Photo by Cristy Zinn via unsplash
Ok. Final part. If I’m talking about trust issues, then I also have to talk about my mother. She raised me. My father was also present in my life, but not emotionally involved. He worked hard day in and out to provide for his family, and when he was home he got to emotionally check out, and relied on my mother to take care of business with the children. It’s a common story, right.
Read MorePhoto by Nikhita S on Unsplash
As an Indo-Caribbean person with both Guyanese and Surinamese heritage, it’s been really interesting to contrast and compare the two different (South-)Asian diasporas. Although my insights have always been limited and based on personal experience rather than cold, hard data… I’ve still noticed that there’s a loss of language.
Read MoreGoodbye to the days of hundreds notes on my phone or random to-do scribbles, and hello to the 52 Lists Planner! By now, you may know that I love journals. I don’t journal as intensely anymore as I did when I was a teenager, but I still try to write in one whenever I can. I’ve three journals, in fact, all for different writing intentions. The first exclusively focuses on the many things I did or experienced that brought me some form of happiness, the second journal is for ranting, descriptions of situations, and important notes about (the improvement of) my mental health. The third journal, the one I am sharing with you today, is actually a planner for my daily/weekly to-do lists.
Read MorePhoto by Egor Lyfar from Unsplash
The holidays are coming. Cue that Coca Cola Christmas soundtrack. Tis the season. Watch out. Look around. Something’s coming. Coming to town. Is it me? Did I watch too many horror movies, or does that seem sinister? You truly can’t escape Christmas. It’s everywhere. On the radio. On TV. In the shops and supermarkets. But it’s probably me.
Anyway, it’s February, so we’re long past Christmas, but that means I’ve had enough time to reflect on how I spent that time last year. I’m not Christian. As far as religion goes, I grew up in a Hindu household, and I consider myself Hindu. We also celebrate Christmas. My parents even celebrated the holiday in Suriname. The influence of Christianity and colonialism.
Christmas is not celebrated in a religious capacity by us, of course. Instead, it’s about spending time together. Eating and drinking together. Exchanging gifts. Dooh dooh dooh... Always Coca Cola. You know, commercialization, and forced social interactions. Who doesn’t love those?! I swear I’m not bitter. I love receiving gifts, especially books.
Read MorePhoto by Jan-Niclas Aberle on Unsplash
When I was almost three years old, my mother and I got on a plane and crossed the Atlantic Ocean. We emigrated from Suriname (in South America) to the Netherlands (Europe). A year later, my father was able to join us.
You see, moving is in my DNA.
My ancestors ended up in British Guyana and the Dutch colony of Suriname. After the abolition of slavery (1833 in Guyana and 1863 in Suriname), former slaves obviously refused to work on plantations, so the British and the Dutch (let’s not forget about the French) found a new commodity: indentured laborers in Asia. Mostly from North India, in my case, though I can’t say that with absolute certainty since I’ve very limited information on my lineage.
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