The Adventures of Nani Camp

I know the stereotypical taste of childhood is melted ice cream on a hot summer day, and I guess I fit that stereotype, but with some Aunt Jemima pancakes too. Growing up, my sister and I had “Nani camp,” (Nani means grandmother in Hindi) where we would stay at our grandmother’s house for about a week at a time and learn sewing, cooking, and that sort of thing, the things she loved to do.

The highlight of our stay was having “Nani breakfast,” which was nothing more than pancakes made from Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix and my Nani’s signature chai, but, it was the love that went into it that makes it special. Even today, we still look forward to Nani Breakfast. In those days, we also got the stereotypical melted ice cream.

While at “camp,”  she would take us to Brusters for some ice cream late at night (well we thought it was late, but it was no later than 9) I always wanted to sit in the front seat, but my sister took that seat, so my solution was to crouch on the floor of the front seat, so I was still there, but the scary police couldn’t “arrest” me for sitting in the front seat (this is what went on in my head). But, though it may not have been the safest solution, my grandmother let me do it, because she wanted me to be happy. She always has, whether it be distracting me with her jewelry because I couldn’t stand being away from my mom for a night, taking me for ice cream, or making pancakes.