The Philosophy of the Family Switch

Yes, I know I missed last week, but hey, stuff happens yknow.

I probably won’t be able to remember all the events of the last week, so I am expecting this will be shorter than usual. We can only hope.

Starting off with the family switch. About two weeks ago I officially acquired my third set of parents. This is borderline “too many sets of parents”. I was very warmly welcomed into the Vyas household. Our apartment is part of a 10-story apartment building that is quite old, almost 25 years. I get to take one of those old gated elevators up to the seventh floor, where we have an extremely cute four room apartment. One point I can say is, 100 percent, this is my opportune living style. Having a, according to the common American, “minimalist” (which isn’t very minimalist if you ask the rest of the world) is much more relaxing, as it gives me an opportunity to know all the house and feel a tight emotional relationship with it. The sunsets are amazing and there is a constant draft of air through the house. Also, this high up there are minimal insects. (Probably the worst part of India so far). The Vyas family has a son in the U.S., actually very close to Colchester, so right now I am mostly living the only child style, which is more what I am used to. Ajay misses me. A day after I left he called me crying…. but like I predicted earlier. “Goodbyes are just are part of the exchange.” I would like to emphasize that I would like to say more about the Vyas family, but I can’t come to words because I don’t so much feel like a guest, but instead a family member. It’s like when someone in the U.S. were to ask about my family. “They’re good.” This of course doesn’t describe them well enough, but its all the words I can muster. I’m going to say that is a good thing. Little to say I am having a wonderful time. One thing that I have noticed when switching families is that I have gotten the much more expected Indian household experience. This is most likely because the Macchar family has hosted 9 times before me, so I think they are a little more westernized than other families. Of course this is not a good or bad thing, just a difference I wanted to note.

Another thing I find interesting about my exchange (I guess I will focus a lot more on the emotional aspect this week.) is I struggle to find a response when my friends ask me about how my exchange is so far. I want to say it has been stunning. I want to say that it has been a shocking “adventure”. Of course, it has been exciting, and I have seen events that have changed my personality dramatically. But many seem to not realize that it is more about living daily life. I do not see something amazing every day. I go through the daily system, school, homework, and all. Of course, this is not a bad thing. Anyone that knows me closely will know that I very much enjoy the daily lifestyle. (You can call it lazy but I prefer not to.) My most exciting and memorable moments have still come in basic everyday things. Like getting to escape sports class with new friends, or, as I said before, picking my host brother up from school.

A little more logistical stuff. I live in the central city. A huge mall and lake are in walking distance. I now take a bus to school (6 days a week ☹). I have yet to explore much on my own, but I can already tell that it will be very easy to find extracurriculars to get involved with in the future. I would also like to add that I am a lot more into school then I was before. I just wasn’t ready to go back after completing my sophomore year. AND ONE MONTH!!!! It feels like three….only 9 more.

I think this is enough. Of course, I’ve done more things. But I won’t drag it out too much. It would let me post individual pictures I don't know why.

The new family: