Who am I? Where do I even start? There are so many parts of me that have been pushed under the rug for the last several years or maybe they have just all morphed into a new me…Anyway I grapple with this question on a daily basis. The current me is a stay at home mom to a wonderful and amazing toddler named Cian (pronounced key-n). Its a role that I didn’t really ever plan on – I never envisioned myself as the SAHM type, cooking, cleaning and doing educational things, but that is where I am right now. I actually really enjoy it for the most part, but I do miss other aspects of my old life. I miss volunteering, I miss seeing live music and independent movies at the cinema, I miss travelling when and where ever I want and some days I even miss working! But I also know how much I would miss this valuable time with Cian who will not be small and enjoy my company forever!
I feel like my life is described in 3 parts: before India, during India and now after India. At the end of the day, these are just 3 chapters in my book of life. Maybe you need a little background though, since I will probably always reference the past assuming you know all about it!
I moved to India from San Francisco after meeting a guy for only a few hours! Well, we met in person and then we talked on the phone and over email for 3 months. I had been planning to take a trip around the world and decided to move it all up a bit earlier and to have one of my first stops as India where he was living. After 10 months there I came back to the US, put everything in storage and headed back to my new life in India. I never would have guessed that it would be 8 years later when I left and that I would leave married with a baby and 2 cats! We had some amazing adventures in India and travelling around in Asia, many of which are outlined here on this blog, which has been with me since I first left in 2004.
After many years in India I was ready for a change – ready to go back to America I wasn’t certain, but ready to get out of Mumbai I was sure. Paul was not sure about anything, not being big on change. But forces came together and made us realize it was time to head out. We got Paul a green card for the US in record time, we loaded up our whole life and packed it away in a cargo ship set sail for the west coast of the US. We had no real plans and no real idea of where we were going or what we were going to do. Based on Paul’s work, we imagined that we would probably end up in LA – something that I really didn’t particularly want being an SF/Bay Area gal at heart. But after bouncing around for a few months, forces came together again and made us head down south. It was a rough transition at first. Re-integrating to life in the US, life in the vast city of LA and dealing with reverse culture shock. But soon we found our way over to the East side of LA and immediately felt at home. Now I can’t imagine ever having to leave this area, let alone our rental house.
I should have kept writing during these first years of new parenthood and of moving, but I just never felt like I had the time. Life has finally settled here, Cian will be starting preschool soon, Paul is working, the house is organized and I can get back to just being me for a few hours a day. Welcome to the ramblings of a slaint. (and no I won’t tell you what slaint stands for 😉 )