A New Chapter
Adieu
First things first, a goodbye to the people, food, and country which has been with me for a little over 8 years. From September 2014 to April 2023, Italy has shaped me a lot. Too much has been said in my previous posts already here Plot Twist of 2023 – Manoj Manivannan and here Should I quit my job ? – Manoj Manivannan . The time has come to say bye to everyone. It was a hard moment that I knew would come eventually. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my mentor/manager Mr. Stefano Torri. I would continue to work with him albeit remotely, the thought that I would not be able to meet my colleagues at Modena made me shed a few tears. A goodbye to my kind neighbour Mirko Pesce whose help made my life in Modena little easier.
He was not only my neighbour, but also my only friend, occasional chauffeur and my translator for most occasions. @Mirko we never got a chance for that dinner. One day I hope we meet again for it.
A goodbye to my dear friends Entela (Thanks for the lunch and that easter egg chocolate), Marco and Eleonora (Thanks for hosting us for dinner and the tasty lasagne). You are welcome to our apartment when you visit the UK again. Looking forward for it.
March 16 to April 4: That was how long I took off from work to prepare ourselves mentally, physically and in so many others way for our journey. Although it was only a 2 and half hour journey, we had to pack our all our stuff and throw away those that we couldn’t fit in our allowed baggage. 4 large 32kg bags, 1 cabin bag and 2 backpacks. With that, we were all set to travel and begin the new chapter of our life.
We were headed to this 2-bedroom apartment in a calm town called Camberley which is 1 hour from Waterloo, London. Thanks to the business class tickets, we had the comfort of travelling hassle free, thanks to the relaxing lounge, and the priority access through security.
Although our flight started a late, the captain made up in speed to reach London Heathrow on time. It was our luggage that took a long time. After waiting for almost 30 minutes, we were welcomed by Hema’s maternal Uncle Prakash and my friend Ayyappan. A friendly slight and a warm welcome in a foreign land.
A smooth transition
Upon arrival we headed straight to Holiday Inn, Slough to drop off our luggage (just the 32kg ones) before going to Prakash’s home to have a tasty south Indian food. Radish and lentil stew and beet root gravy with rice and a side of potato only made the arrival experience even more pleasant. We spent the night at Holiday Inn and the next day headed to some supermarkets after having an assorted English breakfast. We bought some basic groceries like rice, wheat flour, onions, bread, eggs, milk, and few others which I am unable to recollect as I write this. Then we collected our apartment keys at the Waterford’s agency and went straight to our apartment. This 2-bedroom apartment had a large living room and an open kitchen which we really loved. The master bedroom came with these tall sliding door which opened into a large balcony facing east overlooking the London Road.