While packing for my three week long trip to India, I quickly realized there was so little I could fit in my suitcase. Thus, I was forced to leave so much behind. At first, I worried this was a negative. I can’t bring my family and friends with me, which make me feel so comfortable and loved, no matter where I am in the world. With them by my side, I feel at home. By leaving them behind, I feel out of place.
Read MoreIn coming overseas and taking the (long) flight to India, we leave material items, intangible relationships and assumptions behind. Not only have I left my family: my dad, mom, brother, dogs and house, but I left my home behind.
Read MoreWhat am I going to leave behind? My first answer to this question would be nothing. I am not going anywhere special; it is only 3 weeks and I will be back to normal. Leaving behind things sounds like such a huge decision, and being on a plane at 11 p.m. close to passing out from tiredness is not a state in which big decisions should be made. This attitude, however, will probably not lead to a successful learning experience because such a sudden change of context requires me to change as well.
Read MoreA wet arm sticks out the crack of the car window. A red shirt and waving hand grow distant in the rain as our car moves away from home. I am leaving Reading, Massachusetts and heading to Boston. The first thing I leave behind is my little brother, standing under the frame of our garage.
Read MoreAs I travel to India from the U.S., I leave a few things behind. The first “thing” that comes to mind, a tangible object, is my cello. It is (I hope) standing in its white case in the basement of the music building. While I sit in a cafe on the other side of the world, the calluses on my left-hand fingers seem to grow softer each letter I type into this blog post.
Read MoreI am leaving behind the morning greetings (and sometimes midnight awakenings) of my cat as she jumps on my bed. I am leaving the common glimpses of her basking in the sun and the calming time spent petting the fur of her and of my dog. I am leaving walks and hikes with my dog and with my parents, and the cool breeze that brushes my face as I walk through my neighborhood at night.
Read MoreWhen I embarked on this journey this Friday, I believe I left behind a lot of things. There were a lot of concrete things that I left. This includes my house. The same house I’ve lived in since I was in kindergarten. I left the walls, corridors, and steps that I know like the back of my hand. I left my dog. (That may sound silly). But I left his always welcoming gaze and familiar smell.
Read MoreI flew with numerous types of airways in the past, but this one was different. I knew before hand that Qatar Airways was well known for its service but the first steps through the aisle amazed me. The first thing I noticed even before entering through the doors was the color of the room. There were purple lights that filled the aircraft with a welcoming vibe. Passengers came through the doors and were shown to their seats, most of which were in the economy class section — as was ours.
Read MoreAs I sit on the plane to Doha, I remind myself of my desire to escape from technology a little bit, but after just finishing the new season of Orange is the New Black, I can’t stop thinking of the goodnight song one of the characters sings to all the objects in her room.
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