I apologize for the cliche post title.
I'm not sure how useful it is to wish to be like someone else, but I can't contain my admiration for people who demonstrate such passion about something - whether it's something as universally passion-inciting as the treatment of women in Rajasthan; or something that seems so trivial, such as an injustice committed by a book reviewer - the kind that makes you write lines and lines detailing why the critic was so wrong!
This ability to feel so strongly about something has to stem from a strong set of values - something I know I'm very ambiguous about. Which makes me feel like I've - to a certain extent - wasted the two years in India...This was partly why I came. To clear those doubts.
A few people have asked me if Bagar was worth it. I have definitely grown in many ways and learned many things. Every day for one month I was telling my students, "pura faida utaana," (loosely translates to, "take advantage of the opportunity."). I should have followed my own advice.
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Interesting. I also felt I missed opportunities when I was leaving Naickaneri: to push myself more, to immerse more, to live with a host family.
It's easy for us to say that passionate people have strong values - but just because someone doesn't have a specific external passion (whether it be women's rights or Doris Lessing) doesn't mean they don't have the same internal values of conviction or courage.
I think it's entirely possible to be value driven and not be an advocate for a cause. And oftentimes it's the pre-existing values that would drive someone to do something, say set up shop in a small town in Northeastern Rajasthan for two years working on education and empowerment activities.
I would doubt that values would manifest themselves in you after two years here. They were already in you before you ever arrived.
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