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Only later did I understand…
We lived in Hamilton, Ontario for a couple of years while my father did his PhD at McMaster University. It was an interesting change from Winnipeg and positive to be in a different environment.
However memory is a funny thing. One thing that stuck with me was an odd event that took place after swimming class.
I must have been 10 or 11 when in the change room there was the usual tween talk with innocent ribaldry.
When teasing turned to boasts about boys, one girl blurted out a peculiar assertion. (more…)
The many faces of home
For those tuning in only now, I recently revamped how Everyday Asia is organised.
It is now ‘Home‘, ‘Away‘, ‘Work‘ and ‘Play… with a few other menu items like About, Quarterly Review and Start here..
You would think ‘Home‘ would be the easiest to do. Just slap on a new label to ‘Everyday India‘… except it raises a rather interesting question.. what and where is ‘home’… and why? (more…)
Welcome home?
You know that special ‘Aaaahh…’ that comes from walking in your front door, flopping on your familiar sofa, making a home-cooked meal, sleeping in your own bed after a trip?
No matter how fun-filled, fabulous and remarkable the journey was, there is that sense of ‘rightness’ in coming home.
Unless your cosy sanctuary is in shambles, the kitchen inaccessible (let alone functioning), all careful efforts to keep furniture undamaged gleefully undermined, every single assurance the work would be done dashed.
Once upon a time this was a kitchen
In this case, for want of a 2 minute phone call, a 10 minute job with a $2 expense. (more…)
You know you are in trouble when…
We all know that when construction folks say “It is a 5 days job” it is likely to be more. It is practically a universal phenomenon that unexpected developments occur in any major project.
In India, you can reliably double the time so I wasn’t surprised when “5 days” work in our bedroom stretched to two weeks. What was amusing to discover was the different definition of “done.” According to the contractor, “finished” looks like this… (more…)
Passport power… cross-border crossing from different countries
I wonder if there will ever come a day when the double standard of differential access to countries will cease?
I recently stumbled across an interesting info graphic by Rosie Spinks for GOOD Magazine. (see also a modified version below)
Rosie Spinks infographic in Good Magazine
It poses the question, how powerful is your passport?
I never take for granted the privilege of possessing a Canadian passport or the opportunity to make India my adopted home.
However, just to put into perspective:
- Canada has visa-free access to 170 countries around the world
- Whereas India has visa-free access to only 52 countries
With a partner possessing an Indian passport, I witness regularly first-hand the additional steps required – most recently as he renewed his UK tourist visa for our upcoming Canada – UK trip.
Cross-border crossings for me are easy. For him, even though clearly he travels internationally regularly for work and pleasure, it is not so straightforward. I can take an impromptu trip to Amsterdam, whereas he cannot and most travel requires advance planning with visa applications.
So far, we are able to navigate these matters, however it breaks my heart to hear of stories where couples with different countries of origin, struggle… when love goes global, governments do not always agree!
I ask you then, what is your passport power? If you have someone else in your life, does your partner / spouse / significant other possess a different passport? How does that impact your lives?
Would love to hear your stories and invite guest posts – just drop me a line at info[at]everydayasia.com.
Here is a version modified by move hub that may be a bit easier to read online:
Related posts:
Mumbai monsoons…
I returned from Singapore to a muggy Mumbai… the kind of weather where you feel sluggish and slow.
I also returned with a freshly injured ankle, so put myself under ‘house arrest’. Which meant an opportunity to witness our living room be transformed into
- A salon for theatrical readings of new plays my partner is planning to produce…
- A film set where our bookshelves became backdrop to a short scene
- An impromptu evening of merriment (my favourite kind!)
While I busied myself with post-Singapore trip follow-up, plunged into the depths of accounts (ugh!), day after day, we had no respite from the humid heat. Teasingly, rains would come only at night where the drop in temperature had negligible impact.
Each morning our maid would share her impatience for the rains… everyone knows how important a good monsoon is to the people and economy of this country. A poor monsoon is devastating. A good monsoon brings prosperity.
Early this morning the heavens opened and the deluge began… and didn’t stop… I think it’s safe to say hello monsoon! Welcome back and may you shower us with blessings this year!
Monsoon evening sky…
Related posts:
If the shoe fits? Footwear follies in Mumbai…
In advance of the next demolition action in our living room, we’ve been systematically pulling out stuff from various corners in an attempt to cull the crap before it has to be moved to the other room to make way for the workers.
Today was the shoe cupboard. And I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. (more…)
Drink and drive attitudes
Growing up in Canada, I witnessed a change in approach to drinking and driving.
As a teenager, I was aware it did happen but for the most part we got around using the bus – as passengers not drivers! I remember being aghast when my country cousins spoke of filing their car with as much gas and booze as they could afford, then drive until they ran out of one or the other. Seemed a really dumb activity to this ‘city’ kid, however we had distractions aplenty which were not so readily available in rural Manitoba.
While the laws against drinking and driving became increasingly stringent in Canada, what was more important is the shift in social attitudes. Bars promoted ‘designated drivers’ by providing free non-alcoholic drinks all evening. Services took you and your car home if you drank. Organisations like MADD – Mother’s Against Drunk Driving – pushed to tighten legislation and declared ‘war’ on drinking and driving.
And the law? While technically in the criminal code since 1925, it took the introduction of the breathalyzer in 1954 to have a tool to catch impaired drivers. By 2008, the consequences were quite clear: (more…)
Sunday stroll on Juhu Beach
OK… I know it is mid-week not Sunday. However I also know we live near the sea yet for some strange reason it is rare to find us strolling by the water.
So we when we arrived on Sunday slightly early for a private preview of Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet, conveniently located at Sunny Villa in Juhu, I took the opportunity to wander along the beach and thought today to share some quick snaps.
For those not familiar with Mumbai’s Juhu beach, it is a weekend favourite for families, blushing couples, energetic adolescents and hawkers… one of the few places free to come out and play. There is a long stretch of sand with plenty of room to jog, play soccer, enjoy a picnic with a multitude of vendors catering to the crowds that grow until sunset the gradually slip away. (more…)
When love goes global, do governments agree?
If you go global with a life partnership with someone from a country different than the land of your birth or citizenship, things get more complicated.
And the ‘rules’ when you begin your life journey together with hope, joy and love can change over time…
- So then, what happens if the government ‘guidelines’ change mid-play?
- What if divorce and/or re-marriage are thrown into the mix?
- Or even worse, what if your life partner passes on before you do…
Everyday Asia 