Pages

Monday, January 26, 2015

"Inevitable Change" by Shayan K.


 
                  Music, glamour, spicy food, sweets, European liquor, loud relatives and hundreds of rituals filled the wedding reception of my eldest sister. She was the first child in our family of 6. It was at her wedding reception that I realized, what Indian girls, not every single one but ones from deep family roots like myself are destined to be. Soon my dearest sister was married and sent away to start a new life with a man she did not know. Arranged marriages are quite common in Indian culture.  It never occurred to me that it was now my turn.
                  I woke up the next morning, made a cup of hot tea, rushed to grab the newspaper, and opened up page 7 which read the daily horoscopes. My morning started just as usual until I walked past the family room. My dad was on a long distance call talking to an old friend he grew up with in India, but now has settled in America. My Dad was inquiring about his son’s future plans such as marriage and career. His son was now 23 years old and in the process of starting his own business. Without being forced I was convinced to start a new life with a complete stranger thousands of miles away from my home in India. My close friends were shocked to hear that I was engaged to get married at 16. I explained to them my sister also married at age 16 and that I would be okay. After much persuasion, my friends agreed that I would be just fine in America. America to them was a land of opportunity and a place where women are treated fairly with respect.
                  My wedding reception was just as glamourous as my eldest sister’s. What made it even more special was that my husband was born and raised in America and had no clue about all the rituals involved in an Indian wedding reception. Very soon, I was on an airplane on my way to land in John F. Kennedy airport in New York. Everyone in America made me feel at home, but I always felt as if I’ve left a big part of myself behind. My in-laws treated me with much respect and helped me get adjusted to the American culture. They toured me all around New York and took me to see some great monuments such as the Empire State Building. However, my biggest challenge was not adjusting with the American culture, but was to build a relationship with a complete stranger.
                  Just prior to my departure, I had a long emotional conversation with my parents and grandparents. I expressed to them my fear settling down in a country that I was not familiar with and being in a married relationship with a complete stranger. My parents taught me just one value and advised me to follow and live the rest of my life using that same value. They asked me to always respect others and that in turn others would naturally respect me back. I not only remembered my parent’s advice but also practiced and preached it in my daily life.
                  Gradually, my husband respected me and our respect of each other turned into love. Love without respect holds little to no value. My love for my husband is forever eternal.
                 
                 


23 comments:

  1. I really like your story its like a korean drama aha I also like how detailed it was. Very nice keep up the work.
    -vymian san

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are a good writer. This story teaches a great life lesson. The things that may be confusing and not requested may be the things you end up loving the most. Keep it up. Bethany Stitt 2/2/15 6:45

    ReplyDelete
  3. This piece was very well written and I really liked how you wrote about the females side of the story and how she felt about getting married with a complete stranger. Overall it was a really nice story!!

    Sarah Skibby
    Period 6

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shayan, I'm always astounded by your talents and the way you use them. A story like this with the detail of Indian culture gives a reader a glimpse of what sometimes happens to families settling in America after making their way from India. It's a good read overall. -Joey Roest

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like this story and how you were talking about how people would have to move to get married and not all love is real so good job.
    -Kamau O
    -Period 2

    ReplyDelete
  6. I found this story to be very interesting in putting the view of how someone directly affected by an arranged marriage is placed into a context that we didn't have a relatable example prior to reading this story based around the American ideal of marriage. Well done

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like this story it was really good. Nice work keep it up!
    -Sukhmeen G
    Period 2

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dean Garcia period 6
    This story was well written and fascinating to read. The idea of two cultures viewing their different opinions on marriage is interesting to read. It is also nice to see the woman's view on an arranged marriage since it is often just viewed from the side of a man. Good job and keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This was a very fascinating article about arranged marriages in Indian culture. The title is fitting because some cases have an inevitable outcome like this story to young to speak against her parents will she is forced to marry a man she does not know. Not only that but she must also move to a foreign country to which is strange to her. However in the end sometimes when you accept the change you have to make the best of the outcomes that follow. This I found was a very interesting article good job.
    -Dominic Talley
    Period 6

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very nice story, Shayan. I really love the detail put into this story. t really gave me a grasp about Indian culture.
    - Anthony Chao, Period 6

    ReplyDelete
  11. An interesting recollection on both Indian culture and gender roles. The way that you make "America" transcend the idea of a country into some sort of odd other-dimensional land is fantastic!
    Charles Purcell
    Period. 5

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very nice piece. it gave me a glimpse of the indian culture and it had a lot of detail in this piece good job !

    oscar rodriguez
    period6

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is different from all the other stories but in a good way i liked the topic of the story.
    Angel Gonzalez
    p2

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shayan , you are a very complete writer. I think in this story you used all aspect of your Great writing structure. From the topic of the story to the detail and depth you write. I liked this story because It give me insight on Indian culture and has a great message great job.
    jesse jauregui

    ReplyDelete
  15. Shayan, this is a beautiful story i really like how it contains indian culture and other aspects of life .. n it gives a beautiful message good job

    ReplyDelete
  16. this was a beautiful piece and this story used a lot of aspect and overall it was a really good story.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is beautiful! Loved reading it from the perspective of the girl. Very descriptive and I am I fan of happy endings:) Awesome!
    Haylie Duncan
    Period 4

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good Shayan,

    Your story shed a new light of perspective on how love can come to those who wait. As cliche as I sound, your mother’s story you told in first person really immersed me into her position as she expressed her profound nervousness and fear of what the future may entail. Typical Americans are not as used to arranged marriages as found in other cultures, such as myself, but it is clear that love can be formed through time and most importantly first shaped with respect for a significant other. If only many more of us could learn that respect should be established on both sides of a marriage might we salvage the ever so high divorce rates. But I digress.

    Great job,
    Gian Velasquez (Period 1)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I really enjoyed this piece. It is very culturally descriptive, entertaining and thought provoking. I knew a little about arranged marriages taking place in different cultures but reading this piece was a unique opportunity to view the culture from a first hand perspective. I think you built the main character well by allowing the reader to understand her reactions to certain occurrences within the story as well as her reasoning behind them. I m glad you used your piece to also elaborate on the concept of respect and love. The intersection of the two, i believe brings real happiness much like you character. Keep writing!
    Adan Chavez
    Per.4

    ReplyDelete
  20. I like this story shows a lot about culture and the detail to which it was written. Good job! -Altierre Paris

    ReplyDelete
  21. This was a really interesting story. It showed a different perspective on things.
    Faisal H
    Period 5

    ReplyDelete
  22. I loved this written piece as it allowed me to immerse myself into a different cultural setting than my own. I am now able to understand the views and ideas of another group of people that much more.

    ReplyDelete

Remember, make your comment positive, supportive, and specific to the piece you're commenting on. No anonymous comments! :)