Day 41

Day 41
July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July America!! Who would have thought we could be so patriotic in such a far away land half way across the world from home. Even our Indian friends greeted us with handshakes and had at least a little fourth of July spirit. At dinner we even had a brilliant argument about different countries conquering parts of the work..ugh UK… it was three Americans verses one English person and one Indian. Probably the funniest conversation ever! It even ended with the star spangled banner being sung by one of the girls. After dinner I just talked to some of the friends I have made here. We talked about nothing really important, but I couldn’t help but think how much I truly am going to miss my friends here. My Indian friend “GW” is probably the funniest guy I have met… no matter what mood he is in he is always laughing and finds a way to crack a joke. Honestly, I never know when he is being serious of joking because he is always laughing. His laughs are contagious though and the more time you spend with him the funnier he gets… especially with his Indian accent.
We stated the day bright and early with sun rise yoga… wait did I say yoga… I meant sun rise Insanity. Literally insanity… It was our first workout in the second session and it was a killer, but totally worth it afterwards. Instead of going to the clinic in the morning today I went out with the slum ministry to NCL 1 and 2. It was really neat to compare it to all the other slums I have been too. Although the people were great and a slum is still a slum… I still have this deep connection and passion for the people of Mud Fort. I just see so much true need and help there. Going to a slum with a non-medical mission however is quite different then what I am used to. I like going to try and help a person’s physical needs so that then they can take care of their spiritual ones, but going to just sit with kids and color was great and all, but not really my thing. Once again I think that confirms that teaching is not my forte.
After the slum I was so tired. I really wanted to go sleep for like 3 hours, but I know that my time is ticking here and I don’t want to spend it laying around in a room that I have been in for 6 weeks. Instead I decided to go fulfill my mango craving I have been having for the past two days. It was the first time, I guess you can say, that I left the comforts of my home base alone. I walked up the road to suchitra  probably spelt that wrong, but it basically means the cross roads. I walked up there to a grocery store called spencer’s to get a few last minute things to bring home like chi tea, but I also wanted to look at the mangos they had… they were not very good and they were overpriced. So I walked a little further up and on the other side of the road they have an array of fruit vendors, bakers, and the like. I found the best mangos over there! I had one after dinner! My goal was to have one mango per day until the time I left, but I broke that promise to myself so tomorrow I will be making up for it. I have three mangos left…one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I am sure they will all be in between meals, but no matter when I eat them I know that they will not disappoint! If you couldn’t already tell I am a bit obsessed with mangos.
After my mango adventure I went down to the clinic just for a little bit to see what was going on and check in with all the doctors and nurses down there. It was nice down there today just to talk to the other intern from Colorado area who is in his first year of med school. Its interesting to see what all he has learned already within his first year, what his ambitions are, and knowing that one day soon that it could be me! I have so much going for me and I feel so blessed to see a clear vision of what I am meant to do in my life. Although no plans are certain for my future, I do know that God has me on the right track and has placed certain passions and ambitions on my heart that are not easy ones to have. Knowing that he chose me to have these goals is a true honor and I couldn’t feel more happy, blessed, and secure in his plans for me. There are challenging aspects to it for sure, but what would life be without those challenges…?
I started packing today also… sad day. The last few days in India have been some of my favorite which does not make going home any easier. I hope tomorrow, my last full day, goes by slow and allows me to absorb everything I have experienced. I hope goodbyes are not too difficult. I want to rest in the hope that one day God might bring me back here with a new set of knowledge and skills that will truly allow me to transform and make an impact on the lives of the people here. As far as I know now however is that I have so much drive and motivation pushing me forward to pursue the goals that have been placed on my heart.