My Stay in Manchester - 1

Hope this blog finds you all in good cheer and great vitality. I am doing very good with lot of activity both at home and at work. It has been 2 weeks since I have arrived in Manchester, UK.

One thing I have been harping about since I arrived is not seeing the Sun at all, so far. It is a very peculiar feeling that you see the light around and never the originator. It is then I realized how much we (in India) are all blessed with sunshine almost 365 days in an year. The need and essence of worshiping the Sun is something that I am starting to understand. I suddenly realized that the things that I have been taking for granted so long are actually the basic building blocks of my being.

Apart from sunshine and four other elements of nature, there is this other part of my being in the world which I am missing so much by being here so far away from you all. I think you can guess what (in fact who) I am talking about. It is about my family, I am missing them so much. But, I am sure it is just transient (temporary) in nature and soon I will be back among them. There is enough activity for me not to be too much thinking about you all. Lot of work at office in a different kind of environment which, indeed, is challenging and at the same time I am cherishing the positive excercise it is giving to my mind.

Coming to other activities, I have been consistently cooking something or the other in the evening which is surprising given my lethargy, but is indeed out of compulsion. This country is full of cheese and meat. So, it is better I cook and eat than eat those thing from outside.

I have been doing constant research on homes and schools since I arrived here. I have made some good connections with Manchester city council. Here in UK, city council provides us with information about all community related things like driving, schooling, homes etc., I have narrowed down to two places Didsbury and Whitefield which have good primary schools (at least 3 of them) and where we can live comfortably. Along with other persons (who have come here for the same project) I have gone to this place (Didsbury) last weekend and was able to get a good feel of the area first hand. We met a real estate agent there and he gave us some idea about what are the sub areas and rents. One good thing about IBM's foreign service policy is it gives you good money to have a nice and comfortable living in a fully furnished home. In this range, I see very good houses here in Didsbury with at least two bedrooms (some of them 3 bedrooms)and fully furnished.

By the way, while coming back from this place we have walked down to a place called Rusholme which is full of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shops. There is one mile stretch of these shops and well known as "Curry Mile". We had our lunch in a place called "Sanam" and some of our friends here purchased some food items (like frozen chapatis) from a shop which could be an Indian or Pakistani shop. As you know, it is difficult to distinguish between an Indian and Pakistani, after all, it was one country once upon a time. Couple of things I observed here is, if you want to you could walk to any main places here without any problem. There are plenty of buses, trams and taxis available. The famous "Picadally Gardens" is just a stone's throw from the place I am living (Premier apartments, Manchester city central). Hence, you can see that I am getting positive vibes that will enable us to live here for an year. I feel this trip will be essential to help Minnie and Chittie get a different perspective and good learning experience.

Alright then it is good that I am able to sit and write a blog this length after a long time. I have just cooked rice and sambar and need to eat before it becomes too late. Also, I need to go and see the condition of clothes that I have put in automatic washing machine.

Bye now !