The Hobbit- Chapter Nineteen: The Last Stage

“You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!”

“Thank goodness!” said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco jar.

Thank you, Gandalf! Your lack of sentimentality has once again brought me back to reality. Indeed, I am not the only ex-pat experiencing thoughts and feelings like those I have expressed in previous posts, nor have I begun to scratch the surface when it comes to living cross-culturally. I am not the only voice speaking for ex-pats across the globe, or for those patriots that find themselves dwelling in a second or third culture within their home country. Reading the words of other ex-pat authors residing in India has enriched my life, and to them I am grateful. As for me, I hope that all my adventures will not be for my sole benefit. After all, I am only quite a little gal living in a very wide world after all! Thank goodness!

The Hobbit- Chapter Twelve: Inside Information

...Already he was a very different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket-handkerchief from Bag-End long ago. He had not had a pocket-handkerchief for ages.

Life changes you. Experiences shape and mold a human being. Other cultures make one a different person.

When I first returned to America I was already a different person from the one that left two years earlier. Living in India had taught me about being more assertive, less judgmental, to think outside of my “culture box,” and be absolutely stunned by the sheer multitude of languages, dialects, cultures, and sub-cultures on this globe.

 After I returned to India for round two, I discovered that I was also a different person from the one which had previously resided within its lands. I now felt comfortable in my own skin, even though that skin is still white and attracts stares and second looks. But I have a functioning knowledge of language and how life works within India’s culture, and I don’t miss Dr. Pepper, Doritos and Chick-fil-a with the severity of my first two years. Instead, I crave dal and paranthas and paneer rolls on a regular basis! I cringe when I see shoes being worn around the house, and ensure that I check mine at the door!