Sunday, October 7, 2007

Life is Relationships....................................

In this journey called life we come across umpteen number of people. We pause to exchange a "hi" with many.....with some we manage a shake hand.....with a few we sit down to chat and with a few others we hold a bond. Life is relationships......

The few countries I visited in the past seven years have enriched my life with beautiful bonds.....
when I tread back my memory lane , its these beautiful moments created by some wonderful friends that I am reminded of than the places I visited.

I would like to dedicate this post to four loving couple who made my days memorable in the four foreign countries I visited. There were many more lovely relationships which I still treasure today ....but these couples have surely etched their names with their infallible love and untainted friendship.

Kajiyoshi San and Sadami San of Japan

They were the most polite people I have ever come across. Sadami San was kind enough to prepare a full vegetarian course meal , when she invited me to her well decorated traditional Japanese home. Kajiyoshi San was one of the librarians in the library which was opposite to our apartment. How can I forget the knock at our apartment door at 4.30 in the morning....on our last day in Japan. We would have missed our flight , if he was not at our door step to bid a final good bye to us. He was in his seventies , but still helped us with all our luggage and dropped us at the railway station .

Mrs and Mr Jaison Shang of Taiwan

Our first day in Taiwan. My husband PP had already left for office and I was feeling homesick and far away from home. Just then the phone bell rang , and a female voice introduced herself as Mrs Jason , wife of Customer site Manager of PP's project.She was already waiting for me in the downstairs lobby , to show me around . She helped me purchase necessary groceries and fresh fruits and vegetables from the local market and I was already feeling very comfortable . The warmth and the kindness , we receive when we are far from home is so precious.

Mr Naas Ferriera and Mrs Wickie of South Africa


They were the most jovial and energetic couple I have come across. There enthusiasm and energy is so contagious , that they skillfully trap us in their magical web of love and friendship. My baby had started calling Mr Naas " abu"( meaning grandpa in our mother tongue.) Once they invited us home for dinner , which was an unique experience. Naas was cooking hot and fresh buns for us in his open hearth oven in his back yard. Each one had to prepare his or her own dinner.We were each provided with pans and small portable stoves. They had cut a variety of vegetables and cooked a huge casserole of rice and lined up a row of various spices. We could make a meal from the ingredients they had provided and eat from the pan. Each one came up with a different variety of rice which all savored in the warm embrace of friendship.

Mr George Chacko and Mrs Anuja Chacko of USA

I am glad to have met these wonderful people , who have made me and my family feel so much at home. Anuja 's support in exploring my artistic talents and also establishing a personal bond has made my life here more fruitful and enjoyable.

I feel fortunate to have been exposed to various cultures through my travels. If not for these experiences , I would have been like a frog in a pond.....leading a cloistered existence ....the nomad in me is thirsty for more travels and more experiences.....

13 comments:

Sharmi said...

it is very true that we can't live without friends. making friends around the world and where ever we travel is such a nice experience. very nice write up as always:)

Mishmash ! said...

nandu, not everyone get lucky to have such great friends...the couple from South Africa is so unique and refreshing....

Shn

Naveen Prabhu said...

it is not easy to find such good friends everywhere u go .. .. one needs to have the "welcoming" aura to be able to attract the right kind of friends .... u obviously have it

Sum Raj said...

ur so lucky to have such a adorable friends near u....when i think of true friend , this comes to my mind..ie
F - find
R - route
I - in
E - endless
N - noble
D - depth

isn't it true?

J said...

Isn't it wonderful to have friends or should I say angels to help you and keep you company in far away lands? Cherish the memories :)

Movie Mazaa said...

Great to read abt these wonderful people across the world who made u feel at home at alien places!!

Goodness and warmth still do exist!
:)

mathew said...

Yeah..i liked the idea of putting the maps in it..We meet really nice people at the most unexpected places..In the first six months for example I never bothered to get acquainted with any indians(esp malayalees) who were settled here..After around 8 months..I met one family..and they welcomed me home..And now I know atleast 9-10 families out here and they are so nice and helpful without any pretensions which makes me feel special...

Nanditha Prabhu said...

Sharmi,
its true that we cant live without friends!

mishmash...
yes the south african couple were unique!

naveen,,,
i am flattered.. he he!

suma ,
yes I feel blessed to have come across wonderful people!

jyothsna , you are right ! I do cherish all those memories.

mm,
thank you for visiting! and leaving your comments!

mathew,
it feels so good to find friends especially when we are far from home!

Rajeev S said...

Nandu, friends has a great role to play in life... Generally it is easy to get friends, but difficult to maintain the friendship for long, as the priorities in life changes from time to time... as naveen has said, you have the right kind of aura to attract right friends.. keep up the friendships...

Sindhya Govind said...

Great to know that you have friends in Japan and South Africa. I hope you are still in touch with them regularly even if you are oceans apart.

Li'l Lite said...

May God bless them :)

Maddy said...

put simply - travel enriches. the only sad thing I have learnt is that as you get older, it becomes more & more difficult to make new friends or get into those tight circles people create...

Purnima said...

Hw true Nanditha, we remember the place for its beauty, the beauty is brought to it by people around, and feels great to know u had the luck not only to b to these foreign lands but hv the luck to meet 'Good-Humble' couples!! Loved that poem by Kanna n Sree, here Kriti n Kartik too share poems, wt her singing n kartik following the actions or gestures! :D