Here we go again

Getting to India

Prelude:

First up, I'd like to say sorry to my parents that this has taken so long. I've been in India for 2 weeks and this is my first blog. It has been a time full of all sorts of challenges, and I now have a couple of days in Hampi to sit down and try to breathe. Try to.

Melbourne

The lead-up (yes, this is basically an update on my life so far)

Before this trip, my life's been kinda busy. It's consisted of finishing my first year of a degree in Science and Global Studies at Monash Uni, with a focus on Physics and International Studies. For the second half of the year, I've been a maths tutor teaching 5 kids from my old high school, and I've absolutely loved it. I've continued volunteering at Oaktree and my role is the Team Support Officer for the IE team, a role that's quite admin heavy including things such as; inductions, file management, training, and team performance measurement. It's a role that pushes me to learn important skills, yet is not as passionate nor community driven as my old role. I'm also a youth-leader and regular contributor at my church, Canterbury Baptist Church, which I just adore. 

In late November and early December I was down at the coastal town of Lorne volunteering with Red Frogs on their Schoolies Programme. That was a truly incredible week where I was more of the man I wanted to be and was recognised as being a good Frogger (someone who does Red Frogs) for being genuine and honest with who I am, the quote my location leader was "You have no mask to hide behind, your mask is just your face". That hit me hard as after Frogs I struggle to link the person of clarity I was during the week to everyday life. I was, for the first time in a while, having maturity growing-pains (gee, I wish there was a better way of saying that). My big brother was also on the same Schoolies as me, and I remember playing cricket with him in the backyard and thinking "How do I say to you that what you saw is what I'm trying to be?". Since Red Frogs the meaning of manhood has been close to my mind, and it is a thought that has captured me so far this trip. 

But I'm getting bored of writing this section and you may be sick of reading it, so let's get on with the adventure!

Yes, this is an old photo, but Matt still sucks at cricket

Pre-departure - 30/12/2016

At 7 I awoke, and the day began with packing and searching for my glasses case. Great start.

The rest of the morning was surprising frantic as an international travel sim was put in my phone, my old Indian phone came back to life, internet checking in, trying to print boarding passes (that were later proved useless) and then sneaking in the last dash of home cricket. One beautiful moment amidst the hustle was reading text messages on my India phone, seeing old memories and old relationships re-appear as if through fog. 

Left the house at 11:10 with tears behind my eyes as I begin to relive my previous India adventure and feared that I may again bear the pain that it brought (have a read of some of my earlier stuff from India if you're confused by this, particularly Honesty). It seems my subconscious has focussed on the negatives from my time there, and I really wish it hadn't. 

For going to the airport, Lach drove this time with me in front and parents in back (whilst releasing their inner child), another sign of changing maturity in our family. Whilst in the car I put on one of my favourite bands, NeedToBreathe, which was perfect when thinking about the craziness of life (and Indian adventures) and how God goes through it with you. 

Arrived at airports and got to the check-in gate before it even opened. Mum waited with me in line which was nice to talk through and try describe how I was feeling and try take my mind off things. I was nervous that I had got everything I needed for check-in and that my bags were fine, yet all I needed was to hand over my passport and my bags were fine. After check-in, I grabbed a small bite with the fam (minus big bro) then went to the gate. Of course, mum had to get several photos and they needed to be of 'acceptable' quality, was frustratingly awkward yet not embarrassing, it was an act of love and it was for her benefit, not mine. 

Get on with it...

Through security, and thankfully didn't lose anything this time (last time I left scissors in my carry-on). Going through the gallery of duty-free shops, then seeing tarmac for the first time in a while was oddly calming. There were signs restricting me from taking photos unfortunately but trust me, it looked nice. Took a seat and read the start of I am not but I know I Am, has been an awesome Christian book so far. Got on the plane and away I go.

Accidently sat in the wrong seat, which I realised when I was offered a vegetarian meal for lunch 1 hr into the flight. The guy across the aisle from me made awkward eye contact which I guess meant he was vegetarian. 

For lunch I chose curry, something I might as well get used to. For entertainment I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was a movie I've been meaning to watch for ages, yet boy was it different than what I expected. I feel like it was incredible just from a cinematic perspective for the time rather than the action that modern sci-fi flicks consist of. For views, flying over Uluru was pretty spectacular. I couldn't snap a pick but even from our altitude it was freakishly obvious. That rock must be seriously HUGE. For more entertainment I watched Finding Dory that was slightly better than expected, yet a bit too tear-jerking, sorry if that offended anyone.

Slept a bit. Yep, not much to pass on from that experience.

Dinner was chicken noodles, and I watched Bear Hood, a doco about bears growing up and probably dying.

Eventually, the lights of Bangkok filled the ground and it was wonderful to see an ocean of gold.

As normal, photos struggle to portray the truth
but it's sometimes the best you've got, much like democracy

Bangkok

meh

Bengaluru

Lel just kidding. Got into Bangkok but had a fair bit of trouble knowing where to go. Firstly I had to find my way to the transfer gate (the easy bit), then it took more than 5 min to find where my flight was on the board since it was a single small board for all the flights. I recognised the gate as I had walked past it so I went back to where I'd seen it, and discovered that you couldn't get through. All the doors were closed yep people were getting in somehow. On closer examination, I saw that people got down to the gate from a staircase coming from the floor above. So I ran back past all the gates looking for stairs and then found some next to the sign for the flight departure gates. Went up the starts to realise that I needed to go through security again. That was fun. By the time security finished it was 5 min after the gate was meant to open (the fact that I consider this late may tell you a bit about my desire for punctuality).  I ran back past the gates, this time looking down on them, and descended the stairs to my departure gate just as people began to line up. Perfect. 

The whole experience of running around the terminal was stressful of course yet had the exhilaration that any adventure brings. Was just a cool thought that this was my first time being in this part of the world. 

Got my window seat and enjoyed a sleepy flight which left at 9:36 Thailand time.  The lights of Bangkok were once again marvellous. I described it in my journal as "Lights of Bangkok sparkle like magma beneath the fresh rock of clouds"

During the flight, the psychological reality of going back to India hit hard. It almost terrified me. Almost. The fact that I was now properly alone (well it felt like I was) magnified all my anxieties, and made my exchange trip to India feel like a normal rollercoaster, with safety and support. I felt like I had neither of these things once I landed. Yet still there was courage, reminded by the bible verse Joshua 1:9 that sits around my neck. And so I say: India... 

Bengaluru, for realz now

Landed at midnight Indian time, 5:30 am Aus time. Got off plane and went to toilet. It was my first time using the hose in a while. It was not as good as I remember it, the experience was not good.
The Indian process was easier than Bangkok though had a slight issue with putting a phone number on my immigration card as my Indian phone was in my checked-in luggage. An immigration staffer and another Indian passenger (who'd studied in Melbourne) helped me figure it out. Collected luggage and going through customs was so much simpler than Aus's. After getting through the arrivals gate I tried calling my hotel to see if they had vacancy for that night. I called the number on my booking yet it was wrong. So I spent time connecting to airport wifi, found the number then called them on the free airport phone (which another passenger kindly pointed out to me). The catch for the phone was that it was limited to 2 minutes. The first call I ran out of time, as I was on hold, the second I tried again and had a brief chat, then the third I found out that there was room.
Left the airport and followed signs to Uber and City buses. The buses had a help desk next to them, which gave the price and location for each bus. Decided to use it as opposed to Uber for the more authentic experience and I'd never used Uber before either. Obviously the bus took longer than an Uber yet was a great experience. One highlight was seeing road signs made from thick red tape stuck to wooden sheets that directed people around some roadwork.

On that same bus with me was another white uni student, someone who seemed a tad lost and had that 'I'm in India, what the heck is going on' look in his eyes. I had suspicions that he was doing the same program as me, and that was confirmed when he told the bus conductor where he was going. It was slightly entertaining watching him take in India for the first time, sucking it all in like the drain of a bath. I'd been there (except it was a car ride not a bus ride, but who cares). We got off the bus together, and I used google maps to guide us to his hotel. 

The streets of Bengaluru at 2 am were honestly murky. It's not sleepy and calm like it is in Melbourne,  there's quiet activity as people going through garbage next to the road, randoms walking around quietly, collect drainage mud (from what I know, they filter it to collect gold dust from all the wealthy people that have gone through the street that day). It was creepy. Thankfully my friend from the bus offered to walk me to my hotel around the corner with his roommate. Whilst waiting for the guys to walk me to my hotel, a few Indians walked in and started having a bit of fun with me about stereotypical Aussie stuff. The best way to deal with it is to have fun with them and try give it back even stronger. The best result is that both you and them feel like they've wasted the others time. 

The walk just to my hotel was tense, and I arrived to find it locked and with the lights off. The receptionist was there behind the desk though and after firmly knocking he opened the doors, turned on lights, and sleepily checked me in. 

I get to my room and hop in bed at around 3 am. Even though it's late, sleep was delayed. I listened to the random loud noises outside my room. I think about the trip so far and see myself as a pendulum getting out of control. I swing from awe and joy to fear and "what-the-heck-am-I-doing-here". One possible reason (besides the fatigue) is that I now had no structure for my time, nothing that I had to do next. I thought about school and my life, how I'm usually so busy that there's always something I could/should be doing, yet now I have 3 days of nothing until 40K rescues me with hard work and a purpose. In such a crazy place like India, I "need" to do something so that I'm not overwhelmed. 

In the morning I can set out my priorities and the tasks I want to do, but for my first night in India I got to bed feeling: 

1. stressed
2. exhausted
3. unstable

Tomorrow, it's time to explore.

If you want to keep up to date with my time in India

please Follow Me by putting in your email address below

I don't plan on spamming facebook whenever I post a blog this time

so please, if you want to know when I post something, just follow me 

by putting in your email below

Summer

It's been a great Aussie summer. 

Been up to a fair bit of fun. Lot's of nice beach and chilling. I'd assume it's a very different holiday to the one that people at Kodai have had.

Anyway I'd just like to give you a snapshot of my summer back home. 

First up, we went to Phillip Island which is 1hr 30 away. We went to a friends beach house for a day trip, and was a lot of fun. 

We then went on a little roadtrip to South Australia to a slice of paradise called Kingston SE. We spent 3 days by the beach, explored the area and enjoyed this hidden sanctuary. 

Going kayaking

Slept on the beach

 

The Grampiens

After we got back, I went on a 4 wheel driving trip with my older brother Matt and some friends. 

The Terminator

The Hulk

Well, those were the highlights of my summer vacation.

It's nice to be back with family and friends once again.

I hope everyone at Kodai had a nice winter break break. 

If you want to get in contact with me, you can on facebook, 

email me at: comanduash@gmail.com

and skype me at ash.wild2

Back home

Well, I’m home.

I’ve been home for almost 2 months now. I feel very confused about how the time has passed.Ever since I got back from India, it has been a very crazy rollercoaster.I guess to help you all out, I should start at the beginning, the new beginning of this adventure.

When I first got back to Aus on the 3^rd of December, it was very hard. It felt as if I had been pushed from one life to another, one person into the next. It was a whole new perspective on life than India, and I was engulfed by it the moment I got of the plane. It made looking back difficult, as if it all were covered by fog. All my memories, friends, people and places became jumbled up. It had been crystal clear what felt like a moment ago.

I also feel that once I got back to Aus, my life became so much more boring. I spent most of my time with 5 people I know, my family. That will change when I go back to school but I get the feeling that it probably won’t. It’s because I got the impression that everyone was so much closer at KIS than at Carey. At KIS you virtually live with your peers, you depend and trust them. While at Carey, they are your friends but you don’t depend on them as much.

At this time when I look back on the previous year in my mind it is a very strange picture. I have this misty blank in the middle, which was my time in India. But when I consider it from my feelings perspective, India is a bright array of emotion. You can’t put into words how I feel inside about India, but that is a vague picture of its significance to me.

Now that I am separated from KIS, I definitely feel that a part inside of me has died. That part had more activity in my life than possibly ever before, but now that I have returned it feels like it is no use and been discarded. There is a hole inside me, I don’t know where and I don’t know how to fill it.  It is something I need. Something that shows my purpose and joy in life, because at the moment I have lost that joy which I had at KIS.

And what have I gained by coming back ‘home’? I ask myself that question everyday. It is another question that remains unanswered.

What has God got planned for me here? Am I even following his path? Questions with answers that were so obvious to me in India, but now are left blank. At this time I feel so unsure about anything. Even school, I am trying to find its purpose, because here that all that feels important.

Perhaps it’s just that I am so uncomfortable with the idea of school now after spending 5 months at a school where my academia didn’t matter. Once I’ve been there, it’s had to go back to reality.

Yet back to reality I am. But I don’t want it to be that way. I can’t let India fade into a dream state but remember all the joy and good time I had with all the amazing people. I spent 5 of the best months in my life there, and I should never let that go.

We shall see if normality does fade my memory of India, but in the meantime I wish to hold onto those memories, and keep trying to find my path.

Once again I’d like to thank everyone at KIS for their support and care. Also to anyone back home who followed my journey and took care of me in spirit or in deed.

I’d like to keep this blog a live, because it now does the reverse role that it was first intended. I hope to keep people at Kodai informed about my life and hope that they do likewise with me. I’ve also found this blog to assist me in getting over my personal hurdles in life which is vital.

I hope to see you again,

Ash

The last update from Kodai

So this is it. We've come so far together, but all good things come to an end

The farewells have begun, the exams commenced, and my time is up.

I cannot put into words how thankful I am for this experience

Wednesday was a great day. I received my certificate for the Tahr Pin, which I present to you now:

It's so beautiful :')

There was also a pizza party in the band room for advanced band. At the end of it the band leader Ms Gemma presented me with this:

I call him Joo-joo

It's carved out of a single coconut. Really cute and beautiful. I hope customs will let me keep it. 

Because classes officially finished, I've been saying thankyou to my teachers. I want to leave here with no bad connections or problems. I may never see these people again, and I don't want there to be any sour feelings between us. 

For exams I'm not going to study much. Maybe for an hour before the exams but that would be about it. 

I realize that this is probably the only time that I could do this, but I have better things to do than study. I am going to see Kodai one last time before I leave.

On Thursday I had my first exam, english Language and Literature. For the exam we had to answer 2 questions on a poem written by Wilfred Owen, the famous war poet.
I received the poem 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' and I didn't do too badly. With only 30 minutes study time I was happy with the work I put forward.
It gives studying for an exam a whole new perspective to study when you are surrounded by people working and you're watching Avatar the Last Airbender. When I get back to Australia I'll study hard, I promise, but for now I'm going to enjoy my time. 

The photo exhibition went off well. Although not to many came they complimented our works. One person even asked me to send them a couple of my photos. I consider that a sale and a profit to my self-esteem.

My corner of the display

On friday was my Maths exam. I think I did ok for 30 min of revision. The rest of the day I watched Avatar the Last Airbender and rode a bike around the compound and dorm. Everyone else had a lazy day as well beside the exams and revision. I finished my testimony and will polish up tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous about how it will go and be received.
also on friday, there was a spectacular sunset where everything turned pink. I ran outside with my camera. Here's a photo of it:

View from the science building. 

On Saturday was the Christmas banquet. It's a big feast where we all eat and celebrate the near-end of the school year.
In the morning I helped get it all ready from 9-11:30. I was setting tables, and wrapping bowls in some silver mesh. But the time I left it was looking pretty good.

After that I went and had lunch with Antonia and the 2 exchange students that are coming from Kodai to Aus. We had a nice chat about life in Aus and I can't wait for them to come.

On the way back I went past some shops looking for gifts. I ended up buying a Hippo plushie. I think I'll give to to Matthew, since he's sort of like a Hippo. I'll buy myself a tiger plushie and a cat for Lachlan. That seems fair :D

Saturday evening was a Christmas banquet. It was a great evening where we all got together and shared a meal. The weather was terrible though.
Rain and a very cold wind chill made it tough. The food was alright, but considering that they had to cook for around 700+ people all up, they did a great job.
After to food, different groups played christmas songs from their heritage. There were Tamil, Mallu, Korean and a couple other a think. It was great to hear all their different cultures.
At the end we all had a sing-along to some classic Christmas Carols, then Santa came!
All the kids ran up to him first, then us older students came.  It was very funny to see the little kids and the big 11 and 12 graders all grabbing for sweets. I guess some things don't change with age.

Once the frantic grab for treats had been extinguished the banquet closed and I went back to dorm. But, I went a different way. Tonight, I was staying in Lochend dorm with my mate Dhawan.
I had taken my stuff across during the afternoon.

Lochend was an amazing dorm, a lot different than East House. Everything's organised and more spacious. Here's a comparison.

The Lochend spare room

My East House room

It reminded me of the show Yu-Gi-Ou GX (I doubt any of you will know what I'm talking about. It was a kids show from ages ago.). In the show, there were 3 houses/dorms. Each one had a corresponding colour. Red was the least fancy yet had a lot of fun, yellow was a better place to be than red, and blue was a mansion for all the older and better students. Sleeping over in Lochend felt like going from the red house to the blue mansion. 

I'm not saying East house isn't as good as Lochend, I'd very much prefer East House, it's just so different. 

Anyway, I had a good night there.

In the morning, I had to be out of the dorm by 8:45. This was because I needed to get to school and have breakfast in time for Church music practise. 

I got ready quietly and left the dorm, the time there went too fast. 

The rain had continued throughout the night and into the morning. When I left it was raining heavily, but I managed to get to breakfast with my feet only moderately drenched. 

I only then realised that the Powerpoint presentation for my Testimony was back at East House. So I ran back to dorm in the pouring rain to try find it. After 10minutes of precious time slipping away and no results, I took my computer and brought it back with me to school. I ate a speedy breakfast then went down to music practise.

Thankfully, everything working out well and the Powerpoint got onto the church computer. 

Music practise went well, and the service began. It came to being my part of the service. I was nervous, but knew that I had a purpose in this, to tell people the truth about my time here. I got up and the congregation applauded me in welcome to the lecturn. 

And I presented my testimony. I had it recorded so my parents could see it, but when I was speaking I felt them with me. The first couple lines of intro were cut but here it is, my testimony to the KIS church on the 17/11/2013.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4xrg0f2n6m1mn5b/Testimony.MP4

When I finished, I was so relieved. I'd done it. My first time speaking in Church formally. I get the feeling that I'm going to be sharing my story/testimony a couple more times soon, but I feel up to the task. 

I got a lot of positive feedback. Some even said that I was going to become a preacher (I guess it could run in the family). 

That afternoon, it was all very foggy and cold. I was hoping to go for a walk around the lake but that didn't happen. 

I originally wrote something that I regretted here. I wrote it when I was down and I didn't know what I was thinking. I honestly didn't intend to keep it in this blog, but forgot. I'm really sorry if it offended anyone. What I wrote wasn't true and I wish I had never written it.

On Monday, I had no exams. FREEEE!!!!

So that morning I missed breakfast because I slept in and then I went to the local food shop called Spencers. In preparation I'd made a list of all the items I'd need and also made a map of the area so I didn't get lost.

I think India's made me so much more organised and independant, I don't think I would have done that for going to Coles back in Melbourne. 

Anyway, so I made the walk down there. Spencers is a very humble shop, compared to the Woolworths and Coles back home. It was more similar to a 7/11 shop. Lot's of sweets and the basic dairy products. 

I acted like a complete tourist in there. Not knowing what to do, trying to help and then failing. I ended up getting most of the stuff I needed. When I paid for it, they didn't have 5 rupee change for me. So instead they gave me 5 Cadbury Choclairs, since they are worth 1 rupee each. When I was in the shop I thought they were free, but then my roommate explained it to me when I got back. 

It was a great experience and I'll get better with more practise. 

The rest of the day was spent finishing Avatar the Last Airbender and preparing.

That evening after study hall some of us started to browse youtube. We watched some very strange Bollywood videos, then we introduced some people to Nyan cat. I hadn't laughed that much in a while. Bollywood Nyan cat was... different.

On the Tuesday morning I had my Psychology exam at 8:15. Armed with 10 minutes of revision between breakfast and the exam, I completed the exam with half an hour to go.
I then spent half an hour trying to get a pass to leave school, because we are only allowed to leave at certain times. The going back and forth between the Main gate, Vice Principals office and High School co-ordinator made me break a sweat. Eventually I did manage to get through though.

On the way back to dorm, a random person thrust a flyer at me. When I accepted it I thought it was advertising. It turned out to be a Christian flyer, encouraging people to turn to God. It was far from what I expected.

I then started to write some letters to people back home.

I wrote this at 5pm, just before my dad arrived.
I don't know what I'm feeling. I'm not excited I'm slightly nervous, I'm not sad. I'm stuck in the middle and I don't know how I should respond to my dads arrival. I feel distant, like it's not really happening. All this time I've put it out of my mind and now it's finally happening. My stomachs tense, once again I have no idea whats going on around me. It's time I suppose. My hearts hidden and afraid to come out again. I geuss I'll just have to wait and see.

I've began to choose which cloths I should take and leave. I don't know what to choose.

After about 15 minutes, it came time to go down to school to wait for dad. Once I was down there and waiting, I began to get nervous. I didn't know how it was going to go but I wanted to see him. I waited there for 30 minutes till I got a phone call saying that he was at the hotel and coming to school now to see me. I stood outside the gate waiting anxiously. Then I see him. The pale faced guy jogging towards me.

Sorry for the blur but I was excited. What followed was something just as special, it was just as I had hoped. There were tears, laughter and great joy.

After that we went down to Tibs for dinner, I was still shaking for a long time after the meeting. In Tibs we stuffed ourselves full for a meal that costed $7 Aus Dollars.
We talked a bit about news and life here. We were both very tired from the day.
After Tibs we went back to his hotel room and sorted out some stuff for wednesday.
Then we went to my dorm and had a nice chat with my dorm parent. Then dad went back to his hotel, I finished the letters and went to bed.

The wednesday began at 6:40 with Kevin waking me up for my Physics exam. It was a golden morning and the day was just as good.
The exam went ok, but it felt like some of my past tests, and I failed all of those. O well, I was happy with how I went with 10 min revision. I finished the exam and found dad in the finance office. We spent the morning looking around school, trying to show him the setting of my life for the last 4 to 5 months. We went to Aby's for lunch with Anand, the boy from KIS who's coming to Carey for a semester. He will be staying at our house and I thought it would be good for my dad and him to meet before he makes the leap across the Indian Ocean.
Lunch was great, and whilst we waited for the food we played a couple of games of UNO.
After lunch we went to Bryant park which was a magnificent place to go. It cost 110 rupee to get in with a camera, but was a great walk around for 30 min. I highly recommend it.

Then we began to walk around the Lake. With the magnificent day it is one of the highlight of my time here. It as great to take some time to talk with my dad.
For the day I had to wear my Darth Vader shirt that said "Who's you daddy?". It seemed appropriate and funny for the occasion.
I really missed my conversations with dad. During out entire 3km walk we managed to keep talking. It's made me excited to go back home, but I still want to stay.

Today I ran into quite a few people who complimented me on my testimony. Also some higher-ranking people in school (the Principle, Vice-principle, Dean etc) said farewell to me.

Throughout the day, I wasn't too sad, but i was more excited. It won't last though, I can be sure of that. I want to just stop looking to the future from my current perspective and try to enjoy the present. That is possibly the most important lesson I've learnt during my time here. But today is my last day none the less. I may not be back here for a while. I don't know how everyone else feels about that but I know that it's hurting me on the inside. When I get back to Aus I'll need some time to recover.

After the Lake walk dad went to his hotel room and I went to dorm. For half an hour I talked on skype and wrote some blog, dad just chilled and watched TV.

At 3:30 we went down to a local café. I had a nice hot chocolate and dad had a laté. It was a nice way to relax and just chat. It was at Cafe Coffee Day, a very beautiful place to go.

Then we went on Food Distribution, where we delivered the excess food from lunch to the local orphanage. I wanted to give dad the experience of a bumpy ride in a seatbelt-less 4 wheel drive. He really enjoyed it. Once we got to the orphanage we gave them the food and talked a bit with the kids there. Dad started a conversation with some of the kids about cricket, how dad was a spin bowler at their age and what style they bowled. Then the kids showed us a new way to roll a car tyre. It was said to be just like Batman's motor bike. You put 2 sticks into the groove in the tyre, one of each side. You put some water in to make the inside of the tyre more slippery. Then you push the sticks forward into the tyre and it makes the tyre begin to roll forward. It's a lot easier to control that using one stick, and also looks a lot cooler.

So after the orphanage we went back to dorm and packed my bag. It took a while to sort out everything. We went to dinner, taking with us an Aussie flag and some permanent markers. On the way we stopped to place an order at a small portable food shop that we call 'Cart'. It was an order for everyone in dorm. 22 egg fried rice, 10 garlic chicken and 1 veg rice. We then went to dinner.
Surprisingly, not many people were there. I guess that they were out celebrating or whatever. So did and I had some school food. It was average for school food, so a good experience for dad. Down there a couple of people wrote messages on my flag. It's hard to believe that I may never see those people again. Life can be cruel sometimes.

After dinner we went back to dorm and finished up packing. At 8 I went with a couple of guys to collect the food (which we had arranged with the cooks to be the pickup time). When we got there they said that it'd be ready in 5 min. Us, being experienced Indians knew that this meant anywhere from 15min to 30 or beyond. So we went and got some Mountain Dews (that tasted like lemonade) and waited. Luckily, this time the food was ready by 8:25. So we carried all 5 large paper bags full of the food back to dorm. One there we divided it up between everyone in dorm and gave it out. Everyone enjoyed it and there was none left.
Then I went and started making desert with Kevin. It was crushed ANZAC biscuit with cream and vanilla essence. There were also Tim-Tams and Oreos for them to enjoy.

At this time dad left to go back to his room. I grabbed my Aussie flag and went around to everyone in dorm to write something on it. I haven't read them all yet but when I can I will. I'm gona miss those crazy guys. Being in dorm has been amazing. It makes home life so boring.  I just wish I could have gotten to know everyone here better, that I could tell them how much they've changed my life.

To go home is what I must do. I need to finish High school. I need to see the one girl I've been thinking of ever since I've been away from her, the one I've been thinking of since grade 8.


But God has a way of placing me right where I need to be, and with the people I need to know too. It's been an absolute pleasure knowing you all, and I hope to catch up soon.

The Unaccompanied Indian Explorer is no longer unaccompanied.

Throughout my entire my time here I've always had company, and no matter which country I'm in, it will always be with me. Yes, I'm talking about God but also friends. The people at KIS are forever with me.

I'll write blogs of my final exploration with my dad. But until then, this a vert teary eyed, broken hearted Australian saying seeya later mates.