rechelle's lifelyrics

It’s so easy to be lost in our own reality, and not realize that there is a whole world of people who have had such different life experience than what we know. I am grateful for the opportunity to get together with one of my husband’s colleagues from a far off land. He is here for the rest of this year from all the way across the world in India. I have known very little of the geography – let alone the diverse culture and history – of the place from which our new friend has come.

“Krish,” as we will call him for this article, travelled “coach” (which meant many, many hours of travel without the comforts we can take for granted) across land and ocean for the sake of a project here in Eugene, Oregon. He decided to take this project, but that means he signed up for months of being alone while his beautiful wife and darling 2 year old son are still back in India. His parents moved in with his wife to help with childcare when she is working, and he has been living in a hotel room for a month, with no car, no guidance on his new surroundings, and a vast time difference that makes it difficult to stay connected to his beloved family back home. In spite of these difficulties, he has such a great attitude and it was delightful getting a glimpse into his world.

After dinner, we sat in the family room and pulled up a map of India on our big screen TV. Krish shared a brief history of the country, and told us a bit about some of the political and cultural differences throughout the land. He showed us where he was born, and told us about his experience as a young man, trying to make his way, and moving far from his beginnings for a chance to develop his career. I was surprised to hear about the language barrier between regions that presented a challenge when he met the woman who would later become his wife. They learned each other’s native tongue so they could properly communicate with each other’s family members. Eventually, they married for love, which led to a fascinating conversation about arranged marriages versus acceptance of marriages independent of family intervention. His adoration for his wife was evident in his conversation. Now they call a small dwelling “home” over 1,000 miles away from where he grew up.
Many things about our worlds are very different. Yet the things of love, the enjoyment of good food, music, and conversation, and the appreciation for kindness and friendship are common threads between us.