#India

The past 6 weeks have been some of the most incredible yet the most challenging weeks of my life. Through the ups and the downs, I will never forget my time here in India with my ‘fellow’ fellows. Over the course of 6 weeks, a lot happened. To remember the unforgettable moments, we nicknamed them ‘Global Fellow Moments.’ For my final blog, I wanted to share some of the moments during this trip that ended up having a lasting impression on me.

Our first two Global Fellow Moments happened the second week of our trip. I had wandered up stairs, not knowing we had roof access, to find an expanse of quiet area above all the chaos below. The roof over our heads soon turned into our safe-haven to retreat to at the end of the day — watching sunsets together and breathing in the fresh air. Watching our first sunset together was hands down our first Global Fellows Moment.

A few days later, Riley, Makena, and I were traveling to the Maheshtala Girls High School to interview some of the past Green Rhinos. We hopped out the taxi, confused and dazed where we had ended up… We were clearly lost. The three of us standing on the side of the road, all wearing matching white t-shirts with the animated Green Rhinos logo printed across our chests, looking so unbelievably touristy (OMG), will be an image I hope to never forget! We all turned side-to-side, looked each other up and down, and simply started laughing. The fact that we could stand there lost on the side of the road, all matching (and be okay with it) set the tone for the rest of the trip.

Our third Global Fellows Moment happened while we were spending a weekend in the small town of Santiniketan. This might be my absolutely favorite moment of my trip. While on the train, we met a family who quickly befriended us — including us in all their weekend plans. Fast forward 5 hours, we are sitting in a circle, in their hotel room, listening as they sing us Bengali songs late into the night. All of a sudden, it was after 11pm and we weren’t able to catch a cab ride home! We ended up having to spend the night with the family at the hotel. Our plans may not have gone as planned, but it turned out to be one of the best nights of my life. I wish I could bottle up the feeling of complete warmth and love I experienced. It was a night I hope to never forget.

One of the final Global Fellows Moments happened in the last few days of our time in India. We were fortunate enough to be located in the city of Mother Teresa’s Convent. At the end of our last week in Kolkata, we traveled to The Mother House for 6am mass. Being the prompt Americans that we are, we casually arrived 30min early. We walked around the corner and drank the local milk tea as the sun rose to greet the day, killing time before mass started. I wouldn’t have wanted to start the morning any other way. Drinking tea, watching the sunrise over Kolkata, moments before attending mass at The Mother House. It will be a morning and a mass I will never forget. Sitting cross-legged, surrounded by ‘sisters,’ ‘mothers,’ and a handful of volunteers who had traveled from around the world to volunteer at Mother Teresa’s Convent, we sat in silent prayer to start one of our final days in Kolkata.

As I pack up my belongings and say my goodbyes, it hasn’t hit me yet that I will be leaving this apartment, neighborhood, city, and country that has been my home for the past 6-weeks. I cherish every moment, the good and the bad, from my Global Fellows experience here in Kolkata. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my summer any other way. If I could do it all over again, I would.