As a frequent hitch hiker, here is my tip to prospective hitch-hikers. When not to accept a hitch-hike? When to stop the vehicle the person driving the vehicle looks down to find out where the brakes are !! (It happened to me a couple of days back on a busy street in Bangalore and I put down my thumb, turned in the other direction to avoid being hitch-hiked by that fellow!!)
Cheers!!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
On my flight back home-my experiences of a foreign Culture
Its 1847hrs GMT on 8th July 06 and I am on my way back to India, to work as one might say. But I feel the last 3 weeks have been....breathtaking. I know it might sound a little inappropriate for someone to call 3 weeks as a breathtaking period- one might die in that long a period of one's breath taken away! (Its a poor joke and you are expected to laugh at it..good that you atleast smiled)
But the last 3 weeks have been breathtaking when I think of them and the time I had and how I feel I have personally evolved. And the evolution is what makes it so beautiful when I look back at my time in the UK. I have certainly developed a bias for Scottish people (women, in particular- courtesy Ms.AS- I wish her all the luck and hope to write a Mrs. preceeding her name sometime soon). And its been like this amazing awakening of sorts. For a lot of things. I saw stuff that I have heard people say and brag about and to say that I was hesitant to start with would be an understatement. But as time went by I evolved, didnt feel out of place, and then enjoyed it all.The openess of people is what struck me first. And by that I mean, what we refer to as, 'public display of private emotions'. And dont take me wrongly, I truly believe people can be different and cultures, beliefs, rights, wrongs, all this can differ from place to place and culture to culture . And this was one such place. Too see people kiss in public was so touching (no puns intended:)) by the sheer fact that holding the emotion and conveying it to the one who mattered seemed more important than anything else was so romantic that words fail me. It was beautiful.
Independence that people have and how they promote it is amazing, I used to eat at one Subway almost daily for 3 weeks (the working team there-Agatha, Magda, Sunny, Shepherd and Becky) and I found that one of them was just 17, works there and lives off his money and lives away from his parents. Another one came from India, yes, Ahmedabad to be precise, and although his dad had enough money he still wants to work @ Subway and burn his ass off because he wants to. Without getting into the debate of why independence, the pros and cons, I'd like to limit my commentary to the fact of the belief in independence and self-dependence. And I think I got to learn something for how I'd like my kids to grow up.
People of all age and sizes (yes, and I mean all sizes) have a ball come Friday night. I just found it lovely (after the initial shock, courtesy my 'background' and on discovering contradictions to what we are taught to be 'right' and 'expected out of people of such age') that old people dont just loose the spirit of life. Again, without going in detail of the causes and repurcussions, because thats not what I want to write about, what I found most enchanting was people enjoying their lives, or atleast they seemed to. I think this is something we need to learn as a culture, yes, we need to respect the elderly but shouldnt, as we usually do, rob them off their identities. Being honest, I cant think of my maternal grandma and grandpa of anything more than people responsile for bringing a generation in this world, one of whom brought me in this world. For selfish reasons, we tend to ignore their reasons for existence, assuming they have any. But each one, and I mean each and everyone, should have the right to live in ways them deem fit and by means that deem fit.
My workplace was just wonderful, and when I mention this towards the end it doesnt, by any strech of imagination, mean that I will remember it as the least important. I met competent people, I saw a lot, and I mean 'A LOT' of Asian looking faces and how they had been accepted into the workplace. The openess of the organisation is commendable and I saw what it means to say being an 'equal opportunity employer'.And then there was AS. I wouldnt elaborate on her as a person more than the fact that she is the one of the most competent people I've seen at their work, terribly proud of her work and her pride in standing for what she thinks is right. I felt parts of me in her. That is till I found out that partner shares his date of birth with me. And we got talking about him (rather she talked about him and I talked about how I am) and it came to the verge of it being scary how much we have in common. But it was delightful. I wish to have her as a friend for life and wish her with all my heart all the happiness that is possible in this world.
Being in the Uk was cool, yet I feel having grown out of the want to have been 'somewhere in the west'. I'd love to come back here or enjoy some place else if life gave me another chance but I dont see myself craving for it now. I felt a lot during this trip ( and I'd skip the list of what all I 'felt' to maintain the sanctity of this writeup:)) and I think I have evolved and see myself better than 3 weeks back-more cosmopolitan, less shy of being metrosexual, more accomodating for other's opinions-still as rigid in mine, though- and more tolerant of people's incompetencies!
Thats quite a list, eh? God bless me!!!
But the last 3 weeks have been breathtaking when I think of them and the time I had and how I feel I have personally evolved. And the evolution is what makes it so beautiful when I look back at my time in the UK. I have certainly developed a bias for Scottish people (women, in particular- courtesy Ms.AS- I wish her all the luck and hope to write a Mrs. preceeding her name sometime soon). And its been like this amazing awakening of sorts. For a lot of things. I saw stuff that I have heard people say and brag about and to say that I was hesitant to start with would be an understatement. But as time went by I evolved, didnt feel out of place, and then enjoyed it all.The openess of people is what struck me first. And by that I mean, what we refer to as, 'public display of private emotions'. And dont take me wrongly, I truly believe people can be different and cultures, beliefs, rights, wrongs, all this can differ from place to place and culture to culture . And this was one such place. Too see people kiss in public was so touching (no puns intended:)) by the sheer fact that holding the emotion and conveying it to the one who mattered seemed more important than anything else was so romantic that words fail me. It was beautiful.
Independence that people have and how they promote it is amazing, I used to eat at one Subway almost daily for 3 weeks (the working team there-Agatha, Magda, Sunny, Shepherd and Becky) and I found that one of them was just 17, works there and lives off his money and lives away from his parents. Another one came from India, yes, Ahmedabad to be precise, and although his dad had enough money he still wants to work @ Subway and burn his ass off because he wants to. Without getting into the debate of why independence, the pros and cons, I'd like to limit my commentary to the fact of the belief in independence and self-dependence. And I think I got to learn something for how I'd like my kids to grow up.
People of all age and sizes (yes, and I mean all sizes) have a ball come Friday night. I just found it lovely (after the initial shock, courtesy my 'background' and on discovering contradictions to what we are taught to be 'right' and 'expected out of people of such age') that old people dont just loose the spirit of life. Again, without going in detail of the causes and repurcussions, because thats not what I want to write about, what I found most enchanting was people enjoying their lives, or atleast they seemed to. I think this is something we need to learn as a culture, yes, we need to respect the elderly but shouldnt, as we usually do, rob them off their identities. Being honest, I cant think of my maternal grandma and grandpa of anything more than people responsile for bringing a generation in this world, one of whom brought me in this world. For selfish reasons, we tend to ignore their reasons for existence, assuming they have any. But each one, and I mean each and everyone, should have the right to live in ways them deem fit and by means that deem fit.
My workplace was just wonderful, and when I mention this towards the end it doesnt, by any strech of imagination, mean that I will remember it as the least important. I met competent people, I saw a lot, and I mean 'A LOT' of Asian looking faces and how they had been accepted into the workplace. The openess of the organisation is commendable and I saw what it means to say being an 'equal opportunity employer'.And then there was AS. I wouldnt elaborate on her as a person more than the fact that she is the one of the most competent people I've seen at their work, terribly proud of her work and her pride in standing for what she thinks is right. I felt parts of me in her. That is till I found out that partner shares his date of birth with me. And we got talking about him (rather she talked about him and I talked about how I am) and it came to the verge of it being scary how much we have in common. But it was delightful. I wish to have her as a friend for life and wish her with all my heart all the happiness that is possible in this world.
Being in the Uk was cool, yet I feel having grown out of the want to have been 'somewhere in the west'. I'd love to come back here or enjoy some place else if life gave me another chance but I dont see myself craving for it now. I felt a lot during this trip ( and I'd skip the list of what all I 'felt' to maintain the sanctity of this writeup:)) and I think I have evolved and see myself better than 3 weeks back-more cosmopolitan, less shy of being metrosexual, more accomodating for other's opinions-still as rigid in mine, though- and more tolerant of people's incompetencies!
Thats quite a list, eh? God bless me!!!
I love you- work of art:)
I am writing this on my flight back from the UK to Bangalore. Here you go..
With the light of the lilies,
With the smell of the dawn,
With the touch of water,
With the taste of air
With the sound of sunrise,
With the smell of wind,
With the sight of rustling leaves,
With the touch of ground
With the warmth of snow,
With the light of the moon,
With all of you,
In all of me
With all my heart,
With all my soul,
With all of me,
I love you
P.S.: This is courtesy the music channel I plugged in to on my flight.. Something about the music made me write and the result is above.. For all the lovers-please feel free to use this -just try and let me know if you do:)
With the light of the lilies,
With the smell of the dawn,
With the touch of water,
With the taste of air
With the sound of sunrise,
With the smell of wind,
With the sight of rustling leaves,
With the touch of ground
With the warmth of snow,
With the light of the moon,
With all of you,
In all of me
With all my heart,
With all my soul,
With all of me,
I love you
P.S.: This is courtesy the music channel I plugged in to on my flight.. Something about the music made me write and the result is above.. For all the lovers-please feel free to use this -just try and let me know if you do:)
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
First write up in UK
Today is the 30th day if June 2006 and I have sat down to write anything since the time I came to the UK. And I can safely say one thing: its been great. It all started when I was in the flight on my way to here. And stupid as it may sound I was glad that someone British served me. I felt I had reached somewhere. The British ruled India for so long and sapped the nation and there I was, feeling gloated for a moment that I had arrived in my life and that I had given it back to them. Yes, thats what I thought.
Then I landed in London and I felt exhilarated at being the first one in my family to have come overseas. I felt I had reached somewhere. I felt I had arrived in the glory of life. Yup, that’s what I thought. RM and AY ( my peers in my office) had come to receive me at the port and it was good to see some familiar faces. We drove to our place of stay and the place where our office was and joined the office the next day.
I had heard about my counterpart who was to help me understand my job and handover her duties to me and I felt that she'd be a as I had heard of a typical Brit to be-snobbish, stiff necked, tight upper lip, condescending, etc, etc. She wasn’t. She is a darling. AS is one of the most competent persons I have seen, she is lovely, outspoken and honest to her people and very supporting. She is Scottish. She's even got a boyfriend who shares his date of birth with me!
People say this about perceptions and stuff that we tend to form our opinions based on our experiences. AS has made me have a very high regard for anyone Scottish- I am even hoping that Andy Murray, the Scottish bloke in Wimbledon, wins:)
Being in the UK during the Soccer World Cup has also been an experience. I have realized that at the core of any human lies something common, whether you talk about the passion for Cricket in India, or Soccer here. The people are more alike than different. All through my stay here so far I have seen people so courteous and gentle and supportive for a newcomer like me that I haven’t felt alien at all. I have mocked myself for thinking the way I did on my flight here. I think we shouldn’t try to justify any wrong or injustice (not that being served in the Business Class is wrong or unjust:)) by quoting an equivalent from the past. A wrong can never justify a wrong. What I mean is that yes, there has been a history of people from different countries who have raided and plundered my nation but that shouldn’t be a reason for me to be rude/callous to them. Not that I am trying to be a coward or anything. Just that people who were cruel would have borne the results of their actions, and in today's time I need to decide for myself how I'd like to be. And accept the karma of the same coming back to me...Life, come to me...
Then I landed in London and I felt exhilarated at being the first one in my family to have come overseas. I felt I had reached somewhere. I felt I had arrived in the glory of life. Yup, that’s what I thought. RM and AY ( my peers in my office) had come to receive me at the port and it was good to see some familiar faces. We drove to our place of stay and the place where our office was and joined the office the next day.
I had heard about my counterpart who was to help me understand my job and handover her duties to me and I felt that she'd be a as I had heard of a typical Brit to be-snobbish, stiff necked, tight upper lip, condescending, etc, etc. She wasn’t. She is a darling. AS is one of the most competent persons I have seen, she is lovely, outspoken and honest to her people and very supporting. She is Scottish. She's even got a boyfriend who shares his date of birth with me!
People say this about perceptions and stuff that we tend to form our opinions based on our experiences. AS has made me have a very high regard for anyone Scottish- I am even hoping that Andy Murray, the Scottish bloke in Wimbledon, wins:)
Being in the UK during the Soccer World Cup has also been an experience. I have realized that at the core of any human lies something common, whether you talk about the passion for Cricket in India, or Soccer here. The people are more alike than different. All through my stay here so far I have seen people so courteous and gentle and supportive for a newcomer like me that I haven’t felt alien at all. I have mocked myself for thinking the way I did on my flight here. I think we shouldn’t try to justify any wrong or injustice (not that being served in the Business Class is wrong or unjust:)) by quoting an equivalent from the past. A wrong can never justify a wrong. What I mean is that yes, there has been a history of people from different countries who have raided and plundered my nation but that shouldn’t be a reason for me to be rude/callous to them. Not that I am trying to be a coward or anything. Just that people who were cruel would have borne the results of their actions, and in today's time I need to decide for myself how I'd like to be. And accept the karma of the same coming back to me...Life, come to me...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
