The 2-year stint in Karlsruhe taught me many things.
It gave me time to do things I never did in my life in India. I explored swimming, cycling, painting, singing. I went to different cities like Colmar, Strassbourg, Cologne, Amsterdam, Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia. The last two destinations are Copenhagen and Vienna before I go back to India by the end of October. All these cities could be explored by cycle. And I didn't look at the cyclists with awe for the first time in my life!
While I was a novice in cycling last year in May, I had met with an accident at one curve in the famous Schlossgarten in Karlsruhe which I couldn't navigate properly or judge. I fell down with a bang and before I knew what had happened, the cycle was on top of me. I had a helmet on my head so thankfully, nothing happened to the head. I was alone and my son and husband had gloriously left me alone behind and reached home. People saw me and asked me if they should call an ambulance and if I am all right. I was ok except my confidence was shaken and I was feeling very bad on having left behind alone. One German lady came to talk to me and asked me to wait for 10 minutes to check if everything is all right. She had once met with an accident and had gone back cycling, had felt dizzy and had to go to the doctor. So learning from her own experience, she wanted to help me check if I felt dizzy or could walk properly. She talked to me about Karlsruhe, about things here and there and I thanked her profusely and went home walking beside my broken cycle. I was crying, but there was no one to see my tears on the road. It was all empty. I was hurt, I was sad, I was in pain!
My joy knew no bounds when that same lady approached me this week when I was sitting in a cafe. She recognized me! I was so surprised by her kind gesture! I haven't met anyone in Karlsruhe who remembers my face by meeting only once. I see many people regularly. I recognize them and attempt to pass on a smile, but never get an acknowledgment in return. But this lady had kept me in her mind, remembered my face (Asian faces are hard to remember for the Europeans and vice versa). She asked me how I was doing and whether I have now mastered the art of cycling. I said, I am learning and am getting better and better at it. She was happy and she talked to me about her job and life etc. She is a social worker. She visits different families from a social agency and helps to solve problems in their lives. No wonder she remembered my face and approached me. She was used to people and her day is amongst people. She is very people friendly and a smiling lady. Looking at her makes you feel assured. She came across a very approachable person. We talked for some time, exchanged contact numbers and went our ways.
Meeting her left me with a smile. I felt important, I felt good about myself. I hadn't helped her in any way. She had helped me, but she remembered me. I had forgotten her face completely. If she hadn't come up to me and talked to me, we would have not reconnected.
It just takes a small gesture to connect or to reconnect and to bring a smile onto the face of others.
It gave me time to do things I never did in my life in India. I explored swimming, cycling, painting, singing. I went to different cities like Colmar, Strassbourg, Cologne, Amsterdam, Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia. The last two destinations are Copenhagen and Vienna before I go back to India by the end of October. All these cities could be explored by cycle. And I didn't look at the cyclists with awe for the first time in my life!
While I was a novice in cycling last year in May, I had met with an accident at one curve in the famous Schlossgarten in Karlsruhe which I couldn't navigate properly or judge. I fell down with a bang and before I knew what had happened, the cycle was on top of me. I had a helmet on my head so thankfully, nothing happened to the head. I was alone and my son and husband had gloriously left me alone behind and reached home. People saw me and asked me if they should call an ambulance and if I am all right. I was ok except my confidence was shaken and I was feeling very bad on having left behind alone. One German lady came to talk to me and asked me to wait for 10 minutes to check if everything is all right. She had once met with an accident and had gone back cycling, had felt dizzy and had to go to the doctor. So learning from her own experience, she wanted to help me check if I felt dizzy or could walk properly. She talked to me about Karlsruhe, about things here and there and I thanked her profusely and went home walking beside my broken cycle. I was crying, but there was no one to see my tears on the road. It was all empty. I was hurt, I was sad, I was in pain!
My joy knew no bounds when that same lady approached me this week when I was sitting in a cafe. She recognized me! I was so surprised by her kind gesture! I haven't met anyone in Karlsruhe who remembers my face by meeting only once. I see many people regularly. I recognize them and attempt to pass on a smile, but never get an acknowledgment in return. But this lady had kept me in her mind, remembered my face (Asian faces are hard to remember for the Europeans and vice versa). She asked me how I was doing and whether I have now mastered the art of cycling. I said, I am learning and am getting better and better at it. She was happy and she talked to me about her job and life etc. She is a social worker. She visits different families from a social agency and helps to solve problems in their lives. No wonder she remembered my face and approached me. She was used to people and her day is amongst people. She is very people friendly and a smiling lady. Looking at her makes you feel assured. She came across a very approachable person. We talked for some time, exchanged contact numbers and went our ways.
Meeting her left me with a smile. I felt important, I felt good about myself. I hadn't helped her in any way. She had helped me, but she remembered me. I had forgotten her face completely. If she hadn't come up to me and talked to me, we would have not reconnected.
It just takes a small gesture to connect or to reconnect and to bring a smile onto the face of others.
Ah! What a sweet lady she was. I am sorry to hear about your cycle incident but I felt glad reading about the German lady recognizing even after months.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the broken cycle? Did it get repaired? Nice experience. Take care. Hope to see you soon.
ReplyDeleteVery rightly said... It takes small gestures to connect and also small gestures to disconnect!!
ReplyDelete