On giving

I spent two months the summer after my freshman year working at an amazing little NGO in Delhi, India. Mostly, the time I spent there was marked with a lot of frustration measured evenly against hope, and determination in the face of dire circumstance. Admittedly, at the end of the experience, I felt a certain sense of relief to be able to leave behind what seemed like an unsolvable mess of malcontent and return to my relatively straight forward life - get good grades in school, look for good job, plan for medical school, etc. etc. none of which includes anything resembling - search for your daughter who was kidnapped and sold into prostitution, look for a doctor to treat your recurrent stomach pain despite the fact that you can’t pay for it, run away from the in laws who insist that you cursed their son and caused his death. The experience put me fully out of my comfort zone, but there was great value in that fear and discomfort, and I felt grateful for the opportunity to spend two months of my life, with each day solely devoted to the goal of helping these people. It was in the sweltering heat of Delhi that I realized the truth of - it is in giving that we receive. Now, over two years later and thousands of miles removed from their reality, its a struggle to retain the sense of urgency that I felt while I was there. But life sends certain small reminders. I got an email from the directors of the NGO yesterday, penned in their own version of English that I remember so well. They assured me that they were doing well and inquired about my studies. I promised I would return after I became a real doctor.