Last few thoughts on India

It’s been about a week since I’ve been back home and I figured this would be a good time to pen down some final thoughts about my experience in Jaipur. The entire trip was fantastic. From interacting with the kids to the delicious food to the wonderful volunteers, I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Let me start off by talking about the people I met on this trip. Amita and Pranay are the people who run Sankalp. They’re a married couple who have been doing this for the past 6 years. They really took great care of us and went out of their way to make us feel at home. I was in India for Christmas and New Year’s and they put up a Christmas tree for us and decorated the living room with lots of lights. It was a small, but really touching gesture because this was about the time when most people were starting to feel homesick. We even had a cake (which apparently tasted like chlorine) on Christmas Day. For NYE, they set up a bonfire on the terrace, along with lots of unnaturally potent beer and a music system, which led to a long and incredibly fun night of dancing. Finally, we set off about 240 fireworks at midnight, which was amazing. It was a crazy night and a great way to bring in 2014.

The other volunteers were all really awesome too, which is good because all of us had to live together. There were three girls from Australia: Eden, Caroline, and Georgie. Eden had already been there for 5 weeks and was working on the women empowerment project. Caroline and and Georgie came a week after me and were also gonna be there for 2 weeks. They were also part of the street kids project. Dilmi and Gorm were two volunteers from Norway, who were gonna be in Jaipur for 4 months! Seriously, so jealous! Dilmi was also part of the street kids project while Gorm was going to be teaching at the government school. Kirsten (from Canada) arrived the same day I did and was also going to be there for 2 weeks, while Sarah (an Irish woman from Canada) left a week after I arrived and had already been there for 5 weeks. Both of them were also part of the street kids project. It was really awesome getting to know everyone’s story and meeting so many different people from all over the world. Everyone got along really well with each other and I’ve definitely got some great memories from the time that we all spent together.

And then, there was Asha. She was the local teacher at the school and she's pretty much the only one the kids would listen to (she had a stick). She was an incredibly sweet woman who would always be eager to help. I can't even count the number of instances I had to run to her for help because one of my kids was trying to escape from the school grounds. It was also pretty cute to see her trying to learn English using pretty much the same techniques the kids were taught (which mostly consisted of repetitions and memorizations).

After living in Jaipur for 2 weeks, I was totally in love with it. Everyone had told me that Jaipur was a great city and I now totally understand why. The people are incredibly sweet and it felt a lot more laid back to me than Delhi (which is my main source of comparison). I’m not sure how safe the city is but I also rarely felt unsafe, even when talking to strangers, which usually consisted of auto rickshaw drivers. The forts were amazing, the bazaars were crazy, and the food was heavenly.

I feel like every time I go to India, I leave feeling like a completely different person. I remember after I got back from my trip to Ladakh/Himalayas last summer, I had a completely new perspective on everything. Coming back from Jaipur has had a similar effect on me. Leaving Jaipur was hard, not just because I was going to miss the kids and the new friends I had made, but also because I was leaving a space where I truly felt content and at peace. Life was simpler. Not necessarily easier or more convenient, but definitely simpler. And if anything, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to be happy (or at least not complain) in no matter what situation I’m in. If the kid living in a tent by the side of the road, with 6 brothers and sisters and no father, in the middle of winter can find a way to do this, anyone can.