Reflections from My Learning Journey

(Written on the plane from Dubai to Atlanta on Sunday, May 31st, 2015)

We now have one hour left in our almost 16-hour flight back home. The time was quite manageable because I had a plan: watch Downton Abbey until dinner, take a Benadryl at dinner, sleep for 7 hours, wake up, watch a movie, write in journal/read until breakfast, nap until landing. I’m getting the hang of these long flights now. The movie I watched was The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and I reminisced on the scenes and culture I had just experienced a few days before in Jaipur, Rajasthan -- India’s Pink City. Still in disbelief that I had actually seen those places with my own eyes.

During what I’m calling my Learning Journey to India, I was intentional about living each moment; experiencing each detail—from the frustrating Indian way of doing business, intense heat, dusty haze, chaotic traffic, roaming livestock, deplorable waste management system, pushy hawkers and sales people; to the endearing hotel and tour staff, rich colorful variety of saris, palatial opulence, incredible ancient craftsmanship, beautiful children, and delicious food. Every moment—be in it. I constantly convinced myself not to dismiss my irritation with the dynamics of my global consulting project to think about upcoming fun times touring with me sister; not to rush through to the grounds of the ancient palace to be back in the air conditioned car; not to miss the details of the craft mart wishing ahead to the elephant ride; not to miss the sights in the streets fumbling to see if my phone had wi-fi (which it usually didn’t). Just be in the moment, I reminded myself, because you won’t be here much longer. This time tomorrow you will be somewhere else, experiencing something else new.

And, I’m still in awe of those new experiences—all of them. India is like no place I’ve ever seen. As many have said before, it is a total assault on your senses. And I appreciate what my senses have sensed. That my hands touched and fed an elephant named Laylah, and felt the semi-precious stones in the walls of ancient palaces. That my arms hugged excited young Indian girls wanting to take pictures with my straw hat, and gave goodbye hugs to our sweet, endearing tour staff Nidhi, Ashish, Deepak, and Satya. That my feet walked the marble flooring of the Taj Mahal, and walked in forts where Indian kings once ruled. That my ears heard the intrusive, incessant honking of autos and bikes on chaotic city streets, and the voices of the most beautiful children, I dare say, in the world. That my taste buds reveled in every serving of masala, biryani, dosa, pani-pani, upma, uttapam, parantha, kulfi, and of course, fresh mango. That my soul felt the frustration at the unbalanced distribution of wealth, and felt the joy and laughter shared between my sister Jessica and me during a trip of a lifetime.

When preparing to leave, I was neither anxious to come back (though I was pining for central air conditioning by then), nor wishing to stay longer. I was content with whatever stage of the journey I was in; and ready for whatever step comes next. Now that I’m back, if I didn’t have the pictures and the memories to chronicle it, I would think that I had dreamt it all. As my birthday season approaches, it is no secret that my annual month-long celebration of life has begun; this year it began a few weeks early. What a gift to myself—to live these moments; all of them fully—the challenges and the joys. My gift to you—I’ll join you in doing the same.

Namaste,

Kimberlee

Here is a link to the online photo album.  

Run the slideshow with captions to follow along the journey.