Just before we left, Daniel asked me whether I wanted to go take our poster back, since the school wasn't keeping them and was taking them down already. I remember running down the antique, white, empty corridors of City Montessori School, something I won't get to see again until 2011.
I remember bursting straight into the poster room trying to find our poster and collage, and turning around to see Daniel in the doorway.
We decided not to bring home the collage since it couldn't be rolled up because of the sticks. But we took home the butterflies.
We left lucknow 7:30 p.m. to begin our long journey home.
And I guess all the time in between, the quiet flight, the transit time in Delhi, I spent looking back upon the past six days. Thinking about how I had given absolutely no thought at all when I signed the registration forms, and to then have embarked on a TOTALLY AWESOME six days of my life.
My biggest take-away wasn't the incredible culture of India nor was it wasn't the competition.
The fact we didn't win doesn't matter to me at all. We, every single one of us, finished the fight without a single regret or tear. Because each of us knew that we did more than our best, knew that we exceeded ourselves. Because we knew that whatever we did was better than anything we had done during the so many practices and trainings.
And because of that, no matter what the results are like, they don't matter one single bit.
Throughout these six days, the one single thing that has left footprints on the stuff that makes me who I am, is the friends we made.
Not just with the other international participants. Among ourselves too.
Stuff like sitting in the IB lab with Nicholas, Daniel and Mervyn until late in the afternoon, cutting out stacks and stacks of stuff for the poster and collage. Stuff like me emoing the night after the results, and looking up to find Nicholas' smiling face telling me to cheer up. Stuff like our little plan to be deliberately late for functions because we were upset with always being made to wait so long for things to start even though we were asked to be punctual.
Stuff like all the jokes and things we said to each other along the way. Stuff like all the little ways we looked out for each other.
Stuff like all the fleeting moments we shared together.
Those are the things that mean the world to me. Things I could never forget. Things that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO DANIEL, NICHOLAS, GUO YANG, TONG NHAT DUONG, ANMOL, MERVYN FOR GIVING ME AN UNFORGETTABLE, TOTALLY AWESOME 6 DAYS OF MY LIFE. ITS BEEN AN AWESOME JOURNEY WITH YOU GUYS AND YOU GUYS ROCK! :D
We were dead tired, throughout the long journey home in the middle of the night. Dragging ourselves through the transit terminal in the airport. We hardly spoke. But you can sit in silence next to a friend all evening, and walk away feeling it was the best conversation that you've ever had.
And that's how I felt.
The plane left India 12:45 a.m. and as I looked out of the window, peering at this exciting new world which I had so briefly explored, contemplating my return in 2 years time for the next Festival of Biotech....
I knew it won't be the same.
Not without you guys.
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