01 August 2006

A Sense of Community

This evening I had the chance to stroll with some friends from Mumbai and take in the beautiful night air of Newport Beach.  As we walked and chatted, we talked about how the rythym of their lives is so different in the communities they live and work from here in the US.

They spoke of how on Sunday the whole complex comes together to play cricket.  Regardless of age or ability, just for joy and community.  As they spoke I marveled yet again at the vibrant eloquence that is their everyday speech.  At one point they mentioned how people get really into the game and they fight and so forth.  They told me that I would only have to play one day and I would learn all the bad words that can be expressed in the rich Hindi language.

We wandered, and I wondered.  It never ceases to amaze me how people with such elegant command of speech would find so little opportunity to exercise it.  I found myself remaining intentionally quiet just so that I my ears could continue to be delighted with their unique use of our language.

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