I know this girl who blogs over at Wabota World. I used to teach her; now she teaches me. Her stories as an American living in India are insightful (see here and here and here), often humorous (see here, here, and here), and on occasion, tear-inducing. I bet you can’t tell I like her stuff, can you??

Cross-cultural life is a life of paradox. But isn’t all of life? She recently wrote about this concept in a new way, and I liked it so much I decided to share it (with her permission of course).

*****************************************************************

fu·sion

/ˈfyo͞oZHən/

Noun The process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity.

In the past, I have been a person of extremes.  Everything was all or nothing.  I told myself that to be one thing was to refrain from being anything else.  I tied myself to definitions that I had superfluously created.

I have noticed that since I have been in India, my definitions have relaxed.  At times I went through miniature identity crises.  Things like “I have become boring,”  “This isn’t me,” and so on have run through my head.  But, I have realized something: I can be more than one thing at a time.  I don’t have to make myself into a certain character that I had always imagined I would be.  In fact by doing so, I stunt the growth that God can bring into my life.

I am slowly discovering the beauty of being in two places at once.

I can act like a teenager, giggle about boys, and jam to fun music.  But I can also run a household, lead a devotional, and travel the world by myself.

I can squeeze through alleyways between small houses filled with sari clad women, pants-less children, and paan chewing men all while listening to jazz or Weird Al on my i-pod.

I can order a coke and chicken sandwich at MacDonald’s while wearing a salwaar khameez.

I can speak in Hinglish.  “Aage se right.”  “Che eggs please.  Kitne hai?”

I can be fearless when it comes time to launch myself into a packed local train or cross a street with seemingly unending traffic.  But, I can also be nervous to go to the shop and ask where their mustard seeds are.

I can love India and miss home.

Fusion is right.