Be proud of your country!
Kerala is a small state on the west coast of South India. Its capital is Thiruvunanthapuram [try saying that with your mouth full] or Trivandrum for those of you who are too chicken to pronounce the real name. It is often called 'God's Own Country' by its people, who boast the highest rates of literacy among their population and the lowest rates of corruption among their politicians.
Ok. Fine and dandy. But it is still a part of India.
Apparently, not a lot of Keralites think so.
Let me illustrate my point: Today, Ammi took Sarah, her friend Sakeenah, Arjun and me out to the Hyatt Regency's ice rink where we kicked off our regular shoes and put on blade-soled boots and skated on the ice. It was Arjun's first time so I was passing on my ice-skating wisdom to him, teaching him first to walk and then to skate.
Two chaps who were standing outside the rink probably noticed this and beckoned to me. When I went over, they pointed to a certain guy on the rink and asked me to help him learn too. So skated over to him and told him to start by taking baby steps first.
Anyways, we got talking:
"I am Azeem. What's your name?"
"Daniyal."
"Daniyaa?"
"Daniyal."
"Where are you from?"
I shrugged and said, "India!" Then, "You? Where are you from?"
"Kerala."
Separatist! And this is not the first time that I've heard this.
Why? Isn't Kerala a part of India too? Why can't you say 'India' instead of saying 'Kerala' and expecting non-Indians to know about it? It's as if they're embarrassed to be Indians. That's snobbish.
But it's ok. Azeem turned out to be a fast learner. He's a business student in Bangalore in India and his father [one of the chaps who beckoned to me] works here in Dubai. That is the sad reality of Dubai - because of the cost of living... no, the cost of existing in Dubai is rising, many breadwinners simply send their families back home [or never bother to bring them here, as in Azeem's father's case] while themselves working here, trying to etch out a living for themselves and their families back in their home countries.
Speaking of rising costs, Ammi finally bought the tag for the road toll today, for her car. Alas, we have given up resistance against that money-minting toll system, called Salik [should be spelt Saleek, because people are mispronouncing it and therefore changing its meaning, which is 'clear' in Arabic]. It's not like the road toll systems that I've seen in North America, you don't have to stop to pay - you simply pass under the toll gate and the amount of AED 4 gets deducted from your account.
Well, it was fun playing teacher today. Next time, I'll remember to wear pants that show less of my underwear and more of my skating skills.
Ok. Fine and dandy. But it is still a part of India.
Apparently, not a lot of Keralites think so.
Let me illustrate my point: Today, Ammi took Sarah, her friend Sakeenah, Arjun and me out to the Hyatt Regency's ice rink where we kicked off our regular shoes and put on blade-soled boots and skated on the ice. It was Arjun's first time so I was passing on my ice-skating wisdom to him, teaching him first to walk and then to skate.
Two chaps who were standing outside the rink probably noticed this and beckoned to me. When I went over, they pointed to a certain guy on the rink and asked me to help him learn too. So skated over to him and told him to start by taking baby steps first.
Anyways, we got talking:
"I am Azeem. What's your name?"
"Daniyal."
"Daniyaa?"
"Daniyal."
"Where are you from?"
I shrugged and said, "India!" Then, "You? Where are you from?"
"Kerala."
Separatist! And this is not the first time that I've heard this.
Why? Isn't Kerala a part of India too? Why can't you say 'India' instead of saying 'Kerala' and expecting non-Indians to know about it? It's as if they're embarrassed to be Indians. That's snobbish.
But it's ok. Azeem turned out to be a fast learner. He's a business student in Bangalore in India and his father [one of the chaps who beckoned to me] works here in Dubai. That is the sad reality of Dubai - because of the cost of living... no, the cost of existing in Dubai is rising, many breadwinners simply send their families back home [or never bother to bring them here, as in Azeem's father's case] while themselves working here, trying to etch out a living for themselves and their families back in their home countries.
Speaking of rising costs, Ammi finally bought the tag for the road toll today, for her car. Alas, we have given up resistance against that money-minting toll system, called Salik [should be spelt Saleek, because people are mispronouncing it and therefore changing its meaning, which is 'clear' in Arabic]. It's not like the road toll systems that I've seen in North America, you don't have to stop to pay - you simply pass under the toll gate and the amount of AED 4 gets deducted from your account.
Well, it was fun playing teacher today. Next time, I'll remember to wear pants that show less of my underwear and more of my skating skills.