Peace & Pomp

 Every Ramadan promise cleansing ones entire being and the hope of redemption and increasing good deeds in anticipation of spiritual rewards but this Ramadan somehow disappointed and saddened us by the sudden outbreak of war, celebration and awe reserved for the Eid got converted to delusion and worry of the safety of loved ones abroad. Though leaders tried to remove clouds of concern by emphasizing their measures adopted to face crisis indeed ease off many mother's mayhem, as an ex expatriate and many of my friends,colleagues,relatives working overseas, we stayed in tune with updates and prayed for peace and safety of everyone.

From this small country side of Kerala ,from God's own country I request every one to earnestly make a wish to stop the war and to bring back peace and harmony instead of hatred & violence. Though in dilemma and feeling low sending loads of white flowers on your way as a silent symbol of peace. My heart goes out to all those who meticulously planned trips and vacations planned to buy house, planned career shifts,planned family reunions May every nationality across the globe feel safe & sturdy and let the season shower blessings and abundance to all. Amen

A new year musing of a nostalgic expat

 

As we all welcomed  the new year with enthusiasm and a determination to be a better version of oneself, amid all the chaos and the mistakes treaded upon we had a humble new year and to bring a smile on the face of our kids we took them to shanghumugham beach and kids enjoyed the crowd and hustle and bustle of the stalls created (to loot the money of innocent people could not help calculating the inflated prices, to satiate the extra oalfactory function of our son my husband ordered fried fish and I almost fainted when he paid the bill. ) The realisation dawned on me that we have been living in Trivandrum for the last 11 years as expatriates and the aeroplanes flying to different destinations made me nostalgic and the memories of my frequent airtravel with my husband pricked my ego and when we passed the air terminals I felt like I somehow got alienated from a world altogether and I heaved a sigh and told our kids about the life once we had abroad. And promised them a trip once luck favors us again something like a paradise regain tale. 

We enjoyed the sea breeze, mystic tides and the coffee house reminded us of our wedding time visits almost 20 years back, when we look back we lost most of our loved ones during the pandemic time. The times we used to roam together have parties and fun with dear and near ones all seemed a distant dream.

My daughter taught me how to ask chatgpt to determine gender of papaya trees and to better aid pollination of jackfruit and custard apple and guided me to have a smart garden, new generation obviously think and act smart unlike an old fashioned me who constantly worry about price and inflation. 

As I received a pretty good feedback from my kids teachers on their exam report (apart from the laziness, naughtiness chatter issues) I felt elated and thanked the almighty for abundantly blessing us. We pray to almighty to guide us and give us health and focus to mould our kids to brighter and responsible citizens. A heartfelt note of gratitude to siblings,family friends,neighbours who tolerated our previous years fights (property dispute and jobless issues) our kids teachers and our well wishers we hope more good days are yet to come. Dreamingly,declutteringly,gardeningly and funny parently yours Shabina Sanad