We were a simple family of five. My parents and my two siblings, before we were joined by our cousin who was orphaned at an early age. My mother has not gone through school, and my dad is a Hindu priest and has a college equivalent degree. My younger brother just completed his high school and my little sister is still in Grade 1 school. I have a loving and caring family that I would not trade for anything.
I was born in the U.S Florida, but when I was around one and a half years old, I moved to India while my parents stayed back to earn a living. I lived in India with my grandparents for about seven years. Moving back to the US proved to be such a challenge since I had forgotten how to speak English. It felt like I was learning a new language altogether. I had gotten used to the local dialect and almost treated it like the only existing language.
I attended my early school years in India while I lived with my grandparents. The school was fun but getting there was the problem. We had to walk for two kilometers before we could get to take a bus to school. The walk was often tiring, and the temperatures were always unbearable. We ended up sleeping on the bus on our way to school. Our resilience and perseverance grew at this point since we loved going to school and never complained at all. I had friends at school who were very playful and sharp at the same time. We often excelled. I remember in my last exam to join grade one, I was the best student and was awarded a 'Beauty and the Beast' storybook and some other prices.
In India, we lived in a small town called Gochar. The people around here lived as one community, and as kids, we could play and mingle with others. It was not a closed society like most cities in the U.S. When I was growing up we had a variety of outdoor games, and it would involve kids from all over the neighborhood. We played skipping ropes, football, hide and seek and running competitions; this made us grow into fit and healthy kids. Games were often played between 4 pm and 6 pm. Kids would naturally gather around, and one would think they have automatic timers in their brains. Time had to be strictly kept avoiding punishments. We often played before shower since the dust involved in the games was often immense. We would end up so tired that sleeping in the night never became a problem; it was so much fun. The games we played opened up our minds and helped us with school without even knowing it.
We grew up in an era where the kids belong to the society and could be punished by anyone whatsoever. An adult would not watch a child mess up and let them go unpunished. They would be scolded at the very moment. We were taught to obey adults regardless of whether you knew them or not. That kind of environment shaped me into a fine adult that I am now, obedient and straightforward.
I attended primary school around the home then proceeded to boarding school for my secondary education. Boarding school was not interesting considering we did not have access to goodies and nicely cooked food. The school had a routine to be followed which made life rather apparent than spontaneous. Either way, we had to find ways of living that life and having some fun. Games sessions and weekends were my favorite. We would be free for a while, and one could do something out of the norm like taking a nap in the afternoon. High school life, for a reason, taught me a lot of independence and responsibility. I would quickly look out for myself and handle any crisis that happened to cross my path. It has also built my mental toughness.
We had this small community of very loving and caring people. Life around was excellent and comfortable with routines that we all loved to follow. There was a lot of farming going on within the community. As it is, the staple food in this area was fish and rice. We planted a lot of rice in the fields and fish in the fish ponds. We had seasons of planting, weeding and harvesting each of which was accompanied by small celebrations, especially harvest. One stunning thing about this community was the fact that nobody was considered rich or poor. We were all equals.
Growing up in this environment transformed me into a very responsible and respectful adult. Life instilled within me virtues that would help me live well among different people. I have learned to treat each person as a brother or a sister, always willing to offer help in times of need. I am very grateful for all those who have been a part of my life. It has been worth living.
