Dearest Ajay, Purnima, Ashu and Kokila...
Oh my God, there are so many things I would like to say to you!
THANK YOU are the first words... and then, I MISS YOU!
I came to India for 3 months (for a business programme for young graduates). I was nervous. It was the first time I was going to travel so far, alone, and for so long a period. Even before coming to India, we exchanged emails. You were so kind that all my fears disappeared! Ashu saw to it that I got an Indian mobile number when I arrived, Ajay booked a taxi to pick me up at the airport,...
I stayed 6 weeks in Delhi in your warm family before going to other cities. Those 6 weeks have been the best of all my life! We shared so many things! You really considered me as a member of your family. And this was not just because I was there for a long time: during my stay I saw YOU TREATED ALL YOUR GUESTS WITH THE SAME HOSPITALITY. You really cared for all of us. Even people who came for one or two nights were enjoying the same warm welcome and helpfulness. I remember Purnima who was always cooking DELICIOUS meals (and what a diversity of dishes!), Ajay who was booking the taxis/cars or giving advice about the best places to visit, Ashu who was always ready to help if I had a problem with my laptop (how patient he was! Because I'm not always easy when it goes to technology :-)!), Kokila who made me discover the Indian education system... And then all those dinners together when we talked about India, Hindouism, spirituality, your travels abroad,... There was really an enchanted, intimate atmosphere in the air! Purnima helped me to buy a sari, showed me how to cook (and I learned her how to make Belgian pancakes :-)); I went to the cinema with Ashu; Ajay and Ashu went with me to the railway station to help me reserve my train tickets and those of one of your future guests,... You cheered me up when I wasn't feeling good. We celebrated together the birthday of a friend of mine who happened to be in Delhi for a few weeks too (I had adviced him to come to your B&B and he also fell in love with all of you!) You even invited me to a marriage in your family. We talked to my parents, my brother and my sister in Brussels thanks to Skype (and I witnessed that you also called some of your former guests thanks to the Internet), and so on, and so on!
Well, I have to stop here (you did so many things for me and for all your guests that I cannot mention everything)! But so, to put it shortly, you made me feel at home. It was so hard to say you goodbye, leave you to go to Mumbai! You have become my second mother, father, sister and brother! I'm so happy I'll come back to Delhi in a few weeks... even if it's just for two days, I cannot wait for seeing you again before taking my plane back to Belgium! I've already been missing you so much in Ahmedabad and Mumbai! It was depressing to be in those bad hotels... and the family where I'm staying here in Mumbai is not really friendly... They just consider me as somebody who pays them for a room, nothing else... With you, that was totally different! Thanks for you messages and phone calls to make sure I'm okay far away from you!
See you very soon!
Love,
Laura (from Belgium)
