Resilience

Resilience - a word that has stuck to me and catches my eye when ever I see it. I wonder why I am drawn so much to it, it could be another name for the Earth.
Interesting poem I read weeks ago while browsing through the newspaper and I wrote it down hoping to pick it up sometime. I never remembered to look for it but today the note I scribbled is staring at me from one of my books.

Resilience: to stand in the path of lightning
Resilience: to walk when darkness falls at noon
Resilience: to grind yourself fine in the turning mill
Resilience will come to you.

I, Lalla - The Poems of Lal Ded by Ranjith Hoskote

http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/D/DedLal/

Not older just more literate...

I can't help reading this sign which says 'Visitors Welcome', every time I pass by. It stands at the entrance to the Japanese garden in front of the dorm. I can't remember a sign put up as an invitation, except as a conference banner!

I burnt my tongue the other day eating fries. My first reaction was to look if the bag had a sign which said 'Hot- Let cool before eating' or something.... Getting too used to reading for a living.

Listened to a talk by poet Stephen Winduo from Papua New Guinea - Chewing Buai and Poetry in Papua New Guinea . Buai = Betel nut. 840 languages in PNG, largely alive through an oral tradition.

Heard another scholar who works on 10th century english manuscripts say that literacy reduces memory power. Well next time someone says its because I am getting older I can counter by saying " I am just getting more literate "

Close encounters with another kind...

First he looked pissed off that I was coming back and earning a PhD. This was not the usual 'Aloha' I had gotten used to hearing in Hawaii. Then he told me to place 4 fingers on his little fingerprinting box. He also muttered to look at the camera. After which he did his own thing and never told me when to take my hand off. After 60 seconds of keeping my fingers on his green lit box I asked if I could take my hands off and he pretended not to hear. I waited another 30 seconds and asked again at which time he muttered something which I took for 'Yes'. I have a rule, never ask any questions and never answer more than what was asked – this rule has helped me get through a lot of immigration, customs, visa interviews and etc. But today I had to break the rule. Again while he was flipping the pages of my much flipped passport I noticed that the boarding pass that I had stowed away had fallen between him and his table. I hoped it had fallen to the floor and not just rested somewhere in the middle. I asked again after my passport was safely returned, for the boarding pass. Well he got up for me and then with his polished boots kicked it outside his itsy bitsy cubicle and I stooped down humbly to pick it up almost imagining that in another day and age he would have liked to kick me in the face with those shoes. I know that people have had worse experiences and this one was good enough for me.

Well this added to my weariness in this return. The gentleman had also signed off on my customs card for a inspection of my bags. Well after I picked up my bags I went to the customs officer who asked me to take the bags to the X-ray machine. I was intercepted on the way by another officer who looked at me and asked if I was a student and what kind of foods I was carrying. When I mentioned pickles and spices, he only wanted to know if they were whole spices and I said no. He just waved his hand and asked to exit. Maybe he knew I was a botanist and would not add to the problems in Hawaii with more seeds sneaked in to add to the invasives list!!

Back to Hawaii

Full of homesickness and apprehensions about the future semester, I boarded the plane in Mumbai headed back to Hawaii which is now my 'Place of residence'. Incidentally if I had written 'Timbaktu' on the immigration card how would it matter to them!! I had decided to take a break at the beginning of the semester to do some pre proposal surveys and take part in a workshop at Keystone.

I made it my passion to sleep on this long haul flight and I even refused the free alcohol (which was more to avoid having to go to the bathroom). I didn't read and I didn't watch a movie – I was determined to be miserable.

The plane touched down at Honolulu an hour ahead of schedule, just when I was not ready to come back. To top it I was presented to a very grumpy immigration officer, my very first experience in the many entries I have made in to the US of A. More about that in my post on 'Close encounters with another kind'. Lisa my colleague at the lab came to get me from the airport with a lovely Lei of Ginger flowers. The fragrance helped to calm me and awaken me to the beauty of Hawaii. I started to come back to my Hawaiian reality.

We drove to the campus and I checked into my old room at the dorm and as the day moved on I met so many people who just welcomed me. I stayed awake to beat the jetlag. I slept only at 8.30 pm inspite of landing at 8:00 am. But I woke up at 12pm the next day. Oh man, the jet lag has got to me.

So here I am at night feeling bright and chirpy still on India time but in 24 hours so glad to be back. It really is a wonderful place this teeny island in the middle of the deep blue sea. It poured as only it can pour in the tropics and I love to hear the rain and the gushing of the stream. I am really lucky like in Kotagiri I never hear traffic from my bedroom. One of Merab's friends was telling me that in the middle of the night one can hear traffic sounds in Rishi Valley!!

Organised my room and my food and am ready to meet the world on Monday morning. Had a nice long chat with Tamara in the afternoon. Also got a bowl of noodle and bean soup from Gustavo which was so refreshing. Shopped for grocery and got back by 6 to the room. Some phone calls to reconnect with friends. A little more reorganising. A warm cup of coffee with milk (organic milk brought at the supermarket which it says will stay fresh till March 16^th! Either the milk man in Kotagiri is adding chemicals to make the milk go bad in 24 hours even if refrigerated or these organic guys are pulling a fast one on me!)

Gave up my laptop, feeling light as each semester it seems I shed more baggage!

After the coffee decided to recreate the magic of soupy Ramen noodles ( feature of student life here in the dorms) for dinner on a rainy night. If it wasn't for the company of friends from SriLanka, New Zealand, Korea and Malaysia at the dinner table I think the soup would have been all in the sink. Because of the company I was able to have more than 70% of it. I think I must wait for a couple of days before I forget the fabulous food I had in India and learn to appreciate the instant remedies for hunger – Ramen noodles and Pasta with canned sauces!! I think a seasoning of curry leaves and mustard would have saved the soup from the bin!

Feeling settled already. Looking forward to my Monday and all the schedules of this Spring Semester 2011. Happy New Year – Chinese style. Year of the Rabbit (Meat and Bones included?)???