Three Years Later

We didn’t plan it this way; we couldn’t have if we tried. We moved to India on November 2, 2006 with dreams of a great adventure and hopes that we might make a better future for ourselves through the opportunity of living overseas. We gave up a lot to do that, we sacrificed two years and eight months away from our friends and family, we gave up our home and all of our material possessions, we dove headfirst into an unknown and foreign culture and left the familiar half a world away. We also put our loved ones through a lot during that time, we knew that the experience would not only be hard on us, but may even be tougher for those we were leaving behind as we were sure they would always worry about us.

Looking back over our time in India I am so glad that we had the experience and that we took the chance that we did. We made some wonderful friends that will be always be integral parts of our lives; we had some great adventures and saw some beautiful places. But it was never easy, it was never HOME and I could never be comfortable. As they say, I was a stranger in a strange land and there was no real place for us there, we just didn’t fit. Our values, morals and humanity didn’t match up well with the rest of the culture. To be sure, there were exceptions to the rule and we made some like-minded friends, but for the most part we found it difficult to fit in. Forget that, it was impossible to fit in and even if we lived in India for 50 years it wouldn’t change that fact that we were foreigners and would never be anything else. Because of that leaving was easy. I was most sad to leave the beautiful street dogs that I had grown to love and I still think of them often and hope that they are healthy, happy and loved. It was difficult to say good-bye to my friends but I was comforted to know that they are never more than an email away. It was also hard to be too sad as though I was leaving some friends, I was also returning to friends and family that we were looking forward to reconnecting with.

Now we’re home and have been for a few short months. But those months have been so busy, we have begun to catch up with those that we missed so desperately for so long and we have tried to settle down into a routine and remind ourselves that we are back for good. Despite the bad economic situation I was able to find a part-time teaching position just weeks after returning and have enjoyed the beginning of a new career away from the research bench. Eric has settled back into his job and our Mira and Chaya have adjusted well to their new adoptive country. We are happy, happy that we have had the opportunities that took us to India, and happy that we are now home. And exactly three years after arriving in India we have finally truly come home as we bought our new house today, a place that we hope to stay and grow and make many memories.

There really is no place like home.