Things Past…

… and things present. Oh, the winter is here, and so is the snowfall on my pretty blog! Yay, the holiday season is here!

It is already December, and suddenly I ache for Germany. Last year was so beautiful, with snow and the holiday spirit everywhere. The houses lit up, the bakeries selling the Christmas specials, and stores loading up their holiday cookies and chocolates! I would leave office early, pick up some sweet fix, have a hot cup of tea, cuddle myself in a warm blanket and sit by my window with my book. Oh, what lovely times! Of course, I complained even then about all the things I didn’t have, like the love of my life for example, oh well…

Yesterday I stopped in at Aldi, one of the popular supermarkets in Germany, which is also here in good old North Carolina. The minute I entered, I was so overwhelmed! It just brought in a flood of memories of good times, far away friends… and I got super excited! I somehow imagined that everyone would speak German, and I can show off my amateur knowledge and make some friends.. and blah blah blah. All these imaginary things happened in my head! I discovered that apart from the way things were shelved, there really weren’t any similarities. It was just another American store… with a German name! I was glad to find some chocolate Santa figurines which mocked at me; last Christmas, I would buy these really small figurines and nibble at them for a long time… People pass on these to each other as gifts, though others use it more meaningfully than I did, they melt everything and make into something else. But those were times when I ran and biked like a crazy woman, and I could afford to do it. Not anymore, sigh! Yeah, if you are planning to buy any of these, you may not like them, they are something like cheap milk chocolates, but I admit I loved them! I know, I am a complex person! I asked one of the store persons for a Milka or Ritter, and she looked at me as if I some kind of green ugly alien. I wanted to beat her, but well, poor thing, who can blame her.

Then, I walked around seeing if I could find anything, anything at all, but I was surprised how cheap some of the stuff were, so I started loading up my cart! Of course I had to pay a 25 cent for a cart which you get back once you put the cart back where it belonged. And when I wanted to check out, they refused to take my credit card, please cash or debit… haha, I almost laughed! Like seriously? Some things are good when they are American, I guess, after all.

Final Thoughts…

…from Deutschland!

As I sit here in the evening sunset, I see the orange skies and I know I will always miss these times, quiet and alone. So, finally it’s here, the last evening in this tiny town village in lower Bavaria. Today is a public holiday, which is why I had to get out to eat in a restaurant for my dinner. My bags are packed, and weighed a million times over. I have thrown everything away, and recycled every tiny bottle, plastic container, old clothes as much as I can. My apartment is at its squeaky best, probably the cleanest it ever found itself in this one and a half year. Last few days of cleaning kind of grew on me and I actually started enjoying it, as I scrubbed every piece of furniture, faucet, any thing which occupies any volume at all. I am some times the perfectionist, who gets so into the details!

Anyways, I still need to pause and think. It has been a year and a half in this place! I know how fast times flies, and we are all caught by surprise. But each day as I cloaked myself in heavy jackets and knee boots, walking through snow and ice, as I figured out the grocery items in the super market, as I started slowing my English into single broken words just so I can communicate, as I picked up German words and made my way through the maze, as I slowly blended into the people at work as one of them, as I drove through curvy dark roads in the night making my way back home, as I started flying on the autobahn at eccentric speeds, as I made new friends, drew them closer and figured those who would never be, as I cooked up Indian meals and relished entertaining people, as I wound up and my heart became heavy… it has all been a ride. A ride of a lifetime, a journey beyond anything I had come to expect, a fabulous adventure.

Europe will never be the distant place anymore, Germany will never be ‘just’ another country anymore either. I know what it is like, I have lived here, been amongst these people, enjoyed each day as much sinking in the sun and breathing the crisp air. I have never stopped thanking God, what an amazing opportunity! I carry such fond memories of this place, of its people, of life long friends, colleagues who came to mean so much in course of time… we all cried at my farewell. It is always hard to let go of people you come to care about, it is hard to disconnect yourself from the place which has housed you this long, but as we roll the dice, the numbers always change in this game of life.

It’s about time. So, goodbye from Germany. “Aufwiedersehen Deutschland! You will always stay close in my heart.”

Things Past…

…and present.

I have been planning to visit the Memorial Site of the concentration camp for a long time now. It’s funny how I live right here, yet put off the things I want to do for a later time. Today was the D-day, a girl who had found me through my old blog had been in touch with me for a while now, so we finally decided to catch up in person. And it was a nice day to be out, a sad day to see all the history come and smack down at you. I guess, we all are aware of what happened in Dachau but it adds a whole new dimension to actually see it in person, and hear someone explain the barbaric acts of violence. The gory pictures and gruesome details beats you into submission of a mute spectator. “Arbeit macht frei” “Work makes (you) free” A kind of spiritual freedom, Work till you have given it all. The slogan which shares it history with hundreds of thousands of people killed during the Nazi regime. A dim reminder of things past. The documentary film produced, and shown free at the site is a must watch for any of those who visits Dachau.

One thing I completely indulge in when time is plenty, is taking the audio tours where you can walk at a pace you want, and look around. But today, it was a guided tour and I went along. Hey R, if you land on this blog today, big ‘hi’, it was nice meeting you.

And then after that, as I walked back to the station, I caught up with one of the backpackers who’s been traveling around Europe. For me, it is always interesting to see the courage, the confidence and plain who-cares attitude, it was really great catching up with her, getting to know her exhaustive itinerary, and more. Hey JJ, if you land up here, a big ‘hi’ to you too. Look at me, the crazy senile person giving shout outs from this blog! Anyways, on the whole, this long weekend has almost flown by without noticing.

We were off on Thursday and Friday, and last evening, I had my good friend and her husband over for dinner. Yes, in case you asked, Indian food. I think in these times, I can open a small bistro and sell out parathas and pickles the way people, especially Germans, love Indian food. We spent a lot of time chatting about work, colleagues, and plenty of other things over beer and wine. It was time well spent. Okie dokie, I am tired, and want to get back to my reading before I call it a day. Guten Abend!

Of Millionaires…

… and Slumdogs. 

Some times, its funny how unaware people are about the world around them. You really cannot blame them or their life styles, everyone has a right to live the life they wish or the one that makes them happy. Especially when you are born and raised in an affluent country, you just tend to view life, relationships, money in a different way. Yes, there are still so many who venture out, read, travel, see, help, reach out, empathize with others living much different, poorer lives. Thankfully, I have friends from both these mindsets and it is always interesting to see the effects of my lineage has on them. Living in Bavaria, amongst these real simple people, who have big houses, rich living rooms, wonderful coffee machines, huge gardens, and patios to lounge upon on quiet summer afternoons, there is suddenly some commotion of one kind. Call it Slumdog Millionaire. 

Slumdog movie has had varied effects on so many people, and the way they relate to me. Not always nicer or kinder, but a vague acknowledgement that a sadness exists and we are all so lucky to have the life we have now, here. Suddenly, some of my quiet, luxury loving friends are shaken to have seen real slums in Mumbai, though in a movie. “It ain’t a movie set?” “Why does she die?” “Is religion so defining ‘even’ now?” I was having coffee yesterday after my workout, and my friend asked me if I had watched this Oscar movie. I nodded and waited. She was almost teary eyed, “Do these slums really exist?” “Are children really live liking this?” And quietly, she said, she never would have believed that, it would be ‘this’ terrible. We sit there in the bright room, with its red leather upholstered chairs, sipping our expensive cappuccinos, lost in our own thoughts. Different thoughts, worlds apart. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was having ‘Brotzeit’ ‘mid-day brunch’ very popular in Bavaria, with a couple of colleagues. People have a light something between breakfast and lunch everyday, and as we sat there sipping fruit teas and munching some ‘bredzen’ ‘pretzel’, my good friend asked me, “Have you seen that Indian movie?” Who needs a name, right? “Do they really do that to children?” “Take out eyes asking them to beg, and take their money” I nod. And we are all quiet, and go on drinking our teas and munching more. And my friend looks up at me and we both smiled sadly. Quite some long time ago, my Chinese friend watched the movie and commented, “Why are people fighting over the movie in India?” “I don’t know, I really don’t. I watched the movie when it was another unknown something before it became an Oscar frenzied hit!” “People don’t like portraying India as ‘slums’, and calling a ‘dog’ is not ok with them.” ” I thought it was a fantastic movie” He loved the movie. Nothing about the poverty or illiteracy, we both know how it is.  

At the other end however, people directly assume that I come from a very rich family, with tons of money. Every time, they assume that and say it aloud, I feel like smacking them on their back with a pillow. I am not the violent kind, if you hadn’t noticed. My only thought when I encounter this assumption, “Why am I sitting here amongst you all, if I had the luxury and nothing to work for?” Anyways, as I say, there are always people who go beyond to argue their point of view. “You come from a rich family.” “I do?” “You didn’t come from the slum, did you?” I grit my teeth, roll my eyes, and shake my head. Perceptions take so little time to form, but stay long enough to not only make judgements, but also pass them on like flyers for a free concert of a band no one ever heard of.