Goodbye India

Things I am missing:

There are a few obvious things that I knew I would miss when I moved to India.

• Playing with dogs
• Peanut butter
• Good beer
• Everyone speaking the same language
• Being away from my family for Christmas

I prepared for this as best I could. I told myself I couldn't pet street dogs, and decided to count them every morning instead. I brought two jars of Peter Pan reduced fat crunchy peanut butter, and my mom brought two more jars when she came to visit :) I accepted that I might not drink for 2.5 months, which isn't a bad thing. I was ready to feel lost and left out by the language barrier, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people in Delhi spoke English. My family held a great party before I left, and I saw almost all my relatives.

There are other things that I didn’t consider before I got here, and along the way I found myself missing:

• Political conversations: after GW, I'm used to talking politics on a regular basis, and I missed talking with Justin, BrandonB, my mom, and other people about the stories I read in WaPo daily.
• Seeing a familiar face: I didn't know how much I missed this until one of my professors stopped by Delhi right before Christmas. I was surprised to realize that I hadn't seen a single person I knew in almost a month. That's never happened before - going to college, I had met my roommate at a summer open house; moving to Boston I had great friends from high school and undergrad. A month later, I saw my mom and her friend when they came to India with a tour group.
• A chance to say goodbye to Minnie, our wonderful miniature dachshund, who had to be put to sleep in late January after 17+ years of chasing bunnies, cuddling, and barking incessantly.

I've had a great time, but I am so ready to go home.