Little Rann of Kutch

(From February 20)

What a truly wonderful weekend to close out India. Nature, puppies, and heartfelt conversation—what could be better?

We left Ahmedabad yesterday around 9 AM to drive to the Little Rann of Kutch, a “perfect valley” near the Pakistani border. I slept most of the way there and woke up to a wonderland of green foliage and fresh air. Perhaps most conducive to my overwhelming joy, though, were the PUPPIES.

The retreat was home to five 17-day-old yellow Labrador puppies, with a doting mother and a burly but sweet father. Also in attendance at the puppy party were a gorgeous Doberman, a straggly St. Bernard, and an extremely overweight pug. I was in PARADISE. I legitimately spent every spare moment with the doggies, and I was finally able to prove to all of my friends that I am indeed a crazy canine lady. Indeed, cuddling a sleeping Lab convinced me that I need neither boyfriend nor children nor friends; I will be satisfied if I have dogs.

Okay, but that’s enough (for now) about the dogs. The grounds, while pretty quaint, were well-maintained and secluded. We grouped into clusters of four and chose our “glamping” huts (glam camping, for those of you not in the know). Sally and I chose to share a bed, because duh. And we chilled out for about an hour until our SAFARI.

The safari, however, was not quite what we expected. We piled into decked-out jeeps (reminded me a lot of my ride through the Jordanian desert in Wadi Rum), ready for sightings of lions and tigers and not bears, but I had to finish the saying. Tbh, though, we see more wild animals in the streets of Ahmedabad than we did on this three-hour safari.

We saw a lot of dystopian-looking landscape, cracked desert-y ground, dust clouds, and the occasional flock of birds or herd of wild ass. We mainly enjoyed being with one another, quipping about common phenomena from the last month and teasing one another about our experiences. We headed back tiredly after sunset and partook in an awesome dinner (with Italian pasta) and chocolate cake. We also learned some fun Indian dance from a few young girls that lived and worked in the area. It was festive and fun but still chill. Really wonderful.

Jenn, Geneva, and I woke up early this morning in an attempt to go on a morning jog. We hit many dead-ends in our foray onto the street and through some farmland, but it was super wonderful to get in some solid exercise after way too many weeks of sedentariness. Our afternoon consisted of engaged conversation about our experiences and some really heartfelt conversations about our appreciation for one another and our shared joy. I relished the companionship and made the goal to continue building closeness with every individual on this program.

This weekend (for all of the mini-disasters and awkward moments that I’ve simply chosen not to mention) encapsulated the feelings and conversations and sensorial experiences that I so craved when I chose this study abroad program. I felt a closeness with my surroundings, with my peers, and with myself. The peace of the retreat, and the honesty and compassion of my friends, and my own willingness to be open and receptive to others made for such a wonderful final weekend in India. And only like 85% of my maniacal joy came from the plethora of dogs, which is pretty generous to the humans that I interacted with, honestly.

Our return trip to Ahmedabad sped by quickly, and we emerged into air so smoggy that the moon’s light is hazy and fuzzy. It’s like looking through smeared sunglasses. But, that’s okay, because in about 24 hours, we will be breathing in the canned, tinny air of an airplane as we jet to SAO PAULO!!!!! WAHOO! Crime capital of the world, here we come!!!

Sally and I are relishing our last night as roommates in Shamim’s home. We’ll probs be finishing off our night with a gripping showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so you could say I’m pretty frickin stoked. Anyway—I’m very happy I’m finishing my experience in India on such a high and sweet note. And that I got to cuddle with some puppies.

Farewell,

Aubrey