Being home
April 4
There are a few events in a person’s life where attention is drawn to them and there is nothing they can do about it One of these event that many people go through is going to college. As the days tick by, getting closer and closer to graduation the question start to multiple. “Where are you going to school? What will you be studying? Are you excited?”- All these question will be asked and the kids will start to formulate preset answers. By the time the child is ready for school he will have memorized and mastered answers to any and all questions.
India is one of these situations, but it’s not exactly the same. The questions are the same, but the answers seem to be always different. When people ask what it was like I usually say different. It is so hard to explain this, but I really do mean it. When I say it’s different I mean every single little thing is different, they way they drive, the way they eat, the way they talk, just the way they live. It is all so different. I want to sit down and explain each of the differences to everyone, but I feel it’s not something people would necessarily like to hear. I think the reason I want to talk about India so much is simply because I miss it so much.
I miss my students, my friends, my rickshaws, my driver, my food, my apartment, my shopping, my work, my India. I knew it would be a long adjustment when the first thing I did on my computer is I started to look for a date I could return. I think all this missing has started to drive me crazy. I feel like a proud parent constantly looking for an excuse to show off or talk about my kids. My little come up to me to tell me he got his report card and I regrettable returned with a smug, “All my students just passed their exams!”
What is really weird about the whole adjusting thing is that it actually seems like it was harder to adjust back into American life then it was first adjusting to Indian life. I feel that it is because I was forced to pick up the pace. In India we worked in then we relaxed, talked, and had a cup of tea for a bit. Here I work and then get in trouble if I stop. It is just all too fast!
Aside from all this negativity, I do like being back. I love seeing my family, friends, and just being reacquainted with the things I’ve missed. It’s nice to have a soft mattress, a normal shower, and American food (although now all the prices seem way to high!). I really can’t stop thinking about the people of Indian though, so to have an excuse to keep thinking about them, I’m going to jump right into talking about them, and fundraising for them.
In the beginning of this adventure I talked about my journey and how it would end in the beginning or April. I have come back and now am only waiting for the right time to return. So what I said was false. My journey has not yet ended. Though I am not there teaching I am here trying to spread the word and raise some money until I can return. The beginning of April now really only marks the end of one thing (besides March) and that is the end of this blog. This is my 50th entry as well as my last. Of course I might pull a Michael Jordan and come back to add another one or two about fundraising before completely retiring.
I have said goodbye to my students and friends in India and so now it is time for my last farewell. It’s been good friends and mystery viewers of the cyber blogosphere! I hope you have all enjoyed or at least learned something from this blog and I will definitely miss writing. Though I have urged in the past, I urge again, please contact me! Give me an excuse to talk about India or try and help out.
In closing, I want to give a special thanks to all of you who have donated to this trip. I can’t thank you enough and I love you all. While I was in the hills of the Himalayas I thought about one of my favorite ideas on the topic of helping others. It is the idea that if you give it your all to climb a mountain you will be rewarded at the top. You will have to give it your all and fight to reach the top, but that top, that goal will be worth it all. Not only from the top can you feel accomplished, but also from there you can see a range of other mountains that need to be climbed. This adventure has been a mountain and it has pushed me to continue climbing. You gave me the equipment to start this journey, which has turned out to be the journey of a lifetime. Thank you so so much, I hope you have enjoyed at least some of this blog, and most importantly- keep climbing.
Much love,
Jake
My class
Sushil- eating chocolate cake on my last day
Rajkumar displaying his cube project
