Destiny is Calling

I am currently sitting at my gate in SFO, awaiting my connecting flight to Dubai on my way to Kolkata. It’s surreal! I know I was meant to post my first blog a week prior to my departure, but I just submitted my final project this afternoon and have not been able to think about anything else. I still don’t know what to think. As far as feelings go, I feel uncertain in the sense that I honestly have no idea what to expect from this new country or experience. However, this uncertainty is exciting, as with no expectations, I am completely prepared to be amazed. In terms of worries, I have no immediate concerns, as I settled them immediately as they arose while taking the course. If I had to come up with a worry on the spot, it would be of health concerns completely out of my control, including sustaining multiple, painful mosquito bites, as I did during my month in Sicily last summer, or becoming sick from tainted food or drink. However, I prefer not to dwell on these possibilities, as positivity is the best policy.

In terms of my particular placement, I want to learn more about India. I no longer want to consider India as the place where Indian food comes from or where one billion people reside, but as what it is. I want to really know India as the country full of culture and varied experiences as opposed to my life in the United States, and I want all the details in between. I want it all, everything I can get. From Destiny, I hope to learn how to manage a for-profit business with seemingly charitable attributes. I want to learn from the girls in the non-profit sector and form lasting friendships. I want to learn from the women and their hardships, as well as how they found their way out and what role Destiny played in it all. What does Destiny mean to them? What does it mean to me? I would also like to expand upon my knowledge of human trafficking that began during my high school years. I want to know what it truly means for those who are facing and combatting it. I want to understand the deeper indications of its involvement in society. How does it start? How can you catch it? How can you stop it? Most of all, I want to learn to be present and make the most of my limited time. I hope to do so by finding time in between work to volunteer for the services started by Saint Mother Teresa and attend the church in which she served, to walk just the slightest bit in, perhaps tiptoe or even just try on, her shoes. Onward to Kolkata!