This has been the greatest year of our lives, Tara and I agreed upon that this evening. In short, we really love life in India. It's so enriching.....
And - not "but" - we are getting excited for the trip this summer. As much as we feel at home in India, the idea of traveling through New England and Quebec is pretty alluring. It'll be nice to be in Charlotte, too. It'll be great to see family, friends, and get a glimpse of everything that has transpired in Charlotte in our absence.
The world is our home now, but there is something profoundly special about those places where our roots are - even if we enjoy the branch of the plant we are on now very much (plant metaphor).
Above is a shot of the boat house where the boys go to camp in New Hampshire. Awesome place. That will be a nice thing to see.
Being an American abroad is an interesting proposition. We are not as loved a people as we may think. There's not a visceral hatred of the US in the general Indian populace and certainly not amongst the friends we have, but there is definitely a general sense among other expats that Americans are a little - well, different. Provincial. Sheltered. A bit narrow. It has been very eye-opening to understand how we are seen.
Are the opinions merited - many, maybe most. Are some a bit misguided? Sure, some. And it is especially interesting when we remind people that we are Americans during these conversations. They have been quick to remind us that we don't fit the mould.
Mould - stereotype :: different word, same idea.
Anyway, we take this distinction as a bit of a compliment, as we think it means that we have a slightly better understanding of the rest of the world than most Americans, that we are more open to insane adventures like living in India than most Americans (why don't more Americans do this kind of thing?), and we are quick and eager to learn a new language than the great monolingual mass of Americans, etc.
However the next phases of our lives unfold, our friends from here will always carry a memory of Americans who didn't "fit the mould" and maybe think of our people in a better light, and we will be back in America (permanently, now and again for a few years at a time, who knows?) with a perspective and experiences in our hearts that will build bridges outward. And for that reality to come to be, the world will be a better place (and have you seen how great it can actually be?).
See you soon, America!
