I Just Got Back From Toronto and Paris

Here's how it was :)

Hi friend,

I’m back from my two-week-long vacation.

I had terrible jet lag where I’d be up till 4 am. My schedule is still all over the place, lol.

My trip was beautiful. There are so many new things I saw and I learnt.

I’m so grateful for this experience.

PS: I have a free webinar taking place 8 hours from now. More details here.

Just thought I’ll add it, hehe.

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An Indian Wedding in Toronto

Is very different from weddings in India!

It was a very different experience, and got me thinking of a few things…

As Indians in India, we’ve modernised a lot. I take no pride in saying I don’t speak my regional language (Punjabi), and I think and talk in English over Hindi. It’s just how my boarding school shaped me.

Though I’m happy about the modernisation as a whole, for as a woman it gives me a stand and space to be.

The wedding was beautiful, and very deeply culturally rooted. Lots of ceremonies which I haven’t seen in years, lots of togetherness, and pakoras.

Those born in Canada speak far more fluent Punjabi than I’ll ever be able to. They dance better, sing folk songs that nobody after my grandma’s generation bothered to learn, and are

It made me feel that when you’re so far away from home, it’s your culture and community that helps you feel closer to home. So this is what keeps you knitted, and they’ve done a great job in passing it on to their future generations.

Downtown Toronto

My best friend Mallika showed me around here. She moved to Canada last December and is a chef there + is studying.

I was surprised that the grocery store had one of the best sushis that I’ve ever tried. So, so good!

Toronto’s waterfront was so pretty too.

If I can be honest with you, ever since I visited Coolangatta in Australia 3 months ago, I feel I now prefer the countryside to big cities. My husband Jai, over a decade ago was training at a village near Vancouver.

He told me how there’s so much natural beauty in Canada once you go away from the big cities.

The only concrete jungle I have on my list is NYC. Apart from that, shiny buildings have stopped fascinating me as much as they used to. Maybe because back then I hadn’t seen them as much.

But I still had an absolute ball in DT Toronto!

Paris!

Dear reader, I can’t even tell you how stressed I was to make sure Jai likes Paris. The thing is - very few people like it. Everyone calls it overhyped, dirty, unsafe, and whatnot.

But I love the city.

I don’t see it as a tourist. I don’t go to expensive restaurants or spend money on attractions. It’s all about the vibe - to go to local places.

And we did that. We visited bars and restaurants that only had locals which even surprised me. Jai travels for food, so I’m glad we experienced that.

It was a beautiful last few days.

What Now?

After visiting 4 countries in the past 6 months, one because of our honeymoon and the rest because of weddings - we want to stay put a bit. Travel around when we can, but just be at home.

We both felt so much sukoon (tranquillity) when we got back at 2 am from our flight.

I’m going to focus on my work for the coming few months and get as much done before November. So yes, time to go all out.

That was a small anecdote about my travels. I hope you enjoyed it :)

See you next week!

Love,

N