Expressing gratitude for being my friend Mitya!

Remembering our initial days of knowing each other :

At the very first day of our meeting in Vedanta, Jharsuguda, I felt , I should be very careful and stay away from you  as you look very stout and tall and thought that if you get angry , you may even lift me and throw me just like Hulk😉!

But eventually,  I got to know about your nature and the best part I like in you is you make every one around you laugh and smile by cracking funny jokes. Ofcourse , over a  period of time we became good friends.

I learned few Gujarati words from you, 'Kem Bapu maja mane' though i didn't know the meaning of this line then, I used to use on you and nanu.And few more words like Dobi , doba etc...

Those days are really fun!!  Being my first job, that too away from Andhra Pradesh without knowing Hindi and Odiya, managing in english and learning Hindi from you guys and contractors ,above all these Gujarati words....it's like roller coaster ride 🙂 and now i feel how time flies in a flash of second !!

Time passed by and you left Vedanta to join BEC and came to Muscat in 2009

After I think three years...... 

With your reference,  Amit got an offer in BEC and we came to Muscat,Oman joining you.

I am grateful for getting the opportunity to explore this side (middle east Muscat, Oman) of the world far from my home in India. I am thankful to you my friend  Amit Dhudhaiya aka Mitya.

Days in Muscat:

 You took us to almost all the places in and around Muscat and the most memorable one was one night stay at the resort in Jebel Shams where we had lot of fun (those pictures of yours ,neelam ,Amit and mine and the beautiful mountains of Jebel Shams and those moments are still afresh in my eyes) 

Also,I must say, I  got intrigued in to photography  being in your company , I discovered my interest  in this and started  taking pictures in various angles to enhance my  creativity which I never experimented before. This was a new learning for me 😃!!!

 

Though there are few difficult times due to misunderstandings, we let go those and maintained our friendship with flying colors.

Thank you  my friend Mitya for being my friend!!🤔😂🙂😎

My Dearest Friend and her Determination

Shabnam , my friend and walking partner, she is 38 years old ,5.2' height with a beautiful welcoming smile on her face  and  so enthusiastic. She got married little earlier than the current trend in India and has two kids  Alisha 15 &  Ali 9 year old.

“I love to listen and she loves to talk”

We enjoy each other’s company sharing our views on different topics like our families , the places we belong to in India, our traditions etc and we laugh out loud from the core of our heart on simple jokes ,but one thing  she always says  that she want to learn and explore  many things  but didn't get an opportunity to do so.

Our Apartment is provided with open Car parking area and good enough space for walking, riding bicycles and a Shuttle court in between A and B block buildings. 

Children ride bicycles inside the compound daily. So one day, I felt like riding it as it’s been so long and  so I borrowed a bicycle from one of my friends daughter and started riding. Shabnam said,' I too want to  Anu but I  didn't get a chance to learn and  moreover this is not my age to learn cycle ,I should have learned it when I was a kid' .

'Age doesn't matter just try at least once ' I said.

But she didn't listen. Few days passed she watched me riding cycle and she walked her routine 3 km target. One day, I said  'Come dear I will help you riding cycle', then she started initially with

NO..

then OK...

then finally she said YES I will do it....

She continued practicing her son Ali's cycle , her husband too started helping her seeing her WILL to learn ...normally weekends I took off from walking so in the evening I got ready for shopping with my family and we came downstairs to get into the car.

To my surprise, i saw Shabnam practicing riding cycle.

I told her 'you should take rest at least in the weekends’, her answer is  EPIC.

'Anu I just started learning how can I leave it unless I completely learn and ride by my own'.

Wow!  'Her determination to learn something new has been admirable'.

 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar rightly said, 'everyone should try to retain their childlike wonder’

Finally, she learned riding bicycle in just 10 days and she didn't stop there she learned basic swimming and finally her wish to see the world also came true...

She is travelling to London and Europe in August 2019 month with her family....

"Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not let you sleep.” ― A P J Abdul Kalam

I wish you all the very best for your future endeavors dear!

This is the story of my friend and her determination. This proves that 'Age is just a number and it could not stop one from learning new things.'