Back in the States

Namaste, Hola, Hello

Well, my time in India has come and gone, and now I am back in the US. I find myself looking back on the whirlwind of time that I had in Dharamsala, Delhi, Amritsar, Agra and Upper Mcleoud Ganj and it already seems like a lifetime ago and an insurmountable amount of galaxies away. I miss the views of the Himalayan mountains stretching up to the dark, open skies; I miss the colorful yellow and red Tibetan clothing and the Buddhist temple; I miss the vibrant women's Salwaar Kamis (flowy Princess Jasmine pants, long dresses that go over the pants, and the scarves that drape around from one shoulder to the next underneath the neck while hanging freely on the back); I miss the Indian Bollywood music that the taxi drivers and Rikshaw drivers would blast at painfully loud decibles as they drove us around the curvy roads of wildernessy, crowded, subject-to-no-law-or-regulation streets of India; I miss Lalit Baya and Viki Baya along with Monica Didi and Anju Didi who were our main staff workers that joked with us and worked so hard to keep us safe and happy during our stay in their country; I miss the bindis on the women's foreheads and the red dots of paint that were placed on Indian men's and women's foreheads when they went to the Hindu temples to pray; I miss the children and the grown adults who would walk everywhere and always be out and about on the streets--I miss their friendliness and their incessant requests to have their pictures taken; I miss the post office employees that knew me by name and gave me Chai and tried to arrange me to marry their sons when I was stuck in the post office during a heavy 2 hour monsoon downpour; and, I miss the people's faithfulness to their religous customs and traditional family values.

I came home with camel shoes for my Dad, Himalyan silver and gem necklaces for my sisters, Kashmir silk for my mother, and many Bollywood CDs for myself. I also came home with a bit more understanding of the Eastern way of life and my place within this International world that has torn down so many of the already diminishing international boarders--especially speaking of those between the Eastern and Western "worlds."

I was able to observe the treatment of women and the position of women within India and Pakistan; I was able to observe a grassroots social justice movement in a rural Indian district; I was able to corroborate with community members of India, with members of my collegiate community at UCSD, and with volunteers from the US and the UK; I was able to see relics and Holy Temples for religions other than my own and acquire an appreciation for others' spirituality alongside of growing in appreciation for my own spirituality; and, last but not least, I was able to bring my family and friends into this experience with me and raise awareness about another culture and existence.

Having gone to India with AB@UCSD has strengthened my confidence in my ability to be an effective civil servant in the International community. I will keep Indian social reform in my heart and continue to be actively involved in raising awareness from my home in San Diego. This project in India was the perfect way of ending my undergradute studies of International Human Development; and it has inspired me to continue developing myself spiritually and intellectually.

My pictures are on this website, please go have a look!: spanishirenelynette.shutterfly.com