I got some big ol’ news, folks.
The Ledbetters are packing up and shipping out to…
Are you ready?
India.
We’re moving to India for a year.
Now please excuse me while I go laugh/cry/whoop/pray/call my cousin and hyperventilate/do a happy dance. Because that’s what I’ve been doing for the past month as this news has sunk in.
This whole thing started when Benson came home one day and told me about a project at work that he was interested in. “What do you think about moving to Mumbai?” he asked. We were on our way to a neighbor’s house to feed some cats. “Well,” I said, fishing the neighbor’s key out of my pocket and unlocking the door. Saris and curry and Indian accents filled my mind. (I don’t get out much.)
Once inside Benson called for the cats while I cleaned the litter box. As I scooped poop and Benson pet Vern, a blind gray tabby, I thought about how I don’t have a real job, and how we have a wonderful roommate who’d likely be willing to keep our pets and house for a year, and how maybe it would be an adventure.
On the walk back home, I told him I was in.
And now we’re moving to India.
Once it was confirmed we were kind of like mental zombies for a few days. But instead of thinking about eating brains all day, we were thinking about everything we needed to get done. I felt so brain buzzy that my emotions shut off. Then we were shouting across the balconies one night with our neighbor (not the one with the blind cat but the one with a pit bull she claims is a “lab mix”) and she suggested writing down a list of everything I needed to get done. And y’all, it was like the best idea in the world. Who would have thought – a to-do list! So now we have a notepad with everything from “are we already vaccinated against hepatitis B?” to “find an apartment in India” scribbled down.
The plan, which I’ve learned can change often, is to leave right after the New Year and stay for one month in Mumbai. Then we’ll return for the month of February, and assuming we can get all the visas and such in order, we’ll head back in March for a year.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Have you ever been to India?
A: Nope!
Q: What are you going to do over there?
A: No clue.
Q: Where will you live?
A: In an apartment. Hopefully I will find said apartment when we go over in January. Hopefully I’ll also figure out where to purchase non-weird furniture.
Q: Are you excited?
A: I am! I’m also not stupid and realize this thing might be really hard. Mumbai has a pretty intense reputation and though I’ve faced some culturally radical situations before, I’m preparing myself for a shock to the senses.
Q: What did your mom say?
A: She went silent and then started whimpering and sort of gasping and I heard my brother in the background going, “What’s wrong, Mom?!” Three weeks later she mailed me a Christmas ornament with “A mother’s heart is everywhere you are” etched across the front of a butterfly’s wing. So I’d say she’s handling it surprisingly well.
I hope to be blogging and/or vlogging (do y’all have a preference?) a lot while I’m there. I’m also toying with the idea of signing up for Instagram to share pictures because I hear that’s what the youngsters do nowadays. But I’m also afraid of becoming more obnoxious than I already am, so that’s yet to be determined.
Okay kids, if you’ve ever been to Mumbai and hated it, don’t you dare comment on this post. Now, I’m off to tackle that to-do list.
Categories: This and That
Stuff I Talk About 
That’s so exciting!!! You will be in my prayers for non-buzzy thoughts! The Bingham’s are headed to Africa this summer…only a couple of weeks…not a year! 😍
Thank you for the prayers! I’m so glad you are going to Africa! I went to Rwanda several years ago and it was life changing. Will be praying for your trip as well!
Wow, this is huge. You and Benson will do great over there, and no doubt the experience will make for some fun blogging and enjoyable reading..