My Trip To India
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MY LIFE CHANGING TRIP TO INDIA
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In June 2017, I embarked on a "road-less-traveled" professionally by taking a journey to India. This was a very fulfilling experience for me physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was a chance for me to refresh my soul, rejoice and give back. I traveled to a part of India with no internet, no malls and no air conditioning. This was a remote place where the people rely on each other for their strengthen and in this environment I truly learned the strength of simplicity.
When I get asked the question: 'Did you go to India to look for yourself?' or 'Did you find yourself there?' My answer is no, I did not go with intentions to 'find my true self.' The reason for my journey to India was much bigger:
I found myself wondering: 'How did I get so blessed with what I have been given for so many years?' And: 'How can I give back to the Universe? How does a mother find a way to say thank you after receiving her two courageous sons back from the military and back from war and fighting in one piece - emotionally and physically stable?'
India was the answer to my questions. I had traveled there in 1988 and on that trip I had left a piece of my heart and soul there when I left that first time. I felt I had to come back for the missing piece of the puzzle.
India is a tough to handle for people not prepared or used to that type of poverty and rough living conditions. Nothing can really prepare someone for these conditions. Nor can someone prepare for India's unique positive and spiritual energy. Only by actually stepping foot in the country can the truth about India's beauty, magic, and hypnotic nature be felt. Regardless of how many trips, every time this change shocks like the first.
As a birth doula, I wanted to dedicate this trip to the impoverish Indian women who are giving birth under difficult and unimaginable circumstances in their local hospitals.
For me, my trip to India ended up as nothing short of a series of miracles. Each stop on my journey was marked by one remarkable event after another. I began in the city of Ladakh, which is city in Northern India in between the borders of Pakistan and China. This beautiful city is where I was first accepted for a job as a birth doula after a long interview with their head administrator, Professor Voodook. I was blessed with this opportunity to assist these strong women in such a challenging time. What I saw and experienced with these women changed my life and gave a whole new perspective. I met there two amazing female OBGYN doctors: Dr. Fatima and Dr. Padmah, along with their staff.
After that first stop, I continued my journey from city to city helping women through the beautiful miracle that is childbirth. I traveled from Ladakh to Manali to work in a government hospital in Dharamshala with an amazing husband and wife doctor team Drs. Aunrag Sharma. I learned so much from them - including their amazing Indian recipes!
From there I continued to Rishikesh where I worked with Dr. Anand. From Rishikesh I traveled to Jaipur where I worked with Dr. Sankar. And from Jaipur I next went to Pushkar where I worked with Dr. Pai. My last stop on the journey was in remarkable place - the beautiful Varanasi. In Varanasi I worked with the one and only Dr. Jannavi, who treated me like I was her own daughter.
I gained so much personally and professionally from the country of India and these wonderful loving Indian friends and colleagues in women's health and childbirth. I feel so blessed to receive so much joy in what I do.