Day 72: Farewell to India.....

Day 72: Well today is my last day in India. It has been a mixed emotion for me at times I have wanted to pull my hair out at being frustrated with the overpopulation and lack of structure in India. At times I have wanted to embrace the people around me with their passion for life and kindness. India is a country that will keep you on your toes. It is the true hard reality of life the povery and overpopulation is striking and is all around you and it is very hard to escape.. When I first came I thought boy a month and a half in India could I survive. As I sit at the airport I realize the world that could have been mine. Seeing all the Indian names of some of my friends and families across the stores. Being able to walk into a clothing store and be overwhelmed my colors of clothese that look great on my complexion, where often times I struggle in the U.S.. Being able to walk up to a cosmetic counter and find colors of lipsticks and foundations that look great on my complexion. India is a country where family and family values are important. I have found most of the Indian people of be nice, friendly, and helpful. They are considerate people and when drinking water to do not put their lips to the bottle, so they can share with other people their water. I always feel very honored when other Indian people are curious as to where I am from, etc....

I can just imagine how my parents felt when they first came to the U.S. in 1960's. When they first
came to the U.S. they would leaf thru the white pages of the phone book, in hopes of finding other Indian that they could befriend. That's how they have found most of their oldest good friends. To this day my mother still religiously watches her Indian TV shows and movies, going out her Indian friends, still religiously cooking Indian food for lunch and dinner. I feel fortunate to have been brought up in two cultures. Having grown up in the western culture, it was a battle to fit in, to be able to go on dates, to go to the prom and other dances at school, which I was not allow to go to. My parents gave up quite a lot coming to the U.S. and starting over to give themselves and their children a better opporutnity.

I feel fortuante to have grown up in two cultures. The Indian culture with the strong family values, compassionate, and helpfulness to others and the western culture where I have more opportunities as a woman, where i can flourish and grow. I now understand my parents concern about always savings as there is so much poverty around you. I feel that being grown up in two cultures and not being feeling completely fitting into one has given me the opporunity to appreciate more and not take things for granted. I feel happy to have gotten a glimpse into culture and a world that is a part of me. So today I proudly stand as an Indian American. ....