It is not that I don’t know the meaning of it but when my eyes fell on this proverb in one of the books, it was the beauty of the wording and the accuracy of its meaning hat I’ve recently come to learn.
By the way there this proverb has an equalivat in Arabic. It says; The light falls only on the strangers.
In both versions, the meaning is the same.
Haven’t you ever felt that you are more appreciated and honored elsewhere than in your commonplace?
What experiences in life helped you grow the most?
What’s better than meeting with different people!
Living in a different country, meeting with people of different culutres, people with different tongues, is such wonderful, though hard, experience that I believed I’ve been blessed to live. This experience has been teaching me valuable lessons everyday.
I’m still the same me, however in a much wiser, much knowedgable, much careful version. And there’s one more important thing; when you’re living in a froiegn country, you’re granted a silver opportunity for choosing who you want to be. Either to cut your roots, discard them, borrow different seeds, and plant a complete different crop. Or, keep your old roots, plant then in the new soil, feed and water them every now and then. Believe me, you’ll be suprised how your old roots make a unique plant of you.
If there is a second part to the tortoise and the hare story in which they will decide to go for another competition, who do you think will win?
While she was thinking, i said in my head the Hare. Surely he would have learned the lesson. He would never think to have a nap under the same tree. No way.
The tortoise, my daughter said and i looked at her surprised.
How? I asked believing the hare would never repeat the same mistake.
The Hare will copy the tortoise and crawl all the way next to her.
Why? I asked still surprised
Because she had won the first race and he thought if he followed her pace, he would too
Any why do you think it did not work with him?
Because his legs hurt. He got different legs to those of the tortoise. So he became very very tired and had some rest under the tree and fell asleep again.
Oh poor hare! Surely he was very disappointed, i said
No, he was not, my daughter said
Why? I asked.
Because he wasn’t himself in the race this time, my daughter said
Don’t understand, i said
He was pretending to be the tortoise but this can’t be. He should be himself, the hare, to win, my daughter said.
Flying in an aeroplane is no longer an adventure. It becomes like getting on a train or a truck or a car, even if the distance you are going is far away.
I’ve just watched something which can be a real adventure; it’s the microlight flight with the birds.
It is miraculous how the birds soar high in groups, have a plan on time, and fly to a specific destination. They migrate to survive and give us, humans, the hope of the new beginning.
And, it will be amazing to share this experience; to fly next to those geese and swans, to stretch your arms, and reach and touch their flying wings.
I read briefly about Christian Moullec; he is one of the pioneers in the microlight flight. It’s interesting to know that the protection of migratory birds was his initial objective of starting the project of these flights.
I wonder whether I’d ever dare go on one, but at least I can imagine how this can be an extraordinary, an unforgettable experience.
”Never forget the umbrella,” was the first advice I got before moving to the UK which was a long time ago.
We moved in the summer, and I’ll never forget how the weather changed all of a sudden. In the beginning, it was warm and sunny, but later, at night, it started pouring and didn’t stop for two days. The umbrella broke after a few minutes, and we got a new one, or more than one. Over the first year, my husband and I always kept an umbrella in our bags, though we knew it was useless and wouldn’t stand long. A few months later we forgot about it and rarely got any.
The umbrella was just a piece of advice to make sure you get ready for changes, but it was not for any protection. Once we understood and used to the new place, we found out the route for protection.
Relatives. That was my inspiration for blogging today. I haven’t planned to live that far from my relatives but that’s how my life becomes. I’m missing family gatherings and talks. I’m missing more the feeling of their support. Every year, we go to see the elderly who are still there and those who were once little but are no longer now. But also every year I appreciate how living far was a real privilege.
