for patiently listening to my whining because truthfully I would find it hard to survive without those conversations in all those yet unfamiliar new locations.
Gradually the phone call has gone out of style and we are all on our devices from the moment we wake up. I catch up with all the groups from all over the world as I am rolling out of bed. Cheering some, wishing some, offering condolences at times, and advice at others. Life is great, thanks dear friends!
