Visiting with Family in India

Debashish: I grew up in a small village in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) without electricity…we'd sit on the ground around a kerosene lamp studying in a group…

Growing up I remember having a lot of relatives living with us…those who couldn't afford to go to school would stay with us in our home. We'd do household chores together and study together. My mother is a retired high school teacher and really focused on our studies and education.Our house was next to the Ganges, so I'd swim in the river and ponds for hours and hours with friends…we'd play until our eyes turned pink. We all learned how to put a certain leaf over each eye which would take away the pink color, so our parents wouldn't know what we had done. Looking back, I guess I was a lot to handle and a little mischievous!

My mother's brother and sister loved me very dearly and would spoil me with gifts and new clothes and toys when they'd visit from the city, where they worked. My Aunt would take lots of pictures and having an inquisitive mind, I remember taking apart one of her cameras, and then I couldn't get it back together. Oh well! Today I attribute my interest in photography to her.

Celebrating Christmas with Family

The Bengali and Indian culture is rich in tradition. There are many celebrations and gatherings with families and neighbors. One festival called Diwali or the Festival of Lights, includes new clothes to wear, toys and lots of food and music; very similar to Christmas here. There is another I remember that celebrates education and knowledge, we'd bring our school books to be blessed and there would be dancing and other festivities. These festivals still take place today and remain an important part of expressing our culture and celebrating community and our lives together.

Sue: I also have a large extended family that includes 3 brothers, a sister, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. Growing up some of my fondest memories include regular visits with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My family is Polish and Italian; two cultures that honor and believe in family.

Growing up, we spent what seemed like every weekend with our polish grandparents and cousins. My father would help my Grandparents with chores around the house, while we kids played together and ate good Polish food.The cousin closest in age to me, was my best friend growing up. We were pen pals and best girlfriends. As our cousins lived in the city and we lived in the country, every visit was a chance to explore different things. While we had a farmer's pond behind our house where we'd skate in the winter, at our cousin's home, my Uncle would "flood" the back yard and voila! an instant ice skating rink! To my benefit, I learned from a young age that there is more than one way to approach things.

The Italian side of our family socialized often as well. My aunts and uncles spent time taking all of us to the circus, Lake Geneva for swimming and picnics and yearly backyard barbecues. Both sides of the family were together on birthdays and holidays. These large gatherings were always fun!

I imagine that I connect with my husband and his family so well, because of my own family history and traditions. In our marriage, we recognize it's important to emphasize the similarities while acknowledging the differences.

Our Home

We live in a 2-story home with 4 bedrooms. Our finished basement has a fireplace and large screen TV, just perfect for movie nights. Our property backs to a natural wetland area, so we enjoy beautiful views of wildlife and sunsets. Sue likes to garden and spends much time in the yard tending to the flower beds. Because our home is on a cul-de-sac, we have a safe area for the many kids on the block to ride bikes and play with one another, while parents socialize.We have 3 neighborhood parks and a large lake which attracts kids and parents alike for recreation and socializing, as well.

Our Best Buddy

Our park district is among the best in the county and in addition, we live near a national park offering boating, fishing, hiking and snowmobiling. During the summer months we hike and canoe in this park.

We are fortunate to have a good school district as well and look forward to being involved in many school activities and clubs.

Our home is centrally located in Northern Illinois between two large cities. So we are able to take advantage of music concerts, museums, entertainment and the many ethnic restaurants these cities offer whenever we feel like it.