Today I shared a year's worth of photographs from my volunteer position with L'Arche in India to a public album on my facebook page. It sounds silly to be talking about photos on facebook right now, but this was a big step for me as I began to explain in my post yesterday.
Below is the reflection that I shared with the photographs:
It's been about nine months since I finished my year as a Volunteer Assistant for L'Arche in rural India, and I finally feel I am ready to share these photographs. I have been reflecting on why it took me so long to share them, and I think I have come to understand why—these photos are beautiful. They depict all the adventure, joy, community, and simplicity that you might have expected I experienced throughout the year. But what you don't see here are all the nights I cried because I was so homesick; the insane effort to keep myself physically and mentally healthy; the challenge of supporting a my community members with intellectual disabilities while speaking a different language, in a different culture, and without proper training; the struggles with cultural differences and societal injustices; the constant feeling of being an outsider; and the attempts to manage community drama, raise funds, and raise my voice when I witnessed injustice. My year at Asha Niketan Nandi Bazar was not easy. I needed these nine months to process much of what I went through, because I did not have the capacity or space to process it well while I was actually living it.
Now I feel much better. I have inexplicable amounts of gratitude for my experience, and some days I miss it. I miss the simplicity of daily life and the beauty of the coastal atmosphere. I miss the rice and curry. I miss the fresh mangos. I miss evening runs on dirt roads past rice fields and cattle. I miss the rambunctious atmosphere of the community during the week, and the slowness of the community on the weekend. I miss long talks with Noelia and Sarath. And most of all I miss Malik's mischievous eyes, Lancy's heart-warming smile, and Abi's joyous singing. This is why I feel ready to share these photos. Because I see the beauty in them again, and I am excited to show that to you.
Today I can hold the joy and the hardship of the year all together, and feel strong. My community and the entire experience taught me so much about the world, about relationship, about right and wrong, about God, about humanity, and most of all, about myself—and for that I am forever thankful.
Shaanti.
(Peace.) Click here to check out the photos.
Keep peace and keep creating,
Parker <3
