I owe an apology to a lot of people in Bethesda who’ve asked me about my year in India. My responses typically include a couple of superlatives, a small anecdote and maybe a sentence or two in Hindi.

But the truth is that 11 months can’t be described in a couple of sentences, or even a few hours of conversation. I can’t re-create the bond that I made with my host siblings, the runs that I went on in my neighborhood or the morning prayers that were said at my school each day.

So I’m going to share a story with you about motorcycles and mangos, two staples of Indian culture. These objects have been part of Indian society for years, but to me, they represent the future of India’s economy.

My exchange program in India was funded by the U.S. Government as part of a larger U.S. Diplomatic presence in India. But it took me a long time to truly understand the economic relationship that the US is building with India.

One day after school last year, I had the chance to visit the headquarters of Harley Davidson India, the Indian counterpart of the famous American motorcycle company. Harley Davidson is not the first American company to reach India. In the past decade, there has been a huge growth in foreign retail in India. Levi’s, McDonalds and KFC are found in every mall and shopping center.

But the history behind Harley Davidson in India is different. Although I saw the filming of a TV ad and the development of a product line during my visit to the headquarters, the company only began operating in India in 2009.

I was shocked when I found out how late Harley Davidson had entered the Indian market. The reason, however, wasn’t surprising in the least: the Indian government’s tariffs and emissions policies had prevented the company from setting up shop. And this is where the mangos entered the picture.

Mangos, famous in India, had not been imported to the United States for 18 years, due to safety concerns. So the U.S. and Indian governments decided on a deal that some call “Harleys for mangos,” which enabled the import of Indian mangos and the export of Harleys to India.

To me, this trade represents the emerging relationship between the U.S. and India which President Obama called, “the defining partnership of the 21^st century.” Anyone who’s lived in India knows how crazy people go over mangos, and how the roads are filled with motorcycles and scooters. It’s a no-brainer to have Harley Davidson compete in the Indian market and spread it’s company around the world.

For me, this deal is about much more than a political and economic partnership. The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship enables students from across the U.S. to study languages critical to our nation’s future. Breaking language barriers and promoting cultural exchanges will further the relationship between Indian and U.S. trade officials. Deals like the “Harleys for Mangos” agreements are why I went to India last year to learn Hindi.

I hope that future agreements will lead to more imports of Indian products and the creation of a true global economy. And although I’ve only been home for a couple of months, I dream of the day that Nizams Kathi Kababs from Connaught Place will open an outlet in Bethesda.