hearing vs. listening

Did some formal things at the new house, made halwa and ate it. Now, it's okay to start moving in. It's an Indian custom to eat something sweet whenever something good happens. Dad and I picked up Hansag from school and reached the house before 4pm. Mom arrived just a couple seconds before Nana-Nani did. Nani brought along something to eat as well. So, eating something sweet, having lunch and tea time was done there only.

Nana wrote Hansag a check for his B'day and did the same for Mom as well. He was writing me a check, but I asked him not to. Once money goes into my bank account, it hardly ever comes out. I need to buy some outfits for school, so I suggested that they can pay for those. I'm driving up to New York City with Nana and Nani on August 11th. I guess this birthday thing will be taken care of there.

We'll leave around four in the evening on August 11th and spend the night at someone's place in Greensboro, North Carolina. The next day we'll leave early and reach New Jersey in the evening. There, Nani has a friend at whose place we'll be staying. Nana has a conference in NYC and that's the entire purpose of this trip. After starting my week at their place, I thought that maybe I should spend more time with them. Meet the people they know and indulge myself in the sort of conversations they have. It's a learning experience. However, I don't always like the way both Nana and Nani keep on going about "Why parents do what they do?" and how "This is the time to study" and blah blah crap. It fuckin' gets on my nerves. Like today, for no particular reason Nana started saying, "It's your age. You just finished High School and will be starting college soon. Same was the case with your Mom when we moved to Trinidad. And well, she 'too' lived at her Nani's place." I really don't know what the hell is meant by that 'too' and why in the world he was telling me that crap so proudly and was laughing at the same time. I personaly hate the fact that my mother lived at her Nani's place during her college days while her parents were living off in Trini. It's disgusting! Why would you abandon your daughter like that? Maybe 'abandon' is too strong of a word, but man! If you are scared about the culture that your kids would have came in contact with then treat them the same. Not send your daughter somewhere and keep your son with you.

I try to hear these things from one ear and allow them to exit from the other. We should hear everything we are told, but of course listen to only the once we find useful and worth practicing. I hope I don't have to make the sound "umhmm" so many times on our way to NYC.