Having topped my school, college and work, life seemed all in place. After I got married, I was exposed to another realm of life: home management. Until then, I wasn’t aware of the mechanism that kept it running. Neither my husband nor I had much prior experience in this life skill, let alone a degree. This made me realise that there’s much more in life to learn.
As an app developer, I knew the way grocery delivering apps work but I had no idea how to buy vegetables in real life. Nevertheless, there’s always a first time. With this slogan in mind, my husband and I marched into the local market assuming that we would score a six with the very first ball. Based on the lessons that I had picked up from my internship at my in-laws, I handpicked eight chillies for the two of us. The vendor laughed at us... it was a wholesale market!
Our kitchen has witnessed a lot more adventure than Mount Everest. From burnt food to half-cooked meals, we made them all.
Learning to clean fish and meat demanded another level of expertise. The other day, we went to a nearby fish market. My husband and I had spent an hour reading about the various types of fish and their names. When we got back home, I didn’t know how to clean the fish. I had faint memories of my grandmother de-scaling the fish. I got my lessons from her through video call.
When it came to the Herculean task of washing clothes, I had thought the “fully automatic” washing machine would handle everything. But even that comes with additional tasks, like hanging the clothes to dry, ironing, folding and stacking. I wish there a robot would be invented for all these tasks.
My husband and I got a house help for doing the dishes, sweeping and mopping. But, eventually we got tired of having to monitor every bit of work.
Weekends are no more about ‘Netflix and chill’; it’s rather about getting groceries, meal prep for the week ahead, home cleaning and other miscellaneous chores that find their way into the to-do list.
I wish there were some cheat sheets or perhaps workshops that had taught me the art of home management. I think it’s high time we include some vocational training that would better equip us for daily living. Thanks to all the YouTube teachers for lending a helping hand in times of need, I thought.
But wait, I can smell something burning in my kitchen! Catch you soon.
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