ParentNet

Well, I have 3.5 days left in India. That’s not a lot of time! So, how have I been spending it? My roommate made me make a list last week stating all of the things I wanted to do before I left. Eating at our favorite restaurants, browsing our favorite stores, and getting a few last minute items were all on the list. Keeping this list in mind, I completely threw it out the window yesterday and instead went for a walk to the mall closest to me. (One mile!) A peaceful 20 min. stroll past all of the familiar landmarks, with a grand destination in mind: Cafe Coffee Day.

I sat down at the coffee shop where I frequent a few times a week and just observed the things around me. My first thought while grabbing a table was to wonder if anyone would be joining me this day. I have found that in the past that about 75% of the time, some stranger will sit down and initiate a conversation with me, if I am alone. This was not the case on this particular visit, but thinking back on the acquaintances I did make, made me smile. I also asked myself if perhaps I blended in so well now, that those around me no longer saw me as the interesting foreigner anymore, but just another one of their own. It’s unlikely of course that this was truly the case, but it was a pleasant thought regardless.

Sitting there I looked out at the rest of the mall and tried to compare what I saw then to what I had seen the first time I walked in. The stores were all the same and the decor as well, but it seemed to me that the people had changed. I think more accurately that my perception of the people had changed. I remember feeling so out of place, even in such a modern and upscale place, that very first day. I felt like I stood out and everyone around me was so….Indian! When I looked around me yesterday though, over two months since my arrival, I saw business professionals, families, stylish girls, cute couples, and many foreigners. I don’t know if there just happened to be more of them (of us) that day, or if I finally noticed how many there really were. One particular group of foreigners stuck out to me as they crossed the mall and sat down in the coffee shop. A group of women. A family. It looked to me to be a grandmother, mother, and three daughters. Perhaps they were cousins or friends, but they all looked alike. They weren’t American, I could tell by their accents, but I wasn’t sure where they were from either. They looked happy, tired, and very touristy. The woman I labeled mother was wearing robins’ egg blue capris and a top that matched. Both as tight as you can imagine. The daughters were wearing shorts and skirts. I smiled at their clothes and their own obvious joy at being there together. While I don’t think they ever noticed me, I felt in a way that I was passing the torch on to them so-to-speak. Mentally saying that my journey is done here and theirs is just starting. How quickly they’ll learn, I’m sure, as everyone does that India is a crazy and wonderful place that can really change people.

I still have people asking me if I’m ready to leave, if I’m excited to go home, and if I’ll miss India. I have yet to find a concrete answer to any of these questions. ‘Yes and No’ is what I usually say. The truth is, I don’t think anyone is ever 100% ready for change in life. It’s a difficult thing, change. I myself am also yearning for it, but the process can be so uncomfortable sometimes. The present is known, all of its’ blessings and flaws, and changing it can be a rewarding yet dangerous prospect. I feel like I adjusted quickly to India, but needed more time to call it home. It has become comfortable for me lately and comfort is always hard to leave behind.

Home can be quite comfortable as well though, and I am indeed excited to return. I’ve always felt that the best part of any trip, of any length, is returning safely to the known. ‘Home’ changes too of course, but I find that the mere title and the emotions behind it, have a stability that I find peacefully relaxing after the stresses of constant excitement. I am glad that I came, I am preparing to leave, I am excited to go home, I will miss India, and I am always looking forward to my next adventure!