HELLOOOO I´m back!
I have been off the grid for the past month and a half because life has been hectic. I have tried my best to appreciate every day and in doing so, I reduced the amount of time I spent sending Whatsapp messages/Facebook messages to friends in the United States and the amount of time I spent on social media. I even deleted Snapchat.
I used this time to focus on learning about public health and about life here in India.I have also used this time to work on something that I never have time to do back at GW – I worked on myself. I realized that during the semester, I get so caught up in my classes and my friends and interning and working and student organizations that I often forget that I should be my number 1 priority.
On top of taking time to myself, I traveled quite a bit since my last blog post. I traveled around India and I went to Thailand for a week. Although I absolutely love Delhi, I love getting the chance to leave – whether it is for a weeklong trip or for a quick weekend trip – and learn more about different places. Since my last blog post, I have been to Bahraich, Bangkok, Agra, Palampur, Dharamsala, and Jaipur. I will try to post separate blog posts about each place I have been to but for how I would like to focus on the idea of making the most of study abroad.
During my month and a half off the grid, I learned more about life and about myself than I could ever anticipate. I know it sounds super cliché but it’s the truth. I have had unbelievable experiences that have left me speechless and I have had challenging experiences that have really tested me. Regardless of which end of the spectrum my experiences fall on, I appreciate each and every one of them. Every moment of every day is a learning experience and is another opportunity for me to grow.
One of my favorite moments thus far was an afternoon in Bahraich during my first week in India. We all got together with our program director and we played cricket. (Cricket is a lot more complicated than baseball, do not let people fool you) Since it was a new experience for all fourteen of us, we all attentively listened to our program director explain the rules. We all slowly started to understand the game as we started to play during golden hour. As I stood in the outfield waiting for the ball to come my way, I felt infinite. I felt so at peace with myself and with my surroundings. I was so happy to be there. I felt all my worries melt away and the only thing on my mind was this cricket match with complete strangers. It was so peaceful and so beautiful.
Although I have had multiple favorite moments, I have also had my fair share of not so favorite moments. One of these moments was the day after we got back from Thailand. I was so dehydrated and weak that I had a difficult time sitting up in my bed. My head was pounding and I felt like I was going to pass out. I stayed inside all day as I chugged my water with the oral rehydration powder.
Another challenging moment was when I had to use an Eastern style toilet for the first time. (For those of you who do not know what that is, I suggest you look it up ASAP.) I tried my very best to avoid using the Eastern style toilet during my first week because I wanted to get used to everything before trying it. However, just my luck that the first day of the program we just happen to be at a monument where public restrooms gave you no choice and I just happened to get the urge to use the restroom. As I walked into the stall, I accepted my fate and I went for it. Although it is not my preferred way to use the restroom, I have gotten used to it and I don’t mind it anymore.
Even though those two moments were challenging, I can easily say that they were both learning experiences. Ever since the day that I was extremely dehydrated, I make sure to drink at least 3 liters of water a day. I think back to how much pain I was in and to how uncomfortable I was and I never want to feel that way again. I have not been severely dehydrated since then. The Eastern style toilet moment has also helped me. To be frank, avoiding an Eastern style toilet in India is impossible. It is something everyone has to adjust to and learn how to do. The fact that I was thrown into the experience very early in my program has just helped me adjust and get used to a lot faster. If I was not thrown into it, I most likely would have tried to avoid it and I would have been caught off guard when it was the only option available.
The lesson I have learned is that good or bad, an experience will always be a learning opportunity. I have challenged myself to think this way when I face difficult situations. So far, it has helped me keep everything in perspective and it has helped me make the most out of my abroad experience.
To end this blog post on a pensive note, I´ll end it with a quote I keep going back too during my time here:
“I've come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call "The Physics of The Quest" — a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: "If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself... then truth will not be withheld from you." Or so I've come to believe.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
Until next time,
Victoria