Changing Priorities: I’m on borrowed time now!

The laid back bachelor's party were I was given the
advice on marital bliss 

Card from my colleagues wishing me well before
I take off for my wedding

The funniest comment...:)

My last blog update was almost three months ago where I wrote the conclusion to my adventures in Tanzania. The precise last statement I had used then was “…It remains to be seen if Tanzania was my last great adventure in Africa…perhaps time will tell!”

Temperature scan in Abidjan airport. I had to go
through 5 of these in various countries 

Well, since then things on a professional and more importantly on a personal level have certainly headed in a direction which makes that last statement seem prophetic. Quite a bit has happened since then so this blog post is going to be a bit of a ramble about the change in my priorities and how that affects the future of this blog site.

Wedding shopping with my
mamas (maternal uncles) & borther

My house all decked up when I finally got to Belgaum

For the first four years of my assignment in Liberia I had made a conscious effort to visit India just once per year leaving the other three home leaves to explore Africa - 2014 was going to end up being totally different.

Partying with an African drink (Amarula) with cousins

Mehendi (or henna) two days
before the wedding
Top: Sis-in-law and mother
Bottom: Sis and cousin

Bother and nephew setting up the beds for guest

Although I visited Rwanda and Tanzania on short trips in 2014, I hopped over to India every single time - first in March, then July and September and earmarked a big time-off in December for India as well. All this for a very good reason indeed.

Enter Laxmi!

I first met her for the first time in October 2013 in a meeting that was arranged by our parents. Note the emphasis on the word arranged.

Day before the wedding was a
sort of engagement ceremony among other events

I would be lying if I said that I was not smitten from the moment I saw her. She on the other hand was less than impressed and what’s more…as I found out to my utter shock, cared little about my adventures. Perhaps I was overconfident in the thought that if I can bluster about my adventures it would be enough to sway any girl. She certainly brought me crashing down to earth. Long story short, most of the first half of 2014 went in courting her until she gave me a ”second thought”…and thankfully so!

Haldi (turmeric) ceremony the night before. If my
wedding pics are yellow then this is the reason for it

Sis & sis-in-law having a dance performance
after the ceremonies

So many of my friends have asked me if it was an arranged marriage. If I could define it then it would be something like “sort of an arranged marriage with a twist”.

Circa midway through 2014 - a few of my colleagues in Liberia were already suspicious noting that I was visiting India more often and was spending a considerable amount of time on the phone. Their suspicion was finally confirmed when I announced that my wandering vagabond days were numbered with me officially getting hitched in December and thus the extended vacation.

Top left: With parents                                                                              Right: Fire is considered holy in Hindu ceremonies
so we walk around it while the priest recites verses in the ancient language of Sanskrit
Bottom left: A chain around her signifies marriage in Hindu custom (akin to a wedding ring)  

Circa November - Among all the expats, I was the last bachelor standing but not for long. We must have had 2-3 bachelor parties in the guesthouse where the expats who stayed back during the peak of the Ebola epidemic got together for social activities. One Saturday evening when all the guys showed up for a bit of whiskey as everybody went around the table giving their marital advice was special. I should've compiled those legendary advices coming from people from all across the globe (US, South Africa, Philippines, Malaysia and India).

Cousins

An elephant would be very expensive
so I had to make do with a horse...:)

Circa December - I left for India early in the month and had to pass through the temperature check/heat scanners of five countries (Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ethiopia, and India) and overnight stay in two cities (Accra and Addis Ababa) before eventually arriving in Mumbai.

I had already lost a day due to a missed connection so despite the fact that I had no sleep on the red eye flight from Addis Ababa and a bit of jet lag I proceeded to the city of Pune and along with my brother and maternal uncles we went out for the wedding shopping. I was dead after almost 12 hours of shopping but still had to make my way to my home town, Belgaum, where the festivities were just getting started.

Yep...we don't mind dancing on the streets
and blocking the traffic :)

Weddings in India for my non-Indian blog readers are a long drawn out affairs lasting several days. Infact some of the ceremonies were done in my absentia. The official wedding date was December 15th but basically 13th to the 17th December was a blur filled with immense amount of celebrations, colors, dance, food, and a lot of joy.

The bride's sisters return my shoes after we
had negotiated a fee in return. 

The wedding was followed by a pilgrimage trip with my parents and wife in the quite comfort of a sedan…quite a world away from roughing it out in public transports in the African bush. That was followed by a few days on honeymoon on the tropical beaches of Goa and later a cousin’s wedding. Soon it was already time for me to head back to Mumbai but this time to catch a flight to Nashville!

Family portrait

I was going to touch base back in the land of opportunity almost 5 years to the date I had left it. I still distinctly remember the sight of my flight taking off from the icy lands of Eastern USA on January 3rd 2010.

As soon as the plane landed in Newark I was in for a surprise. As the plane came to a halt after its taxi the flight attendant requested all passengers on the PA system to clear the aisle way and take their seats so that they could take of a passenger first. I even overheard one female flight attendant murmuring to her colleague her surprise at this announcement. Guess she was as surprised as everyone with the announcement.

First time in a parlor for me
as I accompanied Laxmi for
her reception make up

We can dance anytime...this one was one
helluva party at the reception

I took my seat thinking that they probably had a patient who needed immediate medical attention but was shocked when my name was called. It was an interesting walk down the aisle as all the other passengers turned to look at me wondering what I had done wrong.

Post reception play

At the door of the plane I was greeted by an immigration official who asked me how long it had been since I was in Liberia and that's when I realized that it was all to do with Ebola. I told them that I had been out of Liberia for over 21 days (which is the normal incubation time) but was still taken to a separate room until the Immigration and CDC (Center for Disease Control) officials could come to a conclusion about what to do with me. Forty minutes later my passport was stamped and I was let go without having to undergo the standard medical protocol.

Pilgrimage with parents...usually not one for
it but...oh well!

It felt nice to be in the US again and somehow it seemed that I socialized by reconnecting with all my friends in Nashville more than doing any real work. The real reason for me being in the US though was to work out the details of my move back to the US…After five fantastic years in Africa it was time to move on!

Vacationing in south Goa

It was perfect the way things have worked out both professionally and personally over the past 3 months and there is a profound bitter-sweet feeling about it all. This blog site unfortunately is nearing its end. Maintaining it takes a lot of time and patience and with the change in my priorities this blog won’t get as much time. Plus, I don't envision much adventure travel once I move to Nashville so there won’t be anything exciting to write about as well.

I have dedicated countless hours to this site so it atleast deserves a good concluding post, if nothing it will give me a sense of closure. That's why I intend to return back for one last post soon.

The desperation of my limited time in Africa has not hit hard yet but as March 1st (my official start date in Nashville) nears I am gradually feeling the need to start packing…not just my stuff but my memories as well.