We have enough in the way of experiences under our belt that taking a step back and reflecting on our experiences is merited at this point.
We have had tumult, tantrum, laughs, sadness, excitation, awe, and so many other feelings since we have arrived. This has proven to be what we expected - an experience that would expand us, test us, enrich us, alter us, and fulfill us. This is a very different land, and expsoure to a different culture can only make you a more thoughtful person.
There are many things about India which are shocking. It has been said that India is an assault on the senses. It is indeed that. And not every sensory intrusion is a pleasant one. You can honestly say that there are things you'd never see anywhere else in the world.
We do see our home country in a different light. When there are so many merits to American life, it has become all the more puzzling that there are such divisions and ugliness in the public sphere back in the US. I think we may be losing our sense of gratitude about being Americans. That will be a huge loss, if true.
I believe that the boys are being enriched by this experience. They are in class with children from many other places - the Phillipines, Malaysia, Europe, Russia, South Africa are but a few of the places that the expat kids are from. I believe and hope our sons will be better prepared for the world that is coming - a world in which everyone will live in greater proximity and, one hopes, cooperation.
Overall, a step back produces a nice picture - just like the photo above which shows an early sunset at Golconda Fort here in town.
