It is the only fruit appreciated by everyone

For years, I remember our close neighbors traveling to India, and always arriving back with baskets of mangoes for our family. They were exquisite and disappeared within days. For me as a young child, mangoes represented India. It was simple; when the Revals went to India they brought back sweet delicious mangoes. I quickly learned that these mangoes could not be replicated in a nearby grocery store, they were a delicacy from a far away land. I looked forward to the Revals trips to India because India meant Mangoes.             However, as a young child eating as much mango as I could stomach in one sitting, I did not realize what I have now learned. A Mango is a symbol of India but it is so much more. Mango’s represent economic stability for those in the fruit business, love in Indian literature, geographical pride, and a piece of heritage for Indians around the world.

Despite the divided class system, the different languages, religions, and people in the huge country of India there is something that brings them together, mangoes. “Some Indians living abroad fly home for a visit during mango season.” The Mango is the king of Fruit, appreciated by everyone.

Tomorrow I will be embarking halfway around the world to the home of the mangos. I think that I am ready, but I have never done anything like this before. I don’t know much about the culture or the food. I am willing to try new things, but I hope that with the students we are working with, with the families we are staying with, with the country of India, I can find some sort of commonality. Even though we are from other sides of the world, we are still teenagers, still people. India finds common ground in mangos, I hope that we can find our own “mangos” that will make us one with the culture. For the three weeks we are there and for the lifetime of memories.

--Meaghan