i always feel a pressure to make the first and last of something extra special…the beginning should set the tone of the event and the last summarize the experience. i put extra emphasis on something that when placed within the context of the whole story, is really just another page in the story; no more or less important than any other entry… all of this is to say, this post ends the chapter in my indian adventure.
i rolled away in the taxi this morning, leaving behind dear friends. i knew this day would come, the goodbye was inevitable; but that doesn’t make it any easier. how can people, known for only a short time, be so difficult to leave? i cannot begin to explain to you all of the emotions the past two weeks have held, so i won’t try…the people and places, the memories and encouragement. i’ll tuck away these special moments for myself and savor them in the days in the valley to come.
as i left mussoorie and the place which for the past season has been home, i almost retrieved my camera to capture the scene. but over the past year, multiple attempts have proven inadequate and i’ve given up trying. eyes still wet, i soaked in the view and committed it to memory. i thought back to my first drive into these hills last august…i wondered then, if i would ever get used to the beauty, i hoped i would never take for granted the vastness… as we swerved and curved our way down the mountain i realized today it was more beautiful than it had ever been. some things never feel normal.
tonight, a plane seat awaits to carry me out of this beautiful country. i’m off to hong kong for a few days to unwind, visit a university, and spend time with a friend.
what’s after that? ha. that’s a good question.
back to the plains of kansas for the summer; a part time job awaits to satisfy my graphic nature and gives me time to pursue some freelance projects and a possible photography show…all things to keep me processing and decompressing from this year.
you really do have to recover from a year in india.
and then after that? whoow…i can’t go there yet. i’m still in india!
perhaps…sustainability in the developing world…graduate school…teaching in asia…?! yikes. it’s too much to take in; one step at a time…for now, i’m thinking san francisco.
i’ll tell you more about it later.
so, how was india? the other inevitable question that i still haven’t figured out how to answer. don’t be surprised if you see a bewildered look on my face as you wait for a response. no doubt there will be unforeseen battles while standing in grocery store aisles and looking at clothing price tags. i ask for your grace and patience with me as i adjust back to the place i came from and a culture which brought me up as i try to combine the old and new me. i hope i do less talking about how india changed me and more living it.
thank you for following along with me in this indian adventure. i have a feeling there are many more reading and watching this journey unfold than i may ever know.
i pr in the middle of one of my musings, you found encouragement.
i ask in the midst of one of my struggles, you were lifted up.
i hope somewhere along my story, you saw truth and then, i hope you went beyond it.
at His feet.
.jill
