Erin Goes to India: Trying to Find the Words

It has been a week.

A week since I packed my bags for the last time. A week since I held their hands, since I hugged and kissed them goodbye. A week since I sat in the back of that 12 passenger van, unable to take my eyes off the sights all around me. A week since I sat in that airport and swore that I would not eat Indian food again for a very long time. A week since I peered out the window of that tiny jetplane as its propellers whirred, marking the beginning of my journey back to the USA.

And in that week I have:

• Gotten a new car.
• Gotten a new haircut.
• Started a new job.
• Begun multiple [unfinished] blog posts.
• Spent hours sifting through hundreds pictures of beautiful Indian children over and over.
• Talked non-stop about India to anyone that will listen.

By the end of my trip, I thought I was ready to go home. I missed my family, my bed, my shower, my food. And yet, within 24 hours of being home, I was missing India--this face in particular:

This is Manik Basa. He is one of the sweetest, funniest 5-year-olds I have ever met. He likes to color [in the lines], play tag, take pictures, and cuddle. And he will go down the very steep and scary slide, but only if you hold his hand all the way down. I fell in love with this little guy almost immediately and if I could have stuffed him in my suitcase and brought him home, I would have in a heartbeat. Instead of bringing him home, I left a piece of my heart there with him. Though I have missed many of the kids at Miracle Garden, I have missed him most of all. 

It has been so hard for me to figure out how to put my thoughts and feelings about India into words. This is the first blog post in a week that has even come close to being finished! [Go me!] 

Stay tuned, though. I did keep a journal every day of those two weeks, so I'm sure I'll find the words soon enough. 

Until then, you can watch this video of my trip! I've watched it approximately ten million times already...