Life's tantrums...

Often there are times in our lives, when the over cliched 'going gets tough' phrase doesnt seem just a phrase any more. These times may seem never ending and too long for our liking, but by the end of it, help us become stronger for the experience of having overcome them. Fortunately, I have had many opportunities at becoming strong in this way.

Being a closely knit family, spending time together was something we gave utmost importance to, and it was a joy for us. My mother says, 'families which share a meal together remain together'. Yet, a time did come when we had a decision to take, and that was the year 2002. Life had thrown its first tantrum at us...

The school in Kerinci-Sumatra where Papa was posted, was an International school, but only till Grade 7 due to the relatively weak student strength. Although happy at going up the classes, I did have bouts of anxiety as I was nearing grade 7. What next? Will I too have to leave my parents at a tender age of 12? Up until that point, all the expatriate employees had either shifted their families to their home countries, or sent their children away to boarding school upon completion of their 7th grade. Either way, the child was going to be separated from one if not both of his parents. Having grown up in a protected way by them, staying away from my parents was an idea complely alien to me.

It was then that I glimpsed the obvious brilliance of my parents for the first time, and on retrospection, the collective decision made seems such a master-stroke.

Jakarta, although the capital of Indonesia, was strangely, an unexplored avenue in such cases. People went back to India, yet no one before us had tried shifting their families to the capital. The differences between the two places had their own pros and cons; India was home with relatives aplenty, but Jakarta was the same country comprising more forseeable meeting opportunities with Papa. The risk taker within us took the step forward, and a new journey had begun, where we set out to conquer the unexplored land of Jakarta...

(to be continued)