A few days ago, we left India with everyone still sorting out their thoughts and emotions. I think it's safe to say that everybody came away changed in some way. When we had our post-port reflection meeting on the night after we left, I sensed that a lot of people were like me and still had not digested enough of India to talk about it. It also depended on where you went in India, how you got there, and how off the beaten path you were willing to go and how much you were willing to engage people or willing to let them engage you.
Don Gogniat, our global studies teacher gave a pop quiz on the day after India. He asked each of us to think about a person in India that we had encountered and what had made that encounter meaningful and to write it down. This is our "toothbrush person," so everytime you brush you teeth, you should think about this person. Don had us fold the sheets of paper and put our name and address on the outside. In a year from now, he will mail these back to us--a powerful memory. I don't think any of us had a problem coming up with a person to write about.
Some of the people who did speak in post-port mentioned:
A 14 year old boy who walked along with a student and had a conversation. He had to to out on the street to sell stuff, go to school, and then return to the street to sell more stuff.
A trip to the Taj Mahal where their group was waiting for a SAS student and while a group of local girls were taking pictures of the group. The narrator said that she climbed over the low fence to meet the girls, and it turned out that they were visiting the Taj as well and were very interested in hearing about the SAS group. They left saying that they would never forget this encounter.
A group of guys was bartering with cab drivers when one of them introduced himself as Johnny Boy and wanted to be friends. At the end of the day, he took them home to have dinner with his family. These guys were taken with this generosity and vowed to do the same for tourists to the U.S. in the future. (Note: I met Johnny Boy the next morning after he had taken a group of students to the airport and one of them had left his ID card in the taxi. Johnny Boy made sure I got it to get back to the owner).
A group of students went on a service project to a village, and they were concerned that it would just turn out to be a photo op. Instead, the entire village came out to welcome them and gave them flowers. In the end, the benefit was less about the brick laying and more about just the presence of the students in their village.
One decided that you really can't answer "How'd you like India?" A taxi driver took them to a place where elephants are trained, and they actually waded into the river to help scrub the elephant (which the elephant enjoyed very much).
One person wrestled with advising other visitors on making judgments about people. She decided that it was best to just wonder about them instead.
A trip to a disabled children's home had a greater impact on the SAS students than it did on the children.
We'll be talking about India for the rest of the trip. Many of us did encounter people who love the U.S. and recognize what a great place we live in. We also heard how much they like President Obama. The memory that sticks in my head is a 3 yr. old girl standing in the midst of us begging. She was in the process of teaching her even smaller sister to beg and the smaller girl was just holding out her hand saying "please, please, please".
Many of the students got a henna tattoo while in India. These are painted on and last for a least a week. Some were done on the ship a part of a cultural group on the first day of port. Some were done in port at an parlor, and at least one was done when a family was walking down a street, had a chance encounter with a local family and was invited into their house to have the tattoo done.
And even though we are far from home, on St. Patrick's day, at least half the ship donned appropriate clothing to celebrate.
The different seas are having their group photos made. I chanced on this one from inside the faculty lounge. The photographer was on the deck above.
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