I cannot possiblly close this blog without a lengthy list of special thanks....
-First and foremost, my family. Thanks for your never-ending love, support, and encouragement. I couldn't have done all of this without you.
-Renu, my mentor, best Indian friend, and most importantly my "Di-Di" (big sister). You are amazing. Thanks for the long lunches, shopping trips, and for taking me to the "British Library," which I am not sure exists?? I have declared myself Punjabi and have changed my last name to Bakshi. You are my partner in crime and I miss you so! Until we meet again...which will be sooner than later.
-Savita, thanks for tying my first saree. I haven't laughed that hard in some time. I appreciate our long drives, being part of your Ganesha puja, meeting your lovely family, and for keeping track of all my rickshaw drivers.
-The ladies of HUM, especially Shyamala and Aruna. Thanks for taking me in and making life so easy for me. I miss Mulund and all of our wonderful conversations. I am sorry our time was so short at the end. Shyamala, I am expecting to help you with the blockprinting expo in the US and next time, we are going to Prithvi Theater together. Good luck with all of your new grandchildren ladies!
-Shanthala, thanks for extending your wonderful home to me. I am glad I got to spend time with you at the end of our exchange. Walnut Ridge misses you! You made a lasting impression. Good luck planning the weddings and congrats to both of your sons. I will be there if I can, promise.
-The Students of Somaiya College, thanks for your never-ending respect and diligence, and for raising me to star status in Mumbai. To the drama students, thanks for an amazing show. Keep it going, you have a great start. You are all missed.
-My colleagues at Somaiya, thanks for making me one of your own. I have never felt so welcomed and at ease so quickly. You made me laugh and were so patient with all my many questions. Thanks to Dr. Verma and Dr. Joshi for allowing me the freedom to explore and bring some new ideas to Somaiya. And yes, Singh sir, you are my favorite, but don't tell Renu. :)
-To my friends back home, thanks for the support and for keeping all my affairs in order. Thanks to Veach for keeping me sane! I am happy to be home with you all again.
-To Bree and Andrea, wow, what to say....girls, we took India by storm. Bree, there will be a reunion in Goa, trust! I have never laughed so hard in my entire life. How can we forget Sourabh, Francis, Al, Chris and the Brits? And Varanasi?? Thankfully, we lived to tell the tale. Andrea, thanks for making sure I didn't miss the sunrise over Mt. Everest, for making sure all planes, trains and buses were caught on time, for keeping me sane in the early months, for Ganesha and pink powder everywhere, for Leopold's, for eating with the rats, getting caught in the monsoon, for visiting one too many forts, and temples, and SO much more. Start planning the reunion. I will see you both out west.
-Karin and Taiyaba, thanks for making Gujarat a blast and Mumbai too. I will never look at low-grade scotch, pineapple tang and cookies the same way! I am glad Peter and Thomas shared that special moment with us. I will also never forget the horror of 11/26 and returning to Mumbai with you both. Keep Mumbai alive ladies, and Taiyaba, I will be at the book release!
-Fulbright Organizaton, thanks for giving me this opportunity and changing my life forever.
-The residents of Mulund West, thanks for making me mildly famous and for embracing me. It was the kindness of strangers that got me through!
-To the staff at Walnut Ridge, Tim and Sharon, thanks for supporting me endlessly. I know my absence was tough, but you always encouraged me to shine brightly in India. Sharon, thanks for being a special friend to Shanthala and for sharing India with me! To Radde and Dr. Hill, thanks for picking up my slack. I know it was a lot of work, and I am not sure how to repay you! Special thanks to Levenstein, Wirthman, Skiles (K & D), Gantner, Lawrence, Watson, and everone else who made Shanthala feel at home. I realize I owe a lot of favors....!
-Nitesh, thanks for your kindness, your energy, your impulsiveness, for making me part of your life. You showed me what I deserve. Thanks for showing me your Mumbai.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Re-entry
At our initial orientation in Washington DC, the Fulbright staff kept referring to our coming home as "re-entry." At the time, I had to laugh as I pictured us all crashing through the atmosphere and ending up somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Now that I have experienced "re-entry," I realize that they aren't too far off.
I didn't want to come home, that is no secret. I am home now, and leaving Mumbai was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The last two days were tough. I had to say goodbye to people that had become a surrogate family. An Indian friend is a friend for life. I truly, firmly believe that now. There were many tears, and long goodbyes. I almost missed my plane because I took my sweet time getting to the airport knowing full-well what Mumbai traffic is like.
Collectively, it seems that all of the Indian Fulbrighters were reluctant to leave. We all said, we need a year. After 5 months, you have just completely settled in and created a social network. All the day to day frustrations of commuting, grocery shopping, and all that have been resolved, and then poof, it is time to go. It is almost cruel! But, I never imagined it would go as such. I thought I would be home by Christmas and more than ready to do just that. So not the case.
I keep thinking about what the astrologer said at Choki Dhani, "my work in India is not done, and that I am a lucky person." He was right on both counts. I am not sure what my "work" in India consists of, but I will be back. It is out of the realm of thought to think I could meet such amazing people and never return. And, I am lucky. Lucky in the sense that I had the opportunity to embrace such an amazing culture, to meet such incredible people, to travel, travel and travel some more, to watch a city rise up after after horrible terrorist attacks, to be part of the Fulbright family, and to find the strength to overcome any obstacle that was placed in front of me.
Coming home has been hard. It took me a week to write this because the thought of leaving still brings tears to my eyes. Though I am happy to be back in my own home surrounded by the people I love most in the world, I have struggled to find a place for all these amazing memories. I am blessed to have seen so much. I still use my well-worn 20 or so Hindi words whenever possible, even if no one understands me. I am searching for good chai. When I am ready to eat Indian food again, I will search the city for the perfect "joint." I have surrounded myself with Hindu idols and all things auspicious to bring me much prosperity. So, with that, I close this chapter of my life. The memories remain and the friendships are forever. If I seem a little distant I apologize, just give me some time because in my heart, I am still in Mumbai.
I didn't want to come home, that is no secret. I am home now, and leaving Mumbai was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The last two days were tough. I had to say goodbye to people that had become a surrogate family. An Indian friend is a friend for life. I truly, firmly believe that now. There were many tears, and long goodbyes. I almost missed my plane because I took my sweet time getting to the airport knowing full-well what Mumbai traffic is like.
Collectively, it seems that all of the Indian Fulbrighters were reluctant to leave. We all said, we need a year. After 5 months, you have just completely settled in and created a social network. All the day to day frustrations of commuting, grocery shopping, and all that have been resolved, and then poof, it is time to go. It is almost cruel! But, I never imagined it would go as such. I thought I would be home by Christmas and more than ready to do just that. So not the case.
I keep thinking about what the astrologer said at Choki Dhani, "my work in India is not done, and that I am a lucky person." He was right on both counts. I am not sure what my "work" in India consists of, but I will be back. It is out of the realm of thought to think I could meet such amazing people and never return. And, I am lucky. Lucky in the sense that I had the opportunity to embrace such an amazing culture, to meet such incredible people, to travel, travel and travel some more, to watch a city rise up after after horrible terrorist attacks, to be part of the Fulbright family, and to find the strength to overcome any obstacle that was placed in front of me.
Coming home has been hard. It took me a week to write this because the thought of leaving still brings tears to my eyes. Though I am happy to be back in my own home surrounded by the people I love most in the world, I have struggled to find a place for all these amazing memories. I am blessed to have seen so much. I still use my well-worn 20 or so Hindi words whenever possible, even if no one understands me. I am searching for good chai. When I am ready to eat Indian food again, I will search the city for the perfect "joint." I have surrounded myself with Hindu idols and all things auspicious to bring me much prosperity. So, with that, I close this chapter of my life. The memories remain and the friendships are forever. If I seem a little distant I apologize, just give me some time because in my heart, I am still in Mumbai.
The Final Month
Many apologies for the late entry. My final month in Mumbai has been action-packed. There is a lot to say, so I am opting for a "stream of conscience" style of writing.....
-The Somaiya Drama Club put up their show on Dec. 23rd. We had a packed house and the students made me so proud. They played to a packed house and were received quite warmly.
-I had LASIK surgery and had a busted tooth, both of which were handled fabulously. The healthcare in India is superb, and so much cheaper than here in the US. I was gonna stick around for extensive plastic surgery, but alas, was out of time and money due to much shopping!
-I headed north of Mumbai to Nashik, Sula Wineries, for a wonderful weekend out of the city. The wines were amazing and the drive there was beautiful. The landscape was breathtaking. It reminded so much of Gujarat. We were surrounded by both the Western Ghats and the Deccan Plateau. I couldn't get enough of the view. As I have said before, some of the best sights are just outside of Mumbai.
-My final days at Somaiya College were quite tear-filled and full of celebration. The students held their annual "Cultural Celebration." It is always a pleasure to spend time with students outside of the classroom. There was dancing, singing, instrumental, mehendi, and rangoli competitions. All were incredible, what a talented group of young people. The week ended with the annual College Day which included our drama production and many more cultural activities. We also had two lunches during the final week, mine thanking the staff, and theirs thanking me!
-I spent time with the students and staff of Somaiya College as they participated in a youth against terrorism rally in Dadar. Colleges from all over Mumbai were invited to participate. We left from college and boarded the public train to Mantunga. From there we walked to Shivaji Park in Dadar. I was overwhelmed at the number of young people there to hear the governor and several family members of fallen police officers speak. The effort was in response to the terror attacks on 11/26. Mumbai is making a huge effort to raise awareness and unity amongst it's citizens. I was moved at the spirit of the students. It is the young people who need to unite and carry forth this message of solidarity.
-I opted to spend Christmas in Mumbai. I had a lovely "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree, thank you Nitesh, and spent part of the day at Mt. Mary Church in Bandra. The rest of the day was spent shopping and drinking peach margaritas (a global Christams, truly). It was great seeing all the festive lights, nativity scenes and variations of Santa Clause.
-I also decided to spend the New Year in Mumbai as well. The celebrations were very low key due to the recent attacks, but the new year was brought in with many, many fireworks and good friends. I figured this was the best way to start 2009. It seemed auspicious, at least to me!
-Fellow Fulbrighter Matt stopped over in Mumbai on his way back to the States. We met in Colaba and celebrated well into the night as only Americans can do. I was happy to see Colaba exploding with energy and tourists in the wake of the recent attacks.
-Shanthala, my exchange partner, arrived back in Mumbai on Dec. 23. I was able to spend two afternoons with her and friends saying goodbye and catching up. Each day gets a little harder to leave.
-My final days are being spent meeting with the many friends I have come to love so much, eating the Indian food I am sure I will not be able to find here in the States, and visiting the many places that have become so much a part of my daily routine...oh, and packing the 5000 lbs of Indian "stuff" that I have to get home! I did my best to help the economy!
-Sadly, my days are numbered.....
-The Somaiya Drama Club put up their show on Dec. 23rd. We had a packed house and the students made me so proud. They played to a packed house and were received quite warmly.
-I had LASIK surgery and had a busted tooth, both of which were handled fabulously. The healthcare in India is superb, and so much cheaper than here in the US. I was gonna stick around for extensive plastic surgery, but alas, was out of time and money due to much shopping!
-I headed north of Mumbai to Nashik, Sula Wineries, for a wonderful weekend out of the city. The wines were amazing and the drive there was beautiful. The landscape was breathtaking. It reminded so much of Gujarat. We were surrounded by both the Western Ghats and the Deccan Plateau. I couldn't get enough of the view. As I have said before, some of the best sights are just outside of Mumbai.
-My final days at Somaiya College were quite tear-filled and full of celebration. The students held their annual "Cultural Celebration." It is always a pleasure to spend time with students outside of the classroom. There was dancing, singing, instrumental, mehendi, and rangoli competitions. All were incredible, what a talented group of young people. The week ended with the annual College Day which included our drama production and many more cultural activities. We also had two lunches during the final week, mine thanking the staff, and theirs thanking me!
-I spent time with the students and staff of Somaiya College as they participated in a youth against terrorism rally in Dadar. Colleges from all over Mumbai were invited to participate. We left from college and boarded the public train to Mantunga. From there we walked to Shivaji Park in Dadar. I was overwhelmed at the number of young people there to hear the governor and several family members of fallen police officers speak. The effort was in response to the terror attacks on 11/26. Mumbai is making a huge effort to raise awareness and unity amongst it's citizens. I was moved at the spirit of the students. It is the young people who need to unite and carry forth this message of solidarity.
-I opted to spend Christmas in Mumbai. I had a lovely "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree, thank you Nitesh, and spent part of the day at Mt. Mary Church in Bandra. The rest of the day was spent shopping and drinking peach margaritas (a global Christams, truly). It was great seeing all the festive lights, nativity scenes and variations of Santa Clause.
-I also decided to spend the New Year in Mumbai as well. The celebrations were very low key due to the recent attacks, but the new year was brought in with many, many fireworks and good friends. I figured this was the best way to start 2009. It seemed auspicious, at least to me!
-Fellow Fulbrighter Matt stopped over in Mumbai on his way back to the States. We met in Colaba and celebrated well into the night as only Americans can do. I was happy to see Colaba exploding with energy and tourists in the wake of the recent attacks.
-Shanthala, my exchange partner, arrived back in Mumbai on Dec. 23. I was able to spend two afternoons with her and friends saying goodbye and catching up. Each day gets a little harder to leave.
-My final days are being spent meeting with the many friends I have come to love so much, eating the Indian food I am sure I will not be able to find here in the States, and visiting the many places that have become so much a part of my daily routine...oh, and packing the 5000 lbs of Indian "stuff" that I have to get home! I did my best to help the economy!
-Sadly, my days are numbered.....
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