Preparation

At first it was months, then weeks, and now a matter of days until I depart for India. Although I have had a few months to prepare for my time in India, the time has flied, almost as if I was having fun. Things like arranging the details of my internship, applying for my tourist visa, getting the appropriate vaccines to work with rural populations in a healthcare setting (Japanese encephalitis, typhoid fever, and cholera to name a few), buying plane tickets, arranging ground transportation, confirming my housing, researching what I will need to bring, and exploring places I might be interested in visiting during my time in India have kept me very busy during the first half of my summer.

Anticipation

Much of this preparation hadn’t really felt real until recently. That is, the fact that I will be physically located in the country of India in just over 2 weeks has only slowly and periodically sunk in. Some moments, like receiving my internship acceptance letter, or booking my plane ticket, have really helped me connect the dots, and conceptualize the fact that this is indeed happening.

Naturally, I am very excited for my time in India. I have hopes and fears for what experiences and personal growth it will bring. What will my daily routine look like? Will I enjoy what I do? What will the weather look like while I am there? Will I be able to handle the heat and precipitation of monsoon season in the south? How will I dress to follow modesty standards and maintain my safety, but also prioritize my comfort in the heat and humidity?

There are many questions like these that have been swarming around my head. Of course, I have my optimistic, ambitious hopes about all of the wonderful and eye-opening things that will happen on my life-changing trip to India. But, to be realistic, and manage my own expectations, I have decided that as long as I don’t get seriously sick or injured, lose more than $500 in cash or personal belongings somehow, or die, that I will have had a successful trip. I am hopeful that this perspective will serve me well during my time in India, and help me deal with the inevitable setbacks that come with travelling.

Emotion

Although it has been stressful and overwhelming at times to make all the preparations and try to anticipate all the little details, I remind myself how lucky I am to be stressing about things of this nature in the first place. I have been spending as much of the time leading up to my trip with friends and family as I can, and I feel incredibly lucky to have people around me who have confidence in my ability to manage these travels alone. Of course, I have received a lot of advice and suggestions, some of which could be considered somewhat unhelpful (“I’m really worried about you–like, seriously. You will get food poisoning and diarrhea if you eat the street food and there will be no pills there to help you!”), but for the most part I have greatly appreciated all of the care and encouragement demonstrated by my loved ones. I can only hope I will have enough room in my suitcase to get each of them the gifts and keepsakes they deserve.