the monster under my bed has returned. please get out of my life. thanks.

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. I wish I had read it earlier, because it is incredible. I don’t want to say anything about the actual story because you should go out and read it on your own. The book is based on a 17th Century poem by Saib-e-Tabrizi about Kabul, with these lines quoted in the book:

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

i love tokyo and my experiences in japan have been unbelievable. i am having one major problem though. nobody is smiling. japan can be the cleanest, safest, and most efficient country in the world, but if the people don’t smile or show emotion, how can it be the best place in the world?

whenever i walk down the residential streets near my apartment, the local residents look away when they see me (or other foreigners) coming towards them. i feel that the japanese people must be really shy, or they just do not want to interact with foreigners. maybe i am “reading” the people completely wrong, but that is the impression that i am getting. i am used to walking around in other countries and cities and being able to exchange smiles without a problem with complete strangers (local residents and other foreigners), but japan just seems different.

thankfully, today i kept seeing children everywhere. babies, toddles, and school children seemed to be following me wherever i went. my day began with a little baby boy staring and smiling at me the entire ride to campus. little kids are always curious and will look at everything and anything they want to.

on the bus ride back from campus, three little school girls in their sailor uniforms and white hats hopped on. they were really happy and just kept reminding me of my two little nieces back in udaipur. several stops later, one of the girls got off the bus and waved goodbye to her friends. as the bus started moving again, the little girl, with a big toothless smile, began to run alongside the bus waving to her friends. she was so happy and it made me really happy.

whether you even care about this little moment or not, i just wanted to write it down somewhere to remind me that smiles have a magical effect on people. all smiles are beautiful and universal in meaning. a smile is the kind of thing that gives hope for people. a smile can change someone’s mood, help with someone’s problem(s), and maybe even brighten someone’s day. i may not see that little girl ever again, but the picture of her running down the street will probably stay in my head for a long time to come. i cannot take a picture of everything i see, but i am thankful that i was able to witness those ten seconds first-hand. the next time you are walking down the street, wherever you live, just smile at whoever you encounter. see their reaction. maybe they will smile back, maybe they won’t, and dont worry if they think you are weird, because everyone in this world is weird.

since i do not have a picture/video of that beautiful, smiling girl, i will leave you with some happy photographs from india :)