Moving Out DayWednesday, December 2, 2009
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We were very happy when the landlord told us that he had new tenants for our flat. But he tried to delicately tell us that they wanted to perform a "punja" in the apartment before they moved in. This is not an unusual tradition. But, soon, we began to learn more details. First, it needed to be done at 4 o'clock in the morning of Thursday, December 3rd to coincide with the full moon -- not before and not after. Since we were not leaving until the 4th, this became inconvenient and inconceivable. If they could not perform the punja at 4AM, then they would back out of the contract. We then learned that the dining room table and chairs needed to be removed and the floor scrubbed clean. No walking across the floor after (even though my much needed washing machine is on the other side). The new tenants wanted to bring in a priest, their children, burn incense and who knows what else or who else. Also, part of this plan was for them to stay overnight. And, they did not want us to be in the flat while all of this was taking place. That's when my husband's blood pressure soared above the "safe" level. It did not take me long to figure out that this would require bringing food and needing bathroom facilities. Is this just a little too much to ask? Our landlord kept on saying, "You need to be understanding." So, to make a long story short, when the going gets tough, the tough just pick up and go to the nice hotel down by the beach. . . at the expense of the landlord.
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In order to accomplish this, we needed a quick-packing crew, some great organizational help (the Nielsens), all of our suitcases and "a room at the inn". Chalk this up to one more saga and one more chapter to add to our experiences here in India. What a way to go . . . out!
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