December 28

(Reason number three)
Sanjay's raw boyhood. His seriousness and his deep raspy voice. I've always felt like the two of us had our own special bond, or understanding. He has an adorable laugh, and he always tries to hold it in. Sanjay was the first of the group to captivate me, and we spent the most time together the second summer I spent in Nepal. He holds me accountable to going back, even if he is India now. He loves being silly. I saw big changes in him after going back after 6 months. He was much taller and much more mature and grown up. He is a picture to me of how the lifestyle of these boys can rob childhood very quickly. I remember when the boys told me that him and his family were going to India, and the Thursday that would've been our last time spent together, he didn't show up. I made his brother, Bintu take me to their home. Sanjay was there, with his mother and father. His father was smoking hash, and his mother seemed rough around the edges. He was so embarrassed that I was there, and he held back his usual excitement. It really broke me. When I first met him, I was struck with how similar he was to the average 8-year-old, he was fascinated with paper airplanes and stickers, and when I saw him with his family just 6 months later, he seemed so much more serious. I'm not sure where he is now, or how he is doing. I hope he is in school, because I know he would thrive. I know that he changed my life, and taught me about loving with no reservations. I'm holding onto the hope that I will get to see him again.