365 Days of Captivity

On Friday, June 24^th, I completed one year in India.  It seems like longer… a lot longer!

I remember when I arrived last year and I kept telling myself that the next stage would be better:  it would be better once I found an apartment; it would be better once the monsoons arrived; it would be better once the monsoons departed; it would be better when winter arrived; it would be better when winter left and I stopped freezing; it would be better when it got warmer; and, once again, it would be better when the monsoons arrived.  Not uncommon to most expat assignments, the first year is full of hope and wonder. 

Again, as with most expat assignments, the second year is a bit different.  I am pretty sure that this is similar to what the wrongfully convicted go through when they first enter prison.  At first you believe that optimism and hope are the keys to survival.   After a while, though, you realize that simply living day to day and coming to terms with your surroundings is the best way to get through it. For me, I now realize that I cannot control the weather, give those without common sense wisdom, nor make 1.5 billion people bathe.  The key to survival in India is controlling what you can control and letting the rest go.  You must live the Prayer of Serenity!

God grant me the serenity 


To accept the things I cannot change; 


Courage to change the things I can;


And wisdom to know the difference.

--Reinhold Niebuh