I'll Be Home for Christmas...

I'm ending my journey back where I began it - in Peter Donuts Coffee with Manali. I will go from here to Mumbai, to London, to Dallas, to Birmingham, and then drive to Tuscaloosa. Its pretty surreal that its actually happening. It was hard saying goodbye to friends and family back home before I left, but its much stranger saying goodbye to people that I may never have the chance to meet up with ever gain.

The past week has been such whirlwind with the Christmas concert, getting everything in place for the new Volunteer Coordinator at Deep Griha, and the many goodbyes. The Christmas concert was a lot of fun. The kids were so cute and enthusiastic, and it definitely didn't matter that they were still confused about a lot of the words. I was just happy they were having fun with it, and love that they continue to yell "ZHJINGLE BELLS" despite my attempts at getting them to softly sing "Jingle Bells." I also think the kids our school are much nicer than most American kids I have ever known, myself included. We passed out candy to the kids, telling them they could each have one piece of each kind we were giving out. I expected them (as I would expect most elementary school age kids) to lie about how many pieces they had received in order to get more, but they were so honest. Every kid I asked, "Have you had the red candy?" who had a piece showed me their wrapper, not asking for more. I don't know what they do differently here to get kids to do that, but I was so impressed.

I was also incredibly impressed by the gift given to me by the students in the 6th standard class. They are the smallest class and the oldest (ages 11 and 12). They gave me a gift at the concert that they said I had to open in front of them after the concert was over. I brought the gift to their classroom afterwards, and it was a giant card they made with a fold out Christmas tree inside, along with a picture of Santa they had drawn. On the back was attached a hand-made enveloped filled with mango candy. One of the girls in the class instructed me, "When you go back to America, you taste American candy, and then tell me which one is better!"While I may prefer American chocolate to Indian candy, it certainly doesn't come with the same heart as the hard mango-flavored Indian candy.

I feel so overflowed with generosity from everyone I've been around over the past week. Along with the kids, I've had two amazing going away dinners over the past two nights. The French teacher I've been working with at school, Delphi, invited me and several other volunteers over to her house for a meal on Friday night. We were treated to delicious French food she has brought to Pune - wine, cheese, fancy scotch, a beef stew (I know, beef!), and chocolate mousse. It was a wonderful departure from Indian food, which I'm sure I will miss too.

Last night was my last night in Pune, and Priyanka hosted a small gathering at her house for me and Golshan's departure. It was just the three of us and MK, and was a lovely final evening in Pune. We sat around eating chicken tikka masala, naan, and cake, and it was such a relaxing last night in town.

I'm so grateful for all of the friends I have made in this city, and the kindness everyone has shown me. India can be an incredibly frustrating place to live, but it also has some of the best people I have ever met. I've made friends here who make me want to be a better a person, who have gone out of their way to make me feel at home. While I'm excited to go home, I know I will miss all of the people I have met on this adventure.

By the way, Merry Christmas!

Down to the Wire

Well, I'm beginning my last week in India today, which is pretty strange to say. Usually when things like this come to an end, people always say, "the time went by so fast! I can't believe its over!" I don't think that's exactly the way I feel about my duration of time here. Its been both inch worm slow and remarkably fast at times. Its kind of like I've been in a time warp for the past four months.

I think the weather has also has something to do with that. When I arrived it was summer in the U.S., and until the past week it has continued to feel like summer in India. Only now would I classify the temperature here as "almost fall." Still warm in the day, but fairly chilly at night. Returning home will be somewhat of a weather shock. At least I live in the South.

Last week I traveled to Goa, which was a wonderfully relaxing holiday. Well, eventually. The first night of my stay was the first time I've gotten sick in India, which is kind of incredible considering how long I've been here. Not quite sure what did it - probably some vegetables rinsed in tap water - but let's just say I don't think I'll be able to handle seafood curry for a long time. After feeling a bit better from stomach situation, Manali and I completed 10 kilometers of the Goa Half Marathon! We meant to do the whole thing...but with my stomach still recovering, and Manali having an oblique sprain, we decided it was best to call it quits after 10k. I didn't complete a half marathon in India, but I'd rather both of us remain injury free.

After two days with Manali and her family, I went to South Goa to meet up with my friend and sorority sister, Meera! It was crazy getting to spend time in Goa with two friends that I went to college with. Its such a small world. Meera and I and three of her friends from her program in Udaipur spent the rest of our time doing nothing but relaxing on the beach, and watching all the Russians go by. I kid you not, there are so many Russians in Goa. I've been told there's a Russian mafia connection in Goa. There were menus and signs written in Russian, and even Russian announcements made in the airport. The airport staff was really confused when I told them I was flying to Pune and not Moscow.

Example of one of the many beach shacks in Goa targeted at Russians:

It was really wonderful getting to see Meera, and compare both of our experiences volunteering in India. I get so inspired talking to her and volunteers. There are so many more things I would like to do and see in India, but I have no idea when that will be.

The Christmas concert with the kids at school will be my last accomplishment in India, happening this Friday! I'm crossing my fingers that the students just partially remember the lyrics and dance moves. I didn't realize until now what a difficult song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is to learn, especially with English as a second language. For those of you who think its a simple Christmas song, think again. And explaining things like reindeer, sleighs,  and even snow, is also tricky in a country with none of those things.

That's it for now. One more week until America!

Happy Holidays - India Style

One of the most interesting things about living in Pune is what an international city it is. Maybe I should have guessed that in a city of 5 million people it would be home to many foreigner as well, but I didn’t. Going out I’ve met so many other people from around the world interning, working, and volunteering here. My thanksgiving in Pune may not have anywhere close to traditional, but it was really cool getting to celebrate with people from all around the world. Our group had representatives from India, Canada, England, and America. We went out to dinner at a restaurant in Pune called Tertullia, and I found the most Thanksgiving-ish dish I could: herb-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, and a piece of apple pie for dessert. I was pretty happy with the spread.

Not only does Pune make me feel more connected around the world, but it has also shown me how small the world really is. I went to a wedding last night that proved this more than anything else. The bride, Kristina, is from my hometown, and her parents know my aunt and uncle, and have even been to my house in Tuscaloosa. One of the girls in the bridal party also happens to be really good friends with a girl I went to high school with in Birmingham. Hearing so many Southern accents in India was one of the most awesome and bizarre things I’ve experienced here so far.

In other news, teaching Christmas songs to kids with limited English (and me with even less Marathi) is much harder than expected. 5^th and 6^th standard are pretty quick learners, but every grade lower than that has been much more challenging. We decided to stick with dance moves instead of singing with the Pre-Primary kids. I never knew I would come to India and be a choreographer. Fortunately I have another volunteer, Golshan from Canada, helping me come up with moves, so I don’t feel like as much of a goof dancing around the volunteer house in our free time.

I know its blurry, but here is a picture from my Indian Thanksgiving.

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!