Mona's India Journey - 2023 part 5 - Grand Finale
I write this blog installment from my own office at home. I have completed my journey and made my way back home to Canada. What an adventure!
Something I am aware of about myself is that I’m not great at endings. I can start things with great gusto, and keep them going as long as they need maintaining… and yet, when it comes to wrapping things up and closing them, I’m not so great. It’s something I’ve been working on.
I share this because this post is about endings. The end of our internship at I-AIM, the end of the Āyurvedic Doctor Program, and the end of my journey back to India. Endings, endings, endings.
Isn’t it amazing how the universe gives you what you need although not necessarily what you want?!
Ending #1: On Sunday, October 29th, we had our graduation! I did it - I successfully completed the Āyurvedic Doctor program :)
On the LHS is Dr. Venmani and on the RHS is Dr. Anusha. Dr. Anusha was our main teacher, and Dr. Venmani was our ‘second’ main teacher. Dr. Yushriyya joined us via Zoom for the ceremony.
Here is Dhanvantari - he’s the one who brought the teachings of Āyurveda to the humans.
This is the Barbie sized box of matches used to light the lamp for Dhanvantari… I brought these home with me!
And here we are! A whole group of Āyurveda Doctors!
Dr. Anusha and I :)
This is Mahathi and I at the graduation lunch :)
Ending #2: After graduation, we had two days left of the internship at I-AIM. So we did that. Then it was time to conclude that as well…
Ending #3: We packed our bags and got ready to head out.
These are Ágnes and my suitcases.
Then the bags got packed up and we headed off to the airport.
It was like a game of tetris to get all our bags in the car… (it was 5 peoples’ worth of suitcases!)
Ágnes and I traveled to the airport together, as our departure times were pretty close together. I have to say, as far as airports go, Bangalore (Bengaluru) airport is spectacular!
This is where we were dropped off by the taxi.
This is inside at the Departures / check-in area.
This is a cactus garden inside the airport itself.
Ágnes and I wandered around the airport for a few hours (you have to get there 3 hours before international departures). We had a 2am coffee/hot chocolate when we came upon this…
I so wanted to eat this…
Then it was time to hug each other goodbye and get on our flights to head home.
Many of you know that I did not want to go back to India. My first experience had some bumps that left long-term bruises and no desire to return. And yet, almost 20 years later I was back in India for what ended up being a most excellent adventure. As ready as I was to come home, I was also sad that my adventure was coming to an end.
I want to thank so many people - people who made this adventure possible: Dr. Anusha for being an amazing teacher-facilitator-planner-friend-sister, Glenn for holding down a busy fort while I was galavanting on another continent, Veronica who stepped in and taught a bunch of cool things for wonderful students during my absence, to my AD cohort for the support and patience and love and laughs (especially while we were in India!!!), and all my family and friends who sent me love and support on this crazy journey. I don’t know a lot of people who become doctors in their 40s, and yet, it’s possible. I lived it.
Thanks for reading! Now to settle into fall :)