In Closing

20 August 2010

8:04

I went to India as a girl unaware of the conditions of the world and lacking in the skills needed to truly relate and empathize with others. While staying and working in India, I gained insights from a diverse world, which has drastically broadened my perspectives pertaining to lifestyle, wealth, and values. I am coming back to the United States with lessons, memories, and relationships that will surely be present in my thoughts, decisions, and actions for the rest of my life.

Over the past three months, Bangalore became my home. I already miss India, her people, and her energy. I miss the thimbles of sweet chai, the smiles of the ladies in the office, the nights spent with the girls at the hostel, watching John Sir interact with the slum dwellers, the squeal of children playing barefoot in the lanes, the lack of chairs and shoes, the roar of traffic and horns, the multitude of languages, the stray dogs wandering about, the cows in the streets, the markets, the vendors, the noisy, obnoxious auto rickshaws, eating without utensils, the hustle and bustle, the diversity, and the pure unpredictability of daily life. There is not much that I will not miss. Although I did not grow to love the stench of human feces or the puddles of urine that collect on sidewalks or the pasty scum that poses as river or the rotting garbage that plagues the streets, I didn’t hate them either. They are simply part of the reality of urban India, and I love India

Getting on that plane bound for Mumbai back in June was the boldest thing that I have ever done. I was terrified. I was uncertain. My program was unorganized. My living arrangement was not solidified. I had not been in personal contact with my supervisor. I felt like I had little support from my family and friends. I was taking a risk that that could not be quantified or rationalized, but I still got on that plane because I was granted a possible opportunity of a lifetime. I refused to shy away from a chance to learn and grow, and the Ambassador Corps program with SPARC in Bangalore, India, was the most powerful experience imaginable. I have no regrets and am most obliged.

Someday, I will return to India and hopefully Bangalore, but I know that it will not be the same. I will never be able to repeat the experience that I had. I will encounter different people and will face different challenges. This is painful to contemplate while reminiscing, but life is a journey. I will never forget the people I encountered and the things that I saw. I am also certain that my friends in Bangalore will not forget either. We are forever bonded through our laughs and tears. With love and friendship, I wish them lives of heath and well being.