I miss India

I was watching a stupid commercial on TV the other day that was supposedly set in India and it played some Indian music, and I felt a pang in my heart. Could this be? I miss India, but when asked what do I miss I can't really pinpoint it. Do I miss the trash everywhere, the noise, the pollution, the lack of Starbucks?
No I miss the spirit of it. I miss an intangible something that India left in me and I suppose that it leaves in everyone who ventures into her exotic wonder.

I enjoyed being there and I thought it was an extraordinary journey, especially for someone like me who comes from a culture that doesn't allow its girls and women any measure of independence, including the ability to travel across the world alone (read that to mean without family or husband). And while certain things did not turn out as I'd hoped, the overall experience has given me a deeper insight into the field of public health, what it means to really work in the field, what it means to work in a development country, and finally just how much independence and self-reliance I can cultivate within myself.

I've been working on my reflections for school and I've been reading Edward Luce's book and things are starting to fall into place and make much more sense now, I only wish I read the book while I was there. Nevertheless, I'm getting a deeper understanding of the cultural and religious character of the Indians, among other things, and this puts things in perspective for me. I highly recommend the book if anyone's interested in the rise of modern India and while it was written by a British journalist who lived in India for over 5 years, he does have an Indian wife and seems to have a less westernized view than most books written by a foreigner might. I'm sure this will not resonate well with the Hindu Nationalists, but I don't care.