Mamma's Baby - Part 3

Hi, all!

Continuing my account of Mamma's UK visit...

Mamma at London Bridge Underground Station

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Food Paradise and Simple Pleasures

By evening, we returned to cozy Orpington. From then on, it was a series of days filled with earnest studies and lots and lots of fun times. Anu Maushi very graciously gave Mamma complete kitchen freedom. Together, they made me all the food preparations I could possibly think of... I was quite literally in food paradise! We also sang songs and had wonderful discussions on a variety of issues. I gleaned several pearls of wisdom from both ladies, beautiful on the inside and out.

A glimpse of my personal food paradise

Good times

Siddharth dada, despite his super-busy schedule, drove us to London one Sunday. We visited the uniquely splendid Science Museum and also drove past some cool London sights on the way back. We also visited his new house, currently under-renovation but still breathtaking and a beauty-in-the-making. Thanks to him, I also had the good fortune of tasting a delicious Irish cream liquor drink and those super-addictive lime-n-chilly tortilla chips. Our trip-concluding 2-a-team Antakshari session was also rather memorable.

Mamma & Anu Maushi; Us at the IMAX show at the Science Museum

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Say Goodbye ... again!

Two weeks evaporated into thin air and it was time for Mamma to leave. It broke my heart to let her go. To my credit, I was not clingy or cranky and I did not childishly ask her to extend her stay for me, no matter how much I wanted it. On her part, by visiting me, she had already given me the strength and courage to continue my journey alone, without me even realising it.

And then she flew back home.

Through it all, this Mamma's Baby spent some precious and priceless time with her Mamma and is eternally grateful to her parents for giving her what she wanted most... her Mamma's company.


Signing off,

Kay

Mamma's Baby - Part 2

Hi, all!

Continuing my account of Mamma's UK visit...

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Mamma at the University

Apart from the psychological comfort of Mamma being here with me, I was most excited to show her glimpses of my life here. We arrived at the University in the afternoon. We first went to my room. I was happy to see that she was happy and comfortable in my living space. She loved the view too (who wouldn't!). We shared a nice pizza for lunch, relaxed some, and then stepped out to visit the campus. I pointed at or took her to all the places I could possibly think of... the accommodation offices, the laundry, the campus squares, the library, the Ivor Crewe hall, the lecture theatre building, the places where I eat or hang out on campus, my department, the labs... we even met one of my lecturers... and some of my classmates. Then, we walked to my current shopping mecca, Tesco, taking in the budding greenery on the way and the cool, fresh evening air. We bought some groceries for the weekend and also shared a cappuccino : ) In the space of a few hours, I had taken her through six months worth of my life here. For the first time since coming here, I realised how good I had it here, and it was all thanks to my parents!

Mamma at the University

Meet the Friends

That evening was special too. I took Mamma to meet my family away from family ... Aparna and Abhilasha. They bonded so well that it seemed like they'd known each other since ages... and that was the icing on the delicious cake that was this day.

Mamma with Aparna & Abhilasha

Shopping Spreeeee!!!!!!!!!!

The next day, Mamma and I joined Abhilasha, Aparna, and her friend Yukti to a shopping visit to the retail village, Freeport, at Braintree. The visit was lots of fun. I hadn't shopped for the sake of shopping in a long time and having Mamma there made the experience even more enjoyable. Abhilasha and Aparna also gifted her a beautiful white purse. We capped off the visit with a coffee/hot chocolate visit to Starbucks and returned home.

Fun day at Freeport, Braintree, with Yukti, Aparna and Abhilasha

Meet the Flatmates

On Sunday, Mamma had the opportunity to meet my dear flatmates Nadia and Buthaina, who made us parathas and coffee respectively. She was even more relieved to see that I was in excellent company all around.

Mamma with Buthaina & Nadia

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Continued in Part 3

Part 3

Mamma's Baby - Part 1

Hi, all!

Many months ago (eight to be precise), I had planned to return home briefly in April for my best friend's wedding. As fate would have it, I was to have my evil final exams at that very time. My best friend, Trupta, was unbelievably calm about the whole thing. She understood that exams, evil as they may be, were important and entirely unavoidable. So we let the thing rest. But it saddened me to know that I wouldn't get to meet my parents, friends, or family for many more months. Then, my genius parents came up with a solution! My mum volunteered to come visit me for a few days... and then she did! : )

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The unbearable wait

When she confirmed her two-week trip, I was beyond ecstatic. I went about grinning so broadly that people must've thought I'd lost my marbles. Our family friends in Orpington, Mrs Anupama Deshmukh (Anu Maushi) and her son Dr Siddharth, graciously agreed to host us for the duration of her trip. At my end, I also made arrangements for her visit to the University.

The stressful spring term ended on the 20th of March and Mamma was to arrive on the 1st of April. I had to also start exam preparations around that time... and trust me, that was not easy! I had to really push myself to focus and not drift off into sweet daydreams of all the fun I would have when Mamma would be here. When I would step out, I would make mental notes of all the things and places I wanted to show Mamma. The days could not go by quickly enough. But before I knew it, the 31st of March had arrived.

***

And there she was...

I travelled to Orpington that evening so as to go to Heathrow the next morning to pick up Mamma. Early next morning, I went to the airport. Her flight landed, and the wait was now unbearable. And then, I saw her... my mirror image... older, but far more beautiful. I ran to her like a little kid and hugged her tight. I felt like a weight had been lifted off me and I was filled with that warm feeling one gets when something wonderful happens.

We then made our way back to Orpington. Once we arrived, Anu Maushi welcomed us warmly and we spent the day catching up on this, that and everything, exchanging gifts, and enjoying delicious home-cooked food. That evening, Siddharth dada helped us plan our visits to my aunt's in Norbury, then to the University, and finally back to Orpington. It would be a slightly hectic beginning to her trip, but the latter half of the trip would be a relatively calm one.

So, as planned, we travelled to Norbury to visit my aunt and Mamma's cousin, Nirmal Mantri, whom I had visited in mid-January. We spent a nice day with her; we relaxed, reminised, went out for lunch, did some window-shopping, and then came back and relaxed some more. Early next morning, we made our way to the University.

Mamma at Victoria Station, then at the University

***

Continued in Parts 2 and 3

Part 2