March 1st - Feeling Social

A month in London, and I'm still getting used to its ways. As much as I enjoy the order, i do at times miss the chaos in India. What I wouldn't do, to see an indifferent cow crossing the road, or a hurried cyclist cutting across the road when he shouldn't. I also miss how friendly (okay..maybe inquisitive or nosey) we Indians get back home.

However, it isn't uncommon when a fellow Indian gives you a friendly smile on the tube, or when a curious Sri Lankan walks across to ask you where you are from. Some even go out of their way to help; like the store keeper who walked a mile to get us directions to an art gallery, or the teen who got us help with my mobile number, by asking several other store keepers on the same lane. Many of these people have lived in London all their lives. Some speak with accents that come naturally, while others nurse carefully put on accents (despite the incorrect English). "Where from you are ey?"Some others are happier just speaking in a common language, like the friendly taxi driver (a sardar) who said, "Beta, you know Hindi?" What followed was a detailed account of prices and life in the UK, in Hindi. In the background he played bhangra music that seems to be a hot favorite. Enough of those Juggy Ds and Jay Seans. Where are Lucky Ali, the Strings, and Shaan?No discount on the taxi though!:)

However, not everyone is as friendly. The next door neighbour (also Indian) is almost non existent. I noticed her peering through her window when we shifted, and never saw her again. Her husband was friendlier, when we had trouble with a blocked drain that needed fixing. He and my husband came up with possible solutions over a smoke, before he pulled out a pipe, causing all the water in the sink to drain out. Thank God. He even lent us a drain pump, which he forgot about. So when we went to return it, he seemed surprise. He face displayed no signs of familiarity. "Oh. Thank you" was all he said, to my surprise."Were you expecting him to invite us over for tea?" asked an amused R.

On Sunday, we went to Church. The one close to home has a small congregation, which mean everyone knows everyone else. We got a warm welcome, with people wanting us to sit with them. The friendly pastor shook hands, while another told us about his arthritis (after service ofcourse). Service was short and sweet, and during peace, everyone walked around shaking hands with everyone else. After service, when we were trying to sneak off, we were stopped again for coffee and biscuits, followed by a lunch invitation on Wednesday (bread, cheese and soup). If i don't get a job soon enough, I might just end up going to all of these lunches, just so i get to meet more people. Otherwise life is good. I'm turning into quite the chef. Vegetarians are invited to my kitchen, now that i've begun cooking more than just chicken, and beef. I might even try enticing you with the best dal:)The library is just across the road, so I can hop across and return with 10 books. In addition to reading, I also have a mantlepiece that doesn't look as empty. With broadband and cable (Lost season 3 is on in Sky 1), I'm also on the net more often now. So off to my busy schedule.