A Small World After All

Going to a theme park as an adult is great. Going with your husband is even better. Going to two theme parks in one weekend together is the best.  

You get to be kids again, but without parental supervision and with your own money to spend on all the things you always wanted as a kid. 

Earlier this year, Chai and I planned a short weekend getaway to celebrate two years since our first date (yes, we celebrate this anniversary, and yes, we know that is a little cheesy). We spent one day at Universal Studios and the next at Disneyland. 

At Disneyland

It was the first time either of us had been to a theme park in years, and boy, did we have fun. 

We let our inner kids come out – when I spotted the minion house at Universal Studios (minions are my favorite characters), I rushed toward it, waving at Chai to hurry up behind me. I was ridiculously happy just taking in all the cute minion decor while waiting in line (though the 4D ride itself was just okay). And at Disneyland, before we could do anything else, Chai made sure we rode the Disneyland Railroad (did I mention Chai is serious about trains?). 

We rode our favorite rides more than once, ate snacks and candy our parents probably would not have let us have as kids, and spent considerably more trying to win a carnival-game prize than the prize itself was probably worth.

We also marveled at how far theme parks had come since we were kids. I was impressed by how interactive and immersive different lands were. Super Nintendo World really did feel like stepping into a video game, and it was fun pressing the mystery buttons from the Super Mario games in real life. The Harry Potter world was equally impressive. 

Perhaps most impressive of all was Star Wars land. I had never really been a Star Wars fan before, but I became one that day (How could I not after experiencing the Rise of Resistance spaceship?)

We also considered buying souvenirs – I particularly wanted the Minnie Mouse ear headband – but decided we could not quite justify the prices ($40 for a headband I would only wear that day?). I guess it’s hard to leave adult fiscal responsibility completely behind. 

Our favorite ride from the entire trip, though, was It’s a Small World at Disneyland. 

(Full disclosure: our ride data set was extremely limited. We only spent half a day at Disneyland and Chai does not like rollercoasters, so our declaration of It’s a Small World as our favorite ride should therefore be interpreted accordingly.)

The ride is very simple: a little boat carries you slowly through colorful scenes representing different parts of the world, with dolls dressed in traditional clothing representing different countries all singing “It’s a small world after all.” 

As our boat moved from one scene to another, Chai and I happily pointed out the dolls representing India and Korea to each other. We also laughed in surprise at a few depictions that had not aged well – including an Indian snake charmer (Hmm, I guess Disney missed the memo on a few cultural updates.)

For me, the ride felt especially nostalgic. I remembered riding it with my parents when I was a little girl, and how much my mom loved the colorful displays and the song.

For Chai, the ride reminded him of us. We are two people who grew up in different parts of the world, in different cultures, speaking different languages, with no reason to imagine that our lives would ever intersect. And yet, we met, fell in love, and got married. 

So, it really is a small world after all. 

When I rode this very same ride with my parents a couple of decades ago, the little girl I was certainly could not have known that one day I would be back—this time with a husband who had grown up halfway around the world in India.

There is something kind of wonderful about that. As kids, we have no idea where life will take us, who we will become, or whose path will somehow cross our own. Neither little me nor little Chai could have pictured the other. 

If our younger selves could not have imagined this chapter, I wonder what our present selves cannot yet imagine about the next one. 

And I’m excited to find out.