“A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”   ~George A. Moore

Only after returning home have I fully realized the unique opportunity provided me by Aravind. By coming to the quiet comfort of this desk, safe from my adventure am I able to appreciate what I have. Gone are the incessant car horns, the streets full of litter, and the rampant urban sprawl, all replaced by the clean infrastructure of suburban Houston, Texas.

Through my journeys I was offered the chance to meet people from around the world. I’ve met travelers finishing their 6 months of backpacking, weary and ready to go home. I’ve met students from schools all across our country and doctors from countries all around the world, each coming to taste the unique medicine that Aravind has to offer. I traveled to temples by the ocean, built by Siva, to plantations in the mountains, filled with tea, and to rivers in the jungles that divide the land and the sea.

It’s easy to call these adventures, but likewise was living in India. To me the street vendors, bartering, transportation, weather and work were all challenges to be surmounted, unique experiences to remember upon my return. I’m lucky to call these experiences an adventure, a test of my abilities and an exposure to new ideas. For 1 billion other inhabitants those experiences are everyday life.

Now would I do this all again? Absolutely. I could happily go back to Aravind to conduct research. I could go as a doctor seeking ophthalmic training. The institution has so much to offer on so many levels of skills. My horizons have been broadened, and while I now return to my regular patterns of school and studies, I will see it all the additional lens that Aravind has granted me.