Lest I Forget....

I think it's been slightly over a year since I returned from the Philippines, with Christy. As my geographical horizons are clearly not very wide, I have very few cross cultural experiences that I tell of.

In the Philippines, we spent close to a month in a provincial region, with some nights in Manila, the capital of the country. To describe the experience in a nutshell, it was a refreshing change. It was good to know that people are happier with simpler lives. It was good to feel the warmth of people who extended it all too generously, as if they had known you all their life. It was overwhelming to learn that people still had faith in God even when they had bigger problems, crisis and woes (though some may say that would have been the very reason some people turn to God).

I realize with regret that I've moved on too quickly. To my defence, as soon as we touched down, there was only a weekend in between to travel and report for the selective period. And the selective period was equally busy, leaving little room for an actual break. And before I realized it, it was back to work. And exams. And everything else...'relevant'.

I miss the Philippines. I miss the brief time in India a couple of months back. I miss experiences that help us have a glimpse of a more fragile world, at least in the eyes of others.

It is easier to move on at times. I sometimes believe myself to have drawn a perimeter around my life, such that most events constantly orbits around a narrow radius. One which has a million excuses on why it has to be mostly about me, and the few people around me.

And I'd just like to try harder....