I’m back! And this time with roohafza!
Hi! I hope someone’s still out there, it’s been so long since my last post. It’s summer, and I’ve been kind of busy. Lately though I’ve been in a giant lull of no excitement and I was just logged on to the blogging site and here we are! It feels really good to be back, I didn’t think it would feel quite this good. I feel like I’m back in a homey place 
SO! I guess I can tell you about the biggest Indian-related thing that I’ve done this summer, which is going to my cousin’s wedding reception.
My cousin, who like me is Indian Punjabi, just married his girlfriend who’s from Nepal! Nepal is a country between India and China, and it’s really quite fascinating. The culture is a mix between Indian and East Asian, with the majority population being Hindu. I guess the reason I find it so fascinating is because the Nepali guests at the reception I went to had East Asian features, and at the same time seemed totally familiar with Indian culture, right down to their clothing. I didn’t make it to the actually wedding ceremony, which was even cooler then the reception, as it was comprised of TWO ceremonies: a Sikh Punjabi ceremony and a Hindu Nepali ceremony, which are both pretty different from what I’ve heard. I love when cultures mix, so to think that there is a whole country where the culture is a complete mix of two countries is just awesome. It makes me want to learn more about countries around the globe and the different places they derive their traditions from. Pakistan, for example, is a mix between Arab and Indian Culture. I was talking to a Pakistani Punjabi friend of mine and that’s one of the things she told me. That’s getting me thinking about my own Indian Punjabi Culture. It’s not a culture shared by the majority of India–our religion, our personalities, our language, and to some extent our clothing and food, and I don’t know enough about Arab culture to say if we’re closer to that. Try to find the state of Punjab on this map:
As you can see, Punjab is super north in India. It’s debatebly closer to the Arab world than it is to southern parts of India. I really want to start exploring Arab culture and see if we have some common ground.
I hope this post wasn’t too boring…if it was, don’t fret–another one is coming soon! And I’m going to be trying something new for this one….it’s good to be back
-M
P.S– Rooh Afza is what I was drinking when I decided to write here again. It’s a rose syrup you put into water or milk to make it all delicious and rosey. It’s been part of my life since before I can remember, and was created in Pakistan in the 40s. Find some and try it, it’s amazing! And make sure it’s nice and cold, as it is the “summer drink of the east.”
