Experiencing Hindi

I majored in English, while I was in college, and found out how amazing language is. With language comes culture and a pattern of thinking. The science of language is so complicated. When one decides to learn a new language, he/she is agreeing to change the way he/she thinks. If one wants to trulying be fluent in a language, he/she is agreeing to be part of a new culture.

I have recently been priviledged to be associated with many of the Hindi population. Two of my sisters are learning Hindi and every Wednesday, I accompany them as they talk to others in the Indian culture. Though I am in my home city, I feel as if I have traveled to a new world.

Indians, in general, are very hospitable people. They will invite you in, feed you, and even send you off with gifts, at times. My sister, a friend, and I ended up at one older lady's house, who after talking for about an hour, made us Indian Chai Tea. It was wonderful. She boiled ginger in water, added the loose tea leaves, then added milk. After straining the tea, she then added a pinch of garam masala. She served us this lovely tea with some butter cookies. It was a party in my mouth.

This was not the only nice experience I've had. Whenever we greeted a Indian person, "Namaste. ap kaise hain?"*, his/her face lighted up. As much of an interest we had in them, they had in us. We really felt welcomed into the world of Hindi. I have still much more to learn, but I do know that I love Bollwood movies; Indian dishes are my favorite; jasmine incense smells divine; hennas tattoos mark my summers; and the saris and salwar kameez are some of the most beautiful clothing that I have ever seen. You have have never had the opportunity to experience a little bit of Indian culture, visit Little India on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia. It's an amazing experience and may even move you to learn Hindi yourself.



*Namaste is an Indian formal greeting. It shows respect and is normally done with hands pressed together and a bowed head. "ap kaise hain?" means "how are you?"

Value of Friends

I love my friends and am extremely loyal to them. It was a crazy past that I've had with them. I used to call a friend's boyfriend and tell them off, if I heard they hurt one of my friends. I have gotten into fights with people that said or did something stupid to my friends. And I would give the shirt of my back for any of them that was in trouble. If someone becomes a friend of mine, he/she is a friend for life. They are like family to me.

It is hard, however, to get close to me. I don't trust people. And it's devastating when a "friend" does something hurtful to me. Because of this, I even keep my close friends at a distance. And may even seem fickle at times. But, I am slowly changing it. I am opening up more. And I realize that some people are just hurtful people, but I always have a choice whether to keep them or not. On the flip side, there are also some amazing people out there and if I don't reach out to them, how will I find them?

For the past couple of months, I have really tried to let down my guard and let myself show in all my wonderful and faulty glory: I talk a lot; I interrupt often; many of my conversations revolved around my husband; and I talk about inappropriate subjects at times (I'm still trying to figure out what makes a conversation inappropritate). My tongue is my worst enemy, but I am very sincere and I am very loving.

It's amazing how many people will open up to you when you open up to them. The past couple of months have resulted in many new aquaintances that I have enjoyed the company of. Unfortunately, not everyone will want to be my close friend or even have the time, but even nice aquantainces are fun to have. Each person has so much to offer and learn from. It's worthwhile to bump elbows with a new person, even if I'll only spend a few minutes in total with that person, during my life. These people leave little gems that enrich my day, if not my life.

I am fortunate to have amazing close friends. They are there when I need to run away from the world for a little bit, if I need a good laugh, if I need deep stimulating conversations, or even if I need someone to tell me that I am looking like a mess and need to do something with myself. These people are like hugs that I can carry with me all day - and I'm a sucker for hugs. Friends add so much to the quality of ones life. And obtaining friends has a simple formula: Be a friend to have a friend.