India & Nepal: History & Culture Through Service Learning

I write this in an internet cafe in Delhi, a city that once scared the bejesus out of me, a city I now find pretty easy to navigate.  The city moves slower now, being on the road for the past six weeks.  I remember I called Delhi, “a cess-pit of dirt and grime, a melting pot of all that is unholy…”  which is incorrect.  It is grimy and dirty, but certainly not unholy.  In fact, holiness pervades nearly every action undertaken by every man, woman, and child.  It is a very religious, holy country.  It is just crowded.  And quite so.

Now, my biggest fear is being culture shocked upon returning to the United States.

There is sadness to this departure, but yes, it is time to leave.  The next time I come abroad I would like to have my college degree, so that perhaps my next adventure could be longer, and contain a paying job.  They need teachers everywhere, and I would be happy to oblige a worthy country in need.

We have seen what poverty is, and what defines it.  What can define it, perhaps, is the eternal human spirit that is able to endure, able to overcome adversity, and smile.  We have seen people that have much less material possessions than Ian or I, but their smiles told us that they contained inside them a happiness I could not begin to imagine.  That is the human spirit.  To be driven by love and not money.  To be spun by the wheels of goodwill rather than of capital.  A smile is a currency all of its own, and to that end, Nepal and India are very rich countries.

This is farewell.  Thank you India, Nepal, and your people.  Thank you to all who have helped us along the way.  A very special thank you to every single member of the Parajuli family, who opened their hearts and homes to us, and who made this experience everything that it was or ever could be.  Thank you for reading.  Namaste.