"Agh, yes, and why are you so obsessed?" She asked curiously with a warm smile.
"I think I should have married an Indian man, so that we could have a dance that brought us together."
A man standing about 2 feet away from me "An Indian man, eh? I can help you with that." He said looking down at my ring with a smile that melted me...
I smelled trouble and intrigue all at once. That was the beginning of an emotional affair with India that has continued over the last 6 years. India has followed me, haunted me. Curry powders and cardamom swirled around me in Dubai. 2 of my best guy friends are Indians. My indian students loved that I loved every little priceless thing about their culture. I convinced my colleagues that we had to do Dhandiya (the Indian stick dance) and Jai Ho, for the international day celebration. I am in serious withdrawal from masala, rogan josht and ramblings with Indian taxi drivers, oh cultural melting pot of Dubai.. Every year, I personally celebrate Holi, whether it be through a meal or a colorful bath or personal ceremony. I think that the celebration of spring and the color that it brings into our lives, the richness, the new life is immensely important to all of our well beings whether we recognize the holiday or not.
Being a child of a Czech, Scando and Scottish background, with sunshine yellow hair and blue eyes; every Indian I came in contact with had a right to be suspect. I am American. Strangely, India is not a country that Americans are overly detested. And I love color in my wardrobe, art, aura healing. I definitely believe in the power of yoga, karma, and ayurvedic healing; so the commonalities were there but we're human and sadly, if we have eyes that see we do judge books by there covers. Still the same, I always felt safe when I was in India and I never felt like an outsider. And my friends get it, how many times in the last 3 years have I been told, "You are just like an Indian in your way of thinking," or "I am sure you were Indian in a past life."
So, where is this random post coming out of. While, I have been ill the last few days and as I have over the last few years, I have a continued debate of eastern medicine vs. western medicine. I would like to believe that I could completely invest myself in not resorting to antibiotics and IVs and more, especially after 5 hours in the emergency room yesterday; inhaling pure oxygen, getting injected with 2 drips and finally, getting given the same prescription I had self-prescribed 3 days prior. Still, when in serious pain and after trying all the bells and whistles of holistic medicine in prior experiences, I believe it all comes back to balance.
At the moment, I am drugged up on some antibiotics but today, I began oil pulling, which is supposed to help with sinus issues (of which I have at least 1-2 infections a year). The last three days, I have been doing star anise, aniseed, ginger and clove steams. And finally, choking down whole cloves of garlic.. And I'd like to believe that it is actually the combination of both that are fighting hard to ensure that I can drink wine with good friends in Spain in 36 hours..
Fingers crossed.
Raised primarily in the midwest, but having spent 1/3 of my life living abroad across the continents, I'd like to think that I am taking a little bit of everything with me. Things are definitely no different when it comes to being the product of so many different medical systems: Capitalist insurance thievery of the US; Socialized brilliance of the UK; $3 doctor stops in Korea from everything to chest consultations to acupuncture; and alternative therapies in India. Clearly, I have no choice but to weed out the good and find a wealthy individual to fund my somewhat perfect system on a gorgeous relatively warm island. Or I could always move to France as Michael Moore romanticized the hell out of their system and French boys, wine, fois gras, I could get used to it...
Still, India somehow lingers more than the rest and whispers float from globetrotters that it's waiting. I hope so..
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