I hate to compare myself to the infamous Waldo of the comic illustration world, but the truth is that Waldo never needed to be found by someone else. He found himself in India. And, comparably, so did I.

This past January of 2016, I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in India for three weeks with a J-term class titled "Religion and Society in Modern India." Throughout our time traveling and studying the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities, I learned many things not only about the world but about myself. It was a journey of self-discovery. A journey that changed me completely. And a journey I will never forget. The struggles and victories are something I can only share with my travel mates. However, there are the two most important ideas that I took with me when I returned home that might benefit you too.

1. Life will require significant adjustment and readjustment. Be flexible.

Upon arrival, my travel group was bombarded by smog, smells, noise, and crowds. We had landed in Delhi at 1 am, but there were still hundreds of people at the airport! Vendors were still selling food in the streets. The car horns were beeping. People were shouting. As the weeks passed on we had to adjust to a change in food, a lack of hot water (or water at all), a nonentity of showers, and a disappearance of every single natural comfort that we have become so accustomed to living in the United States.

This was my first experience in a developing country. And although it felt like heavy-duty culture shock, looking back, I know I look at everything I have back home with such greater appreciation now. However, not a single one of my travel mates or I complained. May seem unbelievable, I know. But, every day we faced these new challenges together. No one was on their own. And instead of being pessimistic, we often found ourselves laughing, accepting, and moving on. That is something I take with me today. I like to be in control. But there are moments when I simply cannot be in control.

So, advice for all—adjust, accept, and move on. That’s how life should be lived.

2. India will never leave you. Keep your memories close and grow from them.

Honestly, the most difficult part was adjusting back to life at home. Reverse culture shock may not seem like a positive, but it was. And it was an important part of my self-discovery process. When I came back to my technology and my warm bed and my fridge I kept feeling guilty. I kept seeing those poor and starving people in my head. I keep saying this, but since India is a developing country the people there face such hardships everyday. They have to struggle for clean water. And, here in America, we take it for granted that clean water comes right to our faucets. It was in that moment that I realized there was nothing significant that I could do to change their situation.

Knowing that, I now do the only thing I can do—remember them. I remember the smiles and the laughs of everyone we met. I have been inspired to travel more, to learn more, and to become the best version of myself because that is the only way I can serve those people. No one can find me or change me. I have to be open and willing to make my own change.

Every day we need to think and act with a global perspective! We are not only serving ourselves but the world at large by being the very best people we can be!