The eXtras

Living in Kashmir: A Year of People, Places and Memories

eXtra memories 

These are the memories that slipped between the pages: the small absurdities, the daily disciplines, the moments that made expatriate life what it truly was for me, not merely an adventure, but a lived-in,  complicated existence. A few samples of previously undocumented memories.

1. The only advertisement on Pakistani television at the time and it was repeated over and over “Polka ice cream stick: a tasty pick” I can still hear that voice. That jingle has proved entirely impossible to dislodge from memory.

2. The Indian alternative to Coca-Cola had us amused the first time we saw the bottle -ThumsUp, It was not a spelling mistake but a well-respected brand.

3. The need to remember to keep one’s mouth closed in the shower and not to use any unboiled water for cleaning one’s teeth. Daily habits that had to be rigorously remembered.

4. The scoreboard we kept in the kitchen of the number of rats captured in winter. I once threw a plastic bowl over one running across the floor – it died of fright!

5. The “Bad-Taste” Party where we dressed in ridiculous outfits and fed our international friends Vegemite on chapatis.
 
6. The night we had a variety of local guests, I had catered for Muslim and Hindu tastes and preferences and labelled the food appropriately. Catering across cultures, however, demanded a rather more earnest attention to detail. I was unaware one person was vegan and when asked by her husband what she could eat, all I could suggest was the boiled cauliflower and plain white rice.

7. The visit to the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka when on a break. The beach in Galle, the train ride along the coast, the friendly people, the good food. A fond memory of a short break there with Australian friends.

Caught on film

Gone fishing, or was he just getting his feet wet?

Fishing in a fabled trout stream near Pahalgam

Finnish Friends were always ready to share food and drinks

Some summer cheer with I.H and P.H

Then at last, in March 1980 there was a farewell at the PX in Rawalpindi. The excitement that we were going home.

This post first appeared on earlieryears.blogspot.com by CRGalvin