Well, its here. The last week of my internship with Maitri India. Though I still have 3 weeks of traveling about India to enjoy before I return home to Salt Lake City, a chapter of my life is certainly closing with the end of my work at Maitri. In the next few weeks Shantel and I will be finally get to experience India as tourists do by traveling from the Himalayas down to the sunny beaches of Goa.
When I walked into the Hinckley Institute of Politics last fall, I was looking for an experience that would change my life. Looking at a year off before enrolling in a graduate program had me wondering how I could use that time to make a difference in the world. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
Working with Maitri changed me in the most unexpected ways. I’ve been exposed to the real issues of India as well as the challenges faced by institutions working to combat them. I have also learned to think about life from a new perspective. Upon interacting with vulnerable populations, such as outcast widows, migrant workers, and slum children, I have learned a great deal about what is important in life. They have opened my eyes to just how little we actually need to survive. Maya Angelou said, “we need much less than we think we need.” Who am I to complain about the little things, when there are people living with so much less. Whats more, the children, who have never known any life outside of the slums, continue to brighten the landscape with their smiles and laughter. For the rest of my life, when I find myself complaining for wishing for things that I don’t have, I hope their faces will come to my mind.
Peace, love, namaste:)
