Life without a dishwasher

There is a very interesting explanation of Einstein theory of relatively “Grab hold of a hot pan, second can seem like an hour, Put your hand on a hot woman, an hour can seem like a second. If I have to put it in other words “Take her for a shopping spree and she can walk for hours, tell her to wash dishes and it will make her weak at the knees right away.

According to STATEC report in 1987, 45.3 % homes in Luxembourg had dishwasher and the percentage apparently increased with each passing year. However I came to Luxembourg in 2014 and got a house with no dishwasher. I felt like “the L in my luck has been replaced with an F”.

I want to enjoy cooking but I can't because I don’t have a dishwasher. I want to call my friends more often but I can't because I don’t have a dishwasher.

I want to cuddle and kiss my husband after the long day when we have finished our dinner but instead I am like “I have ants in my pants” because I don’t have a dishwasher.

However I am blessed to have a husband like him. His favourite of all household chores is washing dishes. He says that washing dishes helps him to meditate .And surprisingly I read that according to a study in the journal “MINDFULNESS” washing the dishes can also cleanse your mind .So there is a meditation opportunity at the sink.

So it is rightly said that “what doesn’t kills you makes you stronger”.

A memorable journey from India to Luxembourg

On 26^th Jan 2015, when I saw the Republic day parade , our Prime Minister Narendra Modi standing his head high with  Barack Obama and our National Anthem being played......I had tears in my eyes. It’s so true that “MISSING SOMEONE IS A PART OF LOVING THEM.IF YOU ARE NEVER APART, YOU WILL NEVER REALLY KNOWHOW STRONG YOUR LOVE IS.”  I miss my country so much, the samosa and jalebi treat on every republic day. And so I want to share one incident from my life which made me a better person and say proudly that INDIA AND INDIANS are GREAT.

It was the day when I was leaving India for a better opportunity to a foreign land. My flight was from Kolkata to Mumbai and then from Mumbai to Luxembourg. My flight in Kolkata got delayed for almost 3 hours and I still had no idea how long I will have to wait neither the crew members of the Airline. I was getting very restless as I was alone with my kid unable to connect with my husband due to weak signal. I was desperately trying to square things with crew member as any further delay would make impossible for me to catch the flight to Luxembourg.  

But they didn't seem to be very considerate. However my fellow passenger understood my problem. One of them came to me and asked details of Lufthansa Airlines, called his son and asked them to inform about my situation. Another lady was taking care of my son while I was busy talking to the crew members. Soon all the passengers even those who were not of the same flight started questioning and arguing with the crew members. Obviously everyone was agitated due to the delay but the most surprising part was when they all said “we won't board inside the flight until this ma’am (that’s me) is given a confirmed ticket to Luxembourg and accommodation in Mumbai" as they also felt it was impossible to catch flight now. The manager of the airline had to officially mail me and my husband that if I miss my flight they will arrange the needful. When I reached Mumbai only 45 min was left for the flight to take off and I had to collect my luggage, reach International terminal which was 4 km, and check in with all legal formalities. But I made it. Thanks to all my fellow passengers.

The incident is very small but the way it happened was very dramatic and touching. Each passenger was so concerned for me , they made me feel like one of the family and hence it reminds me one of the quote by Swami Vivekananda ” If there is any land on this earth that can lay claim to be the blessed Punya bhumi ,to be the land to which all souls on this earth must come to account for karma ,the land to which every soul that is wending its way Godward must come to attain its last home, the land  where humanity has attained its highest  toward gentleness, toward generosity, toward purity, toward calmness, above all the land of introspection and of spirituality -it is INDIA.

And I AM A PROUD INDIAN.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - My Impressions

It's been exactly a year & half since I shifted to Luxembourg. Before coming here one of my friend whose husband was on a business trip to Luxembourg told me that "Luxembourg is like a modern village". Honestly her statement irked me as what I read about Luxembourg was that it is one of the richest countries in the world & is the world’s only remaining grand duchy. However after staying here I can say that it is not a very glitzy place to brag about instead it's a wonderful blend of modern & classic.

The first lesson I learnt when I came to Luxembourg was "language is the road map of a culture" and if you don't know their language you cannot become part of their culture & society. So enrol yourself in a language class as soon as you come here and trust me it's not an easy road to follow as Luxembourg has three official languages but look at the brighter side living in Luxembourg is like living in four countries as you can easily travel to France Germany or Belgium within an hour of driving.

Gloomy doomy skies can lead to gloomy doomy moods so learn to love cloud and rain if you are staying in Luxembourg. I am still learning to do that.

Mostly people are kind and helpful. My neighbour threw my garbage twice without telling me and on a Christmas holiday my owner came dressed like a Santa Claus and gave chocolates to my son.

Houses are very colourful in Luxembourg but dresses are mostly black and white. Get ready clothes in your closet will mostly be black and white if you shop from Luxembourg.

If you are a green panther then you are definitely going to enjoy your stay here as Luxembourg is surrounded by beautiful valleys, mountains, rivers, castles and landscapes. So buckle up to walk and shed some extra kilos as you also have to walk and run a lot if you are in Luxembourg. A great way to start a healthy lifestyle.

The public schools in Luxembourg not only maintains children  health but also look after theirs parents as parents need to drop their kids in morning ,bring them back for lunch and again drop them to school & pick them after school.   So much picking and dropping will obviously help parents in becoming strong and toned.

And if you are a night person then you might be a little disappointed because all the shops are closed by 6 in the evening. You see how Luxembourg makes this statement so relevant that “early bird catches worm”

At last I would like to mention  that even though  Luxembourg  is a very  small country with population of approximately 5.7 lakh, you won’t  feel lonely because of its multiculturalism.In my French class there are 20 students & all are from  different  parts of the world.Infact Luxembourg offers you the perfect platform to understand the diversified world.