Caribbean Roots

Today I’m remembering my grandmother. Flamingo saw me eating with my hands and asked, “Why are you eating like that?” I laughed and said that my grandmother taught me the RIGHT way to eat. 😉

The first 4 years of my life I lived in the Caribbean. My grandmother and mother are Indian. One day my grandmother saw that I was having trouble eating, so she showed me how to properly eat with my hands. This is one of the fondest memories I have of my grandmother.

My grandfather, also of Indian descent, called my grandmother dragon. It was a fitting nickname which played off the pun of her maiden name. My grandfather’s nickname was Bull, and that’s how his friends called him. I don’t know where that nickname came from. I’m guessing it’s based from his character.

I don’t remember my grandfather. He died when I was 9 months old. But I do remember the stories about him. He spoke Hindi but this language was never passed on to any of his children. My mother always told me that she wished she had learned the language.

Perhaps that's why I’m so dedicated to learning the languages of the people that I admire. It becomes part of you. And in so doing, they become part of you.

This was my grandmother's house. 💕