Two Week's Break

I was home for a long 2 week's break. It was great to be with my nephew. He's going to be 3 this November and he calls me by name! (In our custom, nephew/nieces or any of the younger lot has to call their elders in a different manner; it would be like adding a respected prefix before a name.) Even if we correct him, he'd grin and still call me by name. I think I have never liked anyone call my name as much as I like him call me. Yeah it sounds corny….like I don't want it to! :)

It was comforting and nice to be in the surrounding that you grew up in. Dimapur is rapidly becoming crowded; with more traffic jams (!), high rise buildings and shops practically in every corner. The first time I went to Hongkong Market and Hazi Park: I went beserk. I wanted everything in sight. My sis was amazed at my excitement. I bought 7 pairs of shoes the first day and 6 more the next time around. Of course it was not ALL for me; half of them were for my friends. By price it was dirt cheap compared to Hyderabad malls and by style, far far superior!

Now that practically every shop owner goes to Bangkok, Nepal, Singapore etc., it truly is a shopper's paradise. Hail cheap airfares! :)

What surprised me was that I'd forgotten that pork was 100/- per kg! This in no way guarantees that you even get a kilo! A 100 kilo pig will disappear in one hour. I swear.
My dad and his wife came down from Kohima (Capital of Nagaland) and he wanted to buy me pork. (Yeah, everybody knows my love for pork). There is always a shortage of pork around town so we went straight to Bokajan, Assam which is 40 minutes away from Dimapur. (Dimapur is the commercial hub of Nagaland which borders the state of Assam on the west and north).

Once we reached pork land, I was surprised to see a line-up of vehicles and so many people hovering around pockets of stalls. I chuckled. All the vehicles bore Nagaland registered number plates; All the customers were Nagas!
Yeah we love pork that much :)

I also met my 94 year old grandma. She looks lonely now that she is partially deaf. She shed a tear as she remembered my mom. I felt bad. I don't want to live that long. I don't want to be dependent. I want to go from this world peacefully, painlessly and not be dependent.

While coming back I met an old acquaintance/friend who was on his way to Delhi (We still don't have direct flights, everything is via Kolkatta). He tells me now that on Mondays Sarojini Market offers clothes for 10/- Yes 10! I definitely foresee myself in Sarojini on one of the future hot swaltering Mondays. If anything at all, besides my old friends, what I miss most in Delhi is Sarojini Market! Otherwise I am forever trying to prove to my colleagues from Delhi that Hyd is a much better place. They still sneer at me.
My friend also tells me that he is going to run a national fashion magazine soon: First possible job opportunity.

Interestingly, I sat next to a 50+ man. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I could make out that he was a govt. official from the conversation he had with another guy in front.
He was on his way for a business summit in Delhi. I pretended to sleep but we ended up having a truly refreshing and stimulating conversation. It's always nice to gain knowledge from elders, who have been there and done that kind of thing. I never realized that our Government was trying so hard. I though they were all snoozing away.
Talking to him made me re-realize my old dreams: Two other possible job opportunities.
One was to be part of a soon to be thriving private sector in Nagaland or to get into service like him in order to make a difference.

Being a girl and of the "marriageable age" I got a lot of blah blah blah. I went prepared for the onslaught. There were actually 2 battles for me: The marriage factor and the state civils exam. Every parent I came across went on and on about the civil exams and how there is nothing like it. I could not even begin to explain to them how things are different. So I just shut up and nodded my head like a million times.
And every aunt I came across talked of marriage as if it was the only thing left for me to do!
But it was sheer fun telling some of my nosy aunts and cousins that I don't want to get married and serve my husband and forget that I have a life too. But yeah you can't just dismiss all. There are some people who say things and you just have to sit up and take heed.
You don't agree with them but you know where ALL that is coming from and so you understand.

Is’nt my nephew just adorable?
I miss him.