I know, I know - it’s been a long time since you’ve heard from
me on here. Over the past four months, I have completed another
three-week business trip to India, started my final year of grad school, and landed back in India one last time for my final four-week trip.
This incredible journey is coming to a close and I’d be lying if I said it’s
not bittersweet.
Speaking of bittersweet – my
paternal grandmother, affectionately known as Hippo or d'Maw, passed away yesterday, at the age of 81, after
getting a bacterial infection after a recent knee surgery. Yes, she is out of
pain, yet she is gone and her passing leaves a deep void in my family.
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| Hippo, around 2009, enjoying her crosswords and reading the paper |
This is the first close relative I've lost and it is weird
to be so far away from family while all of this is going on. I am thankful for
my friends and colleagues here who have provided support to me over the past day, and
for all my family who has spoken with and comforted me on the phone.
One thing I learned from my grandparents is that travel and exploration is
not a scary thing, but something to be embraced. Seeing pictures of them in foreign countries and
hearing their travel stories shaped my mind to realize that I, too, can travel. Their example helped me embrace travel
abroad opportunities in college to Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia, which set the stage for my travels to Zimbabwe, Peru, India, and other places
after graduation.
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| Hippo and Papa during their extensive travels |
So now, as this South Carolindian stares out across the
skyline in Bangalore, almost 9,000 miles away from my family, I want to send this
tribute up to Hippo, my grandmother, to thank you for the happy memories of
jelly beans, Gameboys, sodas by the pool, your laugh and your jolly nature.
I will remember your love of the
arts, lilac-dyed hair, and the massive stack of silver bracelets and necklaces that
gently clinked as you moved.
May you rest in peace.
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| Hippo and me, July 2015 |
