The day has arrived ... my three months here are up! Honestly, I can't remember if I've ever been so conflicted about leaving a place. On one hand, I am ecstatic to go home and see all the people I love again, but on another, I just really, really love and will truly miss this incredible country!! There are so many amazing people here that I will dearly miss!!
In honor of my last evening here, I wanted to catalogue a few of the things I see/experience almost on a daily basis here in Udaipur (some of which I will miss and others ... not so much).
1. The incessant need to honk. At everything. The U.S. highways will seem quiet in comparison. Seriously though, do me a favor and google images of "tata blow horn" and you will see what all the big trucks have plastered on their backsides here. Imagine, an open invitation to honk whenever you want!
2. Cows, cows, everywhere! Oh look, there's a cow crossing the street, absolutely not batting an eyelash at all of the oncoming traffic (and they ALWAYS get swerved around)! Oh! And then there's those times they run like crazy across the field right towards you and you have to jump out of the way or be trampled!!! Crazy buggers.
3. Being called madam. Okay, I admit, I can get used to this :-P So much more elegant ounding than ma'am.
4. Rickshaws / tuc tucs. My main means of transportation. It's going to be weird to drive myself everywhere again!
5. Bucket baths. Surprisingly, not so bad.
6. The use of English words in everyday conversation. Me (to a friend): "how do you say short cut in Hindi?" Friend: "Short way? Short cut should be fine too."
7. Sounds of daily life. Vendors selling their wares, rickshaws putt putting by, the current bollywood songs blaring on repeat, yelling/screeching, and of course, the horns (among many, many other things). This country is teeming with life!
8. Bargaining. Sure, it's a pain in the ass sometimes; however, there's nothing like walking away feeling like you've just gotten the best deal ever!! And a hundred times cheaper than in western countries.
9. The kindness of strangers. Whether asking for directions at a corner shop, stopping a random student in the hallways to call someone for me (in Hindi), or encountering a random stranger who takes pity on me, finding help is not a hard task here. I am truly grateful for that!
10. Last but not least, THE PEOPLE!! All the amazing, kind, intelligent, giving, caring, and incredible (maybe a little bit crazy too ;) ) people I have met here that made my time so special. You guys rock!! I will never forget you. I am sure we will remain friends for many years to come.
In closing, a huuuuge THANK YOU to everyone and every entity that made this summer such a life-changing experience!!
First and foremost, my family and friends back home: for being the loving and supporting people that you are (even as you ask yourself "she's going where now?!"). You guys are the best and I love you dearly.
To the Duke-IIMU cohort: for taking a chance on a new program and making the best of it. You guys and gals are all amazing, and I truly look forward to crossing paths with you again in the future. Thank you for sharing your time, experiences, and friendship, and so much more. Can't wait to see where everyone ends up and what exciting projects you all end up working with.
To Seva Mandir: for allowing me to come and conduct my research with your organization, for providing me with an introduction to rural India and all it's intricacies, and for providing me with two awesome mentors for both of my summer projects. Ronak and Anantvijay especially, thank you so much!!
Everyone else: new friends that I have met on my travels, my auto driver Vinod ji for running me all over the place and always being on time, the summer school staff who planned things impeccably, the PGP students here at IIM who help me out on a daily basis, my Duke research mentor, Marc, for his advice and guidance all summer, Seva Mandir team no. 2 and those awesome teammates of mine, my interpretors in the field, all the villagers who gave their time to participate in my study, and the volunteers I have met from all over the world, and so many other people I am sure I am forgetting (so sorry!): Thank YOU!
Alvida India!! I'm going home! :)
xoxoxo,
Alec
p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!! Love you!!
In honor of my last evening here, I wanted to catalogue a few of the things I see/experience almost on a daily basis here in Udaipur (some of which I will miss and others ... not so much).
1. The incessant need to honk. At everything. The U.S. highways will seem quiet in comparison. Seriously though, do me a favor and google images of "tata blow horn" and you will see what all the big trucks have plastered on their backsides here. Imagine, an open invitation to honk whenever you want!
2. Cows, cows, everywhere! Oh look, there's a cow crossing the street, absolutely not batting an eyelash at all of the oncoming traffic (and they ALWAYS get swerved around)! Oh! And then there's those times they run like crazy across the field right towards you and you have to jump out of the way or be trampled!!! Crazy buggers.
3. Being called madam. Okay, I admit, I can get used to this :-P So much more elegant ounding than ma'am.
4. Rickshaws / tuc tucs. My main means of transportation. It's going to be weird to drive myself everywhere again!
5. Bucket baths. Surprisingly, not so bad.
6. The use of English words in everyday conversation. Me (to a friend): "how do you say short cut in Hindi?" Friend: "Short way? Short cut should be fine too."
7. Sounds of daily life. Vendors selling their wares, rickshaws putt putting by, the current bollywood songs blaring on repeat, yelling/screeching, and of course, the horns (among many, many other things). This country is teeming with life!
8. Bargaining. Sure, it's a pain in the ass sometimes; however, there's nothing like walking away feeling like you've just gotten the best deal ever!! And a hundred times cheaper than in western countries.
9. The kindness of strangers. Whether asking for directions at a corner shop, stopping a random student in the hallways to call someone for me (in Hindi), or encountering a random stranger who takes pity on me, finding help is not a hard task here. I am truly grateful for that!
10. Last but not least, THE PEOPLE!! All the amazing, kind, intelligent, giving, caring, and incredible (maybe a little bit crazy too ;) ) people I have met here that made my time so special. You guys rock!! I will never forget you. I am sure we will remain friends for many years to come.
In closing, a huuuuge THANK YOU to everyone and every entity that made this summer such a life-changing experience!!
First and foremost, my family and friends back home: for being the loving and supporting people that you are (even as you ask yourself "she's going where now?!"). You guys are the best and I love you dearly.
To the Duke-IIMU cohort: for taking a chance on a new program and making the best of it. You guys and gals are all amazing, and I truly look forward to crossing paths with you again in the future. Thank you for sharing your time, experiences, and friendship, and so much more. Can't wait to see where everyone ends up and what exciting projects you all end up working with.
To Seva Mandir: for allowing me to come and conduct my research with your organization, for providing me with an introduction to rural India and all it's intricacies, and for providing me with two awesome mentors for both of my summer projects. Ronak and Anantvijay especially, thank you so much!!
Everyone else: new friends that I have met on my travels, my auto driver Vinod ji for running me all over the place and always being on time, the summer school staff who planned things impeccably, the PGP students here at IIM who help me out on a daily basis, my Duke research mentor, Marc, for his advice and guidance all summer, Seva Mandir team no. 2 and those awesome teammates of mine, my interpretors in the field, all the villagers who gave their time to participate in my study, and the volunteers I have met from all over the world, and so many other people I am sure I am forgetting (so sorry!): Thank YOU!
Alvida India!! I'm going home! :)
xoxoxo,
Alec
p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!! Love you!!
