We as a family have lived in three cities ever since we got married in 2017. By virtue of being professional Geologists a.k.a Earth scientists, we are blessed with a nomadic life. Till now our life has been a tale of three cities.
Jaipur Pink City
The first city we lived in was the beautiful Pink City, Jaipur in Rajasthan. It was also our first place of posting. Jaipur has a lot of warm memories and reminiscence for us. The house that we lived in was a three BHK with two balconies. Despite the extreme Rajasthan weather my gardening journey started in Jaipur. And it was extremely rewarding as well. I made full use of my balconies and filled them up with beautiful plant babies.
We lived a bit away from the city, but getting anywhere in Jaipur was relatively easy. I remember we would drive for around 20 kms just to go and have a post dinner paan from a favorite shop in Tonk Road. That’s how simple life was then. We lived for a year in Jaipur after our marriage, and in those twelve months we went for nearly thirteen trips! You can call it a sort of extended honeymoon year!
Kolkata City of Joy
The next city we shifted to was my city, the City of Joy, Kolkata. That was the beginning of a new phase of our life which taught us many things. We went through COVID in Kolkata, life had a reset. Those few years changed many perspectives. And the food journey in Kolkata, was awesome as expected. We made our nest, made many new friends, being close to family helped us grow emotionally.
Our professional life was very challenging here, but it was compensated with all the fun that we had together with our friends and family. In Kolkata, we lived in a 2 BHK with two balconies and I filled them up with as many as eighty potted plants. My plant babies kept me sane through a lot of ups and downs. I went back to my old baking passion and baked bread like my life depended on it! Life was difficult and easy both at the same time in Kolkata.
Shillong Scotland of East
The third and our current city is Shillong a.k.a as Scotland of the East. The Shillong experience is a completely unique experience. It feels like I have entered the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland and gone back thirty years. Public amenities/ facilities wise Shillong is equivalent to the mid nineties Kolkata. No Uber, no grocery delivery apps and no malls! But on the upside, we are treated to a kaleidoscope of colours in the form of the monthly flower parade by the trees of Shillong. We are living in a 2.5 BHK again with two balconies. And yes you have guessed it right. They are filled with flowering plant babies and I even grew my own tomatoes, chillis and strawberries! Yay to that! We discovered the joy of picnicking in Shillong and are learning to enjoy the slow life of this picturesque hill town.
Sometimes we discuss that Shillong was in our destiny because it is teaching us a lot about life. In the first year, we worked together doing geological mapping in Garo Hills and made a significant discovery. We realised the Garo Hills in Meghalaya have lots of secrets waiting to be discovered and I am glad we could unveil at least one.
Now we are waiting to see what else Shillong has in store for us in the coming years and which are the next cities that we will get to live in!
I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z” and this is the “T” post.
I’ve visited all the three cities and I liked Shillong the best. I would also like to live there, explore the hills and enjoy the slow life.
Wow…one year and thirteen trips! It is amazing. Travel teaches one more than all the years of schooling and college. Wishing you more travel and joy in your life, Ginia.
Such a beautiful read! Loved how each city brought a new chapter to your life — especially the little gardening adventures. “I went back to my old baking passion and baked bread like my life depended on it!”- adds a funny and heartfelt touch, showing how even during tough times, simple joys like baking became a powerful lifeline — and it’s super relatable and charming!
I have been to all three cities, but only for two to three days. I think all three cities have completely different cultures altogether. I loved your experience and how your plant babies keep growing in each city