Summer in South Asia

Lately I’ve been a bit frustrated with work at Samadhan. Along with the other interns, I’ve been working on a “documentary” on misogyny that is to be used for advocacy purposes by the NGO. We visited the nearby Gandhi Park and recorded interviews with locals, asking them their views on women, marriage, etc. Because I don’t speak Hindi, I stayed behind the camera. In fact, my main job was to edit the footage. Even, this, however, wasn’t easily accomplished given…

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Alexandra Card My arrival to New Delhi involved immediate culture shock and a sense of being overwhelmed.  The process of getting a SIM Card, withdrawing money from the ATM, finding a phone to call the person I was staying with, and getting a cab to the apartment I was living in required me to force myself to take action and put myself in a proactive position.  The drive through New Delhi was also a bit of a shock as the…

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Week one in India is complete! I am starting to feel adjusted to the countless changes I’ve experienced so far. And there have been many. Since leaving the airport, I have not seen another American, or person not of Indian origin for that matter. This is something I did not expect, especially coming to a city known for tourism. I have been spending most of my time in a more residential area, so I suppose this is understandable. Just with…

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I had heard about this fellowship last year and was really interested in applying but I had no idea what my research would be, how I would do it, and what I would focus on. Then this year I had enough time to think about the work I wanted to do and I was really able to hash out my research idea. However, like in all things, I procrastinated, and the day the application was due I left a screening…

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Good morning! I’ve just returned from a morning drive and trek through the hills of Dehradun. My host dad loves bird watching, and every morning he wakes up early to capture photographs of the huge variety of birds here. Yesterday I woke up at 5:30 to join him and his kids for a winding drive up the hills to Garhwal, the western region of Dehradun’s Uttarakhand state. It was incredible to see how just a short drive could bring me…

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Well, it’s been a crazy week! Between the day-long flights here, starting a new internship, and being on the other side of the globe away from home, it’s safe to say that I’ve been feeling more than a little bit overwhelmed. What’s gotten me through the week, however, has been the incredible hospitality I’ve encountered at every juncture of my journey, from family members who hosted me during a brief stopover in Mumbai, to the family who has opened up…

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Less than 24 hours stand between me and my departure to the airport for my flight to London, the first stop on my journey to India.  I currently am experiencing a mixture of excitement and anxiety about my upcoming trip as I think about what is to come.  Less than one week ago I was in Ann Arbor taking my last final exam.  I’m feeling a little bit of whiplash with the quick change of events.  The past week has…

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I’ve been in Phoenix for a couple days now since finals ended, and I can’t believe I thought these 6 days would be lax… It’s been a whirlwind planning two separate programs abroad since I’ll be studying for 3 weeks in Japan before flying straight to India! I’ve had an exhaustive to-do-list, so I don’t feel like I’ve had time to process that I’ll be exploring 2 incredible countries within the next 4 months. I know I’m thrilled deep down,…

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As the start date for my trip to India inches closer, my excitement continues to build. This summer, I will be working with Atma, an organization that serves as an accelerator for education NGOs in Mumbai and Pune. During my time with Atma, I will work to research what makes some educational programs more successful than others, specifically within the context of India. My journey with Atma began while I was looking at various organizations specializing in education, and I…

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