Even after five years of blogging, something you may not know about me is that I’m very close to my maternal grandparents.  Like BFF close.  In fact, I’m pretty sure at the age of six I proudly declared that my grandmother was my best friend.

Grandparents at granddaughter's wedding

The connection that I (and to be fair my sister and cousins as well) have with my grandparents is a little strange because we didn’t grow up with them living right around the corner.  When we went to grandma’s house, we had to board a plane and fly to the other side of the world.

I still remember the excitement that filled my heart when our car dropped us off in front of their home.  My grandparents would be waiting for us at the top of the stairs with huge smiles on their faces.  We would spend the next few weeks eating delicious homemade meals, practicing our English skills (them not me!) by trying to say ridiculous words like refrigerator and spaghetti, and creating a lifetime of memories.  Most of my favorite childhood moments include my ba and dada (grandmother and grandfather) in some shape or form.

Something else I’ll never forget is the look of pride on their faces when I got married.  They were seated in the front row, and I remember catching my grandmother’s eye and smiling at her.  She smiled back with tears in her eyes.  Then when it was time for my vidai (farewell), we all cried a lot.  But it was my grandfather who did so the most.  I’m pretty sure his sadness that day was felt by every guest.

Grandmother blessing granddaughter at wedding

Grandfather crying at granddaughter's vidai

Despite the thousands of miles between us, the bond we share is still extremely strong.  This may be because I was their first grandchild or because we visited India semi-frequently growing up and vice versa with them coming to the US or because I speak to them on the phone once a week.  Thankfully, they still have their trusty landline connected and ready for our catch-up calls where we talk about work, life, and anything exciting happening in the gam (village)!

And that’s where XFINITY® Voice Unlimited comes in handy.  It makes it easy for people to stay in touch with their landline using grandparents from anywhere, on-the-go using the XFINITY Connect app.  In this day and age, where convenience is key, it’s great that this plan is available and simple to use.  But more than anything, it enables grandchildren like me to close the gap (so to speak) with the special people in their lives who may not be around the corner or just up the road.

If you want to learn more and test the product for yourself, be sure to visit one of the two activation centers.  The locations and dates include Bharat Bazar in Fremont, CA from 2/29-3/3 and Great Mall in Milpitas, CA from 3/4-3/6.  Both centers will be open from 5 pm – 8 pm.

This post is part of a sponsored campaign on behalf of the South Asian Bloggers Network for Comcast XFINITY. I have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

By Parita

18 thoughts on “Thousands of Miles Apart But Always Connected”
    1. I don’t know what we would do with technology! It’s amazing how you can connect with someone across the world in a matter of seconds. 🙂

  1. This is so sweet Parita! I am also extremely close with my one living grandparent (my maternal grandma) and was with my maternal grandpa before he passed. I make a point to get home as often as possible to connect with her, since she’s unable to travel due to her health. It’s so wonderful they were able to be a part of your wedding, and that you keep in touch so regularly. Grandparents really are a treasure!
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    1. “Grandparents are a treasure!” –> YES! Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m so thankful that they’ve been so present in my life.

      And it makes me so happy that you make it a point to see your grandma when you can. I’m sure it means more to her then you’ll ever know!

    1. Thanks, Pre! And I was/am the same way. We always make it a point to drop my grandparents off at the gate, and every single time without fail, we end up making all the people around us tear up. It’s so hard to say bye!

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