5.5 months of bachelorhood

They say, you start liking a place because you live there. 10% yes, but 90% because of the people around you. I have been in and out of Moscow for the last 6 and a half years, but this is the longest I have been here on the trot. 5.5 months. This time, I lived like a bachelor & died like one. This was my 5.5 months of bachelorhood, the second innings. I leave Moscow with sweet memories, not just because of the place, not just because of the people I met or knew, but also because I rediscovered a past phase of my life. They say, you never forget how to swim even if you haven’t in twenty years. Likewise, you never forget to live your life, like a bachelor. While I am extremely happy & excited that I get to go back and meet my family & stay together and be back to my cozy old days, that should not take away the credit from the people who made me feel special here at a place where I was alone. So here goes, for all you people : Just like Jake Sully had a video log of every single day of his life on the Pandora, I would also like to chronicle & log my time here, so that I don’t forget the good times, good people & the bad ones as well. Day 1, apart from a couple of people, I knew nobody at my workplace. The team was new & so it took a while to get going. I made a few choices, which I wouldn’t be proud of now. Realized, corrected it & felt better. Slowly, I found my roots, became part of a gang… like college kids do. In a way, I felt happy because that’s what I did when I was 21. A little over a decade later, I did the same again. Talk of nostalgia! I made new friends from people who were just acquaintances & realized that a few people who I disliked were some of the best people I would ever meet. Made food together, partied with them & then slept over at their places just because I was lazy to head back home, shared their happiness & pain. Their enemies became my enemies, well, not literally, but figuratively, yes. We hunted like hyenas & laughed like them too! Just like college kids. We had late night talks about everything under the sun, about who likes whom, who should be with whom & why someone is with someone... :) just like college kids. After a long time, I was happy to do the “guy” thing. Not that I don’t enjoy the “other” things :) , but having fun like guys is different. Real guys, real lions would understand what I am saying. Metrosexuals, please excuse, this isn't your stuff anyway. There were occasions when some close ones needed advice. Advice about the good, bad & the ugly, advice about relationships. Well, I am no expert, but like bachelors, I had all the free time once I returned from work. So, we all huddled and discussed, just like college kids. Bitched about people, made code names for people we hated. Invented and patented dance steps, holidayed together, just like college kids. These people know who they are & do not need a mention. When they read this, they would figure, I am talking about them. Thanks for making my stay wonderful. Thanks for being there standing smiling, when the doors closed. Thanks for wishing me good for my next stop. Thanks for making me see a part of my life which I left behind. You guys are true gems. Let's also have a "blood brothers" oath - Once all of you are married, let's regroup & remind ourselves of the good times & do the same stuff we did this time - but like married men! Let's not miss out on the remaining items in our list... Because I never want anyone to say to us - Ты пожалеешь Егоров!! - Akshay. 04-04-2013