“Some things are just too priceless” – Nafisa.

In 1999 my Dad was posted in Mumbai, India and his family came with him including me. I was 6 years old by then, little of English I know of. I also moved into a school in India which also made me have to learn english.

So my Dad called me in a tuition teacher, she was Nafisa Parikh. My first session with her was kind of weird. Well my Mum told me I would be having someone to teach me English and so on, but I still could not figure it out as a child.

When Nafisa came for the first time, I tried to figure out what she was saying. I remembered sitting down in my room at Sahil Hotel and she would talk in English and try to teach me something. She was using body language to show me what I should do. 

My tuition went on until my stay of two years in India and due to some circumstances we had to move again. In two years of my stay in India I did learn a lot of things, either it is from the school I go or my tuition session with Nafisa.

Nafisa would come almost every evening to accompany me to study and english was the language she taught me in. Sometimes when there was no homework, I would put out a book to read together with her and she would explain things that I don’t understand.

It was cool.

Yet 13 years had passed since I last met her in 2001, and her goodbye gift to me was a globe which I still had it until now. And just a month ago she told me that she and her family is coming to Bali, Indonesia.

I was super excited and tried to plan a trip to visit Bali. Due to the moving of my dad to Yaman, I had been very confused by the dates. So I was confused whether I should come or not to Bali.

Nafisa told me she will be at Bali from the 20th of May (Tuesday) to the 25th of May (Sunday). I was so eager to come but my work schedule was a bit messy.

On the 19th of May I finally fixed to come, there was no way I am going to miss meeting her as Bali is just like 6000 miles and 1.5 hours flight. There was no excuse to say no to this meetup. And I finally bought a ticket to Bali from.

I landed in Bali on the 21st of May at night, then I met Nafisa on the 22th. She was staying at the White House Villa at Jl. Pengubengan – Kerobokkan. It was easy to find the house.

When I got to her villa I came in and walked to the parlour and there she was, wearing a pink sundress prepping her kids. She saw me and walked to the garden, then greeted and hugged me.

I couldn’t believe myself that I met the woman who taught me 13 years ago in India. I was in such awe that we still remember and reckon each other.

Nafisa introduced me to her family. She was also here with her two
siblings who came from the U.S. Her husband is Monish, and her children were Layla and Ryan.

Nafisa let me spent the day with her family and we went to a water park in Kuta. We exchanged stories of how we had been in 13 years and how a lot had changed. I told her about my life as a dental student and her life as a Mom who works too.

But besides my meeting with her, I still learned from her. She is a great Mom and a great Wife. She was able to share the responsibility of looking out the kids with her husband. No side were too heavy. She took care of her family so well that it made me want one.

Nafisa showed me a good way of dealing with children without having to show any feeling of fed-up. She taught her children well.

I get to know Layla and she was a lot of fun. She was willing to explore much but somehow she was a bit spoiled but it’s okay, that is what most children are.

And then there is Ryan. Ryan was so shy when he met me. But I got along with him. When he is with Nafisa, he would talk Hindi and Gujarat. I talk to her in English and he gets what I am talking even not much. He loves eating and he won’t share it with anyone which is cute. And went he is done with his french fries he would take the one in my hand. Sometimes he asked me to put some in his mouth. Ryan had this cute smile with his face. When I was packing my stuffs he asked me where am I going, and it was so nice that I am surely going to miss him.

Nafisa’s husband, Monish was also kind to me. He is just perfect for Nafisa. He really takes good care of his children and knows what is best for them. He was so affectionate about her wife, and this made me want a marriage.

I took Nafisa around to do some souvenir shopping. I told her my favorite stuffs to get at Krisna Department Store – Bali. She got the Barong for her kids and some painting for her house.

And even after 13 YEARS I still learned from her. I got a lot more insight and that made me want more in life.

Then we got some Indonesian food for dinner in her villa and talked a bunch of stuffs. Her siblings also shared a lot of stories. The funny thing is from the three siblings each of them have different citizenship. The eldest had two citizenship, UK (where she was born) and US, Nafisa still had Yemeni Citizenship and the youngest had the Indian because he was born in India. It was cool.

She also gave me a clutch that she bought from All Things Sundar.

The clutch is just so artistic and colorful. Sadly I forgot to get her something but she did not mind at all. How lovely it is.

I asked her why Nafisa chose to go to Bali. It was the ideas of the siblings she shared with and they thought it would be a good family trip. Her brother and her husband insisted on telling me that they are coming and the family was amazed that I literally flew half the country just to meet her.

Then I got off from their place and parted away. I felt a bit sad but I didn’t want to bug their family with me visiting them again and a again. And I also needed to see the beach by myself. I said goodbye and hugged Nafisa, I just hope it is not the last time I meet her. There will be my turn visiting India again, and in that time I’ll be seeing her.

Yes, I am a spoiled brat, I spent money on trips, but it was a one time thing that I could not miss. So yes, I flew half the country just to meet Nafisa, my tuition teacher that I last saw 13 years ago.