As I left the bustling streets, busy highways of New York and the skyline faded, peace started settling in; like the continuous drops from a loose tap.
The New Hampshire mountains are definitely different. Similar to my hometown Darjeeling, minus all the water. I feel embraced by these mountains. Born of the mountains, I am home again.
In exploring my new home, I found the distance between my host site, home, and the grocery store astonishing. There are so many turns in the road, I am riding a path built by giant snakes; the speed limits are chameleons constantly changing colors. However, Riding on my moped has never been this fun. The turns make me feel like a superbike racer. As I pass other bikes, I flash up a peace sign in return for a smile and peace back.
Scooting around the lake on my mini two wheeler, gives me an opportunity to know the lake and the diversity of its fish reelers.
The lakes are beautiful; after dark they remind me of a busy Indian flea market. I have never heard this many conversations simultaneously. Frogs, birds, insects all trying to scoop their next customer, yelling at the top of their voice to garner attention.
I have spent many days on the lake taking water samples and water quality data. After a long sweaty day at work, a dip in the water is exactly what a service member needs.
Every additional moment I spend admiring the lake, its animals; I grow attached to it. Beauty lies in the beholder of the eyes and I have seen this lake in all its colors. On bright sunny days, when the lake echoes with sounds of motorboats and the people of Newfound, the lake invites me to backflip into its cool waters. Thunderstorms spent on the lakefront humble me; I know, if I was out in the middle of the lake, she would engulf me. I am in love with this lake, as well as scared of the potential energy it holds. On calm cloudy days when the lake is still, much like the mind of a meditating monk, she helps me navigate my inner world, she helps me find myself. A newfound sense of I. Words cannot express the dynamic weather of New England. It pours, it shines, it warms and it chills simultaneously. Like a human being, living, breathing, telling me I am alive.
The NLRA and AmeriCorps service members are a newfound cohort of co-servers, mentors and cool people. Once a group of strangers, they have now become friends and the lake I was once oblivious to has become a vessel that holds a part of me. The journey is just beginning as I familiarize myself with the depths of a lake newfound to me, coincidentally called Newfound Lake. As the people of Bristol, Alexandria, Hebron and the surrounding towns become mine. An outlander in this part of the world; I am learning to breathe its air and speak its tongue.
Tenzin, a half-year member serving at the Newfound Lake Region Association, studied Biology at Lawrence University. Learn more about Tenzin here!