India Day 14 My Last Day

Today is my last day in India and I am sad, I don't want to leave yet. I went to the market with Keith and one of the boys to buy some saries for my sisters. I’ll miss the markets. After the market we ate at McDonalds. It’s the Indian version of course, everything is chicken. Where’s the beef? Imagine that, no beef. It was still good though and the place was very clean. When we got back to the center we danced and laughed and I’m pretty sure everyone was making fun of me but it was all in Hindi so I can’t be for sure what was being said. It was good though. We had fun. One of the boys who never smiles was laughing and laughing and laughing. He couldn’t quit smiling. I was so happy to see him smiling. Kids should smile, and laugh, and dance, and have fun.

I’m not sure how it started but they were all telling me that I should have 3 wives, one American and two Indian. I tried to explain that I have thus far been unsuccessful at acquiring one wife but I was willing to take down some names. And then, it was time to leave. I managed to smile and not to cry but it was hard, it was very hard. I was holding back the tears. They asked me when I would be back and I told them that I didn’t know, I didn’t know if I would ever be back. I hugged all of the boys good and hard and few of them accompanied us to the bus station. As we walked one boy held each of my hands and I could tell that they were as sad as I was. I gave them one last hug before I got on the bus. One last bus ride. It was over, 2 weeks, gone just like that. I may never know what happens to them rather they go back to the streets like so many of them do or if they make something of themselves. The potential is there. These boys are capable of doing great things, of changing India, if only they are given the chance, if only they put their minds to it and work hard. These kids are so important, every last one of them.

Travel back to the states was so so. The bright side was I met Juhye at the airport. It was a great surprise because neither of us knew when the other was flying back home. The bad part, well I missed my second flight. This time it was only a 3 hour wait though. Now I'm back in America where every week blends into the next. My life is a blur.