Of tearless goodbyes and cold welcomes.........

Its been almost four months since I relocated from Basel to Boston. My job makes me quite a globe-trotter and, trying to disguise my gypsy ways with a little bit of scientific activity, I find myself a malleable and, much to my surprise, lively person. Needless to say, the initial few weeks had been quite hard on me, in this alien land. Gradually, I am getting used to the pace of this vibrant and youthful city and somehow, I find myself willing to adapt myself to its rhythm and pulse.
One of the many advantages this country offers is that you can reconnect with your childhood friends, classmates, relatives and the whole focus of every Indian I have met so far is to make the best of this land. Most of my acquaintances have settled here and everyone among them seems to have a piece of advice for me. For the most part, I am an active listener, trying to take-in all the information I am being handed, but lately, I find myself getting passive. In spite of a quadruple work load, the technique of 'going-with-the-flow' has worked wonders on me. I am much less excitable, quieter and (you wont believe it) happier !!!
Earlier, in my beloved Basel, in most cases I witnessed, I was quick to blame misery on loneliness, depression on a broken heart and despair on being-wronged. Here, in Boston, such cases abound, each person is as lonely as the next, every heart has had the misfortune of a break, and every person is used to being wrong or wronged. As I step into the train each morning, I try to decipher the thoughts of the students around me, plugged into their Iphones or competing in a SMS Olympics. Most of them look older than their years and have the look of 'been-there,done-that, and-there'. No one speaks unless spoken to, never help others unless requested, but once they agree to speak or help, they do so with a wide smile and easy laugh. 'Lets try to be good to each other, if only for a little while", is the motto drilled into all of them. Their stop arrives, they board off with a wave and never look back.
This country gives me many opportunities to interact with my toddling nephew. He lives with my sister (his mother) far away from me, but extended weekends give me the excuse to breath-in his baby smells, read his cute books and listen to some unadulterated opinions about each of his train engines. Not to mention, his demands to go for walks or participate in his games with imaginary traffic-lights and zebra crossings !
When I left Basel, I was indescribably sad- I was leaving a life behind, possibly never to return. I had loved Switzerland and, the life it offered, with all my heart, and was unable to tear myself away from my lovely lab-mates who, alongside working with me, had stood by me through thick and thin and who had made me feel comfortable so far away from home. I was leaving not just a picturesque land, but also a land where I had almost lost myself, and where I had experienced possibly the weakest moments in my short life. It was difficult to say my goodbyes and I was always dreading my last day in Basel. But when it came, I was surprisingly tearless, I had said my farewells to all my friends long before , possibly weeks earlier, over a lot of tears, a lot of arguments and a lot of promises to meet again.
I arrived in Boston which was really cold and windy and was swamped with administrative paperwork. I didn't like my days here, didn't like the desolation and was yearning for home. Then, entered far-flung relatives, batchmates, family--- all chipped in to make my life easier everyday.
To my surprise, last month when I met my cousin's family and my sister's family, I was able to fit in very easily. My little nephew loves creating a mess, especially if he has some pop-corn. My cleanliness-freak cousin, had to get the vacuum cleaner out, much to the dismay of my nephew. To be fair to him, he was brave for the first two minutes, looking at the vacuum monster with wide-eyes, then the eyes filled-up, and he ran into my arms to escape the calamity !
In a world of cheating boyfriends and insolent superiors and crazy rules, nothing warms a heart more than a three-year-old body shivering in your arms, looking up at you as if you had the power to make his world go right again ...........