You give some, you get some

Durga Puja just came and went this year. I barely noticed it except the ten minute visit to the puja in Camden. We had guests at that time and didn't get around to coordinating with friends, so when we did go to the puja it was just Bee and me standing in a sea of people who knew each other. There was also no new clothes, nothing special done and so different from when I was a child. As a child, our biggest excitement related to durga puja was the windfall of new clothes (it's a tradition to wear new clothes during that time). We not only had enough for each of the five days, but had a few extra for the evenings. Towards the latter part of school when I was in Calcutta, we'd go out at night in a group and walk around the city soaking in the lights and festivity. It was not so much a religious occasion, but a social occasion for us. And now it's a time we stop a minute to take the effort to go to Camden before getting on with everything else.

I've also been missing home recently. My aunt was visiting and she pampered us with yum, hot, fresh food each day - what a far cry from the soups and salads routine. Today before she left, she even cooked up seven days worth of meals! It reminds me of when my mom visits and the two days before leaving turns into a marathon cooking event. . which is amazing since my mother is a very non foodie person. I wonder if I lived closer to home whether I could meet them more often. Maybe not, even when I was working in Bombay I couldn't make it home more than once - twice a year. Maybe its the unfamiliar surroundings, the foreign land which makes me feel further away.

It's not all bad. We recently went to watch the musical Wicked. What a fantastic performance it was. The sets and effects were stunning. Idina Menzel as Elphaba was awesome, what a wonderful voice she has. I thought it would end with more of a bang, but overall it's a performance I can go for many times over (Do go if you can). If I were home now, this is not a performance I could go for. This and so much more is what I have gained. The last two years have been very enriching for me. The angst of job search aside (though it is a very big angst, not too easy to push aside), I think if I were at the cross roads again, this is the path I would choose.