..I like to be here when I can. I’m freshly arrived in Chicago for
Christmas for a too-brief rendez-vous with the (entire) fam before heading
back to St Olaf College for the January semester.
Goa was excellent. I’ve had much time in airports and on trains and planes
over the ensuing five days of ravel to think (maybe a little too much
time), and it’s become clear that I’ll be making sense of my semester in
India for a long time to come. I’ve gained so much already in confidence,
experience and perspective, not to mention first-hand knowledge of some of
the problems and joys of my fellows on the other side of the globe. I
invested a lot in this semester, and I’m certain the returns from this
experience will continue to accrue for years. (Okay, it’s a shoddy stock
market analogy, but hey at least it’s not a football one!)
My emails have been upbeat for the most part, and they reflect the
innumerable kindnesses we’ve received from the people we’ve met. However,
there has been much frustration, complaining, and brooding over some of the
things I’ve encountered (I’ll let you know ALL about it if you ask). But
the negative things we’ve experienced have been far outweighed by all the
good. To be reminded of that, all I have to do is think of the names of
Clara, Karpa, Geetha, Pown, Ram (two of them), Irene, Zenis Das, Nandita,
Boma, Dr Manohar, Mr Amalan, Anirouth, Nurse Julia, Datta, Siva, Ms Ancy
Augustine, Kumeresan, Kumaram, Azad, Ms Vijayalexmi (two of them), and Drs
Britto, Sabesan and Kalyana to name a few. There are many more, many of
them anonymous. They are the reason I’ve been able to thrive in India and
they have made me feel so welcome there. They gave me their time and sweat
and in some cases their blood. No joke – one milliliter apiece to serve as
controls in my study! Thank you so much. I look forward to visiting you
again.
In addition I have to thank profusely the folks at the International
Studies Office at St Olaf for support in some tight situations.
The trio of professors who have prepared us since the start and made this
all possible deserve the sincerest gratitude. You know who you are (and
we’ll be seeing a lot of each other as I revise my two papers over the next
few weeks!).
And of course there are my exceptional companions, who have all improvised
and adapted with me in numerous situations. I’ve grown quite fond of all of
them and we’ll be working hard together to get next year’s group both
excited and prepared.
One final thanks for everyone who read or responded: thank you for
appreciating my efforts to share my experience. I hope I have not
ploddingly conveyed my wonder for this amazing country and I look forward
to seeing each of you soon.
Everyone have a great Christmas or otherwise depending on your gods; and
once again I am ever your loving,
Isaac H.
pseudoisaac 