when a wandering soul comes to rest..

After the weekend in Pondicherry began our last week of school. A large part of it we just spent going to class and preparing for the final exams we would have, but we still tried to get as much done in Bangalore as we could before leaving. we shopped for last-minute items during the days, ate as much indian food as we could in the evenings, and then went out every single night to a different club to dance the night away. it was a lot of fun, despite the knowledge that we would soon be split up...it was a reality that no one wanted to think about, and no one ever brought it up directly. it just sat in the back of our minds, and everyone tried to prepare for it in their own way..

the last night we were all together we went out for one last dinner and then stayed up until 330 in the morning when the first set of us were leaving. both Bonnie's in our program and Gailen left first...we sat outside and said goodbyes for probably a good 20 minutes or so while the taxi driver stared at us waiting. it was hard to see them go, mostly just because it meant that it was actually real. Becca left around 530 in the morning, and then Purvi was next to leave at 8. Amanda and Sarah left that afternoon around 1 and then the next day, after she and I got henna done, Nia went too. All that were left at this point were basically Me, Prashab (who is staying till November), Tharyn, Kevin, and Michelle (who are all staying till December too), Abhi (who lives in Bangalore), and then Michael and Claire who were doing a little more traveling in india before leaving....when Prashab and I sent Nia off I just remember him saying "I never want to see another green taxi again"...it was just one after the other, on and on friends being taken away..


I stayed in Bangalore 2 days after everyone left. The first day I packed away all my things and did my final shopping for whatever I needed. Then the day before i left Abhi and I took a small roadtrip out of bangalore to this place where there is a large Banyan tree. it is about 500 years old and its roots spread over acres and acres of land. the tree was interesting to see, but not quite the experience i had imagined. there was a fence around the tree in which you could enter, but it was not at all in isolation. when Abhi and I went in there were people EVERYWHERE and we couldn't just sit there calmly (mostly my fault i admit, Abhi is indian anyway, but i was attracting a lot of attention). we left after a few minutes and drove further down the road to a place we saw where there were a few piles of rocks and went to sit on them. you could see far into the distance. the skies were overcast and dramatic...and beneath the smeared gray sky you could see Nandi Hills, though it was far. it was a beautiful sight, and very calm, quiet, relaxing, isolated. we could just sit and talk and not worry about being constantly bothered and stared at. we really didn't plan on staying out there that long, but time is endless and we stayed until we were satisfied....or rather until we had to leave so we could still beat traffic in bangalore..

that evening we got some more indian food and i said goodbye to everyone. the following morning i was picked up by a taxi around 8 in the morning and then began the journey back to Reno. it was a short plane ride from Bangalore to Delhi, and again the most striking thing was the way the air just suffocated you the moment you walked outside. i walked off the plane and the hot 3 weeks i spent in the north of india at the beginning of the trip just flashed through my eyes again.
i sat in that heat for hours because i had arrived around 3 in the afternoon but my plane for the states didn't leave until midnight. i waited, and waited, and waited some more...then finally climbed on a plane and flew for 15 straight hours into chicago, then another 4 hours to salt lake city, and finally one more hour to reno where i now find myself picking up a life that i left almost a year ago.

i have mixed feelings about being back, but largely because i wasn't fully ready for it i think. but i am here now, that is the truth of the situation..i get to explore this place and see what new things i can discover or what i can create in this desert city before the next journeys begin..(and don't worry, there WILL be more..)













the past 8 months were full of adventures and became a huge learning experience. i had such an amazing time though...so many good friends made, so many good memories..and traveling just becomes absolutely addicting, i can't wait to see what will come next..
i am fortunate to have been able to have this experience and i give thanks to all the forces that allowed this to happen the way that it did. i remember the hesitation i had the few days before i left reno to head to italy, and now it just seems silly. it is a big move, leaving the comfort of home and leaving behind all the people that you know and the habits that you know...but at the same time i think it's one of the best things you can do. it forces you to take a step into the unknown, to face and conquer your fears, and to discover what you are truly all about. not to mention the worldly perspective you gain through your studies and experiences in different cultures...i think that there is nothing better than that, realizing that we are a global community and we have to be aware of how things are even in the places that are farthest from where we physically find ourselves..

i urge you all to take a journey like this of your own, and wish you much joy in the process. this world can be all of ours if we take the right steps...make it yours.

namaste~

---

---