In a good way.

Every part of this building adventure has been exciting and full of discoveries. But buying new furniture has a shiny sparkle that bricks and stairways can’t compete with. On the other hand, everyone feels qualified to have an opinion. I mean, we all sit in chairs; we all have our own tables, everybody knows about cupboards and shelves.

We’ve gone shopping together in various formations: once there were five of us at a showroom, plus our two architects. (Sunita and Manju, both Project Heads, were like kids in a toy store – they wanted everything.) But to be honest, we were all a bit overwhelmed. On our first tour we only managed one showroom and we made no decisions.

By comparison, Rupa and I did four companies on our next foray. Having learned from the first experience, Rupa cut through all the faff and sales pitching, avoided offers of lunches and tea and got us right down to business: we knew much better what we were looking for and we didn’t waste time (except when we sat down out of sheer exhaustion).

But the real fun began back in Dehradun when we got together at the site with a few furniture samples. Rupa went in advance and set up a mock classroom. Arguments, negotiations, measurements and, ultimately, compromises ensued.

When I got home that evening, I told my husband (theth Punjabi, by his own description) about the meeting and he laughed. “You realize, Jo, that you are the only non-Punjabi in this group? So forget about making any decisions yourself. Just sit back and watch the fun.”