Baptism by fire!

Nine months ago, I moved out of Mumbai with my two tween sons in tow to reunite with my significant other.

Bags packed with cricket bats, Indian fictional writing, a lot of trepidation and an assortment of Indian pickles, my family moved to the spirited, vibrant and thriving city of Shanghai.

I dislike traveling, am not interested in ‘trying world cuisines’ and think each mountain I see (no matter where it’s located), looks the same. That is to say, I am a homebird (side note: don’t particularly like birds either).

What I did not bargain for, was that Shanghai would challenge my concepts about myself, my family and the world around me from the moment I set foot into this bustling city. Amidst the usual teething issues I encountered, I met so many people from all parts of the world. And I don’t mean just nationalities by passport. I mean truly global citizens.

In the short time I have been here, I have interacted with an Italian who calls Southeast Asia home, A Chilean with a German parent who said thank-you to me in Hindi, a German-British couple with a child who identifies as a citizen of a completely different country, An Asian-American who doesn’t speak any Chinese and now lives in Shanghai. And then of course people who came to China, fell in love with the East and are now settled expats. Their understanding of the world is so different than mine. Yet, we harbor a sense of curiosity about each other's views, experiences and opinions. Acceptance is mutual, respect is mutual. The learnings are tremendous!

My ‘my country is super diverse’ mindset realizes how the meaning of diversity in my dictionary is limited. I have now become a sponge, expanding my world view every single day. I am learning to overcome my own biases and that I think is a great start to

1.    Being a Global Citizen

2.    Teaching my children what Diversity, Inclusion and Equity truly means

3.    Adding perspectives to my understanding of the world and my place in it

The world around me is suddenly a kaleidoscope. Each piece of glass offers a new view of the same situation and there’s no right or wrong. It’s just different. I now realize that I may not enjoy travel physically, but mentally, I am happy to challenge my comfort zone at any given chance. #mycuprunnethover #nayiduniyakanayanazariya #mynewnormal