Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Yellow watermelon

I tried something new today. I ate a yellow watermelon. Once I overcame my distrust for a familiar fruit that seemed to be in disguise, I found it to be delicious. It had the same texture, sweetness and soothing juicy bite. The black seeds looked particularly attractive against the bright yellow flesh. The outside was the same familiar green stripes that all watermelons sport. But it was a shock to see the yellow interior upon cutting through. I recoiled at first sight. Slowly I got over my resistance and cut through the wedges to cut bite-sized pieces. And finally put one piece in my mouth. The teeth crunched against the slice and erupted in a burst of sweetness in my mouth. Yummmmmy!!!

Like so many things in life, the older we get, the more judgmental we become. Whether it is an inevitable outcome of aging or a reluctance to try anything new or a desire to be proved right, over time we tend to get overly suspicious of novelty. At a recent get together, I observed a toddler taking a bite from the items on her mother's plate. It was amazing to see her reaction to all the new foods she tried that evening. A veritable culinary adventure for her taste buds with no knowledge of whether the next bite would be sweet or salty or downright spicy. She was game to try every single thing laid out in front of her. None of the previous reactions stopped her from trying out the next one. She was truly open to all the tastes and textures that touched her tongue. And she did it so joyously and effortlessly. While I loved watching from the sidelines, I knew that this bold kid might soon turn into a picky eater with limited preferences and those would be defined by the memories of previous experiences and a wish to assert her right to choose, to define her likes and dislikes and therefore define her personality.

Moving to a new country tests you. It is as different from a short holiday to an exotic destination as is watching a 30 second video clip of a person and then meeting them live. As travelers, we go for the novelty, for the exciting architecture, the interesting geography, the different weather. We rejoice, for a while, in the newness of things that stimulates our jaded minds. But living in another country challenges you. It changes your way of not just looking around but the way you respond to your surroundings. So you compare. And complain. And curiously venture deeper. And for all your apprehensions, sometimes you are truly surprised, pleasantly.
"It tastes yellow", exclaimed Aparna. Does yellow have a taste? Really? But I know what she meant. Its the same, but different. Is it the watermelon that is different? But the yellow watermelon doesn't know it is different. Our surroundings in a new country were always what they were, we are the new additions to the landscape.

As R.L. Stevenson aptly said, “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.”

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