This year was definitely a year to remember. So many drastic changes in a single year and it's indeed a blessing we've made through this year full of ups and downs. None of us must have imagined a year like this in our wildest dreams.
Shambhavi turned 10 this year and her 10th birthday was a simple family affair. We surprised her with her favorite Geronimo's cake. Amol's wedding date was fast approaching and I was secretly praying we could attend it. Just 3 days after Shambhu's birthday, we got the BIG news.... We were moving to the US!!! So 4 months after getting our visa stamped, the day was soon to arrive.... I still remember the trembling feeling I had... So many things to wrap up and so less time. From the day our visa got stamped, I just wanted our stay in India to extend as much as possible.... Moving to a different country was not something I had dreamt of...
Going away from family is not at all easy.... I remembered the first time I had to go away from home when I finished SSC and would go to college. I was just a child then and had cried so much while leaving Mummy Pappa Dipu and Rishi. Then, when I got my job, again I had to stay away from them. And later, when I got married and moved out to a home I could proudly call mine... Each time I moved out of my comfort zone, I've gained something... the best of education, a job which helped me fulfill my duties of being the eldest child, my soulmate, a new family and my precious daughter... My Shambhavi! And my Shambhavi was on cloud nine when she heard the news 🙂
With less than 2 weeks left for the final packing and bidding good byes to our near and dear ones started the emotional journey... Picking things to pack in the bags, meeting family, resigning from my job... The journey of many firsts was about to begin....
1. Boarded an International flight for the first time
2. Moved out of my country and relocated to a new country. The date was a memorable one: 02-02-2020!
3. Experienced the chilling cold weather and temperature dropping below 0 degrees.
4. Noticed the gradual change in nature in different seasons- spring, summer, fall, winter and also snow ❄️❄️❄️🌨️ Got to experience the beauty of each season.
5. Entered a swimming pool to learn swimming 😅(Had to stop due to the pandemic)
6. Tried learning left sided driving(No progress as of now, hope to improve next year🙂)
7. Rode a bicycle after school years. (A painful task initially but was fun later on!)
8. Played badminton regularly, almost for a month!
9. Learnt basic baking and baked my own bread. Tried a few baked dishes which came out pretty well.
10. Celebrated our festivals online- Rakshabandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Diwali. Mummy did my birthday "aukshan" online 😃
11. Cut Swapnil's hair during lockdown. (I've become a pro by now 😉)
12. Stayed without power and internet for 3 days when there was a power outage due to storm.
13. Watched each and every match of the IPL😁(was unable to do this all these years due to my busy schedule, but this year had fun watching cricket) Icing on the cake was Mumbai winning the trophy 🏆!!!
14. Could read more books than previous years.
15. Experienced lockdown and staying indoors in fear.
16. Experienced different festivals like Halloween, Thanksgiving and the most beautiful Christmas.
Overall, it was a great year with so many new things to explore but also a year when there was constant fear and a depressed feeling after watching the gloomy news around the world. I'm so thankful to God for keeping all my loved ones safe during the pandemic. This year has taught so many lessons for a lifetime and made us stronger than before to face new challenges in life.
