All of a sudden...

It was time to say goodbye.

I had given away gifts, gadgets, and gizmos.
The paintings were complete.
My Polaroid film stash was depleted.
I had been gifted butter cake and bread for my journey.
Letters of appreciation had been written and read.
All my possessions had been packed.

But, as I was sitting with all the kids on the ground for Sunday Class listening to the beautiful sound of them singing and praying in Tamil - the moment when Daas pulled up in the jeep and waved at me that it was time to go still felt abrupt somehow.

Raghul accompanied me to my room and helped me carry my things. As we walked I was reminding him to "be good" and to "study hard," tears began to well up in his big, beautiful, dark eyes - "Mary Akka (sister) don't go."

I pulled him in for an uncharacteristic hug (both because he's a 13 year old boy and because it's India) - and squeezed him tight. As I was holding back my own tears, I told him to remember that God loves him and that we would meet again one day.

I wiped his tears and playfully pushed him away to rejoin the kids. They were waving and shouting - I was blowing kisses and waving back - and just like that Avinash and I were in the jeep and on our way to the train station. Just 30 short minutes later, we too would say "see ya later" with a culturally inappropriate hug and a quick push to hurry through the door of my train to Bangalore.

I was all ready, it was time, everything was planned...and somehow all of a sudden it was over. I was on my way out of India.