A wise professor man once told us that one of the reasons people become Republicans is misguided patriotism.
The videos you are about to behold reminded me of this theory.
It's safe to say that our transition to India has been hardest for a certain little delightful 7-year old. In fact, it's been so tough on her that often she's not delightful at all, rather she resembles a surly teenager. While we all left much at home, she left her sisters (the cats), and her Spanish (which we've come to realize is a deep part of her individuality). Not to mention that this move to India was not in the least her decision (and she's the only one who's had an amoeba yet!)
When I go to the office every day, my work-life mimics the one in California. My email looks the same, the office amenities are the same, and my meeting schedule is largely the same. For Violet, on the other hand, everything is vastly different. In the morning, she wears a uniform with her hair in well-appointed pig tails. When we cross the street every morning to get to her bus stop, we risk our lives in a sea of chaotic motorcycles, tuck-tucks, mangy dogs, buses, etc...She boards a bus and heads to school as the only pale skinned girl (at least now her dad is a celebrity with the fifth graders...)
She carries a heavy backpack to school filled with books. Once there, she must call her teacher Mam and eat all of the Indian food served to her. She carries a few tissues in her pocket for the loo since toilet paper is not school-issued. The kids in her class often point out her differences (not because they are mean, but because they are of interest). She hasn't learned cursive like they have. She struggles to convert measurements into the metric system. And her hair isn't glossy and amenable to flawless coiffing. She complains regularly about these inadequacies. And if Nick hadn't gone to her school last week and seen her walking happily hand-in-hand with two new school friends, we might actually be worried.
But, I digress...Back to misguided patriotism....We made an interesting discovery, last week. Violet can sing the Indian national anthem in its entirety, in Sanskrit.
We wondered, does she know the American anthem?
Turns, out - well we are afraid she doesn't. But does it matter? While I hope she does one day learn "The Star Spangled Banner," because it's a nice tune, I prefer that she's learning what it's like to be different in our society at home so she can share a extra empathy with her cohorts at school. I also hope she learns to have a less American-centric outlook and sees herself as a global citizen of Planet Earth.
The videos you are about to behold reminded me of this theory.
It's safe to say that our transition to India has been hardest for a certain little delightful 7-year old. In fact, it's been so tough on her that often she's not delightful at all, rather she resembles a surly teenager. While we all left much at home, she left her sisters (the cats), and her Spanish (which we've come to realize is a deep part of her individuality). Not to mention that this move to India was not in the least her decision (and she's the only one who's had an amoeba yet!)
When I go to the office every day, my work-life mimics the one in California. My email looks the same, the office amenities are the same, and my meeting schedule is largely the same. For Violet, on the other hand, everything is vastly different. In the morning, she wears a uniform with her hair in well-appointed pig tails. When we cross the street every morning to get to her bus stop, we risk our lives in a sea of chaotic motorcycles, tuck-tucks, mangy dogs, buses, etc...She boards a bus and heads to school as the only pale skinned girl (at least now her dad is a celebrity with the fifth graders...)
She carries a heavy backpack to school filled with books. Once there, she must call her teacher Mam and eat all of the Indian food served to her. She carries a few tissues in her pocket for the loo since toilet paper is not school-issued. The kids in her class often point out her differences (not because they are mean, but because they are of interest). She hasn't learned cursive like they have. She struggles to convert measurements into the metric system. And her hair isn't glossy and amenable to flawless coiffing. She complains regularly about these inadequacies. And if Nick hadn't gone to her school last week and seen her walking happily hand-in-hand with two new school friends, we might actually be worried.
But, I digress...Back to misguided patriotism....We made an interesting discovery, last week. Violet can sing the Indian national anthem in its entirety, in Sanskrit.
We wondered, does she know the American anthem?
Turns, out - well we are afraid she doesn't. But does it matter? While I hope she does one day learn "The Star Spangled Banner," because it's a nice tune, I prefer that she's learning what it's like to be different in our society at home so she can share a extra empathy with her cohorts at school. I also hope she learns to have a less American-centric outlook and sees herself as a global citizen of Planet Earth.
