Thursday, August 23, 2007

Just another move ...

I have been busy packing up my room this past day ! I keep telling myself, "It's just another move...maybe this will be the last time". I was trying to count the number of times I have moved within Corvallis, but I ran out of fingers. Not that I move around frequently in corvallis ... it's just been so many years that I have been here, being constantly taken for a ride by this little guy inside my head that is supposedly doing its Ph.D.

Did I tell you that I am probably the only student in Corvallis having the distinction of staying with over 11 different roommates, attended graduation ceremonies of over 4 batches of students and stayed in about 7 different apartments. Quite the accomplishment huh ?

I realized that I have been living in this place for too long when I started talking to people with sentences like "Back in those days ..." or "Long time ago, ...." ! I do make up good "grandpa" style anecdotes at parties and gatherings. Most of my peers tend to call me up not just to "hang out" - no way ! Did you ever want to just "hang out" with your Gramps ? They call me to get "advice"... some "word of wisdom" ! That does leave me feeling like Gandalf the wise. I guess it's a symbiotic arrangement. I give "information" and "advice" in return for their "company" :).

If I think back over the past 25 years of my life, I did indeed move a lot. My family never stayed at a single place in India for more than 5 years. I have stayed in Surat, Baroda, Assam, Bombay, Delhi - every place except Chennai - my home sweet home ! I suppose that I am just keeping up my family tradition of not staying long at one place. On one hand, I liked moving around - I got to experience so many different cultures within India, made wonderful friends. But, with moving comes leaving old friends .... leaving old memories to be eventually forgotten!

I just hope that life would eventually put me at one place and stick a push-pin through me. Then I would not have to move so much. My friends will never be "old". I would not have to abandon any more memories ...but until then, I'd have to keep telling myself "It's just another move...but it's not the last time yet ....".

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

With moving comes the adventure of getting to know a new place, new people and more. That's the exciting part but the sad is those you leave behind. I understand -after a certain point it would be nice just to be settled and have a place to call "home". Be careful not to wish too much or you might end up stuck for awhile in a place that sucks...how many years did you say you've been a student at Corvallis? hee hee j/k By the way, did you say 25 years of roaming or did you mean 27? Well, for now keep packing & enjoy the new scenery coming up! Who knows it might just be your last in-town move!

Neeraja said...

From across the street to across the laundry room... what a transformation :D