Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Goodbye India

McLeod Ganj was our last stop in our trip and it was definitely the perfect way to end this trip. The Tibetan atmosphere found in McLeod Ganj is so peaceful and extremely different from what have encountered. We had the honor to go to a lama teaching and have a monk talk to us about his hardships in Tibet and making his way to India. Before this trip I had little knowledge about Tibet and their people but now I know the hardships they faced, and are still facing, in Tibet due to the Chinese taking over. While the monk was done talking to us I kept thinking how little I knew about this issue and couldn't imagine who else in the world has no idea about it. I definitely will be mentioning this when talking about my India experience and hope that the world knows more about it and gets involve in saving Tibet.

While in McLeod Ganj we visited the Tong-Len hostel. The Tong-Len hostel visit is definitely one of my favorite parts of this trip and an experience that will forever stay in my heart. On our second visit we listened to the stories of  how thankful the senior kids are for this amazing opportunity and how they want all the other slum kids to prosper in their life starting with their education. The enthusiasm in their faces when they talked about their future life and the things they would do to help the other kids was amazing to see. Tong-Len is doing an amazing thing and providing great opportunities to these kids that one day I would love to become a part of.

After an awesome five days in McLeod Ganj it was time to head back to New Delhi in time to catch our flight back to the states. Arriving to America and adjusting back to my daily life is such a strange feeling. I find myself inspecting all my silverware and cups when I get served dinner at home and automatically laugh at how this has become a habit since we always did it in India. As I'm telling all my friends and family the stories about India I have the biggest smile on my face and realize that I can sit there and talk to them for hours about my experiences but they will never truly know how amazing and challenging this trip has been for me. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this opportunity to go to India and grow as a person. India has definitely opened up my eyes and made me look past the things that I once thought were important in life. It has also taught me that I have a lot more strength than I once thought I did (not just physically but emotionally). This India trip and the people who experienced it with me will always have a special place in my heart and I wish everyone the best! Until next time India!

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