As I reflect on these last four weeks, I find myself feeling emo.  I was anticipating the trip for what feels like forever and then it was over in the blink of an eye.  Don’t worry, this isn’t goodbye, hopefully it’s see you later.

This trip as a whole taught me many things about myself.  Some things seemingly deep like how I integrate the feedback I’m given and some things fairly frivolous like how long I can go without showering.  The biggest thing I learned being outside of my routine is how much I rely on it and how much it impacts the way I feel every day.  However, going in blind helped me develop as a person and leader.  I’ve never done something as out of my comfort zone as this, and I realized that that’s where the best memories are made.  On and off the trail, we laughed, we cried, and I made some great friends with whom I share an incredible experience.

In my more vulnerable moments, on the trek and especially the debacle getting home, I realized that I need to step up to the plate even when I feel unconfident.  The hours spent at the airport were chaotic, but when people stepped up to help and others stayed calm, it made me feel cared for, and I’m grateful for those who kept us together through it all.  The trek might have ended before we got to the airport, but it felt like the events of the trek finally came to a head in the Indira Gandhi International Airport.  Some of the challenges I had anticipated for the group culminated in that moment, and some lingering feelings from the trek were exacerbated. 

(moments before we sprinted through the airport)

Everything I’ve learned on this trip will stick with me forever, and I now have the best fun fact about myself for the rest of my life.  For my academic and professional future, I have a better foundation as a leader and a follower.  I know what’s expected of me in each role, and I know what to expect from my peers in any situation that calls for leadership.  Whether or not it showed on the trek, I do find myself naturally falling into the leadership role when it comes to my jobs and groups in the classroom, and I hope all that I’ve learned shows in these situations.

My personal expectations were met, and regardless of the outcome of the trek, I got out all that I had hoped from those ten days and the other twenty we spent in India.  I knew, for the most part, what the culture in India was like, and whatever expectations I had, I tried to filter them because I knew I would be a guest in someone else’s culture for a month.  In terms of expectations, I had hoped that my peers would be just as invested in learning the culture.  I could feel some hesitation when it came to branching out of our bubble, me included.  Personally, I took this as my motivation to try harder in understanding the people around me and keep that cultural diversity in mind when leading.

This month taught me how to embrace discomfort as well as how to trust my gut and truly appreciate the rich world I have the privilege of experiencing.  As much as I’m sad it’s over and I’ll never stop reminiscing, Dorothy was onto something because there truly is no place like home.