After the event, I got to savour more Indian dishes for lunch! I seemed to be so hungry all the time while I was there. Was it due to the heat and high humidity? Was it because I talked too much? Was it because of the enthusiastic response and hyper-activity around me?
"I think it's because you're seated with a foodie!" my new found friend explains. "A person who can distinguish between good food and bad food, food which cheers you up and lifts up your soul."
"Come!" she urges. "Try this! It's sweet!"
"And this!" as she takes a spoonful of white gravy with a round doughnut and offers to put it on my plate. "It's my favourite dish."
She introduces me to every dish at the buffet table with such passion that once again, I take a little of everything and start desiring more of each. And I thought vegetarian dishes were bland, like salad. Who knew that they would be so delicious?
After lunch, we took an extremely condensed three-hour tour to the Dhakshin Chitra Heritage centre, Marallapuram UNESCO Heritage Site and Shore Temple. At each place, we walked through as if somebody were chasing behind us, snapped pictures at every nook and corner we could find, and talked non-stop throughout the journey.
At the end of the day, my cheeks were as red as cherry tomatoes and pink as the rose, grinning like a happy kid who had just been on a school excursion. I had gifts, photos and another extended connection in a new part of the world. And of course, a mountain of tasks to bring back to Dubai too!
As I left Chennai that very night, I felt as if I've been re-energized in every way. Everybody here has been so warm, genuine and it certainly caught me off-guard. It blew my mind away and melted my stone-cold heart since I made Dubai my home.
Life is about balance. Everytime you gain something, you stand to lose something in return. We can't have everything in our hands. I realized that freedom, independence and monetary gain comes at a cost of losing quality and quantity time with my loved ones and the warmth of my beating heart.
The university may have thanked me for sharing my thoughts and experiences, but I have them all the more to thank for reminding me that giving all that you have and going all out to make things happen is what keeps hope alive and a reason to keep on living.
So, remember, remember... never lose your warmth as it is the essence of humanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment