When you want to see many happy and content faces at a time, pay a visit to the children's park. It is a wonderful place to observe people, even adults, in a relaxed mode. You won't find any kid crying or any adult stressed at such a place; except of course that kid who is being ushered back home against his/her will. Then, you might see a full-blown tantrum or a really loud and piercing cry. Well, I and my husband are at the receiving end of the latter on a number of occasions. Our daughter simply NEVER wants to leave the swings! She might be tired; her eyes might be sleepy; or rest of us might be exhausted. But I haven't heard her say that she is done playing on swings and she wants to go home. Anyway, apart from those 5 very difficult minutes, she is also among the excited and content lot.
Unlike India, Qatar has a variety of playground equipments - swings, slides, climbers, see-saw etc. in almost all parks, even in the Zoo. It is a really good thing because otherwise, there are not many places where young kids can enjoy themselves to such an extent. Another good thing about these 'play areas' is that the ground is covered with sand and the area is properly sheltered, so that you don't have to worry much about the kids getting hurt if they fall or their getting exposed to sun. But of course, then there is the other worry - kids playing with this sand, rather than on the swings. Playing with sand is a favorite activity of most kids, especially the ones who cannot independently enjoy the other swings. Like my son...he spends 90% of his time at the play area with the sand.
I have visited a number of parks in Qatar and none of them have the identical set of playground equipment. Each play area in this country can boast of at least one unique kind, though it might just be a variation of another one somewhere else.
Yet, not surprisingly, the most sought after ones are the conventional swings and slides. You will find children of all ages swarming around these and patiently (sometimes, impatiently) waiting for their turn. But sometimes, this trend changes. Once in a while, one lonely kid might wander to a see-saw or a climber, which is unoccupied and stands lonely waiting for the kids to turn its way. This kid might be followed by a couple more because they found the queue at a swing too long. Suddenly, the other kids would notice a few kids gathering around something. So everyone starts moving in that direction to find out what interested the other kids. And hence, some lonely see-saw or a climber has its 15 minutes of fame. I say 15 minutes, as that is the longest kids can stay away from a conventional swing or slide.
While you are at it, you might also like to observe how, in a similar manner, some particular toy or a candy becomes the popular item of the day. The small shop selling this specific flavor of the day, try as hard as they might, but they cannot setup or even predict the trend of popularity of one toy or candy. One kid showing off something to another because of latter's success in getting hold of the former's favorite swing; or a parent's bribe to a wailing kid to soothe him/her; or just the fact that many kids simultaneously took a liking to that specific item, can be a trigger for establishing the trend. But as in the case of swings, this category also has all time favorites - the conventional huge pink cotton candy and balloons!
There are so many other things that you can notice in a children's park. Some of them are repetitive like kids speaking different languages understanding each-other perfectly well; parents and kids enjoying the swings alike; kids stepping off a swing to give another kid a chance; parents striking off conversations with total strangers because their kids like the same climber/slide, and finding some common ground later; people like me sitting there and observing others etc. Other events might not be so common. Like, the other day some child's ball got stuck on the top of the roof-like cover of that playground, and number of people trying various tactics to bring it down. Then, there was this one time when I saw one child bullying another, and before I could intervene, many kids came to the rescue of the victim. Another time, my daughter was having difficulty climbing one of the slides, and another slightly elder girl lend her a helping hand. Yesterday, my daughter learnt her lesson of smiling at the other kids when they approach her, and she was feeling so glad that she kind of stuck a friendship with this particular girl who smiled at her.
There are many other facets of human emotions that you get to see at a children's park and you would be amazed to see how all the kids of a specific age behave in a similar manner, irrespective of huge diversity in their culture, mother tongue or fatherland. How wonderful it is to see these kids smiling at each-other cordially, following queues without anyone telling them to, sharing their joys, just being themselves!
A children's park is a wonderful place to go to when you want to leave your worries behind and you feel refreshed by the beautiful sight they provide you with.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Fog in Qatar
Yes, it is a foggy day in Qatar, not such a common thing in this part of the world. And, it is amazing...I love looking out of the glass doors of my dining area, where I am sitting, sipping coffee and having breakfast. A wave of nostalgia engulfs me as I am reminded of all the beautiful winter seasons back home.
It is such a unique experience, driving your two-wheeler through fog so thick you can hardly see 50 metres ahead. In college, December & January were months of semester exams. All the two-wheeler drivers would be dressed in layers of clothes, jackets, scarves, gloves etc., driving a few km to the college, envying all the car owners they saw on the way. And, as soon as we all reached college, we would rush to the classrooms, rubbing our numb-with-cold hands vigorously, and still it would take a few minutes after holding the pen that we could actually write. A shiver runs through me while I think of those days.
Studying for exams was also pretty much fun. There used to be two options, depending on the weather. If it was sunny, we would sit outside, keep shifting our chairs towards sun as the day progressed, and reluctantly go inside the house around 4 pm. Sunny days were fun during holidays. We 3 siblings, cousins, mom, aunts would all sit in the veranda, sipping tea/coffee, eating peanuts and other savories of winter season (rewri, gajjak etc.) and either just chatting away or playing board games/cards. Oh, it was simply awesome! Well coming to the second option of studying - we would sit under layers of quilts on the bed or couch, reading our course books. The preparation would begin while we sat upright, would progress with us lying comfortably on the warm bed, and finally falling asleep in the middle of the toughest chapter of the subject! Sometimes, mom used to come and wake us, other times, a nightmare about the actual exam day would do the trick. And, the studies would be resumed with fervor. Mom and dad used to keep warning us that we'll hurt our eyes and back studying like this, but who wanted to actually use the cold study table?
In school, the winter vacations would be spent playing games on streets or nearby parks, whichever had the prospect of more playmates and sun.
As I write all this, I am struck with a thought. How many times do we actually reminisce of the big events in life? Not much. However, surely, most of us reminisce a lot about such small & seemingly insignificant moments of life. It is these small joys that actually make our life.
Today, when I look out of these glass doors in Doha, I feel lucky to have spent such fine moments of childhood & youth in Faridabad,among loved ones - my brother, sister, mom, dad, cousins, uncles & aunts. I want to take a stroll on the street where I used to play as a child; go and sit on my favorite bench of the classrooms I studied in; visit that park again and pluck the juicy fruits growing on a small tree at the corner of the park; I wanna grow up again to take in the beauty of the moments I might have missed the first time.
I thank God for a foggy day in Qatar!
It is such a unique experience, driving your two-wheeler through fog so thick you can hardly see 50 metres ahead. In college, December & January were months of semester exams. All the two-wheeler drivers would be dressed in layers of clothes, jackets, scarves, gloves etc., driving a few km to the college, envying all the car owners they saw on the way. And, as soon as we all reached college, we would rush to the classrooms, rubbing our numb-with-cold hands vigorously, and still it would take a few minutes after holding the pen that we could actually write. A shiver runs through me while I think of those days.
Studying for exams was also pretty much fun. There used to be two options, depending on the weather. If it was sunny, we would sit outside, keep shifting our chairs towards sun as the day progressed, and reluctantly go inside the house around 4 pm. Sunny days were fun during holidays. We 3 siblings, cousins, mom, aunts would all sit in the veranda, sipping tea/coffee, eating peanuts and other savories of winter season (rewri, gajjak etc.) and either just chatting away or playing board games/cards. Oh, it was simply awesome! Well coming to the second option of studying - we would sit under layers of quilts on the bed or couch, reading our course books. The preparation would begin while we sat upright, would progress with us lying comfortably on the warm bed, and finally falling asleep in the middle of the toughest chapter of the subject! Sometimes, mom used to come and wake us, other times, a nightmare about the actual exam day would do the trick. And, the studies would be resumed with fervor. Mom and dad used to keep warning us that we'll hurt our eyes and back studying like this, but who wanted to actually use the cold study table?
In school, the winter vacations would be spent playing games on streets or nearby parks, whichever had the prospect of more playmates and sun.
As I write all this, I am struck with a thought. How many times do we actually reminisce of the big events in life? Not much. However, surely, most of us reminisce a lot about such small & seemingly insignificant moments of life. It is these small joys that actually make our life.
Today, when I look out of these glass doors in Doha, I feel lucky to have spent such fine moments of childhood & youth in Faridabad,among loved ones - my brother, sister, mom, dad, cousins, uncles & aunts. I want to take a stroll on the street where I used to play as a child; go and sit on my favorite bench of the classrooms I studied in; visit that park again and pluck the juicy fruits growing on a small tree at the corner of the park; I wanna grow up again to take in the beauty of the moments I might have missed the first time.
I thank God for a foggy day in Qatar!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Living in Moments
Sometimes, life gives you so much in a moment which brings warmth to your heart and a smile on your face to last for the entire day, may be days. And when you do start being grateful for such moments, they become a more common happening in your life. I have been observing this for a few days now, with myself. Here are some of the moments I am thankful to God for:
* All of us are in the car - me & hubby in the front seats, arguing about something. The kids are sitting at the back, chatting away in their own language (they understand each other so well, despite the fact that younger one hasn't started speaking!). Suddenly, everybody becomes quiet. I look back to check on the kids and what I see simply makes me go wow! My daughter is holding her little brother in her lap, constantly kissing him and baby-talking to him; while he just smiles away, glowing as he is being pampered by the big sis.
* I am very ill, feeling giddy and it seems like I am going to faint. My daughter asks me what's wrong and I tell her that I am going to faint. She holds my hand, walks me slowly to the bed and asks me to lie down. Then, she kisses me on my forehead and tells me that I will be alright. Would you believe that she is just 3 years old and she knows how to comfort an adult!
* The same day, when it is shower time for the kids, I am still too weak to give them a bath. I ask my daugther if she can bathe herself, while I will be there just sitting beside the bath tub to keep a watch. She says she will and insists on bathing her brother too! I am amazed at her, when I see she bathes him so well, applying soap to his body and shampoo to his hair, then rubbing over his back...she does everything that I do and not like a kid, but like a grown up. Throughout, she keeps telling him that mom is not well, so he should not trouble mom.
* I am putting my son to sleep at around 1 in the night (he woke up in mid-sleep that night), and I am so tired and sleepy that I am not able to pat him constantly. After a while, he sits up, leans towards me & I close my eyes, so that he may also do the same. But what he does is start patting me on my cheeks slowly with his little hands. I can't help smiling at his gesture of putting me to sleep.
* The kids are not willing to sleep, so I tell them I am going out of the room and they should sleep by themselves. My daughter starts singing lullaby, and tries putting herself & her bro to sleep! All I am able to utter is 'how cute!'
* I tell many stories of my childhood to my daughter, and she loves listening to them. They involve my bro, sis, cousins, friends etc. Many a times, my angel just comes over to me and says she wants to hear a story where...and she narrates the incident to me. Then, she asks me to tell her about it. Again, I smile at her innocence, and feel glad at her memory and at the thought that she really cherishes those little things I tell her about my childhood.
* I don't know how much my little one understands these 'stories' but he always rushes to me when he just hears the word 'story' from his sis. It is wonderful to see him come running and sitting in my lap, listening to my narration and then going 'uh?' 'eh?' at every pause. They way he twitches his face with these words is a treat to watch!
I know most of the times the kids learn these gestures from me only, I comfort them when they are ill or hurt, I pat them to sleep, sing lullaby etc. But then, when they actually remember it so well and even apply the same on me, it really means a lot. Sometimes, in such moments, my eyes fill with tears. At one such time, my daughter asked me why I was crying, and I told her those were happy tears. I don't know whether she understood it fully or not, but I would love to hear these words coming out of her mouth :-)
There are several such moments I love to be a part of, and I always thank God right then and there, so that He knows I am craving for more.
* All of us are in the car - me & hubby in the front seats, arguing about something. The kids are sitting at the back, chatting away in their own language (they understand each other so well, despite the fact that younger one hasn't started speaking!). Suddenly, everybody becomes quiet. I look back to check on the kids and what I see simply makes me go wow! My daughter is holding her little brother in her lap, constantly kissing him and baby-talking to him; while he just smiles away, glowing as he is being pampered by the big sis.
* I am very ill, feeling giddy and it seems like I am going to faint. My daughter asks me what's wrong and I tell her that I am going to faint. She holds my hand, walks me slowly to the bed and asks me to lie down. Then, she kisses me on my forehead and tells me that I will be alright. Would you believe that she is just 3 years old and she knows how to comfort an adult!
* The same day, when it is shower time for the kids, I am still too weak to give them a bath. I ask my daugther if she can bathe herself, while I will be there just sitting beside the bath tub to keep a watch. She says she will and insists on bathing her brother too! I am amazed at her, when I see she bathes him so well, applying soap to his body and shampoo to his hair, then rubbing over his back...she does everything that I do and not like a kid, but like a grown up. Throughout, she keeps telling him that mom is not well, so he should not trouble mom.
* I am putting my son to sleep at around 1 in the night (he woke up in mid-sleep that night), and I am so tired and sleepy that I am not able to pat him constantly. After a while, he sits up, leans towards me & I close my eyes, so that he may also do the same. But what he does is start patting me on my cheeks slowly with his little hands. I can't help smiling at his gesture of putting me to sleep.
* The kids are not willing to sleep, so I tell them I am going out of the room and they should sleep by themselves. My daughter starts singing lullaby, and tries putting herself & her bro to sleep! All I am able to utter is 'how cute!'
* I tell many stories of my childhood to my daughter, and she loves listening to them. They involve my bro, sis, cousins, friends etc. Many a times, my angel just comes over to me and says she wants to hear a story where...and she narrates the incident to me. Then, she asks me to tell her about it. Again, I smile at her innocence, and feel glad at her memory and at the thought that she really cherishes those little things I tell her about my childhood.
* I don't know how much my little one understands these 'stories' but he always rushes to me when he just hears the word 'story' from his sis. It is wonderful to see him come running and sitting in my lap, listening to my narration and then going 'uh?' 'eh?' at every pause. They way he twitches his face with these words is a treat to watch!
I know most of the times the kids learn these gestures from me only, I comfort them when they are ill or hurt, I pat them to sleep, sing lullaby etc. But then, when they actually remember it so well and even apply the same on me, it really means a lot. Sometimes, in such moments, my eyes fill with tears. At one such time, my daughter asked me why I was crying, and I told her those were happy tears. I don't know whether she understood it fully or not, but I would love to hear these words coming out of her mouth :-)
There are several such moments I love to be a part of, and I always thank God right then and there, so that He knows I am craving for more.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
An Inspiration
First of all, a very happy new year to all. May 2010 bring more happiness and peace to the world!
My wishes are coming a little late, since the kids and I were ill for last few days. With small children, it is almost a cycle of being well and being ill. Some days are pretty hard.
So I decided to write about someone who inspired me and will probably always do. I do not know him at a personal level, but whenever I am reminded of him, my head bows in respect. It was the year 2005, and I was in the hospital going through a miscarriage. I was totally shattered and feared that may be I would never be a mom etc. Any one who has lost a child would understand what I felt in those moments. But then, this doctor came to do an ultrasound. He told me and my friend, Reema, that he was deaf and he would converse with us by reading our lips. His voice was not easily comprehendable, but the fact that he was saying these words inspite of being deaf awed me. Then, he told us he a little about himself, his home country, his resolve to be a doctor etc. I never felt so small as I felt then. There was this man, obviously a winner despite the unfairness life had offered him. And there I was, crying over a lost child! He told me I would definitely conceive again, be a happy mom etc. The most surprising thing that happened that day was this. I said something to Reema while this doc was not even looking at me (he could not see how my lips moved), but he replied to me before Reema could say anything. Then, he saw the surprise on my face and said he had trained himself to multitask (looking at the monitor and lip reading) and also, he could recognize emotions on people's face. I was just speechless!
I have heard about miracles, people surviving disasters, people like Stephen Hawking. But that was the first time I actually met with someone like that. And it was amazing to see someone so strong willed.
I would be lying if I said that since then, I have not cried for small things in my life. I have, because I am not perfect in any way. But when the things are really tough, I do remember this doc and I tell myself - everything will fall into place if I have the courage to take that first step.
I am at a loss of words now as I was then. But I would keep posting inspiring moments in future posts.
My wishes are coming a little late, since the kids and I were ill for last few days. With small children, it is almost a cycle of being well and being ill. Some days are pretty hard.
So I decided to write about someone who inspired me and will probably always do. I do not know him at a personal level, but whenever I am reminded of him, my head bows in respect. It was the year 2005, and I was in the hospital going through a miscarriage. I was totally shattered and feared that may be I would never be a mom etc. Any one who has lost a child would understand what I felt in those moments. But then, this doctor came to do an ultrasound. He told me and my friend, Reema, that he was deaf and he would converse with us by reading our lips. His voice was not easily comprehendable, but the fact that he was saying these words inspite of being deaf awed me. Then, he told us he a little about himself, his home country, his resolve to be a doctor etc. I never felt so small as I felt then. There was this man, obviously a winner despite the unfairness life had offered him. And there I was, crying over a lost child! He told me I would definitely conceive again, be a happy mom etc. The most surprising thing that happened that day was this. I said something to Reema while this doc was not even looking at me (he could not see how my lips moved), but he replied to me before Reema could say anything. Then, he saw the surprise on my face and said he had trained himself to multitask (looking at the monitor and lip reading) and also, he could recognize emotions on people's face. I was just speechless!
I have heard about miracles, people surviving disasters, people like Stephen Hawking. But that was the first time I actually met with someone like that. And it was amazing to see someone so strong willed.
I would be lying if I said that since then, I have not cried for small things in my life. I have, because I am not perfect in any way. But when the things are really tough, I do remember this doc and I tell myself - everything will fall into place if I have the courage to take that first step.
I am at a loss of words now as I was then. But I would keep posting inspiring moments in future posts.
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