Return to Home Base

Our return to California was as reluctant as the winter rains in the Amazon. But, as a rule, gypsies cannot stay put in any one place. For the moment, we’re overjoyed to be reunited with our family and friends.

The babies are growing up so fast. Nathan has just completed his first birthday. He’s waddling along perfectly on his two little feet. His days are just packed playing with Parul and Thatha, steering his red tricycle, and furiously pushing his blue walker. Imagine that he walked around Castro Street with us for almost an hour exploring every little nut, bolt, fence, wheel, and pebble he set eyes on. He knows us by our names and identifies us just the way he points out the clock, fan, and Nathan Good Boy. We take with us the picture of him sitting on a high chair at a restaurant during dinner where he gently folds his blanket and put his head on down on the table to indicate that he's tired.

Pushka, as we call our dearest Anoushka, is our darling angel. We miss spending time with her making her laugh incessantly or just plain cuddling her. We picture her sitting on the couch snuggled between two cushions peaceful as a princess or mischievously grinning at us from her bouncer or thoroughly pleased during her bath service. And Trisha, aren’t you growing into a pretty pretty doll. Our favorite moment was when the two little darlings shared the same chair and Trisha cuddled up to her newest friend to hide from mommy’s over-enthusiastic bid to extract a smile.

Despite all these ties, life also feels strange back "home". What makes a place "home"? Friends and family certainly make us feel like we're back. But we really miss going back to our own apartment, which by the way (we went back to check) still remains unoccupied since we left. For once, we land back without stressing about work piling up in the office. But oddly enough that stress breeds familiarity, a sense of arriving back. We’ve traded "home" for our "banjara" existence. And this is probably the first time this reality hit home.

Returning to the United States also disconnects us from our vacation world. The past two months seem like they never happened probably because nothing much has changed back home. Other than the babies, little else has made progress. Is this the way things will feel when we finally stop traveling? It’s a question that buzzes around our minds like an annoying little bee. There’s no doubt that we’ll miss the thrill of moving on every day, at least geographically, and planning our next move.

Not surprisingly then, we fly out of United States barely a week after we return. Our plan is to gather all our visas in India while spending time with our families there. Meanwhile, we’re making a totally unplanned pit-stop in Thailand and Cambodia.