Last month, I had the fortune of returning, alongside so many of my friends-turned-family, to a place that forged much of who I am today: MUWCI.
This is a note I wrote the night after the reunion:
And just like that, the little visit to the hill has come to an end. It might have just happened, but much like the 2 years in MUWCI, the reunion already feels like a fever dream—deep emotional interactions, no sleep, monsoon and floods of memories of a younger self.
To say that this reunion has been a reminder of the power of human connection is an understatement. Where else do you have dozens and dozens of people that set their time and resources aside, travel all the way to India and make the space to relive what it was like to live atop a hill in the Western Ghats?
When seeing those you were friends with, it just felt like picking up from where you left off. Somehow, for those you didn’t even speak to, it felt like you were already five steps into the creation of a new connection.
At the risk of falling for a romanticised view of those 2 years, life in MUWCI was somewhat magical. In no other place have I come across overflowing levels of idealism and determination, accompanied by so much compassion and empathy. Returning here is a space to just “be”. No need to prove anything, no need to describe yourself in a job title. Because, before anything else that followed in these past 10 years, we knew each other for who we were and not for what we do.
With absolutely depleted social batteries but a heavily recharged heart, I leave happy, very happy. Being surrounded and connected to this amazing group of humans is really the kind of wealth you can just dream of, and for that, I’m just too lucky.
Written by Adolfo Castro (Class of 2016)
