If you would have told me that I would be sad to leave India for about the first 7 months of my journey, I would have laughed and thought, "Yeah right." But over the last few months of my time in this colorful, unique, chaotic, beautiful and adventurous country, I have begun to see what all the other writers and travelers talked about when they said that it will grow on you. It has...amazing huh? I made some incredible friendships that I will miss terribly, I created entertaining and special relationships with my students, I battled the daily heat, exhaustion, ants, traffic, noise, pollution, mosquitoes, language barriers and finished victoriously and most of all, I realized the good things that India had to offer and teach me. Valuable life lessons about caring for the innocent, the impoverished, the deformed, the challenging, in new and tangible ways. I learned what it's like to live among a people that rarely, if ever, complain about their circumstances and know how to change the course of their plans without any warning with a smile on their face.
I began to appreciate the little things that made India special, how they value and fight to uphold their cultural and religious traditions, the chaos of walking down the street that bothers no one except the foreigner, the gorgeous sunsets over the ocean, the lushness of the jungle, fresh fruit juice stands on every corner and the ease and convenience of transportation. I learned about religious viewpoints different from my own and watched my students from all different backgrounds embrace friendship with one another. I tasted the most delectable foods such as fish mango curry, paratha, chicken tikka masala, cauliflower curry, butter chicken, and countless orders of biriyani! I was privileged to sight see at a variety of places during my year, including the Taj Mahal, gorgeous mountain areas like Munnar and Ooty, the jungles of Wayanad and the desert areas of Jaipur. I learned that my favorite fruit shake is called chikku, something I've never even heard of before coming to India and that you can make about 10 different food items with jackfruit! I lived in a small haven tucked away at the top of Mango Park where I could walk outside and watch the sun come down over the water. This small piece of space became my own way to cope and have peace when the chaos of the city got to be too much. I will miss my little Breeze Palace :) Walking through my neighborhood was always a treat, to see the different plants, fruits, bugs, colorful houses with clothes hung on every corner, motor bikes whizzing past me on the narrow little streets and new discoveries like random Baskin Robbins ice cream in a small shop along the way.
Some of my favorite moments were when my students got my jokes, when I gathered the courage to kill the giant life sized spiders in my apt, learning how to access Netflix from every country, (Woohoo Netflix Argentina! You got me through quite a few down days :) and learning what I liked to wear and how to buy my own material and get it made just as I wanted. Those were successes! I loved going for a tender coconut or mango ice cream cone and for the doctors that showed me all kinds of fun treats on the side of the road like fresh jalebi. These are the memories I will cherish. I have now realized that I am going to miss this place. Despite its frustrations, challenges and "India" days, I learned a great deal about where I seek comfort and how to cope in environments that are not exactly what I'm used to. I am incredibly grateful for this year and to you dear India, I say THANK YOU! I don't doubt that one day my path will lead me back to you. Thanks for the memories!
I began to appreciate the little things that made India special, how they value and fight to uphold their cultural and religious traditions, the chaos of walking down the street that bothers no one except the foreigner, the gorgeous sunsets over the ocean, the lushness of the jungle, fresh fruit juice stands on every corner and the ease and convenience of transportation. I learned about religious viewpoints different from my own and watched my students from all different backgrounds embrace friendship with one another. I tasted the most delectable foods such as fish mango curry, paratha, chicken tikka masala, cauliflower curry, butter chicken, and countless orders of biriyani! I was privileged to sight see at a variety of places during my year, including the Taj Mahal, gorgeous mountain areas like Munnar and Ooty, the jungles of Wayanad and the desert areas of Jaipur. I learned that my favorite fruit shake is called chikku, something I've never even heard of before coming to India and that you can make about 10 different food items with jackfruit! I lived in a small haven tucked away at the top of Mango Park where I could walk outside and watch the sun come down over the water. This small piece of space became my own way to cope and have peace when the chaos of the city got to be too much. I will miss my little Breeze Palace :) Walking through my neighborhood was always a treat, to see the different plants, fruits, bugs, colorful houses with clothes hung on every corner, motor bikes whizzing past me on the narrow little streets and new discoveries like random Baskin Robbins ice cream in a small shop along the way.
Some of my favorite moments were when my students got my jokes, when I gathered the courage to kill the giant life sized spiders in my apt, learning how to access Netflix from every country, (Woohoo Netflix Argentina! You got me through quite a few down days :) and learning what I liked to wear and how to buy my own material and get it made just as I wanted. Those were successes! I loved going for a tender coconut or mango ice cream cone and for the doctors that showed me all kinds of fun treats on the side of the road like fresh jalebi. These are the memories I will cherish. I have now realized that I am going to miss this place. Despite its frustrations, challenges and "India" days, I learned a great deal about where I seek comfort and how to cope in environments that are not exactly what I'm used to. I am incredibly grateful for this year and to you dear India, I say THANK YOU! I don't doubt that one day my path will lead me back to you. Thanks for the memories!
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