after close to 25 hours of waiting, travelling, waiting so more and then traveling some more I finally eye my end stop - Vienna airport, as I take my bag, and move through the checkout, I am met by the driver that is helping me with my luggage when we come to the car, it is freezing for me, I am seriously cold, and not only because I didn't sleep for 25 hours but because it is -2 degrees outside. As I get into the car, and we sneak out from the airport - it hits me the first time that I am back in Europe, it is dark and cold outside, and as we go slowly accelerate on the highway it hits me, there are almost no cars on the highway, there is no sound, and it is so quiet, so silent, so boring.. After a 45 min drive I am finally at home, the key slides into the lock, I hear the familiar click when I unlock the door and I step into my empty apartment, everything is as I left it 4 weeks ago, I cant help but think to myself that it is with a bitter sweet symphony I am at home, I miss my friends in India, I miss my colleagues that I was use to meeting everyday in Chennai, I miss the sounds, the smell, the atmosphere, I pretty much miss everything, this 4 week assignment has impacted me more than I ever dreamt of ..
As I unpack my bag the smell of India is still hanging in my cloth, and it makes me think back to what I went through in India, the memories, the fun, the tears, the experiences, looking back it hits me even harder how much I miss India, one chapter of my life is over and a new one will start, and with this in the back of my mind I slide into a heavy sleep, were I am reconnected with my friends and colleagues from India.
I spend almost 3 month preparing for a 4 week assignment in India, and I feel that it all just started last night - I feel like it was last night that my friend (that I will be grateful to forever for this) told me that I should apply for this assignment, I feel like it was last night that I was sitting at home receiving the e-mail, telling me that I would spend 4 weeks in Chennai, I feel like it was last night that I found out that I would be working for a NGO supporting street children and promoting child rights, like last night that I met Susanna and the rest of the CSC team, like it was last night that we had our first call with our client.. but it is now 4 months later, and a lot of new of memories later, it is a different martin that is back in Bratislava, it is a martin that has lived through ups and downs, seen different things, tried different things, it is a martin that went through a changing process, a maturing process, where he learned about himself - I can truly say that I have learn new dimensions about myself, I have changed in my leadership style, I have improved in many aspects, I have become more flexible, adaptable and adjustable to pretty much whatever is thrown at me, I feel I can work and lead in any environment, I feel I have learn how to truly connect with people that I though I would never be able to connect with, I feel I have become a bit more humble, I have become a bit less egoistic, and much more patient .. and it is all thanks to these last 4 months
so before thinking about how much I have changed and what I have changed into, I seriously need to get use to the weather, when I was leaving Chennai it was 32 degrees and outside is a nice fresh -3 degrees welcoming me, this and also the almost 5 hours time difference, it is hitting me harder than I thought, all in all I think I underestimated a lot of things before going to India - next time when I return there I will make sure I don’t, and I will return to India, I mean it is a fantastic country, there is a ton of things to see and do, and as the country is so incredible hug it will take me a least a couple of trips back before I see what I would like to see, I guess I will have my travel plans made out for myself for the next couple of years, and one last thing about India, before I left to India I couldn’t imagine living and working there, now back in Bratislava I can easily imagine living and working in India - funny how life turns out ..
so to all of my colleagues that might read this, if you ever get a chance to go on our CSC assignment, don’t wait one single sec to apply it is a wonderful, amazing and fantastic experience - and I am forever going to be thankful for having had this chance, to meet, to learn, to see, to smell, to experience, to change, to develop and to grow .. - It is a life changing experience ..
Personally, I have never in my wildest imagination thought going to India would have had such a profound impact on my life, I have never thought that my life would be turn so incredible upside down as it has been, I never dared to hope for such a wonderful life-changing experience, and now that I have had it - the question is what is next for me ? that my friends is a question that I can not answer right now, however what I do know is that I will always have India inside of me, it is burned deep within me ..
As I unpack my bag the smell of India is still hanging in my cloth, and it makes me think back to what I went through in India, the memories, the fun, the tears, the experiences, looking back it hits me even harder how much I miss India, one chapter of my life is over and a new one will start, and with this in the back of my mind I slide into a heavy sleep, were I am reconnected with my friends and colleagues from India.
I spend almost 3 month preparing for a 4 week assignment in India, and I feel that it all just started last night - I feel like it was last night that my friend (that I will be grateful to forever for this) told me that I should apply for this assignment, I feel like it was last night that I was sitting at home receiving the e-mail, telling me that I would spend 4 weeks in Chennai, I feel like it was last night that I found out that I would be working for a NGO supporting street children and promoting child rights, like last night that I met Susanna and the rest of the CSC team, like it was last night that we had our first call with our client.. but it is now 4 months later, and a lot of new of memories later, it is a different martin that is back in Bratislava, it is a martin that has lived through ups and downs, seen different things, tried different things, it is a martin that went through a changing process, a maturing process, where he learned about himself - I can truly say that I have learn new dimensions about myself, I have changed in my leadership style, I have improved in many aspects, I have become more flexible, adaptable and adjustable to pretty much whatever is thrown at me, I feel I can work and lead in any environment, I feel I have learn how to truly connect with people that I though I would never be able to connect with, I feel I have become a bit more humble, I have become a bit less egoistic, and much more patient .. and it is all thanks to these last 4 months
so before thinking about how much I have changed and what I have changed into, I seriously need to get use to the weather, when I was leaving Chennai it was 32 degrees and outside is a nice fresh -3 degrees welcoming me, this and also the almost 5 hours time difference, it is hitting me harder than I thought, all in all I think I underestimated a lot of things before going to India - next time when I return there I will make sure I don’t, and I will return to India, I mean it is a fantastic country, there is a ton of things to see and do, and as the country is so incredible hug it will take me a least a couple of trips back before I see what I would like to see, I guess I will have my travel plans made out for myself for the next couple of years, and one last thing about India, before I left to India I couldn’t imagine living and working there, now back in Bratislava I can easily imagine living and working in India - funny how life turns out ..
so to all of my colleagues that might read this, if you ever get a chance to go on our CSC assignment, don’t wait one single sec to apply it is a wonderful, amazing and fantastic experience - and I am forever going to be thankful for having had this chance, to meet, to learn, to see, to smell, to experience, to change, to develop and to grow .. - It is a life changing experience ..
Personally, I have never in my wildest imagination thought going to India would have had such a profound impact on my life, I have never thought that my life would be turn so incredible upside down as it has been, I never dared to hope for such a wonderful life-changing experience, and now that I have had it - the question is what is next for me ? that my friends is a question that I can not answer right now, however what I do know is that I will always have India inside of me, it is burned deep within me ..
