Hi!! Hola!! Namaste!!

This has been in my mind since long, lingering and troubling, language confusion, which I feel my daughter is and will face in future. Well the reason is that we are family of three, settled in Spain and as a typical diplomat will be globetrotting around the world all our lives.

I am literate in two basic languages that majority of north Indians know or are well versed in English and Hindi. And when informal or casually I happen to mix both the language and convey my thoughts, actually that’s the language I think in “hinglish”. But this is now becoming a language of its own in india, the movies, the songs and informal communication among friends and family, everybody speaks “hinglish” not pure Hindi nor English.

But as we travel and settle down to a new country after every 3 yrs, every school my daughter goes study the new language, a new accent, great as an exposure but mastering none.
Make me tensed and wonder how many languages, she will even remember after losing its touch, once she is in collage. Well children manage to understand all languages and make friends easily. But still the concerns being a mother revolves around me.

Which language will my kid speak?

Thanks to the ministry and government of India, for providing diplomats children the facility to study in the best English medium school all over the world. Paying hefty amounts as fees to international school otherwise would have surely been a nightmare.
The current problem is that she is 15 months old and learning to speak what I speak “hinglish” and my husband makes all the efforts to speak Punjabi (one of the regional languages in India) as he thinks she will learn all but the mother tongue should be learnt first. We often find her confused already in three languages.

If we were in India the problem was none, on her joining to school teachers understand English Hindi and few words of Punjabi too. And my daughter would have no problems in conveying herself to the teacher.

But as of now, I’m worried of her joining the basic playschool when she will be two. How will she convey herself, tell the teacher about her toilet visits. Because, in Spain barely anyone understands English and speaks only Spanish.
Ok. If I let her fight the situation herself and let her learn her new school language, then what after a yr again a new place and altogether a new fight.

Posting Concerns

Globetrotter!! A diplomat and his trailing wife are best described as globetrotter’s trotting around the globe, all their life in the service. Three years to know the country, settle, explore, make friends and then packup to a new destination, loaded with stories heavily freighted with emotions, symphonising to harmony and March on, ahead with the transfer orders.

It is off course exciting to start a new life in a country with new culture, religion, language, food and from zero to size larger than one can count in three years. Leave old friends and make new, with lingering memories of past posting and brushing the new today to a better shining white future.

Not only the transfer order affects mentally, emotionally and physically, but also tires and tears you in packing and unpacking a luxurious living. The anxiety of going to a new place kills you. Thank God!! Internet is a blessing it helps to mitigate this felling to a large extent, with vast information. Yet I had infinite questions, regarding everything which remained unanswered by the internet and my diplomat husband, which only could be excavated and discovered by myself.

I must confess a woman’s heart and mind are much different than that of a man; my husband is concerned about the Ambassador heading the Mission and his working staff with whom he has to consummate his diplomacy skills, whereas my concerns orbit around all other things, the kind of house we will be facilitated, the local culture and outlook towards women (its important coz I need to go around the city often alone for shopping and as I said I’m not an indoor person) the families in the embassy, coz one has to interact with them the most, the Indian shops and availability of Indian grocery, the cost of living, medical facilities, weather conditions, availability of maids and the list goes on. Well, children education is often the major concern for the diplomat globetrotters; though our kid is too young still to be worried about. So we our open to all X, Y, Z places, perhaps A, B, C postings.

Through all this I was preparing myself to move off this place, to which I’m already in love with. And while I work harder to mitigate this feeling I grow fonder for it. Spain is a beautiful country with warm, friendly and loving people.

Well, before I get deeper in my thoughts, the Foreign Service Board declares the vacancies, my husband asks for my opinions and with my limited experience of just one posting, my list starts and ends with all exotic tourist places but then the serious discussion follows, for days and hours, both of us in pensive, excogitative mood and finally concluding, to three options and crossing our fingers to be sent to one of our choices.

While I wait to hear our posting promulgation, and let any other thought bother me. I stay calm and quite and let my destiny play its role.

Ready Steady and GO.....

Asian Diplomatic Ladies

Asian diplomatic ladies association in Madrid "ADLAM"
Oh!! Yes I want to attend the party, was my reaction on the invite, and I happen to attend a couple of them, left my kid with her dad and off I went to the diplomatic ladies party, with a warm welcome and sweet smiles, sugar coated statements and compliments on your attire, jewelry and everything from gossip to discussions about movies and shopping was the agenda seemed to me. The ambience smelled like valley of flowers with everyone’s perfume, wow!! It was long when I had been on girl’s day out since collage. Drinking chatting and gaga you go about the host country.
Oh yes!! I was well read about it so I can speak & contribute my opinions in the discussions and off course make friends, the first step to survival after food in a foreign land.

But to my surprise it was just not a get together to be attended and forgotten but the Philippines had organized a few minutes Fashion show, it had models from small kids of the embassy workers to officers wives and young daughters and a few professional models too. But to me all looked just gorgeous and professional. They draped them selves with various traditional dresses of all their states and their wedding attire was phenomenal. Obviously there bows took away all the appreciation.

So on was I in my full flair….OOO, because the next host was us, “the India”.
And today I can say this proudly that India sells like hot cakes, we have finally snatched the limelight and India thoroughly enjoy showcasing its rich culture & couture.

Well the date was booked with the “ADLAM” president and WOO we went with the preparations.
On the day, all the embassy diplomat ladies were informed with our specific duties by our Ambassador Ms Sujata Mehata, and we welcomed our guest by there signature on the guestbook at embassy residence. Chilled mango lassi, soft drinks wines and juices were served to quench their thirst. Within thirty minutes the residence was buzzing of laughter and loud chitchatting aromatizing the way it should with bevy of women around.

Interrupting, we surprised them with our special performance of “Bollywood Dance”. Yes Madrid local dancers lead by an Indian dancer, the troop was invited, they did all the “toomkas” n “jatkas” (and in other words hip dance which is similar to desi belly dance. lol!!) in short ghagras on fast catchy numbers.

After 10minutes performance the dancer requested actually pulled each lady on the dance floor and in a circle we all had a small workshop on the bollywood steps, she taught least 5 steps and we followed her and danced on the music.

OOOH it was just awesome, seeing the ladies dance and burst into giggles, in high heels and stiff clothing, they all did their best, hilarious it would be, if we had audience.
And truly we all could not stop laughing to each other. This was not only a workshop but I’m sure was like a stress buster for everyone.
This followed by high tea and lunch, not mentioning the obvious mouthwatering delicious Indian cuisine which was perfect after the dance. To add on, we had small gifts which were Indian tea delicately packed and also “bindi” packets.

Gifts made every spirit happy, and I slept content, coz we presented our country in the best way we could. As a team, as individuals and they now wanted more of India in cuisine, music, dance and people.

stay tuned for more….

Just Thoughts!!

Thoughts and thoughts is all that I have, I walk on a rough road and thoughts ride along happily munching my mind, high speed they race each other with blows of trail I’m left dazing and glaring in the foreign faces I see.

My first post, and haphazard thoughts, my eagerness to write and share all my thoughts coz its only all that I have, and you have the powerful patient ears lend to me, to hear, to read and to just pass by with a thought which is just a thought.

Thoughts that glide on the snow peaks of Alps
in the tangy taste of the ketchup
on an Atlantic virgin beach
to the extreme poverty and luxury
in the wings of the bird
drenching in the rain
tears of pain
sorrows of lost
happiness of aliveness….

Thoughts and thoughts all that make one realize its being of human and its five senses.

Thoughts and thoughts is all that I have.