The Move

M-day is finally here and we are going through mixed emotions. We are excited and enthusiastic about our upcoming adventure while being sad about leaving our home and friends and anxious about the challenges ahead.

Our cousins, Umesh and Trupti along with their daughters Dvisha and Brinda were driving us to the airport. Our life was neatly packed in eight chec-in luggage (carefully optimized by me to meet the 50lb Lufthansa airline weight limit) and six carry-on (caution thrown to the wind as far as weight is concerned) bags. I was convinced that we would need a fleet of cars or a U-Haul truck to carry all of this to the airport. But Umesh’s Chevy Suburban fit it all … and all the passengers as well! I have renewed respect for this beast of steel.

Check-in and security at the airport was extremely smooth and our flight took of on time (German punctuality at its best). New Years eve was on the plane as we flew over Mumbai. Champagne was served on the plane and the passengers cheered as the captain heralded in 2007. Not quite the “dropping of the ball in Times Square” but definitely beats the heck out of curling up on a cramped airline seat and trying to catch a wink of sleep.

Arrival in Bangalore would have been totally uneventful except for the fact that one of our eight bags did not make it from Frankfurt. This delayed our exit from airport since we had to wait for all the bags to be unloaded and file a lost baggage complaint. All in all, a fairly good trip and we are now in Bangalore – our new home for the next couple of years.