Mixed Up Messed Up?

Touch Down

The wet steamy layer wrapped around us as we left the plane. Love that humidity. Every time. The skies were kind and welcomed us with magazine style holiday weather. Over the years, I tend to get a knot in my throat every time I look out of the window while landing in Maldives. The islands literally look like perfect raw cut emeralds in the ocean; sheets and sheets of perfect hues of dark blues seeping into the reef of turquoise lagoons and whiter than white sand. I have a home here; I’m not just a tourist. Half my ancestors walked, fished, and swam here for hundreds of years. Though I’m not so sure that they all swam. Maldivian women especially, aren’t renowned for being mermaids. Something about being surrounded by the sea, which has never been seen for recreational use and Maldivians have a healthy respect for the immense unknown waters, and they are aware of its dangers, all coastal inhabitants do. The sea's real purpose was (is) to provide fish for the day. I doubt they were keen 'beach babes'.

By the time I had gathered up two pieces of hand luggage and my toddler (let’s call her S) and her little pink fluffy trolley bag which she needed to roll around as well, everyone had left and the air hostesses smiled at us impatiently but sweetly. This ten-hour flight was quite harmless with S, I’ve had sleepless ten-hour flights including a stop-over in Doha that nearly killed my synapses. But I think I can finally get through to my daughter with words.

I am really excited about four specific things besides seeing my friends and family.

I am excited about being in Maldives for the next two weeks as I know it will not only give S an opportunity to be immersed in Dhivehi, hearing it from different people, in different contexts all the time, but also the chance for me to ‘think’  deeply in Dhivehi and refresh my language.  I want her to see, hear and feel that the language is real and active, because I know that children make huge steps in advancing their language acquisition when they experience the real thing. Just think back to your French pre-GCSE, and then going on the French Exchange . Remember the time you wanted to get X’s number or email so you could keep in touch and fantasize about meeting up the following summer (a string of letters began..) You wanted to go beyond "J’aime bien aller au cinema et j'ai deux chiens" right?

I am also excited about seeing my grandmother, who makes her daughters and son quite perplexed when she suddenly trails off in the middle of something and walks off, and is at an age where she craves our attention and care, has regrets and wisdom but heeds no one else’s advice. Most of all, she is the symbol of my mother’s family, one of the most important references to my Maldivian side, who I see too rarely, who has an elegance and poise she was born with, has a distinct knack for story-telling, especially about her family and a time gone by.

I am excited about talking to people, friends and family about the new phase the country is going through. Hot off the democracy shelf, with a newly elected government after a string of postponed elections and on the brink of chaos, 'Maldivided' than ever, almost becoming a banana republic. And I want to know what’s up with the new dress code and changing national identity in a religious context.

Oh, and I am very very excited having tea every single day with hedhika (‘short eats’ apparently in English – taken at around 5pm, with a good serving of tea, spicy fish and potatoe-filled cakes, fish balls, triangles and boakiba- sweet cakes. The definition really isn’t a fraction as appealing and mouth-watering as hearing hedhika once you’ve had a bite).