‘& there have been other glorious events in light of the way you have been feeling. The other day, the man who sells beverages saw you coming, stopped sweeping & went behind the counter to pull out 2-2 liter bottles because that’s what you always buy from him. That made you smile remember? The owner of the Indian restaurant you have frequented almost every day yelled out your order to the kitchen before you could say a word, ‘AFGANI CHICKEN, MIXED VEGETABLE!’. That made you smile too. Then you both proceeded to have a conversation about ? Doesn’t matter that you don’t remember the subject, but you do remember the effect & how you felt right? & that shop where you go to recharge the cell phone where they stared at you terribly on your first visit & the guy asked “what do you want?!” in a way that felt both belligerent & rude & the girl always acts like she could be so bothered. She smiles when you come in now & has been doing that in your last few visits, she even knows how much money you put on your card & damn near knows your phone # without looking at the sheet of paper!’
‘You’ve had the opportunity to be immersed in a culture, living along with the locals. You who are so curious about how people live & what makes them tick can’t expect to like every situation you find yourself in, you know better than that!’
Damn, I did have a valid point. I couldn’t even talk back to myself. A trip when that happens!
What made me come to these realizations? I don’t know, I guess I’d gotten tired of being pissed off, irritable & cranky every single day. Our time on this Earth is a precious gift & gees, how often do I forget that? My 6 week stay was barreling to an end & I realized I needed to take some serious stock. In spite of all the near misses & constant danger, I was healthy, safe & had a place to go to, unlike the many souls living in abject poverty. I would go back to a nation where people are free to change their condition, where opportunities abound. Where one can walk freely into a movie theatre without being searched & carry their umbrella. Oh man, I realized I had so much to be grateful for & began compiling a list of things, some trivial, some substantial but all things I’d taken for granted like:
1) Self-Adhesive Stamps—I mailed 17 postcards & was so grateful that Sagar took charge in affixing stamps to them. We stood at the counter in the post office while applying adhesive with a stick shared between us & the other customers crowding around. While Sagar brushed the glue on the stamps then placed them on the postcards, I wiped off the excess & made sure all the ends had glue on them so they didn’t curl up & the stamp would stay put. It took FOR-ever!
2) A Shower—while the bucket method does save a lot on water & soap, I found myself appreciating & yearning for my shower that spits hot & cold water in a flash either burning me or giving me a cold freeze. Many a day I thought about that.
3) In Peace—walking down the street & not being stared at by everyone I pass.
4) THE INTERNET!—boy have I taken for granted having easy & efficient access to the net in the comfort of my home!
5) The Boob Tube—for 6 weeks I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the world. Not to watch because it's a choice is one thing, not being able to watch because you don't have a TV is another animal of another species.
6) Courtesy—walking into a store & someone saying ‘may I help you’ instead of “WHAT DO YOU WANT!?”
7) Freedom—Non-invasive or no body searches.
8) Rules & Laws That Are FOLLOWED!—living in a place of order, with rules that are basically adhered to.
9) My Space My Space [& not the website]—living in a place where there is a basic understanding of personal space [unless it’s on the #4 train during rush hour, then ALL bets are off!]
10) Transportation—living in a city with great access to transportation, no matter how much they raise the fares.
11) Safety—living in a country where there are fire & building codes that are enforced for the basic safety of the inhabitants. Now of course there are always exceptions & somebody trying to bend the rules, but at least we live for the most part in buildings that have front walls on them.
12) TRAFFIC LAWS!—I never thought I would be so happy as to see people driving on their side of the yellow line. Seeing people driving within lanes & not driving down the city streets with high beams on. Woo-hoo!
13) Choices—having access to a great selection of foods & cuisines.
14) SIDEWALKS!—need I say more?
15) NO EXCESSIVE, REDUNDANT, INFERNAL, INCESSANT, ABUNDANT HONKING!