The Day Before

Great food, better company.

My cohort and I will be heading out to the windy city in only a few hours. We are scheduled to spend three days in Chicago and the rest of our trip in Ithaca, NY.

I spent most of my last day home with family, watching old wedding tapes we had lying around the house. It was evident that my parents felt nostalgic, maybe even a little homesick. They grew up surrounded by the same people, now thousands of miles away. I’m aware that I will be sharing those feelings very soon.

Family seemed to be a recurring theme for the evening.  I went over to my aunt’s house after, for an early dinner. It was a very early dinner indeed as I had skipped out on the fast for the day. Sunset is at 8:35 and I wanted to be in bed by 7 PM and awake by 1 AM for my very early breakfast.  

The food was exquisite; she had prepared many of my favorites including samosas, veggie rolls, naan, and kebab. I ate A LOT. In fact, I ate so much; it was practically impossible for me to move afterwards. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but trust me when I say that it was bad. The entire time, I kept thinking about this story that Deven had told me about a friend of his who had to get hospitalized for eating too much deep-dish pizza in Chicago. Luckily, I didn’t suffer any injuries. 

My brother Atal posing with the luggage.
I'm going to miss him! :(

My mental state however was and still is all over the place. This past week, I’ve been dealing with an odd mix of emotions: fear, excitement, joy, and anxiety. Having been raised in an extremely (and at times annoyingly) family oriented household, the thought of having to leave them behind honestly freaks me out a little bit. And yes, I do realize I’m speaking from a place of privilege when I say that. Some would kill to have as strong of a support system.

Although the course itself is going to last only a few weeks, it's still more time than I’ve ever spent by myself. Despite the irrational fear and paranoia, I know that I’ll be the happiest I’ve been in a while.

Many thanks to the ILC and Don Gosney as well as everyone else who has made it possible for me to be granted an opportunity such as this. I look forward more than anything else to get out of my comfort zone, gain independence, and most importantly attain a new perspective and invaluable knowledge.