The writing of this post came at a time when I was (and still am) struggling to figure out how I would possibly describe and explain my experience here to family, friends, and even casual enquirers once back at home. For you Carpe students about to embark on your own journeys here in India, though, there is no point in trying to explain it… each of us will have had an entirely different experience, though we all will have been challenged and will have grown in an impossible variety of ways – and you will face challenges of your own soon enough. So in the meantime, the only wisdom I have to share with you all right now is just to let yourself be challenged and don’t be afraid to confide in your community. I could not be more thankful for the support (in forms as diverse as the personalities in our group – our little Carpe fam), encouragement, and even the unintentional challenges from every member of my group. Get invested, dive deep, and do your best to be present in the moment. It’s hard if you let it be, but it is all the more rewarding if you do (take my word for it). Plus: there’s a ridonkulous amount of laughter and giggles too 🙂
Hmmm. Maybe I do know how to sum it up my experience: A thousand billion percent worth every ounce of it.
Love to Shayna, Margaret, Lilia, Jake, Avy and Grant