Memories

Memories that stood out:

• The change in beauty of Dharamshala coming from Agastya.
• Morning walk at Agastya, going through bushes and trees to get away from the monkeys.
• Not talking to many people at the beginning to now socializing with many people. Forgetting about my shell.
• At Agastya, practicing cultural presentations. I wanted to represent my Philippino community. I was nervous, but chatted with Eli, and was able to sing the next day.
• Getting close with friends.
• The first bus ride in Hyderabad. It hit me that we were in India, seeing crazy traffic and dogs and pedestrians.
• Not only one moment from the beginning, but the time we spent together as friends.
• For our cultural show, Indians generally know how to dance, but I personally don’t know how to dance. When we had to, I watched and copied a dance of the Indian group. That’s when I realized I could dance. There’s noting you can’t do, you just have to push yourself.
• With traditional dance and presentations, I got out of my comfort zone. I knew I could get out of my comfort zone, talk to everyone, and be myself.
• When we left South Africa, I wanted to get into plane and get to India. My bag was stuck, the plane was about to leave, the trunk wouldn’t open. I was nervous and flying out of South Africa made me nervous. How was I going to fit in? Then I met Eli, Aya, Ashlene. At first, I tried to analyze the group to see where I would fit in. Then I realized that resilience isn’t always fitting in. You don’t have to follow the group, but you can still learn from other’s experiences.