Bon Voyage!

6.11.2010

So I know I ended last time saying that the next time you hear from me, I'd probably have arrived in Kadod. I'm not there yet! But I felt that with so much going on, being on the cusp of a lot of changes, writing one last thing would be appropriate.

I know what you're thinking.. "Eric, you're going to India, not France." That's beside the point. This is a little photo booklet that I'm bringing with me. Over the past couple days, I've filled it with pictures and memories of friends and family, and somehow, it ended up being a pretty painstaking process. I felt like I was dissecting the last few years of my life, turning over rocks that hadn't been turned in a while, laughing in the inside recalling funny episodes, or reflecting on how things have changed so much. Closing the book and looking at that small, retro-looking plane on the cover, I had the feeling that I was leaving a lot of things behind, that this book full of still images might be representative of how these memories would now just always be memories. But I made this photobook because I plan on keeping it with me wherever I travel this year, and I think that as far as memories and experiences go, that's what happens when God gives us new doors to open. Not knowing what this year, or post-graduation life for that matter, is going to look like for certain, I default to a state of nostalgia, just wanting to relive those "glory days" I see in the book. But I'm sure whatever God allows me to experience in the next however many years, I'm going to have more than enough to fill up another one of these books. So I guess it's not so much that I'm packing things up and leaving them behind. While some people do that of their own will or out of necessity, I want to think that while I was making this book, I was reflecting, processing, then storing my experiences somewhere I'd remember since I know I'll always revisit.

Ironically, I got an email from a friend today with the subject "bon voyage." In it, he quoted from Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go, and since in just a few hours I'll be starting the long trek from Atlanta to Kadod, the doctor's words were never more fitting.

Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So... get on your way!

Thank you to all of you for the ways that you've been so supportive of me. I couldn't have asked for a better send-off! For those of you who want to write me the old-fashioned way while I'm gone, my mailing address is down below, and for those who are more comfortable with recent technology, add me on Skype! (id: eric.huh)

Eric Huh
c/o Principal Mahida
Kadod High School
Kadod, Ta: Bardoli Di: Surat Gujarat
394 335
INDIA