Monthly Archives: December 2010
Dinner and Some Laughs
It seems that most funny things in our family happen over food. Or, perhaps we spend a lot of our family time eating. At any rate, this weekend we had supper at with a family where the parents grew up in India, raised their children in Dubai and moved to Canada. We love spending time … Continue reading
Christmastime Can be Chaotic and Confusing
A few weeks ago, we were playing Taboo and Varun’s card said, “Nutcracker”. He had to get John and I to guess what the card was. Varun: Amelia is excited about this. It sounds scary and painful. (Confused silence) Amelia: Nutcracker!!! (Silence) Earlier that week I had tried explaining it was a ballet about candy … Continue reading
Fa La La La La
Christmas is a time full of parties, presents and, in our household, confusion. Having been brought up Hindu, Varun’s experiences celebrating Christmas were quite limited. Until he met me and spent Christmas with my family. In my world, Christmas starts in mid-november, so Varun has about six weeks of Christmas music, pine-scented candles and me … Continue reading
Between the Two of Us, We Can Speak English
Me: learnt? Is that a word? Isn’t it learned? Varun: No! The past tense of learn is learnt. I learnt that. Me: Really? Hmm..maybe it’s a british thing. (Thumbs through dictionary). Nope, both work. Me:(Continuing to read): Spent? Isn’t it spended? Oh wait. Varun: (laughter) (He loves those moments) In the weeks before I started … Continue reading
(Family) Pillow Talk
Living with someone from a different culture makes me realize that what I consider normal and obvious is sometimes arbitrary and contradicting. For example: Personal space is prized in the west, as is the right to display affection publicly. So why is odd to me that in India, a country where PDA’s are a no-go, … Continue reading
