If it wasn't for those spices.....

It's Friday, a day for Ramblings.

This post is going to be in many parts, call it my Friday Ramblings series if you will.

Part 1-

Back in November, one of my friends texted me asking my mailing address.

He said he was reading a book and he thought of me while reading it and he wanted me to read it.

When the book arrived in the mail and I opened the package, I couldn't understand why he would think of me, it's not the genre I usually read, it's a non fiction, I almost always read fiction, he should know me better, why would he send me this book....

But then I started reading the book and I knew why he wanted me to read it and how well he knew me...

I cried every night I read this book, some were happy tears, but most were sad. I was heartbroken while reading it .

The author is a native American.

If it wasn't for the Indian spices.....

For those who do not know,

Christopher Columbus left to find a sea route to India but instead arrived in the Americas, the new land in 1493 .I'm sure You know what happens after.

Another Portuguese sailor named Vasco De Gama eventually found the Sea route and landed in southern India, in the state of Kerala in 1498.

He brought with him Portuguese missionaries who went up and down the coast converting the locals into Christianity, they thought local people needed to be saved who were just living their life and minding their business.

Then came the Dutch, the French and finally the British.

For some reasons, we escaped the Spanish.

I haven't figured out yet how I am going to put the story together, what I want to say yet...

My ancestors were some of the local people who were converted into Christianity.

I recently visited the state of Kerala and visited the church where Vasco De Gama is buried. ( Not because I wanted to but it's a touristy thing to do)

I was not just angry standing there, I was livid.

The local tour guide took us to the local market at the end and insisted that we buy some of the spices, how fresh they were, blah blah blah.

I didn't buy anything, I couldn't explain anything to him.

Not too long ago, I had stood at the headwaters of the Missouri River and all that went on there during Lewis and Clark expedition was on my mind.

If it wasn't for those spices .......

Have you read this book?

Comments

My self care journey - Oxygen mask.

“ In the event of a sudden drop in pressure, an oxygen mask will drop from above. Secure your own mask first before assisting others. ” The first time I heard this, I was flying for the first time in my life on an international flight from Mumbai to Atlanta via London. I was so excited to go to America on my own that I did not really pay that much attention to this routine preflight announcement. Since I had flown to America, it also meant flying back, again, several times to go home. I heard the same announcement during all those trips but at that point, they were still some words, their true meaning still had not registered. Then came another first time of my life, this time it was flying with my first born, for the first time. By this time, I was not as excited about flying, the novelty had completely worn off. Now I am only concerned about the safety of my baby, he is sitting in my lap, one year old. Then they make the above preflight announcement, in sever...

Journey as a mom driver.

Several years ago, when my parents were visiting, I took them to church for Easter Sunday mass. It was the first time I had driven since becoming a mother… for the second time around. This time, I had “twins.” They were less than two months old. I hadn’t driven in several months. I thought I could use the break from taking care of them. The church was not too far, I would be gone for at the most an hour and a half. Little did I know that it would be a defining moment in my journey as a mother. While at church, I just could not focus, they were at home with their father, they were safe, but that was the first time I had left them at home and gone somewhere. We ended up leaving before the final hymn. I was in a hurry to get home, only a few minutes from home. Sleep-deprived and anxious, I ran a red light. That split-second decision cost me more than I can explain. By the time a police officer got there and approached the car, I had had a complete meltdown, bawling at the s...

Legacy of Journaling!

Writing has always had a special place in my heart and its roots go way back to my childhood, to my father, my inspiration. My father has kept a journal, a daily diary since he was, I believe 20 years old, sort of chronicles, at first of his life and then our lives. He would write down all he did every day and along with that, he would also write down community happenings, a little note of news, local, nationwide and or global events which occurred on that day. He has a record of everything and anything that happened in our tiny community where I grew up and where record keeping was almost nonexistent. A tiny catholic rural community in India. He meticulously noted birthdays, anniversaries, and even deaths, along with details of dignitaries, clergy coming and going. He was a walking encyclopedia of our community's history. He is well known in the community partly for that reason, as a historian, their source of information. They come looking for him when they ne...

Rekha's Ramblings

Search This Blog