--- melinda Powell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Im must confess to being sentimental but not sly.I > dont think it is a bad thing to be sentimental. > No snide insinuations were made,just some "straight > from the heart" talk.Nothing is aimed /obviously > aimed at those who have primary homes else where. > Mario replies: I apologize for the extraneous adjectives, which were inappropriate, and I see nothing wrong with some balanced sentiment and nostalgia, but for you and others to emphasize the obvious about Goa where you live, for no apparent reason, did have a smidgen of an insinuation, in my never-humble opinion. Maybe I'm wrong.
Having said that, my reaction may have had something to do with the fact that I have met many expatriate Indians, mostly older ones, who carry tremendous sentimental baggage about having abandoned India, are never sure where they "belong", where they want to be cremated or interred, and other similar assorted sentiments. The younger ones seem to have no such qualms; the whole world is their oyster in 2005. The sentimental baggage can be harmful when living abroad, setting people apart, making those same people seem "strange" or "different" to the locals among whom they live, and then leading to complaints of not being made welcome, not being accepted, etc. People who are happy to live wherever they do, project that sentiment through their positive attitude and infectious outlook, and never seem to have any acceptance problems.