Down in the Valley, but Not Alone

By Leela Peakuzhimannil

Down in the Valley, but Not Alone is the journey of a woman from the small remote village in Kerala, called Naranamoozhi (Na-ra-na-muoozhii), to the land of her dreams, America. It is the story of lost relationships, love, lust, betrayal, and loneliness. The journey is painful, but is it the story of courage and victory.
This is the story of Leela, who came from this village fighting all odds to fulfill her dream. The journey was not an easy one. All the way, they were trials and tribulations; but in the midst of all these, she always experienced the presence of God lifting her up and leading her in the most wonderful way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453561492

Leela Peakuzhimannil

I am born in the year 1953 in a small village in Kerala, a state in India. My father was working in Indian Railways as accountant and stationed in then Bombay, a commercial city of India. (Now the name is changed to Mumbai) My primary studies were jointly in the local country schools of my birth village and the City of Bombay. So I could enjoy both the friendships and love of my school colleagues in my early ages. I had done my High School studies in Bombay. I continued School of Nursing during the year 1972-76, with King Edward Memorial Nursing School and Hospitals in Bombay, a well reputed Institution established by British. After the graduation, I was employed in the same Hospital. I was married to an Engineer in the year 1978. We went to UAE in the year 1979 and continued my profession. In UAE, got birth to my three children, two sons and the daughter, youngest one. I was migrated to USA in 1992 and started my carrier as Registered Nurse in New Jersey. I lived up to 2002 in New Jersey and moved to Madisonville, Kentucky and continued the profession. I was got divorced in 2008 and remarried in 2009. My both sons are well settled now and daughter is graduated from UK very recently. Now I am working with Jennie Stuart Medical Centre, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and living in the city of Madisonville with my husband.

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Copyright © 2010 by Leela Peakuzhimannil.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2010912251

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4535-6148-5

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4535-6147-8

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4535-6149-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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I would like to dedicate

this book

to

my wonderful parents

*     *     *

I profoundly remember my friends

Ms. Kimber Tritten and Seema Chandel

who have supported me in the work of this book.

Please be excused

if my work has hurted anybody

knowingly or unknowingly,

but

my grievances and losses in life

are more costlier than those hurts and feeling to them.

I feel all are for good happened

in the past, present and future.

All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart

—Proverb XXI 2

Contents

ABOUT THE BOOK

A JOURNEY TO MY VILLAGE

THE TRADITIONAL WEDDING OF MY PARENTS

MY CHILDHOOD AND THE LIFE IN MUMBAI

GROWING UP AND CHOOSING MY CAREER

BEING IN LOVE

MY LOVE THAT ENDED IN A BEAUTIFUL MARRIAGE

LIFE IN DUBAI

THE BIRTH OF MY BEAUTIFUL KIDS

MY FIRST VISIT TO KUWAIT, AND THE KUWAIT WAR

MY SAFE RETURN FROM KUWAIT

THE JOURNEY TO UNITED STATES, THE LAND OF MY DREAMS

FIGHTING ALL ODDS AND BEGINNING A NEW LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES

THE STRUGGLES, THE PAIN, AND THE CRUMBLING RELATIONSHIP

LOVE, THE BETRAYAL, AND THE DIVORCE

BUILDING UP MY LIFE AFTER THE DIVORCE

A LIFE LIVED DOWN IN THE VALLEY BUT NOT ALONE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Down in the Valley, but Not Alone is the journey of a woman from the small remote village in Kerala, called Naranamoozhi (Na-ra-na-muoozhii), to the land of her dreams, America. It is the story of lost relationships, love, lust, betrayal, and loneliness. The journey is painful, but it is the story of courage and victory.

This is the story of Leela, who came from this village fighting all odds to fulfill her dream. The journey was not an easy one. All through the way, they were trials and tribulations; but in the midst of all these, she always experienced the presence of God lifting her up and leading her in the most wonderful way.

Leela was a born fighter. She fought all the odds to choose a life of her own. She chose Nursing as her profession. Her society, which believed in traditional values, would not let her go out of her house. Yet in the midst of all oppositions, she listened to her heart and went her way, fighting with her society to become a dedicated nurse. All throughout her struggle, she always felt the presence of an unseen hand lifting her up from all

her struggles.

She was raised in a traditional home in India; as a girl, she was taught to live and be at home. Her childhood was full of difficulties, but she smiled all the way and came up in life. As a teenager, she grew up in Bombay, which was far different from the life in the village. She grew as women understood the rights and freedom of a woman. She could think and choose the profession she liked, fighting her way all through out and getting her dream fulfilled. Growing up in a city changed her attitude toward life. She fell in love with man and chose to marry him. A woman had no place in the family if she chose a man of her choice against the wishes of the family. She was treated as an outcast, and to fall in love was considered as an unpardonable sin in her society. Leela chose to fight all the traditional values of those times and did what she wanted to do. Her marriage was the beginning of a long struggle that would follow on.

In the midst of all difficulties, it was as though God had a purpose. She got a job and began her life in Dubai with her husband. It was like a dream—she had everything in hand: a beautiful home, a loving husband, her kids. Everything looked perfect. But in the midst of all this, a great storm was waiting to hit and wash all the joys. It is said that happiness does not stay long with us; this was true in Leela’s life. She had to do everything to keep her husband happy. Instead of listening to her heart and doing what was right to her. she had to listen to his heart. This was the beginning of a troubled relationship, struggling to keep her husband in a relationship. This led her to a trip to Kuwait, which was a second chance given by God to live.

Being in Kuwait when the war broke out and finding her way to escape was her courage to face all her struggles with a brave heart. When the war broke out in Kuwait, she was in circumstances where any woman would give up when all hopes to escape failed. But faced with a strong determination to live for her family, she fought all her way through and found a way to escape and come back safely to Dubai.

The struggle did not end there; she wanted to get back her husband’s love and keep the family together. She decided to come to America, where she thought she could get back her husband’s first love, but all the calculations went wrong. Her journey to America and to get started in life was the beginning of a new battle.

Her life in America was filled with the pain of her lost relationship. Her struggle to keep her husband happy was rewarded by his betrayal. He found a life of his own, found a new relationship, and the family for which Leela struggled all through her life was completely broken.

Leela did not lose courage in spite of everything working against her. She tried to not to fall apart. She was completely broken, with no money in hand and no one to turn to for help in this strange land, with none to support her and a broken marriage. She tried to hide everything and face the world again with a stronger will. She was determined to fight all the odds and go against all tradition and believe and find the love for the second time with a new person, thus leading a happy life and with a person who could truly understand her

We are all shattered when something comes to our life, but Leela’s life shows what every woman should do in the midst of adversity: never to give up but fight the old traditions, struggle through, and never lose hope even when nothing is working against her.

Listen to Leela’s story in her own words, all the little events that molded her and helped her face the world with courage. Experience, through her book, the presence of an unseen hand lifting her always above all

her problems.

Her life will be inspiring and will touch any person’s heart. Leela’s life will surely help those who are living through such struggles. A simple inspiration that says, Never submit to the circumstances, but live above everything. Always listen to your heart. This is Leela’s autobiography—written by Leela, an ordinary woman—told in simple words.

—Elizabeth Anil John

A JOURNEY TO MY VILLAGE

Driving my car along the winding roads of Kentucky, I get the feeling how far I have come. The person I am today was not the one who was fifty years ago. I was very shy and quiet. I was never so outspoken, but everything has changed in these fifty years. All the experiences I got from my childhood and growing up has made me a better and a stronger person. The days seem too long and tiring, but I have to move on with life. The cold wind starts blowing again, reminding that winter is fast and quickly approaching. Even this winter, I am alone. I wish someone was there beside me with whom I could share everything that’s in my heart. I wish I could start from when I was a child so that I could once again relive my childhood.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the life in Kentucky is my small village in India. This village is in Kerala, which is the southernmost state of India. Resting between the waters of the Arabian Sea on the west and the lush Western Ghats Mountains on the east, there are innumerable existences of rivers and lakes, thick forests, wildlife, peaceful stretches of backwaters, and a long shoreline of serene beaches that makes Kerala a traveler’s paradise. Lots of backwater lagoons and wildlife sanctuaries. It is a place of scenic beauty, and it’s rightly called as God’s own country!

Kerala has a tropical climate, so the land has thick vegetation. The main crop of this land is rubber and coconut, and people also call Kerala as the land of coconuts. Kerala is made up of number of villages, and every place has its own rich culture and tradition.

The village where I grew up was called Naranamoozhi (pronounced as Na ra nu moozhi). It’s a remote village in Kerala; very few people must have heard of it. There are so many stories about how the village got this name. Some old stories tell that a mad person by name of Naranth Prandhan came and found shelter in this village, and the village got its name. Whatever the stories are, the people of this village are very loving and affectionate people. Every visitor to this village is welcomed with love.

This village is also known for its scenic beauty. It is surrounded by mountains and thick vegetation, which includes crops like rubber, coconut, and pepper. The longest river, Pampa, passes through this village; and so during rainy season, there is an overflow from this river and the whole area gets flooded. This is the land I grew up in, among the simple folk who loved and cared about nature. They did all they could to protect nature. In this village was my grandfather’s house; it was a farm house that was surrounded by rubber trees and coconut trees

Everything about my village was unique: the people I grew up with, the school I went to, and the house I lived was so different. The people were so simple, hardworking people that inspired me always. It taught me a lesson earlier on, that success and riches do not come easily; everything has a price.

All the days I spent in my village as a child reminds me that I never was