I'm-mobile

2 relocations from Chennai to Amsterdam to Dallas in a span of 2 years. Apart from the usual challenges of any relocation, my primary concern was that of being mobile….Well, I am not talking here about the various companies and their schemes to lure customers with their ingenious cell-phone plans. But about being able to go anytime anywhere on my terms. Sample this scene…On an[read many] odd day when I have time on hands and don’t have the mindset to use that time to do anything else but [window] shopping, I call up my friend to proposition a visit to the nearest mall/sale store…

Chennai

Me: Hey…Am bored…shall we hit Citi Centre?

Friend: Ye…I will see you in half hour..

[We both have Honda Activa and transport is not an issue]

Amsterdam

Me: Hey…Am bored…shall we hit Binnenhof[the local mall]

Friend: Ye…Meet you at the tram station in 15 mins

[Buses/trams/metro were available literally in the backyard…and it meant less than 2 minutes walk to the station and under 2 minutes to reach the mall]

Dallas

Me: Hey…Am bored…shall we hit mall?

Friend: Am bored as hell too…and hubby has driven to work in the car…

Me: Same here…[resigning myself] How about a walk around the neighbourhood?

After many such frustrating days, one day we decided to hail a cab to go. And since then we decided not to even head that direction. The cost of the cab seemed a lot more than the cost of anything we even remotely considered buying.

Having my personal transport to go around to using public transport was a big shift but I adapted to it easily [to the extent of being spoilt by its availability]. Now I am unable to come to terms with the fact that unless you had 4-wheels at your disposal and with the nearest entertainment spot [and by this I mean, a grocery store…with the nearest mall being a minimum 3-5 miles away] being atleast a mile away, any semblance of an outing is out of question.

Add to this, the prospect of having to share a car with your spouse and spice it up with individual preferences, mood swings and interests and there is one hell of an entertainment….not to mention fights about whose need/boredom quotient is higher than the other’s…on a day-to-day basis. This makes me wonder…with so much of in-house entertainment, who needs to feel upset about not being mobile!!!