Monolingualism
I had just landed in the Czech Republic. I was taking a bus from Prague airport to the city. The man sitting next to me was dressed in formal. He was here to attend a meeting of the ESA, European […]
Freedom
The Tijuana border (between the US and Mexico) is one of the busiest land crossings in the world.
Virgin Mojito (हिंदी)
गाँव में रहने वाला लड़का घर में “नींबू-पानी” पीता है । शहर में जाता है तो उसको “शिकंजी” बोलने लगता है । फिर फ़ाइव-स्टार होटेल में जाता है, और “लेमोनेड” ऑर्डर करता है । विदेश-यात्रा पर जाता है, तो उसी […]
Souvenir Clothing
I stared at the clothing in the souvenir shop. “Cancún” is written on the cap. “Cancún” is written on the chest. Cancún written on the derrière. In myriad fonts and sizes. I wondered who buys all these souvenirs. I have […]
Crowded or Popular? Exclusive or deserted?
An expensive place full of tourists is considered a popular destination. While an inexpensive place full of tourists will be called a crowded one. An expensive place lacking tourists is termed an exclusive destination. While an inexpensive place lacking tourists […]
The Terrible Economics of running a Restaurant
A new Indian restaurant had opened within walking distance of where we live. We, actually, discovered it on the day of its inauguration (Muhurta). The owner politely told us to come back the next day. We did. We were fifth […]
In a remote village in Thailand…
After renting a moped in Thailand, I stopped at a small shop to ask for a petrol pump/gas station. Instead, the shop owner handed me a bottle of gasoline for purchase. “Must be a peaceful country where they can sell […]
Nationality
He is living in Europe. He is an American citizen. His parents are from Mexico. In Europe, he is an American. In America, he is Hispanic/Mexican. In Mexico, he is a Mexican of European descent.
My rm -rf moment
Yes, it did happen, and no, I am not stupid enough to execute rm -rf *. It was a bit more convoluted than that. I was trying to prepare a customized SD card image for the Android emulator. The fastest way to do […]
American vs Indian doctor
Indian doctor After having continuous hiccups for ~24 hours, I walked to a nearby doctor’s clinic. “Uncle kaafi der se hitchkiyaan aa rahi hai, iska…” (I am having hiccups for a long while, can something…) [interrupted] He replies in a loud […]