Preparing for Home

The last few weeks were spent in Varanasi. Our site coordinator was a religion professor at Banaras Hindu University, thus every day was packed with learning more about Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, primarily. Excursions were made to places such as the shrine of Kabir, Sarnath (site of the Buddha's first sermon), temples of Lord Shiv, Durga, Vishnu, Kali, and most of the ghats of Banaras. We followed some of the primary pilgrimage routes, witnessed exorcisms, and met with Tantric masters that use skulls to commune with restless spirits. Despite the recent bombings and diversity of religions, I still found Varanasi to be a notably welcoming city, if not peaceful.

To conclude the semester where we began, we arrived in Delhi yesterday via train. This coming week focuses primarily on wrapping up interviews and giving presentations on our fieldwork before the program officially ends on Dec. 9th.

Just before leaving the States in August, I had the powerful urge to stay home out of the insecurities that anticipation inevitably brings. The anticipation of India also flooded my senses with an overwhelming feeling of excitement as I prepared to embark to a country that I knew so little about.
I can say that similar feelings of both excitement and trepidation are now rising as my classmates and I prepare to leave. India is a very special place and looking back on the last four months has caused all of us here to feel nostalgic for it. In many ways, we've grown so accustomed to the culture here that the thought of being back in the States seems more alien than being in India does.
This country is a land of endless paradoxes that frustrate some people and fascinate others. Much of what determines what you find depends on personal experiences and the specific time and place. To say that this country is diverse is an incredible understatement. Some people have come and told me they would never return while others could not get enough of it. I can say with absolute certainty that I am personally among the latter and have grown quite attached. This will be my last post, if things go accordingly, for at least a year and a half.