March 2011 (Originally published in The Cooperstown Crier)
Almost eight months into my Rotary Exchange to India, I have been gifted with a plethora of life-changing experiences which have taught me a great deal about the world, it’s people, and most importantly, myself. So far I have learned to make decisions carefully, know when to refuse and when to accept, how to live in a different culture, that I should never take anything for granted, that everything in my life happens for a reason, and that I must always allow people to make their mark on me, for better or for worse.
Which brings me to the eighth thing I learned in India; face your problems head on and with a clear mind. Things may seem bad, but if you just calm yourself down long enough to understand your situation, you will soon find a solution for every problem, or a way to live with it. Two weeks ago my Rotary Counselor sent a text to tell me that I had to switch families, and to do so as soon as possible. The family designated for my move was the one I had spent 6.5 months with previously. I was less than excited to leave my current host family, in which I had been very happy, but I was almost devastated when faced with the prospect of returning to that house where I had spent so many idle hours in front of the TV or computer. I knew that if I returned there I would fall back into the void where the outside world seems to cease to exist for long stretches of time, and all there is to do is sleep, or think, or sweat through the heat. I cringed at the thought of being back there for another 2 long months. The next day, I told my counselor that, and as a result, my destination was switched to the house where Mary, another American girl lived. Even in my rather senseless, self-pitying state, I understood that if I reverted to living in close quarters with her again, the rest of my time would be comprised of a whole lot of complaining and bad moods, the result of two exchange students living together. However, in due time, my counselor found a new family that was ready to host me. I had become friends with their son and I knew they were a good family, and I was very excited to go there. I found that with new, happy prospects ahead, I could think clearly and more easily reconcile myself to the cons of the new arrangement.
And so I moved. The house is rather old, awkwardly arranged, and complete with the almost typical Gujarati family. The man goes to work, the woman stays home, doing nothing more than cooking, sleeping, and watching TV all day. The food is oily and unhealthy. But the biggest worry for me, as a teenager of the 21st century, was the lack of internet. In this day and age, being without internet is difficult, especially if constant internet-based communication is a must. The first night I didn’t know what to do. In the middle of trying to choose a college, finding a summer job, and planning my mom’s trip to India, I was stranded without that so necessary technology I had come to take for granted. But the next day, I found some ways around it, including the occasional use of the USB modem my new family has at their office, and visits to my friends’ houses who have internet.
I took my situation and, by facing my problem, found a way to live with it. And I know I will get by. I have proven that I have the ability to adapt, a skill infinitely useful in a place like India.