Photo Guy Ackermans As always, my mind is busy with tasks and projects I mustn’t forget, conversations I cannot wait to have. But for once, the To-Do list is background noise because I am on the terrace of my childhood home, remembering the hundred different ways sunlight can filter through a space. It sweeps across the trees and buildings, draping a shimmering veil on the mango tree, seeps through the green avocado leaves, making their veins glow yellow, and draws leaf-shaped shadows on the terrace as it falls through the canopy of the Jamun tree. When a breeze rustles past the branches, this picture blurs momentarily .
I’m in a small corner of a big city in South India and it’s the first time I’ve been back since beginning my Masters. I love Wageningen, but a sunless December made it a bit easier to wave the grey skies goodbye. I’ve caught myself saying ‘back home in Wageningen…’ more than once over the past few weeks. It’s incredible to have two homes but sometimes it can feel like a torn existence. A heart flitting between two places. Returning has felt like slipping back into an old coat. It still fits but you wear it a bit differently. I used to think this was a quiet spot but after the stillness of Wageningen, I recognise that some may not agree.
I love Wageningen, but a sunless December made it a bit easier to wave the grey skies goodbye
Right now, I can hear the hum of traffic and horns, the azaan or the Muslim call to prayer, has begun, soon the temple down the street will sound its midday prayer drums and bells as well. You can always hear people talking, laughing and arguing. Tailorbirds hop through the dense foliage scouting for leaves to sew into a nest. Occasionally black kites call musically from the skies and parakeets chatter shrilly from a neighbour’s tree. The wind playfully swirls laundry on the clothesline and brings you enticing scents from the neighbours’ kitchens, prompting you to think of ways to invite yourself over for lunch.
Repeatedly (especially when cramming for an exam) I’ve asked myself ‘Why did I turn my life upside down?’ It is for this. Here, the natural world and ours are enmeshed into one big, messy wonderful space, coming together unequally. As I join that band of people who are forever peering at trees in amazement, I hope that I have learnt enough to encourage others to look with me.
Ananya Doraswamy is a Master’s student in Communication, Health and Life Sciences from India. She delights in a slow-paced day that has plenty of time for cloud-watching and tree-gazing. She enjoys being in busy, multicultural kitchens that have plenty of food and stories to offer.
