We are back in the madness of Bangkok traffic, back to the noise and filthy air pollution, back to work and back in the grind; all of us very severely jet-lagged.
After being away for more than 2 weeks, it is a relief to finally be back in our own crib. Amidst the chaotic city we live in, there is truly nothing like your own home. Even if it is a rented apartment.
Truth be told, the last few weeks had been tough. Really gruelingly rough. While Spud did behave better in the plane as opposed to all the previous flights we had ever had (both to and fro and much to our surprise, she slept for most of the time – antihistamine-free!), she unleashed all that stored energy in the form of not-so-very- appealing temperament.
Our annual vacation to Europe came a little earlier this year as we thought it would be a good idea to double-up with Silver Bullet’s work trip as he had to be there for business for a week. Under the circumstances, not only do we get to save a chunk of change on flight, it would also be a great opportunity for a working mother like me to spend a much needed quality time with Spud; while at the same time, get Spud re-acquainted with her paternal grandparents. It was supposed to be a win-win-win situation for all of us.
I hate to say this, but it probably was one of the worst “vacation” I could ever have in my entire life. It was not the kind of break I had in mind. In fact, for me, it was no vacation at all ; it was stressful, it was heart-wrenching, it was exhaustively tiring – both physically and emotionally. (more on that in a separate post).
While it started out semi-okay in the first few days, the entire trip went awry right to the very end as Spud (and even us!) fell sick. No prizes for guessing that the the entire trip revolved around Spud of course. Above all, it certainly was nothing more than a classic case of Murphy’s Law; saved by a day and a half of being Spud-free as we roamed our asses to Amsterdam for our little date-day and an evening or two with friends.
The icing on the cake to wrap up Murphy with a big bang was when our flight back to Bangkok was delayed for almost, if not more than 4 hours because of the bad weather. In fact, because of the weather causing transportation challenges, we almost were not able to make it to the airport!
So yes! It is not that I am not liking my parents-in-law (far from it!), but under the circumstances we have been thrown in, indeed, I could not be happier to be back in the familiarity of our own home. It is bad when I was actually and genuinely looking forward to go back to office, knowing how insane it can get.
So yes! I am a sad nut. I don’t know how other mothers do it, and my respect for all stay-home moms,especially those who dare to do air-travel on their own little kids in tow, went up a few notches higher. To them, I bow my head down, I’ll take my hats off and I salute you for doing such an honourable, yet really trying job.
And with this trip came 2 definitive realisation for me:
- I am not qualified to be a stay-home mom and can never be a full-time housewife. Never. Over.my.not-so-dead.body.
- We will not be travelling by plane to anywhere in the world with a little child in tow in the next 2-3 years. No. We.are.not.travelling.
And oh! Having the cats around have been so therapeutic. They seemed to miss us, but I think we miss them more – especially Spud who cannot get enough of them.
