USEFI (United States Educational Foundation in India) organized the annual Fulbright conference in Manipal in the southern state of Karnataka near the city of Mangalore. It was really fun to be reunited with the other seven US Teachers as well as about 50 other Americans who were primarily University Professors, Researchers, and Doctoral Candidates. The theme of the conference was "Evolving Contemporary Fields for Fellowship in South Asia" in which we spent three days in discussions about our various experiences in India (although there were also a handful of participants assigned to Sri Lanka and Nepal).
It was a nice time and Jessie and the boys got to spend some quality time with some other families who have come along for the Indian adventure. We spent a part of the last day touring the Manipal University campus and at an old age home for the elderly doing some outreach.
But the highlight was having Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and all the fixins at an incredible beach house with our extended American family. It was heartwarming when we all sang "This Land is Your Land" followed by "Jana Gana Mana", the Indian National Anthem. I had tears in my eyes, knowing that this whole thing was coming to an end in a few short weeks. I felt homesick but I wouldn't have stepped onto a plane home for all the money in the world.Of course I have a lot to be thankful for - a lovely family tops the list. But I took the particular point in time to give thanks for the amazing experience we have been given in India and specifically for the amazing people it has connected us to. My new Indian friends top the list - Dr. Sharma and Sudha and their amazing daughters, my colleagues at KVT like GS Reddy, Mohammad and Elancharian, my neighbors and friends Hemanth, Bhanogee, Lakshmi, Shalem, and Chinu, and perhaps most importantly the warm students from my classes XI A and B and IX C and E. Their faces remind me of my students back at CHS in so many ways - so much hope, energy, and possibility. Seeing their faces lights me up each day (OK, most days, when they aren't sweating their "marks" and Vinay isn't bunking my class) and reminds me of why I became a teacher and why I still want to teach every day.
What is India? I have started asking myself this question lately and am getting somewhat reflective in the final weeks...
1 comment:
What a delightful surprise to find your blog and a photo of my husband and photos of all of you Fulbrighters! I hope you all have a great wrap-up to this amazing exchange.
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