Day 12 - Home We Go

Rise and shine!

Today was our last day in India and while most of us were surely homesick by then, departure was bittersweet. We first started our day with a scrumptious breakfast provided by Fortune Park Hotel and many of us filled our tummies with puri, daal, vadai and many more local delicacies.

After stuffing ourselves full, we proceeded with our final reflection session with Dr Kankana and Ms Soon Fen. With 18 of us huddled in a hotel room, some sitting on the sofas, some on the bed and others sprawled on the floor, the comfortable atmosphere was set for our last reflection. We first began sharing our initial personal objectives for the trip, and our subsequent evaluation of whether we had met those objectives. Those objectives ranged across three areas: Community Development, Culture, and Personal Growth. The two-hour long reflection session passed by quickly as we attentively listened to the stories of others, while also inevitably looking back at how far we have come since day 1.

On day 2 of our trip, many of us fondly remember Ms Soon Fen telling us about the 3 zones of Comfort, Learning, and Panic. Comfort while we settle in normalcy, learning where we learn to stretch ourselves in different areas, and the panic where we are uncomfortable and anxious. While not exhaustive, the 3 zones guided our experiences and interactions for the past two weeks! And we have learnt that there are times where we need to stretch, stretch, and STRETCH! In order to experience the world with a multitude of ways. To see beyond walls. To ensure growth and firmer ground beneath our feet.

After an insightful session, we packed our luggage and off we went to Hansiba, a quaint little shop, selling the beautiful products produced by SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association). In the shop, we admired (and uncontrollably purchased) the intricately embroidered pillow cases, dainty little pouches, and delicate tablecloths printed with beautiful flowers. Many of us left delighted with our purchases (and relatively lighter purses)!

We then took a 30min bus ride to a local mall - Ahmedabad One - which was humongous, brimming with international fashion brands, a wide selection of both international and local delicacies, and a cineplex; we were spoilt for choice! In the end, we all settled comfortably at the foodcourt, ordering a wide variety of dishes to share for our last meal in Ahmedabad! After a hearty meal, we went to the hypermart to fill our carts with many packets of murukku and mung daal, boxes of chai tea, and bottles of pleasant smelling soap!

All good things will come to an end and we later found ourselves at the Ahmedabad airport, waiting for our flight. As we sat around in the departure hall, some spent their last few rupees on addictive snacks and some spent on creamy ice cream. But all of us, inevitably, were in a state of nostalgia, reminiscing all things India. As we walked through the jet bridge, we said our own quiet goodbyes to India. India, you have been good to us and we are certain that these precious memories will be etched in our minds! :D