The Blessings of Blended Culture
I feel like I was lucky to be born into a family of blended cultures, but not everything was explained and at times I was confused. I had long since learned to stop asking questions and just roll with the taps that life continued to lash me with. For a short period of time, we lived across the road from a Hindu temple, and if I close my eyes, I can hear the horns that signal the start of prayers blowing. I noticed the flags in the yards of those who practiced the faith, and always wanted to place a red dot on my forehead because I thought the ladies in their saris, nose rings and bangles were just beautiful.
I marveled at the old cars with speakers that could be heard from what seemed like miles away signaling a wedding with loud music in a language that I could not understand. Yet I danced with my cousins and then we knew we had to silently wait and listen. You knew sometime later that car would return on that same road with tassa drums playing, a band of small framed men might be on the back of a pickup truck, and this signaled the couple was now one. I knew that somewhere, all kinds of buss up shut (roti beaten apart) and curry was being loaded on large leaves and eaten by hands while puncheon rum was being passed in abundance. I would attend several Hindu weddings, eat my belly full and dance as if I was the lead in a Bollywood movie. In those days I had no idea what or where Bollywood was, but I did know that when “Indian Movies” were on tv, work stopped and everyone tuned in for the drama that always played out in song.
Much love from the brown girl, who still enjoys Bollywood movies and chutney soca! Keep writing, because I guarantee at least 1 person is reading 🥰
Ny~The Unnerved Traveler
The Unnerved Traveler 