Just the other day it seems, I was flipping through my calendar-planner thinking about the weeks I had left in India. Now, it is January 4th, 2012. The New Year has arrived, and I feel very far away from the Asian sub-continent I called home for so many months. Time is unreal.
Although time (at least the time since leaving Sargur, Mysore, and eventually, India) has seemed to escape me, I have filled it pretty well. I have returned to the United States, I have had my fair fill of American cusine, Christmas came and went, I saw some good friends and had an incredible New Year Eve in New York City, and I am gearing up for a semester of school again; this time in Syracuse.
Not too long ago I looked down at my left hand, where an intricate henna design once displayed. Now, I look down and see my fair white skin -- nothing more. Although the traces of India - at least physically - are disappearing, the internal memories are creeping up everywhere. Sometimes I write my date "backwards," or grab at food with my fingers. I am less panicked about traffic and horns and crowds. I sat on a really nasty toilet in Penn. Station because it was, at least, a toilet with toilet paper. The henna may no longer be on my hand, but a lot is still in my heart. Maybe that sounds corny, but the nostalgia about India is seeping into my everyday -- that is something I wasn't expecting.
I have told a lot of people about my experience, and upon arriving back in Syracuse I expect to tell many more. My sharing is truthful though: I had a wonderful experience and traveling anywhere for that long to live and study is an incredible opportunity. BUT, it was tough. It was dirty. It was different. At times, it was uncomfortable. I love being home; I missed home so much; AND I don't think I will leave it for 4 months in the near future. That being said, the amount of clothes in my closet dumbfounds me; I have trouble getting dressed. The number of items in a grocery store shocks me. The PEACE & QUIET on a roadway confuses me.. there is a lot missing here. Or, at least, a lot that I am getting re-acquainted with.
My advice to anyone studying abroad OR thinking about studying abroad: DO IT. 100%. But, make it your own experience. Do not live up to other's expectations. Soak in the culture, everyday. Be careful. Live. Being in India for 4 months was an incredible opportunity that I am so grateful to have experienced. No doubt, it was tough.. but I think that is exactly what I was looking for. Although the henna is no longer an exterior indicator of how I spent a large portion of 2011, the memories will always be with me.
To my friends studying in Italy, Ghana, Spain, and elsewhere: good luck, and let these travels be some of the best in your life!!
Although time (at least the time since leaving Sargur, Mysore, and eventually, India) has seemed to escape me, I have filled it pretty well. I have returned to the United States, I have had my fair fill of American cusine, Christmas came and went, I saw some good friends and had an incredible New Year Eve in New York City, and I am gearing up for a semester of school again; this time in Syracuse.
Not too long ago I looked down at my left hand, where an intricate henna design once displayed. Now, I look down and see my fair white skin -- nothing more. Although the traces of India - at least physically - are disappearing, the internal memories are creeping up everywhere. Sometimes I write my date "backwards," or grab at food with my fingers. I am less panicked about traffic and horns and crowds. I sat on a really nasty toilet in Penn. Station because it was, at least, a toilet with toilet paper. The henna may no longer be on my hand, but a lot is still in my heart. Maybe that sounds corny, but the nostalgia about India is seeping into my everyday -- that is something I wasn't expecting.
I have told a lot of people about my experience, and upon arriving back in Syracuse I expect to tell many more. My sharing is truthful though: I had a wonderful experience and traveling anywhere for that long to live and study is an incredible opportunity. BUT, it was tough. It was dirty. It was different. At times, it was uncomfortable. I love being home; I missed home so much; AND I don't think I will leave it for 4 months in the near future. That being said, the amount of clothes in my closet dumbfounds me; I have trouble getting dressed. The number of items in a grocery store shocks me. The PEACE & QUIET on a roadway confuses me.. there is a lot missing here. Or, at least, a lot that I am getting re-acquainted with.
My advice to anyone studying abroad OR thinking about studying abroad: DO IT. 100%. But, make it your own experience. Do not live up to other's expectations. Soak in the culture, everyday. Be careful. Live. Being in India for 4 months was an incredible opportunity that I am so grateful to have experienced. No doubt, it was tough.. but I think that is exactly what I was looking for. Although the henna is no longer an exterior indicator of how I spent a large portion of 2011, the memories will always be with me.
To my friends studying in Italy, Ghana, Spain, and elsewhere: good luck, and let these travels be some of the best in your life!!
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