I've found, probably like many others have since we got back, that it is true what the staff and boys from previous trips have said about the India experience being hard to articulate to friends and family. The sheer magnitude of experiences, emotions and moments that we were exposed to on a daily basis makes it a very personal trip that is difficult to put into words, but that inability to explain it is also a big part of what makes the programme so special.
For this reason alone I will just give my favourite experience, and why it was so important to me. The entire afternoon and night spent with the Future Hope children and staff was my favourite experience from the entire trip, and also is the one that seems to stick out the most when I reflect on the things we did. There were several events that made that night so cool. The events, now memories, included; getting to the school and having a net with their school's cricket team, where I taught a young leg spinner how to bowl a wrong-un, much to his amazement; the 45 minute walk to their hostel which was spent talking about everything under the sun with an inspirational 15 year old boy who had just been picked in an Indian age group rugby team, even though three years ago he had been living in a slum with no idea about rugby or the concept of organized sport; playing my new favourite game, Carom, with the king player in the village; and Fletcher being laughed at due to his unbelievable un-coordination when trying to eat with his hands. These moments, along with many more, made that night one I will never forget. It left me feeling inspired that these boys, and their staff, who all have different backgrounds, educational backgrounds, and values, can all live under one roof and create a family that is so happy and positive. It also made me grateful for the opportunities given to me by my parents and I realized how hard so many people would work for the privileges I have been given; and that I must make the most of them. It also made me sad knowing that as we ate dinner there were millions of people living in the slums around us that would never get the opportunities that the Future Hope children were getting; sadly they would be confined to the slums for their entire lives.
This is what the Immersion Programme does; it makes you feel a number of conflicting emotions at the same time and allows you to process them in your own way. This is why the trip is so hard to describe to friends and family, but ultimately what makes it so worthwhile, because your personal experiences are so different, even different from everyone else in the tour group.
I think the most important thing that I got out of the month in India was that when we were faced with difficult questions regarding many of the problems we encountered, it didn't matter whether or not we had the answers, it was only important that we were asking the questions in the first place. For example, with questions such as "How can we help?", no one person has the right answer, yet what matters is that you are taking the time to think about it and formulating your own solutions.
I hope that I never forget my time in India spent with an amazing group of people that all made it so fun and interesting. Without them the month would have gone a lot slower and the emotional strain would have been a lot tougher to deal with. I also hope that I continue to grow and develop as a person as I now truly see that stepping out of your comfort zone is an eye-opening, scary, and exciting thing to do. I'll finish with two quotes that mean a lot to me, the first being my quote that I used on my application form for the programme which has become more and more powerful as I reflect on this experience, and the second being an Anthony Robbins quote that has struck me as being very powerful since I've returned home:
"When all is said and done, have you said and done enough."
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”
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