For the past seventeen days, I've made you my home. You have been nothing but hospitable. Never once did I feel unwelcome. You've opened me up to numerous new experiences, and shown me some of the most breathtaking sights of my life. A piece of you will always live in my heart.
India, you are now so much more than an area on the map and stories on the news. I see now an ancient country, that is paradoxally very young and growing. Like an uncut gem, you are rough around the edges. You are still a developing country, and are all that goes with that term. But the key word is developing. I see changes happening before my very eyes. I see infrastructure being put in place where there were none the week before. Questions about women's rights and euthanasia are littering the newspapers. Wages in manufacturing, IT, and everything in between are flying through the roof. Yes, you are quickly being polished into a glowing jewel. To be precise, 1.2 billion jewels. A force to be reckoned with. The tools are all there - democracy, inter-cultural tolerance, spreading education. It's just a matter of time.
I now have the gnawing hunger to learn all there is to learn about you, India. Perhaps this is a quixotic task for a landmass and culture that is more akin to Europe than a single country - and one that is constantly changing. But, to borrow a phrase, I'll give it my level best!
India, today we part ways. Even though I haven't quite left, I already miss you. I leave you in the care of the many friends made here. I eagerly await the day I get a chance to return and explore the many, many treasures I've yet unearthed. I'm a different person than the one that left the airport in Ottawa what seems like eons ago. A better person, for sure.
Thank you.
India, you are now so much more than an area on the map and stories on the news. I see now an ancient country, that is paradoxally very young and growing. Like an uncut gem, you are rough around the edges. You are still a developing country, and are all that goes with that term. But the key word is developing. I see changes happening before my very eyes. I see infrastructure being put in place where there were none the week before. Questions about women's rights and euthanasia are littering the newspapers. Wages in manufacturing, IT, and everything in between are flying through the roof. Yes, you are quickly being polished into a glowing jewel. To be precise, 1.2 billion jewels. A force to be reckoned with. The tools are all there - democracy, inter-cultural tolerance, spreading education. It's just a matter of time.
I now have the gnawing hunger to learn all there is to learn about you, India. Perhaps this is a quixotic task for a landmass and culture that is more akin to Europe than a single country - and one that is constantly changing. But, to borrow a phrase, I'll give it my level best!
India, today we part ways. Even though I haven't quite left, I already miss you. I leave you in the care of the many friends made here. I eagerly await the day I get a chance to return and explore the many, many treasures I've yet unearthed. I'm a different person than the one that left the airport in Ottawa what seems like eons ago. A better person, for sure.
Thank you.
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