It’s not impossible; but it is hard to make that move; the one that plucks you from the lap of comfort and everything that is familiar and lands you lock, stock and barrel in the midst of the unknown. When I was told by the husband about an exciting offer he had received in Chennai, I knew it was not one to pass up. Excited at the prospect of moving to a new city, exploring new avenues and embarking on new adventures, we grabbed it with open hands.
I’d grown a little weary of living in the same city and had been itching to do something different for a while. Everything had fallen into a comfortable routine and I was eager to shake things up a bit. So a move to a new city seemed like a fairly nice idea.
The reality, though, began to sink in when we finally began to say our goodbyes. The fact, that I’d actually be leaving everything that was familiar and be moving to a new city with no family or friends around seemed daunting. And then, adding to our doubts were all those well-meaning friends who came up with stuff like ‘Oh, the food is terrible there’ ‘Chennai is super steamy, enjoy the weather’ ‘You might have an AC at home, but there’ll be no power to run it.’ Really! Did everyone think I was moving to some tiny town off the development grid?
Despite the trepidation, I decided to take it one day at a time and brushed aside all the comments and remarks that had been coming our way. And boy, am I glad I did that. It took only a week to realise that Chennai is a city filled with some very helpful people, right from the ageing landlord who insisted on assisting us with our unloading and unpacking, to the cab driver who drove like he was Dom from Fast & Furious to ensure I didn’t get late for my first day at work. The city has left me pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
It’s not just the people; it’s the thriving culture here as well. Nope, I am not a classical dance and music enthusiast. But there’s something about waking up to the neighbour practising her Carnatic vocals every other morning.
Then there’s all that wonderful food the city has to offer; I’ve already made a long list of restaurants to cross off my checklist. From digging into some pepper chicken fry at Anjappar and fresh seafood at The Marina, to Chicken A La Kiev at The Winter Palace and Belgian Waffles at Waf O’ Bel and even Moonrakers at Mahabalipuram, my list is quite exhaustive. And, for my wandering soul, all the neighbouring weekend getaways hold so much promise. Looks like Chennai might just end up being a very pleasant ride after all.
