Over winter break, Westview students and staff traveled to several different places, some destinations close to home, some far away. One teacher in particular, Aaron Kuecker, traveled to Hyderabad, India. This was Kuecker’s first trip to India. He was accompanied by his wife, daughter, and father-in-law.
Kuecker’s wife, Katie Kuecker, had worked in Hyderabad, India for a year at a group home that takes children with disabilities out of government orphanages and cares for them in a smaller setting. This is how Katie was introduced to Chitti and eventually began the process to adopt her as a single woman while she and Kuecker were newly dating.
“When I got married, I got a wife and a kid, like a two for one special,” Kuecker said.
Four years after Chitti was adopted, Kuecker and Katie wanted to travel to India again since neither Katie nor Chitti had been back to Hyderabad since the adoption. This was Kuecker’s first opportunity to visit the place his daughter is from and experience her culture and heritage.
Their stay consisted of twelve days and two cities: Hyderabad and Delhi. Kuecker immediately became immersed in the chaos of India.
“As soon as we got out of the airport, the traffic was extremely busy. The sights were different, the sounds, all five senses were just different,” Kuecker said.
Kuecker and his family got to visit several places such as historic forts from early Indian rulers, the Taj Mahal, and local markets.
While he got to experience many popular tourist sites, one moment stood out to Kuecker at a local market in Delhi where he really felt connected with India and its culture.
“There were just people as far as you could see. It’s loud and it’s busy, and you’re just bumping into people left and right, and you’re like, huh? I think this is what it’s like to be in India. It was kind of claustrophobic and kind of scary, but also probably the most authentic experience I could find,” Kuecker said.
Kuecker’s most treasured memory of being in India was connecting with the people he met during his travels, especially the people his wife had established connections with while working in India.
“Some of my favorite moments were just getting to know those people and hearing their stories and learning from them about Indian culture, religion, and food. The sites were fun, the sounds, everything was cool, but the people were probably what I remember the most,” Kuecker said.
Kuecker had the opportunity to learn from a family how to cook local Indian cuisine such as Dum Aloo, a curry-based potato dish, and spend time with various people and families that live in India.
“I learned so much about Indian culture and what people value there, and just how it’s different than the US. But I think there’s a lot of little things that I take for granted in the US that I really appreciate,” Kuecker said.
While Kuecker enjoyed getting to explore and experience India for the first time, he and his wife had something special in the works: adopting a second child from India, named Shiloh.
“Actually, the other reason why we went on this trip is we’re adopting a second kid from India, so we got to meet her, which was cool. Later this semester or early summer, my wife and I will go back to finish the adoption and bring her home,” Kuecker said.
Since Kuecker and Katie are already equipped to care for their daughter with a disability, adopting another daughter would be the perfect fit for their family.
“My daughter has a pretty significant disability, so in a lot of ways, we’re actually already equipped to help somebody else with a disability, because we know all the doctors, we know all the different medical systems and things, we know tons of medications, and we also have a cool wheelchair van,” Kuecker said.
Kuecker’s travels gave him the opportunity to connect with the rich culture and heritage of Hyderabad and Delhi in a meaningful and personal way. Not only did Kuecker deepen his understanding of a new place, but his journey also brought him closer to completing his family. In Hyderabad he found the missing piece – a daughter who will complete their lives and make his family whole.