A Cosmopolitan Life

Today I have created my profile for this Life's Journey.  I am learning as I go along, and really don't know where I am heading, even though I have travelled widely, round the world many times, I am still a novice in the use of the internet, especially posting a blog.

Life's Journey is amazing!  Every turn you take and every crossroad you come to, decisions have to be made, whether by yourself or by some other person or event.  Life is never at a standstill.  Every day we make decisions that miraculously lead us in one direction or another.  How many of you feel the same?

I was born in Calcutta, India, of Chinese Parents.  Well, that obviously was not my decision.  My Chinese parents decided not to live in China when my father set up an import/export business with India, and my three brothers and I had the good fortune to be brought up in a multi-lingual society, colourful with myriads of customs, habits and religions, and enjoyed a truly cosmopolitan lifestyle that the British Colony bestowed on us in the Indian Sub-continent.

As a child I attended Chinese school until ten years old, but spoke colloquial  Hindi to our Ayah and Indian staff, and thought nothing of chatting in Cantonese to my uncle and two other Chinese employees.  We happily followed our oriental traditions and burned joss-sticks to venerate our ancestors at all Chinese festivals, including the three-day New Year Dragon dance with evening concerts of Peking and Cantonese Opera.  We were fortunate enough to also celebrate all the Hindu and Muslim festivals throughout the year, as well as enjoy the Christmas and New Year Holidays.

We did have two very scary events in the 1940s.  The first was when I was just three years old, when my father decided that we had to evacuate from Calcutta, being bombed by the Japanese, who were trying to get at Britain through her colonies in South East Asia.  The family made our way to Howrah Railway Station to board a train for Silliguri in the foothills of the mighty Himalaya.

Whilst the grown-ups were busy sorting out our luggage with many coolies offering their services, I showed my true leaning for travels, by plodding behind another family with three children, causing panic and real anguish to my parents and our godmother, who always found an opportunity to point out that I nearly didn't escape with them.  I couldn't remember getting lost. but whenever I see a burning glow on the horizon, it would remind me of the fierce fire that raged down where Calcutta was as we watched from the hillside town. keeping ourselves warm in layers of cardigans, and my knees still tremble when I see a forest fire.

Written by Jean Lai Romsey
To be continued in my next instalment.  Speak to you again, soon.