It’s been quite some time since I posted here. I am back in India and it’s already going to be a month, since I am back. (Though I would continue updating FinnTimes). A month back, I had mentally thought about a number of things that would be different after being used to a different life for 5.5 months. Finally I am listing them down.

– Finally I would be able to drive after a gap of 5.5 months!
– I would also get leered at, something which I had gotten quite unused to.
– Finally I would be able to make some sense of the conversation happening around me (mostly).
– On the other hand, I wouldn’t be able to throw all caution to the winds and talk freely in Hindi, assuming at the time that no one else understood it.
– I would be able to get my hair cut and not burn a 115 Euro deep hole in my pocket!
– There would be some fragrances in the air (good and bad both), instead of an odourless environment.
– Finally I would be able to create a noise or generally be loud, without feeling guilty about it.
– I wouldn’t be able to go out late at night or alone :(..sigh.
– No mid night sun either 🙁
– There would be lots of home cooked food. Ok, I was cooking myself, but at least I wouldn’t have to cook for a change.
– I can not expect maps, information booklets, brochures at my beck and call at every place I visit.. sigh.
– I need to get rid of the habit of leaving things lying around in public places and expecting them to still be there when I am not looking.
– No more pets in all public transport or escalators or shops!
– Unfortunately, the short period of not seeing animals/ppl splattered on roads, comes to an end.
– I would finally spend in Rupees and reverse-condition my mind to feel happy with the Rupee to Euro conversion. Oh, 100 bucks? That’s not even 2 euros! Imagine what all I can buy within that!
– I can now get away with not following timings, not being punctual etc. :p.
– I can indulge in some late night shopping!
– I am apprehensive about tackling crowds, places and events like Pragati Maidan Trade fairs, etc.
– No more imported fruits and veggies in my diet. Mere desh kee dhartee sona ugle or ugle taazi sabji.
– Finally I can use a gas stove/grill instead of a hot plate. Ah, the joys of cooking with an instant temperature control!
– I can not expect insurance to cover every damn thing on earth, including things like damage caused by me to someone else’s property!
– I would miss saying “thank you” in multiple languages (changing quite frequently at that). I surely have had to suppress the urge to automatically utter “Kittos”.
– I can finally go to a beauty parlour without the risk of coming out eye brow less.
– I can finally watch some theatre (and understand the language) or just soak in some cultural experience.
– No more exquisite cakes, pastries, muffins, confectionary items at my beck and call :(.
– No more tracking the Euro’s progress in order to transfer money online. (This would happen only after the final umbilical cord called “submitting tax in Finland” is cut).
– No more looking out for events that the Indian community in Finland would indulge in.
– No more calculation of a 3.5 hour offset with the timezone. It’s the reverse now, actually speaking, but on a much lesser frequency.
– No more broadband :(. No more 5 hour skype calls, no more googletalk :(. Well, it’s possible here technically, but so far it’s not there in my life.
– Getting used to an English keyboard after a Finnish keyboard is BOUND to be difficult (it has been so far).
– No more globe trotting/checking out new destinations on weekends :(. Am going to be a koop mandoop (Frog in a well) now.
– No more of a relaxed lifestyle..sigh.. life is in the fast lane here.
– No more blondes in the view, no more looking out for ppl who possess Indian looks, no more trying to be friendly to such ppl, no more of “all things Indian, standing out or leaping out at me” whether in print, radio or TV.
– No more of learning Finnish, by watching sub titles on TV. I am surely gonna miss that.
– No more Finnish songs on radio :(. Sigh…
– No more sauna.
– Finally I would have some house help for cleaning, washing utensils etc.
– Now I would have to start thinking about petrol prices, after not thinking abt them all this while.
– Finally no one would assume that I am Spanish, Greek, Russian, Iranian and what not, instead of Indian!
– Onset of marriage season! Oh boy! Regular traffic jams and invitations everyday.
– Finally I would get tuned in to the Indian movie scene and media. No, it’s really futile trying it all through streaming.
– No more Euro salary 🙁
– No more BIG moon or sunset and stars at the same time in the sky. 🙁

All said and done, it’s great being back on the mother ship.