How I Quit Homeschooling My Toddler

When I started homeschooling my 2.5 year old baby boy, Shaurya, I had never thought that teaching would be such a tough job. Since I was living in the USA at that time after visiting 26 countries with my husband, I thought of settling down there for a few years until Shaurya grows up. Since pre-school is very expensive in the USA, I decided to homeschool my kid until he is ready to enter the kindergarten, which would give me time to enhance my income.

The first few months of teaching him the alphabet were really awesome. I would often spend an hour or two on the internet learning how to teach the alphabet to my toddler. I didn’t mind spending the extra hours on my laptop to learn becoming a teacher myself, but the process became tough as Shaurya grew older. I had to spend more time in learning the teaching process myself, which started becoming frustrating. Moreover, I realized that I am not capable to homeschool him forever. I would have to either enroll him for online classes or send him to a regular school in the years to come.

Since I knew that the USA was not affordable at all in terms of buying a house, paying the school fees, and paying other bills, I decided to move to my home country, India. I have grown up in India and I know that there is a wide range of affordable schools here that I can afford for my kid. Even though I want to visit various countries and cities while bringing up a family, I want to be in a country where I can afford all my expenses.

Since my language interpretation work pays good money, I don’t have to worry about joining a regular office. However, Shaurya needs regular schooling at least for a few years in his early education.

We moved to India two years ago, and I decided to settle down in Delhi near my parents’ home. They are happy to have us here and I am content to know that I have someone when I need them to take care of my baby. I can leave Shaurya with them for a few days as I travel with my husband to different places for work and leisure. The setting makes it easier for Shaurya to not miss his school and we don’t have to miss travel either. We often use a car booking app to drive to and from their home and then go for a weekend trip.

The best part about regular schooling is that the kid gets to interact with other kids of his age, which contributes to his language development and social skills expansion. Since the day he has started going to kindergarten, he has shown tremendous growth in communicating with other kids in the neighborhood, even though the first few weeks were really tough for him.

I know that my travel dreams may remain slightly unfulfilled, but I don’t mind forgoing them for a few years for the sake of a better future of a baby that I have brought to this world. Until Shaurya grows up, we don’t mind becoming the weekend travelers, and we can resume our fulltime traveling when it is the right time.

Buy Diamonds in Delhi with Just a Few Bucks in Pocket

What is the definition of a diamond? It is something that you can wear on your hands or neck once in a while and be happy that it shines brightly in a party. It is meant to make you happy at the end, which I suppose anything else can do as well. In my opinion, food is something that gives me equal happiness as diamonds. I am a big-time foodie, and l like to experiment with foods all around Delhi. Rather than spending one lakh bucks on a piece of tiny stone, I would rather be happy with bare hands and spend that money on life experiences.

Food travel rather than anything else is my cup of tea, and I can spend any amount of money on it. Travel, at least in India, costs much less than diamonds, and it suits my current state of earning. I would surely buy a diamond for myself rather than expect it from my guy, but I want to win many more experiences before that. Let me share a few instances when I had the best time of my life, in addition to delicious food, in Delhi.

The Qila  

The Qila is situated in Qutub Institutional Area in a quaint region in Delhi. I just love this area because of the peace it provides. Being there with my spouse before marriage for a romantic candlelight dinner was one of the most breathtaking feelings ever. It was the time when I did not know him much, and we talked for an hour on the terrace of the restaurant under the full moon. The best thing about the place is that no one disturbed our piece as we stood there in each other’s arms watching the moon. Nowhere in Delhi or India have I experienced such a place where I can sit with my partner for an endless time without any interruption. 

When we returned, we were welcomed with complimentary snacks, to begin our wine. The bread, I must say, tasted delectable with the sauces. The quantity of food is not what you look for at such places, but the experience of being with someone you love with all your heart. The time spent at a restaurant like The Qila is much more precious than anything in the world. I still look at the lone picture we got clicked from a person, and the smile on our faces is priceless. No diamond in the world can give me that smile when I wear it, but looking back at those memories can. After we got married this December, we still rent a car without driver every time we wish to have a fantastic drive and have a great time together. Again, the feeling of being in each other's company is the most precious feeling for me. Yes, I would like to have many more diamond-like candle-light dinners in future with my bae in all corners of the world.

Just Talking to Someone Changed My Perspective for Life

What else would you want in the world, when you have nothing else in mind, but lose weight! Being fat (or plump) is not easy, no matter which corner of the world. Name calling, body shaming, and feeling inferior are just some of the issues associated with only a few extra pounds. It has been a roller coaster ride for me to shed those extra inches on my body for more than three years. I would always try to make an effort to adopt any method that can help me to go slimmer. 

I had already done the most conventional thing: stopped eating all those fatty foods. I would always say No to Malai Tikka, Chicken Shaurma, Burgers, Pizzas, and Paneer Butter Masala. However, a typical Indian mother can never let you lose weight. As soon as I would get ready for college, she would come to me with a tiffin box packed with Aloo Parantha or Paneer ki Sabzi. What more could I say to her when she sees me every day drinking honey lemonade? It is impossible to make her understand my state of mind; she is a mother after all. Desi ghee never makes anyone fat, you know. Just one Parantha would not make you fatter; she would convince me. And then remembering her delicious cooking, even I would have to give in every time.  

I would drink green tea in place of regular milk tea. I would always ask for an espresso, the tartest drink on earth, but I developed a taste for it no matter what. Still, I would face the struggle to look how I wanted. Rather than taking cabs, I would commute by metro just to work out a little. In place of using an elevator, I would take the staircase. Nevertheless, whenever we have to go out of the city, my first preference of the mode of transport would be buses and trains so that we do not feel lazy in the car. On the other hand, I would again give in when my friends would use the Car Rental Apps and book a Self-Drive Car Rental immediately. 

After doing all this for some years of my college and office, I finally talked to myself. I thought of all the things that I had to hear when I felt that I was fat. However, I was fortunate to have a friend, Shreya, who made me realize that at every point in time, there would be people who would try to let you down. She made me hop on the weighing scale right then, and read my weight measurement. I was 55.6 kilograms on the scale and had a waistline of 29 inches only! She said Only, not me! I had known all these measurements earlier as well but had always thought that they exceeded the perfect shape and size that I should be.  

However, just by talking to Shreya, who is not so stunningly beautiful herself, I thought that it made sense to love yourself. She has a fantastic personality, which is based on her sense of humor and brains; the looks of her face and body came only second. She convinced me that it is essential to maintain a lean body to remain fit, rather than look skinny all the time. After a certain age, the looks are going to fade away, no matter what. Even if I were the most gorgeous woman on earth, I would have my critics if my talks never made sense. Just a few words by this wonderful woman made sense to me. I decided to keep up my routine of fitness foods, but never again in my life; they became my priority. My work, love for life, traveling around the country, and working on my mental health are now the first few things that occupy my mind and keep me happier than ever.

How It Was Worth Every Penny to Take a Self-Drive Car

Sometimes, little decisions of life consume a lot of brain and thoughts. When I used to work in Mumbai for a Japanese MNC, I always thought of flying to places like Bali, Mauritius, or London. However, I was always pressed for time when it came to making actual plans. Many of my friends would go to exotic destinations in India and abroad. They would come to office talking about the breathtaking adventures they participated in, the mesmerizing sights of the hills and beaches they saw, and the delectable food they tried. Every bit of their talk would pound my heart like I was about to die in a minute or so. 

Even though I was not jealous of none of my friends, I would still shy away from them because their talks would make me feel bad again about my helplessness. My work profile never allowed me more than a day off in a week. Even if I got free for some time, I would look for some freelance work online and keep myself engrossed in work. However, it was not too late when I realized that with the pace that I am working, I might earn a lot of money, but I will definitely lose the precious memories that I could make on vacations with friends or by spending some free time with my family.  

I was desperate to take a break from my busy life and just leave for a place where I could not receive the mobile network. Without thinking much one day, I looked up for a random date in the month of October and booked the hotel in Lavasa. Since I had already scheduled my dates to leave, now the only work left was to figure out the mode of travel. I did not want to go by bus or train as I had used them for a significant part of my life to travel to my hometown for the last seven years. After the mind-boggling search for car rentals on the Self Drive Car Rental Apps installed on my phone, I finally settled for a sedan. 

The thought of going to such a beautiful place like Lavasa was not so tempting, so the last issue that I had to sort was to find company for this trip. I asked a few friends from college and a couple of colleagues from office. Against my expectations, it was so easy to convince people for this getaway because the major things were already booked. They only had the choice to say Yes or No since I had already devoid them of adding to the confusion of deciding a destination and way of travel. If they were comfortable with both the things, they would hop in for the vacation. A few of my friends did not find the bookings according to their expectations, so they would just refuse to join. Nonetheless, three people were ready to join me on my first road trip to Lavasa. 

I would not say that I had done something unique in taking a road trip, but this getaway is close to my heart because I could manage to have the peace of mind after a long span of time. A vacation does not become special because of the destination or the exotic things we do; it becomes exceptional on account of the memories we make with our friends and family. The events and occurrences make the time special rather than the money we spend on a trip. I would never regret that I took the decision to go to Lavasa in a moment of impulse.