Semester Abroad, Global Correspondents I Ripped My Pants in India

SIT International Honors: Health and Community

Trevor is one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents writing and sharing his experience abroad during the Fall 2022 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.

I remember it vividly. It was a humid Wednesday, my twelfth day in India. I was all packed for a week-long program excursion to Udaipur, Jaipur, and Agra. Emotions were running high; I was ecstatic to see more of India and have a break from the bustling and often overwhelming megacity that is Delhi. Yet I felt a little apprehensive about the upcoming overnight train I was about to embark on and anxious about the unknowns of the new environments I was to encounter. Witharacing mind due to heightened traveling stressors, I boarded the bus that would take me to the train station...

In a sweaty mess, I clumsily fumbled into my seat and ended up landing on the armrest. The next thing I heard was the most recognizable ripping noise known to man. I shot up and frantically asked the people around me to check my behind region to see if I had ripped my pants. My suspicion was unfortunately confirmed by gaggles of laughter. To put the cherry on top, these pants happened to be my favorite and nicest pants on the trip: perfectly fitting, thin, and breathable khaki cargo shorts with attachable zip-on pant legs that I found thrifting a while back. So, I slowly sat back down to prepare myself to endure an embarrassing bus ride and then an overnight train ride in the same pants I defaced with my carelessness and absent-mindedness.

Now I know how this might sound arbitrary and a bit silly. But this small inconvenience had a mighty effect on my mentality and mood. I realized how I was wrapped up in a heap of anxiety, trying to navigate the pressures of trying to see everything while being in a place I may never see again. I also realized I was forcing myself to enjoy things that made me uncomfortable rather than reflecting on why I was uncomfortable in the first place.

These negative thoughts manifested into something I could have only imagined to be the depths of culture shock. I became a little irritable. I dwelled on the little things and, at times, became helpless. And often, I felt overwhelmed and sad. All I wanted to do was stay in my room and avoid any possible thing that would add to my lackluster attitude.

However, from this itsy-bitsy inconvenience, I realized that I wasn’t taking time to adjust and fully think about my place. Once I did, on that bumpy bus and long dark train ride, I could see more clearly the importance of taking time to reflect and ground myself in the reasons I came on this program. In the end, I had the chance to familiarize myself with Udaipur through the walkable markets, the mesmerizing sunsets over layers of rolling mountains, the intricate temples, and the gorgeous and colorful City Palace. I also got to tour India’s simplistic public healthcare facilities and visit a practicing Guni (a traditional healer in a rural tribal village). After, realizing how trivial ripping my pants were and reflecting on how passionately I felt afterward about this minor inconvenience, I was brought back into my normal self. I am grateful I was reminded, albeit at the expense of my favorite pants, not to get wrapped up in the excitement of a study abroad experience. From a rip to a realization: I was reminded to take a step back, enjoy a deep breath, and go out and learn.