It got very real today. Had to say “goobye” to some of my best friends in Boston, and I realized that I am actually LEAVING. Though I am nearly 48 hours away from putting Boston into my rearview, the gravity of this is still fresh and foreign. I have meticulously planned everything from permits to packing tape, but still find myself blindsided by the most obvious of emotional trip-wires.
After a week of learning Hindi, I’m actually pretty damn impressed with myself. I can honestly say that with the Rosetta Stone program I got (NOT cheap), I have learned more Hindi in seven days than I did French in three years of middle school - sorry Mom and Dad. I can't take all of the credit though, the facilities are wonderful at the Haynes Language Lab learning annex located in the west wing of my apartment; I have included a pics to the right.
The problem is, the path - though short so far - has been rocky. One morning I thinking I’m ol’Mike Gandhi slinging Hindi vocab and sentences like it’s my job, but by later that day I come to a lesson that seems to throw a poo-colored monkey wrench into the whole thing. I guess that’s just how learning a language goes, and as the weeks go on I’ll get
better and better. However, I am painfully aware that once I get Hindi down cold, I’ll move to India and have to actually speak it, and that poo-wrench will go a-flying once again.
Avalanche? Is that bad?
No, it's not.
But that's how all of this feels.
Four days ago I went to bed with nothing planned, no anticipation for the next day, a lackluster level of energy, and a thick feeling of boredom oozing out of it all. Today I woke up full of energy, eager anxiety, and new goals - am hoping that I can get rid of my apartment in time, waiting for the delivery of my military-grade computer case, and running through the fresh Hindi in my head.
Ever since my acceptance into the Grassroots Development Laboratory's marketing/advertising position for Sarvajal water (piramalwater.com) in Bagar, India, my life has been a complete blur, a 180, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Though my days of job searching and healthy living began in February with an invigoration and wide-eyed optimism that ran all the way through March, it was all starting to get very stale. I always joked that unemployed life was like living the life of a trophy wife, filling my days with working out, house cleaning and self-imposed organization - but the fact of the matter is, that’s not what I consider life. I like life to feel like running down the street with everything coming at you fast and then flying behind you even fast, all while the periphery speeds past in a blur - unemployment felt more like treadmill.
Regardless, I couldn’t be happier now. I have new challenges, new goals, and family and friends that stagger me on a daily basis with their selfless offers and support.
I’m finally back running down the road now, and faster than ever.
