As I do not plan on taking my laptop with me to India, nor do I know if I will have the time or internet capabilities to type, I have decided to keep a notebook throughout the entire experience. At the end, I will type up thoughts/experiences that I think will be most helpful; please keep in mind we will depart the U.S. on March 9th, landing in India on March 11th and depart India on March 25th, landing in the U.S. on the 25th.
- (03/11/2018) At approximately 4 a.m. today, we finally made it to our first hotel. The flight here was way more comfortable than I had anticipated as I had never been on a plane for more than 6 hours and had never flown with Emirates. We are currently at a retreat called Zorba the Buddha and I am too excited to sleep before our meeting at 9 a.m. My initial thoughts from the airport to here are as follows: How can the air be of such a different quality here? I had heard about the amount of stray dogs in India and been given the advice not to pet them, but I did not imagine it being this difficult! They are everywhere, malnourished, often limping, and craving attention. While I grew up in the South of the United States and have been exposed, probably, to most Washingtonians to a plethora of firearms, the sheer volume of men I have seen walking around with shotguns and assault rifles is eery. I have had more than the normal amount of urges to drink water now that I am in a place where you have to be cautious of your water source. How do I already have 5 mosquito bites?
- (03/13/2018) Today we went to Jamia Millia Islamia University, were put into small groups, and given campus tours by current students. While this activity may seem pretty surface level, it created a safe space for me to ask someone my age direct questions about the current political climate and the implications to female students. My guide, while at first a bit reserved, really opened up and provided some honest, insightful commentary to my questions. A few occurrences during our time on campus really opened my eyes to the regression on women’s freedoms and I am looking forward to staying connected to my guide.
- (03/15/2018) I do not know where to begin in regards to debriefing my experience today. We were taken to a park to meet with a group of domestic workers that belonged to a union. Listening to these women’s’ stories, the violence and oppressors they face within their everyday lives, and how the unionization has helped them was inspiring, to say the least. A common occurrence I have seen throughout my time so far in India is the hospitality. We have met with individuals and groups who have very little, who would be considered extremely poor by U.S. standards, but always ensure that we, as guests, our greeted with tea, cookies, and crackers, or tea, naan, and a side. While these gestures warm my heart and help to make me feel like they really want to talk to us, not that our visits are being forced upon them, it also makes me sad in a way. They are willing to give their extra bits or go without in order to provide these, but I do not think this is a common practice for the majority of Americans. There have really only been a handful of times that I have experienced a similar greeting within the United States, even if those being met with are affluent. Why is this? Meanwhile, these women have so little, are enduring so much, and did not even think twice about sneaking away from work to meet with us, act as great hosts, and start a dance party with smiles, music, and their children before we parted ways today.
- (03/17/2018) After being here for almost a week, I am coming to the point where I am exhausted. They warn you about this, you know, the fatigue, the change in your body’s normal cycles, being in constant communication and a close knit proximity to the group, the heat, etc., but you are almost too busy to let any of it affect you, until it all hits you at once. I have seen some people completely crash or let it bottle up until they take it out on an innocent victim. This trip is also emotionally training in different ways. We have met with a ton of brave women and young girls; ones with unbelievable stories, journeys, and inspiring dreams. We have seen children who have had to fight for their rights to education, houses made out of hay, and many without shoes or clothing. It is not easy to see so many things, things that you want to help, but are unable to do much about. To help prevent all of these things from piling up and really stopping you from getting the most out of your trip, I recommend the following: communicate clearly with your roommate, make sure you are eating and staying hydrated, carve out alone time, keep a written journal, and remember why you are here.
- (03/19/2018) I have now seen “wild” or the following animals just waltzing around town without regards to people or vehicles: dogs, cats, goats, pigs, cows, horses, monkeys, camels, elephants, and peacocks. I also passed some snake charmers today; that was something I never thought I would see.
- (03/22/2018) When you are constantly on the move, it is easy to overlook just how truly awesome some of the things you are seeing are. Regardless of the length of your study abroad, remember, this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. When again will you be able to be where you are, meeting with the people you are, studying your topic? Take everything in for its worth and beauty!