Looking Back
With intricate henna that spiraled up both of my arms, an Indian wrap skirt tied around my waist, and a tired, gray t-shirt hanging from my shoulders, I stepped off the plane. In the glass along the wall, I caught my reflection. I was met with sleep-deprived eyes and 26 hours worth of messy hair. Still, my heart beat excitedly.
JFK Airport. New York. America. I had arrived.
Everything in JFK Airport was so shiny and I could drink from the water fountains and I could speak the language fluently.
But there was one thing that I looked forward to the most out of any other thing: BEEF! While I was in India, I assimilated to their culture by eating only vegetarian food with the occasional chicken meal.
So, obviously, I inhaled the first beef sandwich I could get my hands on. My first beef in two months was fantastic! I included a picture to highlight the beauty of my unhealthy, fast-food beef sandwich.
After a short flight to Minneapolis, I hurried to the row of sliding doors that lead to the parking lot. I sent an excited “I’m here!” text to my mom. Soon, a minivan pulled alongside me, all of the doors opened, and my family rushed out to hug me. Despite the jet-lag, I was so happy to be home and surrounded by the people that I missed.
It has been months since that day. I thought that when my internship ended, my blog would also end. However, I have gotten several requests for a concluding post.
So, after reflecting, these are some of the conclusions I came to about this internship:
I love and miss the people.
When I see the snow floating outside my dorm window, I wish that I could show my host mom what snow feels like. When I have to remind myself to use silverware and sit with my feet on the floor, I wish that I could back to the place where the people encouraged me to relax with my feet up and eat with my fingers.
I never realized how much I connected with the people of Maharashtra until I left. Modern technology has been wonderful for keeping in touch with my Indian friends, but I would love to see them again.
India gave me a fuller view of culture.
While I had visited several countries before India, living in a country is a completely different experience. For two months, I was completely immersed in messy, crowded, beautiful India.
During my stay, I eagerly learned all that I could about the colorful Indian culture. By engaging in an Eastern culture, I gained so many priceless insights that I will carry for the rest of my life.
The work that I did in India is only the beginning.
This is the most important point! While my trip ended many weeks ago, the lessons that I learned have propelled me into my future work.
In October, I was a group leader for the Global Youth Institute and presented my research. It was absolutely thrilling to see the hundreds of students who care about the same problems that I do. I know that many of them are on track to change the world in their own way.
More personally, my work teaching at the school in India changed my life. Which leads me to the second part of this post…
Looking Forward
Before I left for India, I hastily selected a major to simply take care of paperwork as I rushed to get everything else completed before flying to the other side of the world.
“English as a Second Language (ESL) Education. That’s doing things abroad, right? Sounds good enough for now. I’ll change it when I get back,” I thought as I sprinted through the paperwork.
Little did I know that, down a bumpy dirt road in Maharashtra, there was a little school full of children who were learning English as a second language. Over the course of two months, I spent hours with these children and teachers.
As the weeks went by, I saw the importance of language training and education. I had no idea that I would fall in love with these children in that little school at the end of a bumpy road in Maharashtra.
When I returned to the States, I surprised myself by not changing my major. Then, opportunities popped up everywhere.
I thought that getting an ESL degree meant that I would spend the rest of my career in a classroom, which I was not absolutely sure I wanted that. Yet, “ESL majors needed here” seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. I was so shocked but immensely reassured.
So, for right now, I’m sticking with the ESL Education major. I do not know what career God is leading me towards, but I know that He is preparing me for it now.
For right now, I am so happy to be at college and learning more than I ever thought was possible. I am building amazing friendships and refreshing old ones.
Above all, I am so thrilled to be a part of the work that God is doing. Even though I could not see it, He orchestrated my trip in India to prepare me for my next steps in life.
Into India 
And that is the way God works! What you are doing now is part of the path leading you to His purposes!
LikeLike