Thursday, October 31, 2013

But Madame! !!

So here I was sweeping outside our entrance when a total stranger (and a servant) said - but Madame. ..and wanted to do the sweeping for me. Ok, this is the essence of "the difference between people and people". Both my faith and country is based on everybody being equal.  You know the famous "love and treat thy neighbor as yourself"?

Sweeping as I understand it, is the lowest ranking housework...for servants.  Of course I like to make a statement and do it myself.  If you know me, you know what makes me tick. So each time I'm out there as a spectacle, yes it is; people look at me with big eyes because I'm a Madame here. A Madame is basically a well off woman.

As a Swede,  our equality thinking is etched into our DNA so I will never really get the difference between people and people...but I do get it after living here more than a year.  I can use Indian spectacles and see who is what in society.  If two women walk down a street,  I know who is the Madame and who is not. By the way people dress,  you can tell if they're a politician,  doctor,  auto driver, garbage man, rich or poor. Well, not only the dress; also smell,  dust, hands and feet and overall appearance.  It's status to be able to take a shower each day and wear clean clothes.

Today, I visited a charity where I will start volunteering.  I went my affluent area to the other side of the tracks so to say. It's a school with handicapped children from poor families.  My job? Play with them and give soak those child sponges with attention water. Yes, I can support and provide other means as well but I really want to get down to basics and be with the children.  We danced,  played with puzzles,  I cleaned a little boy's finger and danced with the girls.  WOW! Instant love. They can give something more valuable than money and gold. I've missed this in my life.  Yes I have an own son, but he can share me a few hours a week with the children "they found tied to beds in the back room".

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