Hottest Christmas Ever
My iPod is fixed. It costs a full day and the equivalent price of a new piece of hardware; all spent in hopes of recovering seven-thousand songs, countless photos and other data stored on it. Alas, it is all lost anyway… they manage to upgrade the hard drive another 20gb and also replace the ill-fated collection with about two-thousand Bollywood and Hindi hits. This unexpected alteration to my music, the only thing I really found familiar during my travels, will now provide me with a more appropriate soundtrack to the true culture shock I’m due to find here.
Yet, as the last nine days in India has taught me, there is always equilibrium. I find unexpected comfort in an extremely warm invitation from Ratnadeep’s family to stay for the Christmas celebrations. Harkening from memories of the early years in my life, I am surprised to find my self at the classic holiday party; a collection of family, friends and communal gathering to celebrate being alive. Only this time, I am sitting at the adults table, filled with the warmth of new friendships and 35°C temperatures!
Comfort, Anxiety, the Surreal; they are all a part of this truly unique country. It is as easy to feel alienated as it is to feel an integral part of this strange concoction of magic diversity. I can already sense the confusion I am due to find here, but at the same time I know the lessons and enjoyment will surmount their antonyms and prove to a worth greater than their surface value.
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Tags: - Reflection, Asia, Bombay, Christmas, India, India: Maharashtra, Mumbai
Adam Shane
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