A Reflection

I regret it has taken me so long to write you. In fear of failing with words to describe all that I am experiencing, I have neglected many wonderful people's curiosity as to how I am doing. The long and short to that question is that I am, honestly and truly, doing well.

India is both what I had imagined and nothing like it at all. It is every bit the culture that had captivated me back in the States, perhaps even more so. I have come to find that, yes, people here are largely the same as people there, and that the unfamiliar faces, places, and experiences across a hemisphere will teach me new things about the familiar ones back home. And, of course, they will teach me new things about myself as well. I am learning to appreciate myself for exactly who I am, and realizing that this person is not so different from my self back home than I had thought. I feel myself growing stronger, standing taller, and improving my ability to love those around me. Lastly, as I had set out to do, I am learning more about what it is I aim to do during this glorious adventure called life. I am becoming more aware of where I'm headed and who I want to be, and I am gaining confidence in my ability to get there. I have made friends, am doing well in school, and am enjoying myself in the process. As I told you, I am doing well.

That being said, I could never have prepared myself for this. It is only natural to be surprised when things turn out as you never believed they could be, but it is surprising none the less. This realization applies to so many things here that I will spare your precious time the heavy list and simply leave it at that. But. I will say that it has been worlds more difficult to communicate with folks back home than I had thought; less out of a matter of will, than out of a matter of reality of circumstance. When I thought about keeping in touch, I thought about effort and the time difference. It never even crossed my mind that technology here would be any less reliable, convenient, or straightforward than it is back home, a thought that seems so obvious now. I apologize to anyone who misses me, to anyone who this decision of mine has been difficult on. Trust me, it has been difficult to be without you too. However, I also thank all of you for your support and encouragement in allowing me to do this. As I wrote in a letter to my mother yesterday, coming to India on my own has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I believe it has also been the most necessary. I will write again soon with more stories, but until then...

with love,

from india,

jeannie