Home sweet home!

---

Many of you have asked why the blog has been so quiet and well I have actually been hiding out in the US for a week now surprising people with an early arrival all over new england. sneaky huh?
last weekend i got a surprise when i was in bombay and decided to just check my ticket one more time to make sure my plans for traveling were okay. i looked closely and despite having an american airlines ticket home i realized i was flying british airways out of india. well they are on a massive strike with over 2000 flights cancelled and after visiting their office they informed me i could choose to be out on a flight in 2 days before the strike or see what happens...my adventurous self was quickly bound and gagged by the me that misses her family, her friends, her home.

a week home now and i made the right decision. it has been amazing to come back and see my family and friends. obviously i had to surprise everyone i possibly could and i have now confirmed that most people's reactions to seeing someone they think is 8000 miles away is not always funny. sometimes they get confused, a little angry and in anja's case, almost violent.

the 100 degree temperature difference i could live without. but the stars in danby, my parents hugs, my nephews laughs, my fireplace, cooking dinner with my friends, running into friends on the street, calling friends on the phone and having them pick up...oh i missed these wonderful things!

i havent yet been able to sum up the experience in india to make much sense...i find myself using adjectives that directly contradict each other...beautiful, horrifying, hilarious, depressing. then i feel bad and say ill get back to you. maybe that is just the beauty of india though, it is all these contradicting amazing things right in your face, right next to each other for you to do with what you please. the people who knew me there were incredible and unforgettable, the people who defined me by my color were maybe not as much fun.

ok and that reminds me of the story that happened my last night there that was so ridiculously perfect i promised myself i would write it here. i had all my luggage packed and was taking a taxi to maya's house to hang out and then get a ride to the airport at 2 am. i tell the taxi driver like always where i am going, what the deal is in hindi so he knows he cant mess with me. all is well until we pull up to the house and he says 150 rupees. i look at the meter and it reads 75. i tell him no, only meter. i think of all the ways past taxi drivers have tried to convince me i owe them 2x of what the meter says...you have luggage, it is late, it is holiday bla bla bla...always an excuse for the real reason. i look at him say my famous hindi phrase and he turns to me, touches his cheek with his hand and says...

"you're white"

finally! someone just said it! it hit me how this had been underlying my taxi rides and well really, most interactions with strangers my entire trip, something came over me and i was hysterically laughing. it was just so great. he of course was confused which made it funnier and i just kept laughing and gave him 80 rupees.

so i have had this unbelievable experience and will not pretend it wasnt one of the hardest things i have ever done. the course was easy compared to some of the internal struggles i faced just being there on my own. but in a way, i knew that would be the case, and i remember saying to someone before i left that i always learn the most about myself when i cant be comfortable, when i cant always depend on others, when it is me and just me. i guess that tends to happen a whole lot when you are in a culture as different as bombay, india.

i cant wait to see how the OT learning gets integrated into my therapy and what doors open up because of it, i made some really incredible friends and will never forget the numerous small moments i was taken out of myself and opened my eyes to see something totally new i could hardly begin to understand, or even better, something completely familiar...transcending the miles, the language, the culture, the differences.

thanks for sharing it all with me. your words, thoughts and love kept me going.

---

Comments

[Alex]

Welcome Home
Hey Becca, Finally... closure! What an amazing experience!! It's so sad to see it over, but just incredible that it was done. I can't wait to remember this trip in 5, 10 and 25 years and look back to your blog for some vivid memories. Keep on rockin' the Hindi!! A.