It was comforting to return to a city I once called my home and see that all of its idiosyncrasies had remained the same. It was also immediately comforting to see friends that I had not seen since 2025. Yet even then, the jet lag compounded the stress of the new journey I had set myself on, and it was hard not to wonder what I was doing here. The friends I saw have partners and families here or have lived here their entire lives. In comparison, I felt that I was already crumbling under the weight of the idea of building an entire life from scratch. Starting from square one made me evaluate all of the resources that I did already have in India. My friends are primarily concentrated in Delhi, which evoked a sense of loneliness when I imagined departing for Goa. But what choice did I have but to focus on the positives? Delhi is only a 3 hour flight away; I could come see so many friends without having to go all the way back home to the United States. Additionally, I have maintained a positive relationship with the program that first brought me to Delhi. Therefore, the people who I had worked with before are still there to support me in whatever ways are possible, and it also opened a network of people who are related to this work. In my mind, Delhi remains a bastion of support and possibility which has buoyed me in moments of distress. Through the people I already knew in India, I was connected to friends of friends who live in Goa. Grabbing coffees and dinners with these connections has been the primary way in which I've begun to establish relationships here. This has also led to more potential friendships as people have then connected me to others they know here as well.
