Dogs

“Really? But why don’t you let dogs inside the house?” She asked me with utter incredulity in her voice white petting the two dogs that she has had for the last 10 years. Her words were in response to my narrating the story about this very morning when I woke up because one of the two dogs licked my hand when I was fast asleep. I didn’t really know how to answer the question she asked. I mean what do I tell a German to whom a dog is part of the family. I tried nonetheless

“Well! You see. Its because dogs are……..

And I paused mid sentence and figured that telling her that dogs are considered unclean would be thoughtless and culturally insensitive so I dug deep inside my mind for another explanation

“Well! In our religion and culture dogs are kept only for reasons of security and therefore it is best if they stay outside the house” was all I could muster.

She looked puzzled and for the life of her could not understand why this was the case. And I was puzzled too because for the life of me I could understand why dogs could be allowed inside the house. 

It doesnt look that way at all.

So having known R for two years as a close friend and having learnt we share things in common which transcend cultural boundaries, I believe I owe him a blog entry.

On a walking tour in Munich, everyone gets asked whether they have been to the Oktoberfest, and only R raises his hand. R is in a habit of raising his hand to questions that follow the general theme “Have you been to “insert name of a country/city here”.

R is currently the most well-travelled friend that I have. He has been to the US, the whole of Europe, south East Asia, India, and other places. I know this not because he told me one fine day of all places he has visited but rather I accumulated all the isolated accounts I have heard from him of places he has been to. However the reason I write this is not this.

The reason I write this is what he told me one fine day when we sit in my room which I make no effort to tidy up when he comes now because he comes often and is cool with my untidiness and he tells me this

“Sherry my boy, when I was young I used to think we were poor because I lived in a one storey house while the others kids lived in a two storey one. It was only when I went to college that that my dad told me he could afford it that I learnt it was not the case. I didn’t like those kids who flaunted being rich and I decided I will never flaunt. And now when I talk about all these places I have been to I always hope it does not come out as if I am trying to boast. Please tell me honestly Sherry, does it?”

He left me thinking as to how great a man he really is. He actually learnt something from his experiences in life. That almost never happens.