Well, I have been intending to write one last entry for about two months now, and my Mum has been constantly helping me remember that, so here it is finally... I am very sorry that it took so long!
Everything was very slow the last few weeks of the program... just finishing everything up, buying last minute gifts, holding out until the end. Our independent study projects were due on Wednesday of the last week and by the end it was certainly a relief to have them finished, turned in, and beyond our control. I actually felt quite good about my project upon turning it in. The difficulties and confusions were worked out (for the most part, at least) and I was able to write a paper that was at least the length it was meant to be if not the best academic work ever created. The last week, right in the middle of finishing up everything, we had a talent show where we all showed off the various skills that we had been working on acquiring throughout the term. Two friends and I had taken Bollywood dancing and were the closing number to the rest of the show, which included Tabla (drums), Bonsuri (flute), Yoga, and classical Kathuk dancing. It was a lot of fun to see what everyone had been doing and to have a closing event where all the students and their host families could get together and have dinner and take photos. We all dressed up... don't we look fantastic?
Everything was very slow the last few weeks of the program... just finishing everything up, buying last minute gifts, holding out until the end. Our independent study projects were due on Wednesday of the last week and by the end it was certainly a relief to have them finished, turned in, and beyond our control. I actually felt quite good about my project upon turning it in. The difficulties and confusions were worked out (for the most part, at least) and I was able to write a paper that was at least the length it was meant to be if not the best academic work ever created. The last week, right in the middle of finishing up everything, we had a talent show where we all showed off the various skills that we had been working on acquiring throughout the term. Two friends and I had taken Bollywood dancing and were the closing number to the rest of the show, which included Tabla (drums), Bonsuri (flute), Yoga, and classical Kathuk dancing. It was a lot of fun to see what everyone had been doing and to have a closing event where all the students and their host families could get together and have dinner and take photos. We all dressed up... don't we look fantastic?
Afterward, most of the students went out just to spend time together, something we actually did several times during that last week. Our last night all together, we went to the Hotel Raviraj, our first home in Pune. We had snacks and drinks, went up onto the roof for the last time, and just enjoyed one anothers' company. It was the perfect way to close our all of our adventures together. After all of that was done, we had a couple of days to just say goodbye and get ready to head home. As much as goodbyes were sad, when the time came to board our planes we were all ready to leave.
I feel so blessed to have gotten the chance to know all the people that I did this term. From the staff at the office to my host family to the other students, each one has had an effect on the person that I will be after this trip. It was unlike any other experience I have had in a group. The students talked a lot about the relationship of our group, mostly during the last week. We all agreed that it felt more like a family than anything else. Everyone had their bad days, everyone had points when they just needed to stay away from someone else in the group, but we accepted it as fact that these were the people in whose company we were spending basically all of our life throughout those three and a half months. If we couldn't tolerate one another, the entire group would have been miserable, and everyone knew that. Whenever those bad days hit, you knew that there were people who would listen to whatever you needed to talk about and forgive your short temper. It was wonderful to be in an environment where there was only a miniscule amount of drama and everyone was just friends. I know that some of the people I have gotten close to on this trip will be my friends for the rest of our lives.
I feel so blessed to have gotten the chance to know all the people that I did this term. From the staff at the office to my host family to the other students, each one has had an effect on the person that I will be after this trip. It was unlike any other experience I have had in a group. The students talked a lot about the relationship of our group, mostly during the last week. We all agreed that it felt more like a family than anything else. Everyone had their bad days, everyone had points when they just needed to stay away from someone else in the group, but we accepted it as fact that these were the people in whose company we were spending basically all of our life throughout those three and a half months. If we couldn't tolerate one another, the entire group would have been miserable, and everyone knew that. Whenever those bad days hit, you knew that there were people who would listen to whatever you needed to talk about and forgive your short temper. It was wonderful to be in an environment where there was only a miniscule amount of drama and everyone was just friends. I know that some of the people I have gotten close to on this trip will be my friends for the rest of our lives.
Now it has been nearly two months since I got home and and sometimes it still seems like I need to look at my photos just to remember that it really happened. But it did, and I miss it more every time I do look at my photos. It still seems very strange that the three and a half months there could pass so quickly, and even stranger at how normal my American life seems. I really had no problems readjusting to America; even my jet lag was limited to me finally being able to get to sleep on time and get up at a reasonable hour, something I can never quite seem to achieve on my own. Although, I seem to have been more the exception than the rule, because most of my friends had varying amounts of difficulty readjusting. One of them pretty much just made Indian food for the first month that he was back and quite a few got very frustrated with the materialism here. I've been lucky to be at home for these two months, so I have been able to do a lot of thinking and processing in peace before I head back to school.
So, in the interest of wrapping up, I will leave you with a couple last tips...
29) Prepare to be unprepared. No matter what you think you might know about where you’re going, no matter what you expect, your experience is guaranteed to be almost the polar opposite in some way. No amount of study, travel books, or photographs can truly capture what will be your own experience. Not even visiting somewhere is adequate preparation for what you will face when you are actually living in that place. So... the fewer expectations that you have to begin with, the fewer will be broken and the less difficulty you will have reconciling yourself with the result. Whatever the result is, I promise that there will nearly always be something amazing there no matter how dreadful or hopeless it seems. So try to find those moments of beauty that you might be missing and make the best of it. Granted, you may still have a dreadful time, I won’t deny that, but you will be far less likely to if you have a positive attitude. Trust me, during reflection you will find that the beautiful moments stand out in your memory and all of the worst moments served to make you stronger.
30) Expect to change. While this may sound cliché and hopelessly obvious, none of us are coming back as the same person that we were when we arrived. One of the conversations that we had ove during the last weeks was in what way we felt we had each changed most. I definitely think I have come through it as a better person with a better understanding of myself and others. This is a great opportunity, so be sure to open yourself up to it and don’t shut down because it is uncomfortable, which it is. Hopefully, you will like yourself, not to mention others, a lot better when you are through.
So thank you for reading my blog throughout this term. It has been great to hear from people that they have been reading it and enjoying it. I hope I have at least provided some amusement even if you never put any of my advice into practice. This has definitely been one of the most impacting experiences of my life and probably will be no matter what else I do. Hopefully, someday I will be able to go back to Pune and relive at least some of the adventures that we had. Still, I am happy to be home and am enjoying seeing everyone again. While this journey has ended, who knows what will be next or when next will be, so I very well may be back sooner than you expect.
Accha bhetuya,
*L*
P.S. If you are friends with me on facebook, you can see many more photos there.
