Out of India

written on August 11

A week and a half has passed since I landed in the United States. And still, I feel the emotional pangs of readjusting to be back in my native land.

I have been able to spend time with family and friends again. I spend a lot of time with mom and her animals: horses, dogs, cat. I visited my brother Chad, watched Ant-man with him, and sat with him in his darkness at this time in his life. I get to see my sister and her kids. I got to skype with Ann! I met Allison for lunch. I spent a weekend with Ash and Dave, working in their yard and giving them my best cheesy jokes.

I get to go to church now, every week. And the temple is so close by. All the buildings have air conditioning. And Walmart has so much more than anyone needs.

But at night, when I'm alone and I hear the crickets chirp, I remember playing ringball with Krishna and Yugi, and walking in to the office every morning to have Seetha put flowers in my hair. I miss so many things.

I'm not really sure what else to say about being home. I cherish seeing my friends and family again. It gives me such joy to know that I can play Scrabble with my mom, give Ann a call, and see my nieces and nephews grow up. On the other hand, I am always wondering what my family in India is doing, and how I as a privileged U.S. American can go back into this society where we think we are the entire world and obsess over things like Cecil the newest iPod model. When people ask the dreaded, "How was India?" question, what am I to say? And how can I fully describe my experiences? I was only in India for a couple of months, and thus feel so silly to have grown attached to it, but I made so much effort to truly live there. I feel like I was there for years.