Reflections: Jeanna Miller

What amazed you most about India?
The sense of relaxed urgency. India is a very fast-paced country – from the quantity of things to accomplish to the traffic moving at a frighteningly fast speed – and yet there was always time to “take rest”, there was always time for family, friends and building relationships. It’s ironic that I had to travel across the world, to a place that runs at warp speed, to learn how to integrate relaxation into my every day schedule.

What did you pack that, after getting to India, you either never used or wished you would have left behind?
I was scared about the food we would be eating. In fact, I think our whole team was, because all of us packed insane amounts of non-perishable food. A little would have been perfect, I packed too much. We never had to worry about being hungry while in India – even if Indian food isn’t your favorite, there is always bread, rice and fruits of different sorts. The only time we broke out our supply was in the airports and our last night at the hotel when we were too tired to venture out for dinner. And that night a little container of peanut butter with crackers was like heaven. I would have had much more room in my suitcase for souvenirs if I hadn’t over packed with food. Word to the wise though – if the Indian people say something is “good for digestion” they really mean it, and consume in small amounts!