Perhaps I Didn't Choose India; India Chose Me

Today was the day! The day I finally clicked my inbox and saw THE email with THE country destination information. . .India! India? Wait a minute, my project was on apartheid in South Africa. My technology piece was about using modern video and voice recordings to chronicle the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. So, um, India?

As I nervously clicked the attachment, a colleague happened to walk into my classroom. She kept asking, “What is it? What happened?” as I gasped and shook my head while reading the placement letter over and over. The country information was right there: first sentence of the second paragraph, and in bold, no less! India! India?!

India.

“What do I know about India?” I asked, half to her and half to myself. “Our Indian students have always been warm and conscientious. They seem to love school. I like Indian food. I hate heat and humidity.”

My colleague nodded, a little bewildered.

“But,” I continued, “the kids are great. So, if I’m going there to learn about their education, that’s good, right? But it’s so hot there. What am I supposed to wear? Do women cover their heads? No. Right? I mean, I’m thinking of the parents and moms wear saris sometimes. Do I have to get one? Should I ask the moms where to get one? June? In India??? Hold on. . .I’m going to check weather.com.”

I’m sure these random comments continued on for a bit while my colleague nodded and searched my face to see if I was excited or disappointed or some shade between.

Looking back, the comments seem quite ignorant, but I assumed the country placement would match the work we did during the course. . .at least a little! It was time to do some digging.

I looked online and searched for blogs by IREX/ TGC alumni who traveled to India last year or the year before. The more I read, the more excited I became! Their photos spoke volumes and their blogs addressed many of the same concerns I had. By the time I told my husband about my country placement that evening, I had a binder full of CultureGrams, blogs, maps, and travel tips!