Vein in Vanity

Finding a native among all the foreign faces here gives me the same pleasure that finding Pav Bhaji on Mt. Titlis in Switzerland did. No no that would be overdoing it. That was something else! But the sentiment is close enough. Although it is one that is not mutual, apparently.  Here when you come across someone (not necessarily anyone you know) at work or in the apartment building for instance, the custom is to greet. I think its civil and follow it. By habit I tend to smile at anyone who makes eye contact and so it is no surprise that I smile when I come across a fellow countryman. But sadly most often I end up looking like a donkey baring all its teeth and don't even get a friendly nod in return.  When this happens I first look at what I am wearing - am I shabby? and then consciously touch my hair. I agree I am no head turner but do I have to be just to be acknowledged as a compatriot? If it’s not the appearance is it my religion? Political views? Or can they by an...

For about a year now things have been on and off!! But the take away has been a lot more than what can be packed into a years’ time!! It began with getting married. The next one was coming to live in this country where hardly anyone spoke the language I did and neither could I speak theirs. So it’s easy to deduce that finding a job was a far cry. For a person fresh from having done her Masters, so eager to work (guess to my own regret later on..)  And finally make some money of her own, it was a big letdown. It is in such confused times that one begins to think about dreams unfulfilled. So that’s how we hit upon the idea of learning German. Moreover that would be the logical step 1 to doing anything here. That was the start button. Once that was on, my life was full again. Meeting people from many different countries (like Slovenia, Slovakia don’t we leave them with our Geography lessons??) and learning their Culture brought a massive change to my outlook.  It does feel...