It’s crazy to think back at all the months that I’ve spent in the US, in DC as an Atlas Corps fellow at the Human Rights Campaign. Now that I sit in my cubicle on July 1st, making my penultimate monthly planner, I realise that I’ve got barely 50 days left before I leave for home.

But what is home? Delhi? DC? Something else? Having worked across India for the past few years ensured that I called multiple cities home. The only factor that tied me back to Delhi was the fact that I had family there, but even then the feeling of “home” doesn’t always come just because you have family.

With Atlas Corps and my fellowship, I was suddenly surrounded by amazing co-fellows and other DC people, each one more articulate, impressive, and inspiring than the previous one. It’s a city of people who are doing amazing work, and are passionate about it. I felt at home with my co-fellows, and I don’t really know how I’ll feel when I’m back to Delhi surrounded by people who sometimes talk very trivial stuff; the intellectual stimulation is simply hard to replicate.

This is probably the biggest incentive for us fellows to continue our engagement with our AC family – the fact that we keep learning from each other, maintain contact to ensure that our exchange of ideas and inspiration thoughts doesn’t die out. I am definitely going to miss everyone so much, but let’s just say that it is time to go continue the work. It’s not an end, it’s a beginning. Cliched, but true.

All I need to do now is to figure out visas and regulations for my India passport coz I really want to visit you all!