Colin and I were talking the other day and he asked me what I missed most about home (besides him and Tiffany of course) and I really couldn’t answer him very well. I love traveling. And when I’m on-the-go, I don’t really miss much. When I’m traveling, I get this sense of complete freedom. Even though I’m here to work, I have no other commitments and besides, work isn’t work like at home. I’m doing something I actually believe in and I’m contributing to making a difference.
However, after contemplating this question for a while, I realized that I will definitely miss my personal monthly ritual…one of my most favorite things to do in the whole wide world. It goes something like this: every time that I get my subscription in the mail to my favorite home décor magazine, Domino, I will go in my room, crawl in bed, light a candle, turn on some Ella Fitzgerald and read the whole thing back to front and then read it all again. Then, after I’m done with this, I’ll drive to 9th and 9th and get a cocoa from Coffee Garden and then wander up to Hip and Humble to do some inspirational shopping. I miss that day of the month that I can completely devote to ME.
Last night, after work we were invited to go to a Rotary Club meeting to listen to a guest speaker discussing safe injections. The evening began with delicious “snacks” to tide me over until dinner. When I say “snacks”, I mean…wonderful crispy veggies and paneer (cheese), sliced melon, pineapple, mangos, coconut, and kiwi, sweet swirl and oatmeal cookies and last but not least…ICE CREAM. Just a couple words about the ice cream here….it’s not like your typical vanilla. It’s more like eating spoonfuls of coolwhip, which I’m completely okay with. It’s creamy and light and hits the spot on a Wednesday evening after work. And these "snacks" are all presented to me before dinner. Oh how spoiled I am here! The meeting was interesting, but I kept getting irritated at the lack of respect towards the presenter. Cell phones were ringing off the hook, people were chatting away with side conversations, and if someone disagreed with the expert doctor, they would just stand up and say so. And then I wonder, is it just a cultural difference? Am I just an arrogant Westerner that thinks my way is the only way? I hate these moments, when I think I’m advocating for respect and then realize that maybe I need to be more aware of Indian culture and just respect the differences myself.
Today, I get to teach the art class. I’m totally thrilled…especially after a slow week at the office. I came up with the whole art and health curriculum for all three levels of students and NOW I get to teach it! Initially, I was not even slightly excited to teach (not really sure why this is....but I just had no desire to teach), but now I think it will be a great way to break up my day. So, level 1 is learning how to color in the lines, level 2 is learning how to draw a monkey and a lion, and level 3 is learning how to draw the human body. We’ll see how it goes. Now, if I were a better artist, I’m sure it would be much better, as I think I will be learning along with the kids. Oh well…
More later. Peace.
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