Phir melenge, India!

How bittersweet.

There are so many things that I will miss about my summer here in India.

New friends. Auto rickshaws, which proud drivers wipe clean of all dust and embellish with photos of Hindu gods and Bollywood stars. Cycle rickshaws too. Mangoes. Kurtas, salwars, dupattas, and sarees. The ubiquitous bidet sprayer by the toilet (took me a while to figure out that it was not for cleaning your feet… I don’t really use it, but I still think it’s funny). Masala chai tea. How much a dollar can get me. Better yet, free lunch every day. The ruling cow. Cheap, beautifully fresh vegetables from pushcarts. The lovely smell of jasmine and frangipani flowers. Bangles. Amazingly delicious food. Using the dozen or so Hindi words that I’ve learned. Infinite opportunities to explore the most unique and beautiful places.

Going to Jhabua was the best way to spend my last weekend in India – peaceful, green, relaxing. I think even the round trip overnight trains are fun! On Friday night, as we did the first time I went in June, Fabian and I grabbed a big dinner of pizzas in Delhi before catching the 10:30 pm train to Jhabua (though I wish it actually left at 12:00 – it would be more fitting for when I sing my rendition of Midnight Train to Jhabua). As another example of how I fail to command respect here, I should note that the rickshaw driver that picked me up near my house for the 3-kilometer journey to the pizza place in Delhi stopped midway through to eat samosas for five minutes. Not very professional. Once in Jhabua, I hung out with Fabian and Felix, his new volunteer for the school, cooked a Malaysian feast for us on Saturday night as my contribution to ‘international Saturday dinner’ at the house, and got to spend a lot of time with all the kids (the girls graced me by painting my arms and hands with henna) and learn about the details of how to keep the school running. The kids are so awesome! The school has been in constant evolution as the students grow in age and in numbers, and I hope I get a chance to come back and visit again soon.

Now that I’ve reached the end, when I think back on my summer here, I just start to smile to myself. It has been three months filled with new sights, new experiences, and new challenges. It’s been so great to be part of a nutrition program in progress and really apply my studies in a field experience (which requires relearning things that I learned not too long ago, plus learning a lot more). India is definitely a country that has unbelievable need and a lot to teach me about what can be done. I look forward to seeing how different and hopefully more focused I feel heading back to Tufts for my second year after this summer experience. Looking for the right ways to tackle malnutrition in the poorest places of the world is a difficult thing to do, but it is simple to realize the need to commit oneself to the task of at least trying.

Yes, I have had to turn into a ‘mean girl’ this summer (walking around with what Anita calls my ‘gangster face’) to try to fit in more with the assertiveness that is needed to get even the simplest of things done here and maybe get taken seriously. And there are some issues about the way things work (or don’t work) here that frustrate me and others – Indians or non-Indians – to no end. But it is such an incredible place – so amazingly rich and diverse in culture, history, and landscape – that I cannot help but be in total awe of this country. And I have only seen a tiny fraction of it that I have to constantly console myself and remember that I will come back - hopefully soon - and see much more.

Until then, phir melenge – see you later – India!

:)