Missing you, India!!!

I live in a country that is not same as the one where I was born and raised. So - though I love my adopted country - I still miss many people and things that I had to leave behind. The relatives, friends, festivals, food, weather- all are missed. Yes, I have made many acquaintances here; yes, almost all types of Indian food- cooked and uncooked are available here; yes, most of the festivals are celebrated here too, ( though sometimes not on the same day), - still how do I get to hear the sound of many languages, traffic, music as one walks down the streets in India, smell the flowers and fruits sold by the wayside, and buy the street foods that is availble everywhere in any Indian city? Though many people that I have met here are extremely helpful and willing to listen, yet I miss talking with my friends in Bengali. Some jokes lose their 'funniness' in translation. One cannot walk into a cinema hall whenever one desires to see an Indian movie. Or turn on the radio to listen to Hindi or Bengali songs and discussions.

Looking at the positive side, I am fortunate to be able to travel to another country, learn another culture, meet many helpful and friendly people, be able to drive to malls, grocery stores or wherever in airconditioned or heated car. All these I can do with much more ease than I would have been able to in the land of my birth. I look forward to changing color of the leaves in Fall and new foliage and multicolored blossoms in Spring. These natural highlights I would not have seen if I did not come to this country. I would have not known the celebration of Thanksgiving, or heard the excitement of children hunting for Easter eggs. Though the shops and numerous houses are decorated for many festivals in India, the decorations are more elaborate here in the malls, airports, city centers and private homes. I am a retired school teacher who found the classrooms in schools here more colorful with works of students, bulletin boards and maps.

Inspite of living in the 'land of plenty' in a rather comfortable way for over forty years I still remember the smell of a particular flower when our biggest festival - Durga Puja-comes around every September or October, when the brother/sister celebration takes place, when colored water and powder is sprinkled on friends and family during the observance of Holi. When there is a celebration of any kind in my family back in India I wish again and again to be there and I when loose a dear relative I want to go and hold those who are suffering. Talking on the telephone is never the same as being able to talk face to face with someone.

But one learns to accept what life brings. And I have accepted this life joyfully too. I am going to end with a quote from Arnold Schwarzanegger "As you know, I'm an immigrant. I came over here as an immigrant, and what gave me the opportunities, what made me to be here today, is the open arms of Americans. I have been received. I have been adopted by America. "

Though I promised to be more regular with my blog, I could not do so because of one other emergency that happened in my life. I had to undergo another operation last year. This one on my left knee. It took me a while to get used to my new knee. But now it has healed a lot and I am more mobile on my feet.

In the meantime the old year has gone and a new year started; 'Thanksgiving' and 'Christmas' came and went too. We struggled with cold air and snow for months. Now the weather is slowly starting to warm up, the daffodils have already bloomed in our yard and those of our neighbors. In the vegetable gardens-the ground has been turned over and the early lettuce and onions are already peeping out. Trees are either looking colorful with white, yellow, pink, or scarlet blooms or pretty green leaves. Spring is beautiful in this country. But it is so in the land of my birth too. But I do not remember it being as colorful as here.

Spring also brings new food for us to taste and cook. Just like in India. There, I looked forward to the preparations that my mother made with blossoms from drumstick trees, and those made with tender drumsticks too. And I also miss the bitter 'neem' eggplant dish that we had with hot boiled rice. I was told that it would prevent me from getting chicken pox!! Here, in my adopted country, spring brings asparagus, both green and white, artichokes, spring onions, many varieties of lettuce and the pungent red radishes. With Easter also being celebrated in spring an abundance of lamb is also found in supermarkets. This is the time of the year to try out new light recipes. My favorite lunch these days consist of young mixed green and red lettuce leaves with sliced strawberry, nuts and little bit of cooked chicken.

Oh- how I like spring!!