AHMEDABAD DIARIES: CHAPTER VIII A RED WEEKEND IN A HOTEL.

It's been quite a good experience so far. Though we talk a lot about getting a cable connection and agree on it sometimes, but it never materialized. Reason. Well, the boss always agrees only to change his mind later. It has happened a lot of times and I am pretty much annoyed by it now. I have finally decided I am not going to say anything anymore and if I want something I will just try to find a way without even putting them to any kind of discomfort or without even bothering them.

So, it was weekend again and other roommates back home. It was just the "Boss and I at home, Liverpool playing a crucial match and I really wanted to see it. I gave one last try to convince the boss for the cable connection without any positive affect. So, I decided if this is how it's going to be. So, be it. So, I booked a room in a hotel for a night. Well, yeah, it seemed like a waste of money and if I tell my parents about it, they will not be very pleased with it. I am sure, that however needed to be done. I mean, come on. I can't stay with him alone for two days. That's the first reason. I wanted to watch Liverpool match. That's second and the thid, I was a bit pissed with him and I did not wanted to talk to him. I would have had I stayed but I really did not wanted to piss myself more. So, this seemed like the best idea.

So, right after work I called the hotel to check if there is any room vacant. There was none. But the reception guy knew me (After all I stayed there for a month). So, I requested him to arrange for it. So, he did. All set to check in. I went home toget my night clothes. Boss, was already waiting for me.

Boss: When should we go to have dinner.

Me: Oh, I am sorry, I will have to go to my relatives house. I will be staying there.

Boss: Okay, it's fine. When will you be back.

Me: Maybe Monday morning or Sunday night. Cant say anything about it now. But I will let you know.

Boss: Okay, let me know. And yeah, are you going home for Christmas.

Me: Yeah, I am. But not sure when will I leave.

Boss: Okay, do let me know about it as well. If you leave we'd need to cancel your tiffin.

Me: Okay, once I get the ticket, I will for sure. (I am a bit annoyed by now!!!!!!!!)

Boss: Okay, and what about your Christmas party.

Now, this is too much. I mean, I hardly know him. I would have never thought about it and asking is just way out of line. I was shocked to hear that. I wanted to tell him "I am going to a hotel to stay a night there all because of you." I would said it as well, but then someone had taken a promise that I will keep my cool no matter what. So I did.

Me: I don't know about that sir. We'll decide that once I come back.

Boss: Yes. Decide fast okay. Its your festival and a party is a must.

Me: Yeah sure. Don't worry about it. I will.

So I packed my clothes and left. He asked to drop me, but I said it's okay as my peon was waiting for me downstairs. So I left and checked into the hotel. Ohhhhhh... This feels like a homecoming. And what a co-incidence, I got the same room where I stayed for a month. So, comfortable with it. Waiting for the match eagerly. It starts at 11pm and I still have like good 5 hours left. So, I went out for a while, just strolled around.  Then went back to the hotel at 8.30pm. Almost time for dinner, so I went to the place where I usually ate while staying in the hotel.

The owner was kind of happy to see me back. We shook hands(Tranditional style here) and then talked for a while.

He: How are you Saheb. (Well, people here call Saheb, intead of Sir or Saab.)

Me: Sirji, I found a house now and I am staying near the office.

He: Thats good then. How is the house.

Me: It's okay. Not bad.

He: How long are you going to stay here?

Me: well, I am here just for a day. Will be going back tomorrow.

He: Okay, that's good. Hope to see you around.

Me: yeah, you will. After I will be coming back time to time.

He: It's nice to know that you will. (With a smile on his face)

Me; Yeah. So, how's the business?

He: It's ood Saheb. People come and eat everyday so there's nothing to complain about.

Me: That's good. After all you serve people with a smile, the food is good. So they ought to come back. Just like I do.

He: That's nice of you to say so. Well, this business brings my food on table, so I need to be sincere while serving people.

Me: I like it Sirji. Well, I wish you all the very best.

By that time the food was there. So, I proceeded with my dinner and left at around 10pm. That was after listening to people talking around me (Well, I do that everytime I go to that hotel!!!) A lot of interesting conversations take place over dinner and it makes for a good entertaintment. In short I enjoy it and always did.

So, back in the hotel now and eagerly waiting for the match. So, just to kill time, I talked on the phone for a while and did some socializing on FB and Twitter.

Finally, the hour is here. The Reds taking on the field. Every time I watch a match, it seems like a new experience for me. It always brings a new sensation. That's what I call the Liverpool Magic, which has been with me ever since I started understanding football. I mean, it's not just about the players, there is something different about Liverpoo. Something that sets them apart from the rest. There is something that makes them so special. I mean, they are really special and I have no words to explain why.

What a match that was. The best from Liverpool I have seen this season. They ran out 4-0 winners leaving me happy and content with my decision to watch this match in a hotel. This was something special. The best moment. Suarez scoring in the last minute of extra time. That was something he really deserved. He was superb as ever. So was the entire team. Proud of them, Proud to be a Red.

That's how the night ended and that's how I slept peacefully with a smile on my face.

Woke up in the afternoon and it's almost time to go home. I really don't wanna go. But that has to be done. I need to pack few things as well. After all I am preparing myself to go home, my real home. So in the evening, I get a text from the "Boss".

Boss: Where are you and what time will you reach?

Me: I am on my way and I will reach at around 6pm.

Boss: That's good. Tonight we will dine at Krishna. It's a Christmas party from your side.

Stunned and speechless now and Ihad no other option. After all, he had the guts to say it and this being my biggest festival, I just couldn't say no.

Me: Okay Sirji. Whatever you say. But we will go out a bit late.

Boss: Okay.

So, I reached home, rested for a while and then set out to eat at night.

Hmmmmmmm... Pretty exciting. Isn't it. Well, you'll read about it more in coming weeks. For now, I will leave you here and will see you very soon. Till then stay safe and take care

Adios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHMEDABAD DIARIES: CHAPTER VII I'M COMING HOME

After about a week of will I or won't i. Finally, I have decided to go home for Christmas and come back on the 30th or so. Well, as of now that's what the plan is and that is what I have told my manager. Got the train ticket and finally, ready to leave. But honestly, planning it didn't come easy for me. Here's what happened. I was not sure about anything so I did not buy the tickets beforehand. Everything fell into my peon's hand. I gave him the responsibility to get me the tickets and make sure that it doesn't get cancelled or something. As I said, it's a small town, so people know each other. So he does, he know a few people in the railway station and he said he could probably get the tickets done.

My manager told me to go on Saturday and come back on 27th, I however wanted to stay at least till the 28th for some reasons. (Well, we'll get to that a bit later on!!!!) So, I took the ticket for Monday evening and if things go as planned then I'd be home on the 25th at 4am in the morning. Christmas sorted!!! Well, at least as of now. Everything is planned and everyone at home has been told about it. So, I cannot in any case screw this up now. There is however a major glitch. It's Saturday, I am supposed to leave in 2 days and I still don't have the ticket. I was so sure of going, even if I did not have any ticket with me I would have just boarded the train and probably bought ticket inside the train. That's how desperate I was.

I hope you can understand that as well, as this is the first time in my entire life that I was set to miss Christmas. Well, our family hasn't been all these festival crazy types of people but being with family on days like this can make a huge difference. So, I guess I was not prepared to be alone on this day. probably, because I knew if I stay alone things will not be pretty at all and I don't wanna go through this. I mean, I think it's much better option to just avoid it while I can instead of going through this and fussing about everything all a long the way. I mean that is just not right. So, I am gonna do what my heart thinks is the right thing to do. Hope I am doing it right though.

Okay, so it's Sunday and I still don't have the ticket. Growing restless now. Been calling my peon and he's like "Sir!!!! Don't worry the ticket will be in your hands this evening". Okay, I had no other option to believe in it. So I did. Evening came and went by but the ticket never showed up neither did my peon called me or something. Kind of pissed and frustrated about it now, but still keeping my cool. Then he called me at night.

Him: Sir, sorry. Couldn't come today. I will send my brother with the ticket tomorrow.

Me: Okay. By the way, you are sure that we will get the ticket now. The train is for tomorrow.

Him: Sir, don't worry about it. I told you I will get you the ticket. So I will get you.

Me; You better get me the ticket. ( With an uncomfortable smile on my face)

Him: Sir, you just don't worry. Pack your stuff and get all your stuff to the office. Ticket will be in your hands.

Me: Okay. Then. I shall see you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Woke up with all my stuff ready and left for work with my luggage. I decided I am not going to call my peon anymore. If he's serious about the ticket he will just bring it, if not I will just board the train and will find my own way. At around 10am, my peon called and said his brother is going to come to the office to hand me over the tickets. I said okay. After few uneasy hours, he really came with the tickets. Relieved to say the least. Then, he asked me if I needed to be dropped. Of course I needed to, so I said yes!!!!!

Oh, yeah and there is one small glitch. My ticket is from Ratlam to Delhi. So, I will have to buy general ticket from Dahod to Ratlam and sit in the general bogey for 3 hours. Hmmmmmm........ Other days, I would have been a bit annoyed with it. But today, something is better than nothing. So, not complaining about it, maybe because I know the train leaves at 4pm and I will have be be in the general bogey only till 7-8pm. So, it's okay. Pretty excited about it now. And only I know how I spent the next 3-4 hours waiting for 3 pm. Finally, cometh the hour and here's is my man to drop me to the station.

We reached the station at 3.45pm and the train was supposed to come in 10 minutes. One look at the queue at the ticket counter and I was like "Oh my good lord!!!!!!" How will I get a ticket now. It was friggin long. We kind of stood in line for a while then, the announcement about my train and all nervous now. I couldn't even stand properly now, maybe because I knew we would not be able to buy the ticket now. So, I told the guy to just enter the train without ticket and I will figure something out in the train or just pay the fine. He asked me if that was okay with me. I said "YES"!!!!!!!!! I just wanted to get into the train now. So, we entered the train and I sat in my supposed seat.

Hmmmmmm..... Relieved with a sense of happiness in me and I was prepared to face the TC as well. I had planned that I will just pretend to not know anything about it and will just pay the fine or maybe give him some money. The train rolled on and by now, the thoughts of being in Delhi was the only thing in my mind. Two hours passed by and no TC and finally, reached Ratlam at around 6.30 and still no TC. Now I can sit in my seat freely. I friggin have a legit ticket now. Oh and yeah, did I tell you. The train is friggin packed. For the first time in my life I am seeing such a rush inside a train.

A few calls here and there, a lousy dinner in the train and finally its time to sleep. I am supposed to reach Delhi at 3.30am in the morning. So I tried sleeping for a while but couldn't. So, I made few calls at around 12am. After all, it was Christmas day. And slept at around 1am and woke up 3.30 thinking I will reach Delhi soon. But little did I know that due to fog we will not be reaching Delhi any time soon. So, I tried sleeping again but just couldn't and these few hours seemed the longest of my life. Finally, at 8.30am I reached Delhi.

Foggy winter morning, the chill in the air and the feeling of being home. It was just too friggin awesome. Excited? Yes, I friggin am. Can't wait to reach home now. So, I took a taxi and reached home at 9.30am. Mom was waiting at the door for me. Only I know, how I felt when she opened the door for me. This is the place where I belong, finally, a bit late but I am home.

Well, that's it for now. I think I gotta plan my holidays as I have a lot to do in so little time. Will see you very soon. Till then take care and stay safe. Merry Christmas Y'all. bless you.

Adios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHMEDABAD DIARIES: CHAPTER VI MEET MY MATES.......

A month old in this city now and I am still taking things slowly and learning a lot of new things. Things are on the better side now. Been able to gel well with my roommates and it's been going quite good as of now. Though there are a lot of things that I have still not accustomed myself to, maybe because a lot of things here are way too different from Delhi. The lifestyle and everything. Things are just way too different. Well, what else can I expect this is a small town on the border of Gujarat. In all honesty however, this city is still better than what I had expected. Nothing against the city, but the name itself isn't really attractive. 

So, after a month, I have roommates and a place I can call home. A place I can return to in the evening saying “I am going home”. If you remember I had told you about the house and I believe you pretty much have an idea how the house looked like. Well, it is totally different now. It's clean and every sink has been sorted. So things are just fine with the house right now. I sometimes feel kind of lonely and awkward living with people I hardly know anything about. But these people have been quite nice, they've done quite well in making me feel comfortable and honestly, I do feel comfortable most of the time. Apart from odd times here and there in between, I am okay with it.

Okay, so I told you that all of them work in banks and the best part is, all of them have different, very different personality from each other. It ranges from being funny to being a bit oversmart. I mean, they are poles apart, which I think is a good thing as it makes staying there a bit more interesting. 

Alright, so the other two guys are quite fine, they are nice to talk and in every aspect they look and seem to be one of those normal bankers. Not much into their works, I don't mean that they are not hard working, they however are not one of those obsessive about their work. They do have a bit of sense of keeping work and life separated from one another. Apart from that they are quite nice to talk to, I mean, unlike the Boss of the house, these two can  strike up a sensible conversation, which always is a welcomed gesture to me. I like people with a good conversational skills, maybe because I suck at it. 

The "Boss of the house" is a different personality from others. Never met someone quite like him, he's one in million type of guy. Well, we call him "Sirji". Why????? Because, he is the oldest tenant in the house, he actually was the one who found out this house and the others joined him later on, like me. So, you could say he is the ultimate authority in the house and we don't interfere much in what he says. He also has a knack of not listening to people, not that he's rude or arrogant or something, he just don't listen to anyone and even if he does, he doesn't seem to take anything in consideration. 

Let me tell you a bit more about him. Though it hasn't been very long and I am yet to understand each one fully or know their personalities better. There are however a thing or two that I have so far observed. "Sirji" as we call him, is a kind of person who doesn't spend much of his money. I mean, I have seen him going through the entire day without even spending a single buck. Doesn't even drink a tea or coffee with his money. He's like if someone is willing to pay for him then he doesn't mind having but if he were to pay he'd rather not have it.

Okay, did I tell, that there is a TV in the house but no cable connection. So we other three discussed to have a cable connection and we agreed on it. We called the operator to come and get it done. But "Sirji" had different ideas. Oh, did I tell you how much the cable connection was for? 200 Bucks and we were supposed to share it equally, which he did not agree to, saying it's just a wastage of money. Come on, it's just 50 bucks. We even told him not to share it if he don't want, but then he'd say that it will just increase the electric bill. So after a long discussion he sent the cable guy back saying we don't want it. The rest of us could not say anything else, after all he's the Boss.

He's a kind of person, if you leave a light switch on he'd just go and turn it off without even asking if it's still in use or not. He'd just turn it off. He's like that, every night at exactly 10pm he'd just switch off the lights in the entire house. Why?? Because we don't need these lights on at night, it just increases the light bill and he doesn't want those extra expenses. Sometimes annoying, however no one says anything about it. So, I don't wanna be the one to always complain about things. 

Oh, well yeah, I had complained about a few things or two, when I entered the house initially. However I was told later that it was of no use so, I just sort of stopped it. He is a kind of person you just cannot indulge yourself in a meaningful conversation with. Half of the things that he says doesn't make sense and the other half, just plain useless things. He talks a lot though, mostly without making much of a sense and the other times he doesn't understands what we say, maybe because I don't make sense sometimes myself. So, it's of no use talking to him most of the times.

He's getting married on the first of February, and let me tell you, he is friggin excited about it. He'd sometimes bombard us with all kinds of questions. Like, who should be treated as the most important after marriage? What keeps a woman happy? How to keep married life and work life in a balance? Is it okay if my wife is not virgin? How would I find out if my wife is a virgin or not? Well, these are just one of those questions. I mean, how are we supposed to know all these. We are not even married and honestly, not even close to getting married. And sometimes it's better not to answer him, because if you do, then that would attract another question.

Oh, yeah I have not even told you the best thing yet. This weekend, I went to a hotel to stay a night there. I wanted to watch Liverpool's match, so I went, we're gonna talk about it later. On Sunday afternoon, he sends me a text.

Sirji: Our tiffin centre is closed, so wed need to eat somewhere else.

Me: Ok.

Sirji: Okay we'll go to Krishna Restaurant (The second best in the town) and eat there. This would be a Christmas party from your side.

Me: Okay. (Well I had no other option to be honest, after all it's our festival).

I mean I was so shocked when he sent me that. We hardly know each other, even if we knew, I don't think I'd be comfortable enough to ask him something like that. He however had no hesitation. Which was okay, but funny and a bit awkward.

The most annoying thing that he does is that, whenever in discussion about something, he'd speak in agreement only to change his mind later on  not to forget he's oversmart. He sometimes acts like he knows everything and sometimes speaks even when he doesn't.

So, this is the kind of people I live with. Glad that finally I am going home for Christmas and will be away from all these things. Really looking forward to eating home cooked food, honestly the food here is not bad but it's a bit too spicy for my liking. I mean for one or two days its fine, eating that every day however is a bit of a problem for me.

So, goodbye to all that for a week, I am going home. For the first time, Goodbye isn't hurting me. Thank God.

Well, I will see you soon. Till then take care and stay safe. 

Adios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S.- Finally, I am happy.

AHMEDABAD DIARIES: CHAPTER V NEW HOUSE BUT THE SAME OLD FEELINGS

“Life never promised to be a walk in the park and it will never be. There will be stones, thornes and everything thrown at you along the way. Times will test you and bring you to a point of breaking. It never promised it's going to be an easy ride. Life is everything, the choice is yours on how you wanna see it and how you wanna walk through this.”

After about a month of Hotel stay, I have finally found a house or sort of a house. I am supposed to stay with three guys. All of them working in different banks. Though it's not the most exciting thing, it however made most sense out of all the possible options I had.

Let me brief you with all the options I had. First, I can stay in the hotel for the entire three months time, though it's not gonna cost me huge bucks it's expensive however. Second, I can rent a room on my own. The glitch however is that I am here for just three months and no one would keep me as a tenant for that short time. Third, I can stay in a guest house, which is cheaper than a hotel. The problem however is that the guest house is in an area where I had been advised by my staff not to go or venture alone. So, staying there is a far cry.

Finally, after a long thought about it, I decided to move in to the house. Excited???? Hmmmmm... Not much, but the situation called for it, so it has to be done. I had no other real options left to be honest.

With my peon, I went to the hotel checked out from there, paid the bill and headed straight to the room. Okay, upon entoring the house what I saw seemed to me like a nightmare. The house was filthy and it's not an exaggeration. It looked as if no one ever entered the room for years let alone clean it. Mattresses all over the place and clothes hanging here and there, dust all over the place and the worst, every sink was blocked and water clogging in each of them. Hmmmmmm....Thoughts of going back to the hotel hit me hard, but I had no other options as the hotel had been booked in advance from  8^th to the 20^th of December. I couldn't go back there either anyway.

So, I left my stuff there and went back to work, hoping that things will work out in the evening. I seriously needed to talk to the other guys. I mean the condition of the house was just a bit too bad for anyone to live in and I am not sure how they'd been doing that for all that time. Nevermind, reached office and it's an usual day at the bank. Talking to clients, opening account, verifying transactions etc.

Not this but the house looked something like this.

Returned home quite tired and spoke with the guys, first, small bit of intrduction with the guys. Let me tell you, this is going to be interesting. Each person with a very different personality and attitude towards things and life. Ummmmmm... Well, we'll talk about these people in detail later on. Even I need to know them better to write something about them anyway. With a bit of uncomfort, I went in, changed and sat down with them for a while. We talked for a while, then I realized I needed to buy few things, so we went to the market. It was just about 10-15 walking distance and these people prefer walking than taking an auto or a cab. I got myself a mattress and a few things neccessary for my use. Then I cleaned my supposed area and made my bed. Well, I asked them to do it as well. Honestly, I am a buit fussy about all these things. It was not in any way about being a new guy speaking too much, but this was something that had to be done. So everyone did. By 11pm at night, the house looked a bit better. Hmmmm...... At least I could sleep there now. So I slept.

After a while of living there, now not just the house looks livable but it's kind of clean now. Happy with it. The house is not bad, in fact it's very good, the locality is good and the people around there are pretty decent. Landlord seems to be a great man. He'd ask me every day if there is any problem or something. He'd always tell me “you are an out of towner, you don't look like us and people's behaviour towards you is not always going to be good. Some will taunt you, some will tease you or some will just pull a trick or two.” Well, this is what happens to us in most part of this country. Kind of used to of it now, however it never ceases to piss me off whenever it happens.

He'd go on to add “if you never need any help, just ask us straight and don't hesitate. You are my guest and it's my responsibility to take care of you”. Well, just the kind of words you want to hear in a place you don't know anything about. How much of a help they'd be, I am not sure. However saying that is enough for me to make me feel better and I felt better for sure.

The usual routine of waking up, going to office, coming back in the evening and having dinner at night. Oh well, yeah, dinner..... We eat our dinner by 7 or 7.30pm at night. Can you imagine 7.30 and dinner done. Even I was kind of shocked when they took me to eat at 7.00pm. My roommates come from work and head directly to the mess to eat. Well, maybe that suits them, but me, I frigging sleep at 00.30 am not at 10.00pm like them. Yeah, they sleep at 10 pm. Believe it or not. I used to eat dinner at 10pm in the hotel. Hmmmm.... That's gonna take a bit of extra effort to adjust to.

This is how I am still feeling, only sometimes though

There are a lot of things that needs to be sorted, from my side as well and their side at the same time, but we all share one thing in common. We all work in banks and all don't like our Managers. Don't know if that happens in every bank but all of us don't see eye to eye with our respective Managers for different reasons. At the end of our working hours we always find an hour or two to discuss about what goes inside our respective banks and how we deal with people and stuff. So, you can say so far it has been a smooth ride at the new house for me. Gelling well with the roomies and adapting well to the change in eating routine and sleeping as well.

The Guys are pretty decent and quite well mannered to be honest. I mean yeah, they live a lifestyle which is way different from mine, but they don't seem to complain about anything. Oh, well neither do I. Maybe because it's just been few days but there seems to be a kind of mutual respect among us. So, all is not bad around here.

The only problem is, these people live close by, well at least for me they live very near. Their houses are like 100km away from here, about  hours drive to be precise and I live frigging 1000km away from here and it takes friggin 14 hours to get there. You see what I am saying is, every weekend they all go to their homes and spend the weekend there. Which simply means that on weekends I am going to be alone. As I told you before, weekends are the time when I feel lonely the most. I can't however help it. They have a family and they need to see them just like I do.  Normally everything looks fine on the outside but inside it's all the same. I mean at the hotel I felt the same. Weekdays are fine as I work and sleep early so time just flies by. Weekends however has a different story to tell. Wake up and stay at home the entire day all by myself and sleep alone. It's not something I am very good at and it's gonna take a while for me to get used to. So, I have finally founf a home with few people to live with. Still the same feeling of loneliness stays. Things have got better for sure, however nostalgia grips me sometimes and I know, it will do so for a long time to come. Whether I like it or not, I will have to live like this for a while. So, it's the best for me to get accustomed to it sooner rather than later. Trying my best. Yeah I am.

Everything said and done, it's been more than a month since I have left home and yeah, adjusting slowly everyday. Everyday there is something new for me to learn, some new things that I need to get myself accustomed to and something new that I need to tell my parents to. There is always something new. This has so far been quite a good journey and I hope to get maximum out of it.

Christmas is knockin on the door now and I am still not sure about going home or not. I think I will but still there is a small bit of doubt that I might not be able to. I don't want to get into all that right now. I will rather just wait and see what happens and then maybe let you know about it.

That's it for now. Will see you soon. Till then take care and stay safe.

Adios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!