India has a way of taking you by surprise – you will expect one thing and it will throw you curve balls you never thought possible – amongst the chaos, the aggressive shop owner on the street will turn around two minutes later, offer you chai and tell you about his family; upon retreating to a quiet corner of a crowded monument when you just can't take it anymore, you will make an unexpected new friend and travel companion. The traffic, the noise, the masses upon masses of people have made me realize how sometimes, I take my lifestyle for granted. I am so used to walking where I need to go, taking life at my own pace, having personal time during which I can truly feel alone. Not here – regardless of how it looks on the surface, the undertow is strong and unrelenting. But it goes two ways. Just the same as it pulls you under, even if your first inclination is to resist, you can't help but feel the exhilaration of what will come next.
Despite having two weeks to go after my course finished, by the end, I just wanted to go home. I wanted to be done with being here. I can't blame it all on India; I have been running on empty since Spring finals and feel as though I have not had a moment to gather my thoughts. I figured summer would come, I only had three classes and my practicum; how hard could that be? HA! The classes and practicum took more out of me emotionally than academically or professionally, we had to move into a temporary living situation and I still had to prepare for this trip. Needless to say, this was a difficult summer and being in India is not exactly a vacation. But it is something new, and something very special.
No comments:
Post a Comment