A famous author Leigh Hershkovich had once said and I quote,
“As I go off into the big black abyss of my future, I have to admit that I am terrified and also a bit insecure in my decisions. But, I also realize that anyone who has ever gone off into uncharted waters must have felt similar to the way I feel now, which gives me a small ounce of comfort. I don't know how to do what I am doing; I have no way of knowing if this is the right way or not. But I guess I'll never know until I get there. So, this is me, being a pioneer.” Unquote
Years later, another young and budding writer has said,
“The danger of sailing through uncharted waters is not nearly as dangerous as staying on shore, waiting for your boat to come in, because nobody ever discovered the secrets of the stars or opened a new doorway sitting at one place.”
I am sure you would have already guessed by now who the author to this one is!! :-)
I am sure my partner was one of the few who had probably read or met both or either of the authors (most definitely the second one…. lol), because her intent and conviction resonated with the above. I am referring to my partner’s decision to stay back alone in Melbourne, the uncharted waters, and traverse through it all by herself for the next 3 months.
Both of us didn’t have even an ounce of idea what laid ahead of us. It was a black hole of sorts. All we knew that there was a light at the end of the tunnel… which is where we had to ultimately reach… but how long and difficult or easy that journey would be to reach that destination... we had no clue. But, we knew for sure that we would never reach that light if we didn’t start walking towards it….
And so we did….. with my partner leading the way!!
It was day 1 of the 3-months long journey... the Sunday before the start of her first week in Melbourne.
Most of her day was spent reorganizing the apartment to “her” liking. I was pretty sure of that to happen, as after all, it was “her” apartment for the next 3 months. So, it was the table lamp kept in the left corner of the bed, moved to the right corner… the way she liked it, the dining table moved to the far end of the living room… the way she liked it, the key holder moved from next to the kitchen to next to the door… the way she liked it etc. etc. I got to know of all this once I came back and saw the apartment looking all different, to which she had smirked and replied…
“You were not living here for the last 3 months, so how did it matter!” Well, that made sense!!
It was winter in Australia at that time and the days were really short, so it meant it got dark outside around 5 pm Australia time. What it also meant was that she could not initially go out of the apartment post 5 pm, till the time she was little more comfortable to do it alone… new city… uncharted waters!! Also, the winters were supposed to be severe this year as forecasted by the weather department, and mother nature was proving the weather department right to the “T”. My partner, to her utter shock, noticed in the days to come that if the weather app showed it would get windy and will rain at 2 PM in the afternoon, like clockwork, it would start to get windy and drizzle at around 1.55 PM. Seemed mother nature was more pally with the weather department here, than in India…. where if it is forecasted to rain on any particular day, you can roam around on the streets in best of your white clothes, because it would never rain that day… Lol!
Since, we had become accustomed to defining short term milestones for each segment of our journey, in the same way the next important milestone for her was to get the “Big J” i.e. A Job in Melbourne. Getting a job would ensure that we have a steady flow of income to start with, she would start her professional journey here in Australia and keep herself busy and make some new friends. Thus, most of her energies were to be used to run after the reputed recruitment consultants here in Melbourne and aim for the first break in the job market.
Due to the influx of a lot of migrants to Australia, the job market lately became pretty competitive and jobs were hard to come. More so also due to the fact that experience in our countries was not considered as a relevant experience in Australia, thus it’s more like starting from the scratch here. So it was important for her, as it is for any new comer, to sell herself well to the recruitment consultants. For that, the first thing which was important was to redo her resume in the “Australian” way. Indian style resume was not accepted here. She had to spend considerable time and effort to understand the “Australian” style of writing resume… much like the time I spent in understanding the Australian way of packing and opening a tomato ketchup sachet so that you open it properly the first time, without spilling… lol!! And so, as in all the sticky situations, it was Googleman to the rescue. He helped my partner remodel the whole resume and prepare it in the “Australian” way. Being here for years, he was well versed with it. So that was one thing done.
Since the days were short, icy cold and highly windy… enough to blow away a human being sometimes, it was important for her to conduct all her meetings and interviews during the day time, as she would prefer to be indoors by early evening to avoid the weather calamities, which got worse as the evening progressed into the night. What made the matters worse was the games weather played here.
It is said about the Melbourne weather that you can see all the four seasons in a day, so much like her home town Shimla. So you might have the sun shining at one moment and the very next second it can start to rain and then turn into a blizzard of cold icy wind and then suddenly stop and you have the Sun god back amongst us again. She used to get the real taste of it when she would enter any office and the weather outside would be nice and sunny but by the time she came out, polar winds would be blowing….. Life was already pretty unpredictable for her and the weather ensured that the suspense continued.
So, at any given point of time, 3 things had to be carried around by everybody here i.e. a warm jacket, for when the weather turns icy cold or windy, a pair of shades, for when it decides to turn bright and sunny and an umbrella, for the time rain gods decide to wreck havoc on poor people (I had suggested her a business idea of selling packs of all three together, coordinated in color, to be carried at all times… the idea was shot down by her!!! Jeff Bezos are you listening!!!). All this added to the challenge of getting around the city and from one recruitment consultant’s office to another.
What further complicated the situation was the need to cook all 3 meals by herself. I knew for a fact that she would be able to bear any storm she faced in her life, fight criminals, live through all 4 season changes in a day here and travel the whole day in the city from one office to another, in a tram or a train stuffed with people or walking around… but what would really tire her at the end of the day is the cooking she had to do!! She just hated it!!! Though I was being told that she was actually cooking stuff at home for her meals, I knew for sure that most of the grocery money was spent on her favourite instant noodles (sometime Maggie and sometimes the Australian version or rather I would say the Chinese version of Maggie) and Sushi (I was scared she would turn Chinese by the time I come back).
Another challenge for her was keeping herself busy during weekends and evenings, post she returned home after her meetings with the recruitment consultants or an interview, if she was lucky to get one.
But a portion of the evening (my afternoon, due to time difference) was blocked in both of our calendars as time for a “Daily Update”, which is when I used to call her from India and provide her with the latest news and updates from Pune and in return got the same for Melbourne. That slot was blocked in my office calendar too, so that nobody could book a meeting with me at that time. That was an important part of routine for both of us till the time we were living the bachelor and a spinster’s life. This slot could be preceded or succeeded by additional “meeting requests”, in case required :-). What ensued in the calls were the conversations that we can never forget. We had never expressed so much concern and care for each other as much as we did in those 3 months over the calls… or so we think we did ;-).
The updates included the likes of what happened during the day (i.e. her full day and my second half yesterday and first half today… she was precise to not leave out any events or happening), progress on the job front for her.... how are the maids behaving in Pune and are they regular to work.... what am I getting cooked for meals these days.... hope I am having my veggies.... how am I managing the grocery shopping.... progress on wrapping up things in Pune.... do I remember to feed the pigeons in morning.... what’s the plan for the weekend.... where all am I planning to party with friends after office or over the weekend.... whether I was continuing with my badminton and last but not the least my favourite question… how’s the ghost that resides in her building in Melbourne behaving today.. hehehe!! (there was apparently some story around it and it freaked her out.. lol). As usual, she had more talking to do than me in these calls as her day used to be more happening than mine!!
Days had been passing by with little to no progress with the “Big J”. We both knew we had to keep our patience as this was the test of our resilience in the face of adversities. All the consultants promised to come back to her with job opportunities, but never reverted. What started to become apparent was that we had to use some other way of approaching the situation. As usual, the best person to advise on the same was our very own “Googleman”. Though he had sounded us of these challenges in our earlier conversations, the solution was left to be discussed once we moved to Australia. The time had arrived to address the situation now. An urgent meeting was called for in the city over a cup of “chai latte” (Australian version of Indian Masala Tea). All coffee shop in the many alleys of the CBD area sold this tea and was always full of Indians, as expected.
During the conversation he explained, we were missing a reference from a person working in Australia, who could vouch for her professional skills and standing in the industry. This was one of the important things because for the recruiters we were aliens and thus they were reluctant to entertain us. So, if we had one, it might improve the chances of getting a job.
Well, that was a tough one now!! But if that’s how it was, then we had to dig out somebody to help us in this situation.
After a lot of search and going through all my and her old contacts, we came across her old colleague, whose friend’s sister’s sister – in – law was staying in Melbourne who was in the same industry as her’s. It was a long shot but then any shot was a shot worth taking for now. We took the shot and the friend arranged my partner’s meeting with her in CBD, again over a “Chai Latte” (by this time it had become her favorite drink here). What was just an introduction meeting ended in she getting a new friend in Melbourne. She promised to give her the reference she needed in case any opportunity arose.
Adding this piece in all her conversations with consultants started to make a world of difference and finally she got a call from one of the reputed companies of Australia. We both were confident that if she got a call for an interview, she should be able to crack it. She prepared hard for it and I tried to coach as much as I could over the “Daily update” calls. This was a do or die situation, as almost a month had passed without a job and it was getting on to her nerves now. She has to crack it, by hook or by crook.
Well, the day of her interview became a test for me too, as the interview was set up for early morning 8.30 AM on a Friday. Now, that was around 4 AM IST at that time of the year. But, then like any other caring husband would do, I also wanted to wish her before she went for the interview. But I knew for sure if I tried to wake up that early, there might be a chance I might not get up. So a pact was reached. I was allowed to party with my friends till late night, or in other words till early morning, and sleep only after I had wished her best for the interview. It was a win win for both …. Hehehehehe!!
So finally, after partying till wee hours of the morning with my friends (details of the same in the next post), I was able to make it in time to wish her best for the interview and provide her with some last minute important tips even in that sleepy, groggy situation (normally my mind shuts down early morning, but this time it was different) and she went inside for the interview. I had just dozed off after wishing her (or it felt like that) that I was woken up by my phone’s ring tone. I was not expecting her call so soon, but when I picked up the call, I was met with shrieking sounds and shouting and screaming from the other end. It took some time for me to comprehend what she was trying to tell me, but when I was finally able to make sense of her gibberish, my sleep was gone in a flash!!!
“Babes, I have got a contract for 6 months with the company!!!!” she said shouting at the top of her voice.
It was the break through we were waiting for. She has done it and so had “Googleman”!
She was supposed to start from next week.
This was our first step in sailing through the uncharted waters… a start.. a beginning towards the end of the tunnel!
What it made us realize is that patience and acceptance of the situation in hand and acting accordingly keeping a cool mind will always go long way in handing any challenging situation. A lesson we would use many more times in the coming future.
The waters were still supposed to be deep and waves were still high... and were expected to be remain like that... but not for long.... not for long... one day the waters will themselves take us ashore... These uncharted waters will be our guide!!
Though my sleep had faded, but the partying and alcohol was playing havoc with me now, so I decided to sleep and catch up with her once I got up. In the meantime, she planned to roam around in the city and do some shopping for some “Aussie” attire for her new job. Well, I could not dispute that! So we bid our goodbyes, thanked the all mighty and decided to catch up later in the day.
So, with this, the next step in settling in Melbourne was completed……. for the time being.
After she joined her new job, the life was totally different for her. The daily routine took over most of her day. The positive part of the professional life in Melbourne, or for that matter any of the western counterparts is that the office starts early and thus ends early. She used to reach office by 8.30 AM and was back home at 5 PM. We were reaping the benefits of our decision to stay near the city now. This still gave us time to continue with our “Daily update” calls, though now the discussion was more around the work life in Australia and her experiences… which was most definitely no where near the work life in India (more on that in the upcoming posts).
The daily routine left little time for her to do a lot during the weekdays, and the weekends were mostly spent in either catching up on her sleep or preparing for the next week. Life for her had become office to home and vice versa, but this was much better than not having a job. She tried to spend some time travelling around the city over the weekends, but most of it was planned for when I came back after around 1 month now.
During one such outings with few office colleagues, she visited one of the famous restaurants for dinner. During dinner she came face to face with an old enemy. While having dinner she noticed something moving behind one of the tables. She has a sixth sense when it comes to things moving around her. Before anyone could realize what was happening, my partner was jumping and screaming at the table, shouting….
“Dammit, there is a Rat under the table!”
Suddenly there was chaos all around. People were startled and started looking below their tables. The poor fellow probably got a heart attack from screaming and froze under one of the tables, but when he realized the situation was getting out of hands, he made a run for it and went inside his hole. I think the shock for my partner was not as much because of spotting a rat, but due to the fact that she spotted a rat in Australia, in a high end restaurant. After the frenzy subsided, the manager of the restaurant was called. My partner was the first one to get ahead and asked him,
“Do you know that there is a rat roaming around in the restaurant??”
To that the manager replied..
“Yes”
She was taken aback by the curt reply. Being from the hospitality background, it was a rude shock for her to see the manager of a restaurant replying like that. She asked..
“So what do you plan to do about it???”
He replied nonchalantly shaking his shoulders...
“Nothing much we can do!!”
Everybody was now staring at the manager for such a careless attitude towards the hygiene of the place. After realizing that everybody was expecting a better reply, he continued..
“There is lot of excavation activity going on in the city for metro rail due to which lot of rats have emerged. This is a temporary situation, we have already called the rat terminators and the situation should be under control in next few days. Management apologizes for it.” And left after saying that…
That made little more sense, but it was still difficult for her to sit in the restaurant thinking the rat was still there. They finished their dinner and asked for the bill. The manager gave them a discount for the inconvenience caused and they left the restaurant and decided not to return till the issue was resolved. This incident remained with her for long and was a good talking point in our “Daily update”.
It was 2 months already in Melbourne. Time was running now. My time to arrive at the battle ground to join her in the battle was now around the corner.
Around that time, I booked my tickets for travel to Melbourne!! Emotional moment for both of us. My plan to wrap up things in Pune and travel back to Delhi to spend some time with both the mothers and complete a few errands, was fixed.
My time to leave Pune was nearing……… My time to embrace Melbourne was nearing…. My time to reunite with her was nearing… new beginnings… new paths to traverse…
The next month was more like a flash for both of us, as it was spent in anticipation of what was about to come… my journey that had taken me from Delhi to Pune was about to take me to the next destination… Australia.
While she was settling down in her job and experiencing range of differences in culture and work ethics between India and Australia and trying to cope with the tremendous changes she was encountering, I was working backwards towards leaving my job and training my mind for the next whatever number of month’s of joblessness and challenges it will bring with it. After 13 years of constantly being the part of the workforce, I would be starting all over again!! When, where, how…. Nobody knew…
One thing that had been our anchor over all these times, i.e. prior to us getting our visa and also during the whole migration, was our faith in the Buddhist chanting practice, which me and my partner are a follower of. The practice gave us a lot of strength and always guided us and showed us the path to follow. We both looked up to it for guidance whenever we felt lost. The practice later on also became a conduit for us to meet a lot of great people in Melbourne, as we came to know that it was followed extensively in Australia too. We owe a lot of great friends to it till today who supported us through thick and thin.
While a lot was happening in India, in Melbourne too, things were looking up for her as my impending arrival in Melbourne was nearing now. She had started making preparations for my arrival. We would be together again… the tag team would be complete. There was still a lot to achieve, still a lot to go through….. together!!!
Coming up…. The Pune Saga… how was my 3 months of alone time in Pune, what were the highs and lows of my bachelor life there, was I able to survive managing the day to day things again all by myself… and the final good bye to India for the time being…. All this and much more in the next post…. Read on folks!!!