Preparing to Leave
In ten days we will be boarding our flight back home to the
The biggest activity to close out is Helen’s volunteer work on the Overseas Women’s Club fund raiser called the Pink Elephant Sale. The Pink Elephant is a community-sized yard sale where articles donated by OWC members such as clothing, books, CDs, toys, house wares and all the other trappings of expat life are put on sale for all of Bangalore to purchase. This yearly event, the second largest OWC fund raiser, involves Helen gathering volunteers and donations. We have boxes of donations in our small apartment that have been sorted and priced. Finally, Helen needs to organize the activities on the day of the sale, 2 May, at St. Mark’s Cathedral. Needless to say, Helen has been focused on fulfilling her commitment. Time, nonetheless, for our departure marches forward.
Our departure heralds the completion of Jay’s work. The new development center facility has been opened in
Two unexpected business trips back to the
Notification to vacate our apartment has been given; arrangements for final payment of electric, gas, newspaper and so on have been made. We still need to close our Citibank account and hope that a repeat of the four weeks of hassle to open it is not repeated. The end of that saga is still to be realized.
Helen has cleverly sold our large purchases (king sized mattress, sheets, pillows, bedspread, coffee pot and bean grinder) to our next door neighbor. Due to plug configurations, our electrical appliances will be gifted. The printer-scanner-copier combination along with our wireless router will be given to Krupa for her use at the community center. Our wireless phone used with our Vonage VOIP adapter goes to our driver, Harish. Helen is actively helping Harish find another expat employer. He has been steady, dependable and helpful and has always protected us. We are glad to be his agent.
Our flight home is arranged. We fly home through Charles de Gaulle Airport in
One of our OWC friends, Pamela Bertram, is arranging a gathering of selected friends for a farewell dinner at the Blue Ginger restaurant the day before we depart. We have participated in several of these dinners in the past; it’s hard to believe that this time we will be the honored guests.
Labels: Leaving Bangalore
4 Comments:
Dear Jay and Helen, It is really sad to hear that you both are leaving India back to your home in Atlanta. Your blog has really given a picture about India from a western eyes. Thanks for taking the pains to update regularly which would be useful to anybody transitioning to India in the years to come.
Regards,
Bala.
Thaks for all teh inforamtio with your blogs, congratualtions on your successful time in India and teh great adaptation you made while there. I wish good fortune and peace on your return to Atlanta.
Drew
Silly me, I happened to notice this blog only about a month ago, and now the sad news breaks that the authors have to leave.
This blog has been a refreshingly creative effort. Crisp but detailed, the topics that were brought up have been truly varied and colorful, much as India herself is. Topics as diverse as "salt", "marriages" and "labor-of-India" find place and in the process the blog becomes as enlivened as an Indian Baazar is. Each post leaves indelible impressions with revealing snippets from history and rare insights into the life of India. Permit me to say that the authors were well and truly in love with the place - otherwise they could not have treated their subjects with such respect and care.
And let's hope (hoping against hope?), that the blog would go on. I don't know how. I just wish someone else can take over?
Congratulations Jay and Helen! It has been one great studious work this blog. Wish you the very best!
Thank you for your kind words! It is gratifying to know others appreciate reading about our experiences and perspectives of Indian life and culture.
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