It is almost two months since we travelled to India with the kids and it has taken my brain this long to begin to process the experience and start capturing on paper – atleast parts of it. What do they say about trauma and how it takes time for bits and pieces to surface and filter through the consciousness?
I think it is also because I am right now on another overseas travel and going through the security lines, immigration etc etc have dislodged (what seems like distant) memories. Also, I have time to write these things down as I sit in the KLM lounge battling yet another jet lag, passing time before my next flight. As they say in Hindi –“mauka bhi hai, dastur bhi” !!
Here are some memories that are flashing by -
While going through the security lines when they asked about taking out laptops & other electronic devices to be scanned separately, this is what Suvo produced:
1. iPhone
2. iPad
3. portable DVD player
4. kindle
5. noise cancelling headsets (hoping kids will be busy with the above and he can catch some Zzzz…..)
6. camera (hoping we will be able to capture some of these “tranquil” moments)
7. assortment of chargers, adapters, extra batteries, voltage converter etc etc etc
8. thank god I battled my intense need to bring my laptop along despite all the withdrawal symptoms. Otherwise that would have been another item on the list.
While Suvo armed himself with all this high-tech gadgetry (as any self-respecting 21st century Dad should) for the situation at hand, my reaction was completely opposite to his. I reverted to some ancient coding in my DNA as I transformed into a primitive woman obsessed with hunting & gathering (buying when applicable, but also begging, borrowing, stealing & smuggling) food for my young ones. Several million years old instincts took over and I was a woman possessed. Here are some items I managed sneak through –
1. kids water bottles (you are supposed to dump these before the security check)
2. milk
3. idlis hidden in pepsi cup
4. food provided in the plane which the kids did not eat – I hid and preserved these until it was clear where & what the next meal is going to be
5. following items smuggled out of business lounge – yogurt, banana, assortment of crackers, cookies & pastries along with coffee creamer & sugar (to mix in Aadi’s milk bottle to make the foreign tasting elixir more palatable for him)
In addition of course I carried the ‘legally permissible’ items like canned baby food and cereal etc. Also, we spent lay over time in airline lounges so we could replenish & refresh ourselves. The kids were thrilled to have space to run around as well as easy access to all the food. At one point, in Paris lounge – all this (what must have seemed like) looting & ravaging – disgruntled a cranky old fellow so much that he commented that “the lounge was for business travelers not kinder-garteners” ….. I was so furious, I walked up to him and replied to him in his native tongue – primitive woman knew just enough French for this !!!
Anyways, all of this preparation was to make sure the kids stay comfortable through the long journey and we stay sane. I am not 100% certain if we succeeded, especially in the latter goal.
Ankur, you guys traveled business class with the kids? How was your experience? I flew domestic business class with Shubho sometime back and the stewardess and co-passengers did not seem too happy. In fact, I read an article on CNN later, that some airlines ban kids in business class.
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