Panjim in Edinburgh, Scotland.
I just spent several days at two places in bitterly cold Scotland on some annual university work I do there. On my last day in Edinburgh, on my way to the airport, I stopped my rented car to fill up with petrol as was required.
While I was heavily insulated, I saw a busy brown fellow in a tee shirt coming in and out of the petrol station, seemingly oblivious to the intense cold. His name tag on the shirt was Mervyn. As he seemed so sociable, and in the interests of conversation, I asked him if he was a Christian worker in mainly white Edinburgh. He told me that he was Mervyn Caldeira, and was a Goan. He was shocked when I responded in Konkani but we hit it off immediately as though we had known each other for years! Oh such is the power and warmth of Goanness! I was sorry I had to leave to catch my plane.
I discovered that he was originally from Cavelosim, had lived/worked in Edinburgh for several years with his parents and other siblings. Naturally the conversation turned to the weather and as London is generally several degrees warmer than Edinburgh I asked him why he would not move south. He said, "Oh no, London is simply too congested and even though I lived there for six months initially and have many friends there, I simply love Edinburgh. In the summer, it is absolutely like Panjim, in every respect, with so many festivals and so on. I just love it here just as I loved Panjim. We have about twelve Goan families who meet from time to time."
It really is a smaller Goan world than I could have imagined Rene!
Cornel DaCosta, London
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PS Fred, I am unable to remove my email address from the above. The computer won't let me do it for reasons unknown. Please do the needful. Thanks.
