Wednesday, August 13, 2008

My Background

Children love water and playing in it, be it rain, in the river or pond is all part of growing up. Talk about playing or fishing and fishing comes next in line. Like many children, I love water and especially fishing.
The thrill of having a fish at the end of the fishing line cannot be described. The bigger the fish, the more exciting one becomes. It is only natural. To see a fish struggling to free itself at the end of the line can be a real experience. The trick is to toy with the fish; lag the line and then jerk it back slowly. It is a skill one has to learn when one talks about fishing.
My little tale about fishing is not about the skill and the thrill of fishing. It is a tale of adventure, friendship, teamwork, co-operation, fear and laughter.
During my primary school days, I lived in a village with my grand parents, parents, a brother and four sisters. In those days, big families were common. My grand parents and parents were farmers and each day they leave early to the farm taking care of the vegetable plots. Being the eldest, I was entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the younger siblings.
In the morning, I would go to the school that was about 5 km away. I walked there with my close friends. They were like brothers to me. They protected me and taught me a lot of things. I am very grateful and often cherish the wonderful moments with them. Though they are now working in faraway places, we try to meet during festivals to catch up with the latest news and happenings.
These friends whom I have just mentioned are all Indians. I was the only Chinese because I lived in an Indian neighbourhood. We shared everything, secrets, snacks, tea, toys, games and even the same hobbies. In actual fact we were like blood brothers.
The houses around mine all belonged to Indian families. In those days, we ran around everywhere; into the front of one house and out through the back. There was not any secrets or disturbance. We trusted one another. During the Chinese New Year, my friends would come to my house for cookies and food. During Deepavali, I would go from house to house savoring all the delicious cooking. This is also one of the reasons why I love and enjoy the Indian cooking. Naturally, I picked up the Tamil language by mixing around with them. In a sense it is an achievement all due to the background I had then.

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