R2I: First hurdle cleared

Top of the to-do list on the family’s recent trip to India was finalising a school for the boys for the planned move next summer, an aspect that undoubtedly features among the top 3 worries of prospective “returners”. We had shortlisted a couple of seemingly “low stress” schools over the last year, and at the top of our list was Prakriya Green Wisdom, which we had previously visited and liked. I called Prakriya, and was told that I could bring in Kanishk, the older one, for observation, for three days, but they had no vacancies in Class I, ie. for Mitaansh, unless a vacancy was created by an existing child leaving, in which case they would inform us. Pfffttt…..all the images we nursed over the last several months, of our boys soaking in the earthy environs of Prakriya went up in dust. We were really keen on both of them joining the same school.

Off to a forgettable start, we fixed an appointment for the next school on our list, Greenwood High, the next day. We reached, at 12 noon, spoke to an admissions co-ordinator, looked around, had lunch there, and by 2 pm, our kids had got admission! No tests, interviews, etc – I like it! I re-confirmed with the lady that if we paid the admission fee, we would actually be assured of “seats”. and she confirmed this. I guess being relatively new, they still had vacancies. The fact that I have a friend (Nimish, you have been immortalized on this blog) who has kids who have survived this school for a couple of years provided some comfort. The kids liked the look of the school and I guess the prospect of driving 30 kms from my parents’ house through insane Bangalore traffic for the next 3 days for teachers in Prakriya to put Kanishk through an observation from 8:30 am to 3 pm also contributed to the speed of the decision.

So that was the first major hurdle on our return cleared. Sadly, finding employment will not be as easy!

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Cheese is clearly not part of the staple diet in the far north-western reaches of Delhi. Going around shops in Rohini asking for a pack of Amul cheese slices, I was asked by a shopkeeper if I meant Pepsi’s mango “Slice” soft drink. Clearly, Paneer rules here.