I'm at a lose for words after my time in India. A month ago I experienced culture shock like never before. I was utterly terrified, that's the only way I know to describe it. But thankfully, the fear was short lived. After settling in with my host family I soon became relaxed. However, I was unaware of the cultural struggles ahead. I would learn to haggle with tuk-tuk drivers, control a classroom of thirty restless children, and train my taste-buds to withstand the heat of curry. I came to India with chaotic and dusty expectations but, I left with so much more.
I prepared (and ate) Thanksgiving dinner with my Indian host family. I crashed one dance party of an Indian wedding. I taught children how to spell simple words and to solve simple addition problems. I became a daughter to the Agrawals and a teacher to the children of SSN school. And even though our studies in India were focused on education, and our project involved becoming the teacher rather than the student, I feel like I was really the one learning all along.
I came to love the hustle and bustle of life in a culture bound by tradition, and I can honestly say that my heart is full after just five short, sweet, weeks in the Pink City.
I prepared (and ate) Thanksgiving dinner with my Indian host family. I crashed one dance party of an Indian wedding. I taught children how to spell simple words and to solve simple addition problems. I became a daughter to the Agrawals and a teacher to the children of SSN school. And even though our studies in India were focused on education, and our project involved becoming the teacher rather than the student, I feel like I was really the one learning all along.
I came to love the hustle and bustle of life in a culture bound by tradition, and I can honestly say that my heart is full after just five short, sweet, weeks in the Pink City.
