As a part of my intern experience, myself and some other interns (one from Ohio as well) got to go on a work trip up to Kalaburagi in Northern Karnataka to do site visits with some of the individuals and communities that had received solar interventions in cooperation with Selco Foundation. I was so excited to go and leave the city since it had become very overwhelming. The city of 15 million dwarfed any place I had lived in, so…
Both through my independent explorations as well as my work at the office, climate change and its impacts on people have taken center stage. The city itself is adjusting to the complex and unpredictable changes that climate change is delivering. For instance, last year Bangalore had record low rainfalls which stretched the ability of the city to provide the bare minimum resources to its people. This year has certainly been an improvement, but changes are still potently clear. To my…
I have been passionate about museums for a long time, leaving my footprints in many I’ve visited. My travels have taken me to the British Museum, Tokyo National Museum, numerous national museums across China, and also, the UMMA. The allure of museums lies in the way their exhibits attempt to answer two profound questions: Who are we? Where do we come from and where are we headed? These are questions worth generations of exploration. Recently, I visited the National Maritime…
Like most everyone else in the program, I took every chance I had to explore around India. The NGO I was interning at normally held the work week from Monday to Saturday but I was lucky enough to get Saturdays off so that I could do as many trips as possible. Below I’ll give a brief description of some of my best trips. UDAIPUR: My first weekend getaway was to Udaipur, the city of lakes. Just a quick 45 minute…
Having just finished my third week at the school, facing just one week left in India before returnig to the United States, it’s hard to put into words how I feel. Overwhelmed is an understatement. Among other things I wish I could have more time here to work with the kids. It’s taken me a long time to understand them. They all are children from the slums, I think I imagined them having one of the famous American mindsets, of…
Going into week two I’m definitely feeling the effects of sixteen consecutive days of India. On the one hand it is definitely the most culturally rich country with the kindest people I’ve ever met. Also it is magical to visit the sacred temples and ruins and be transported back hundreds to thousands of years. On the other hand the never ending bombardment of humid-intense heat, insane drivers, honking, con artistry by Uber drivers and inability to eat or drink almost…
After six long-awaited years, I was back at my birthplace– not only a birthplace but the place where I created infinite memories. Landing at the Ahmedabad airport, I sensed the familiar, bright sun. I witnessed the rising vapor from the hot concrete through my windows. I finally landed, and I sensed that familiar heat– the heat I used to sense every single day for 12 years. My friends waited outside to pick me up, and I felt that despite the…
I have arrived in Pondicherry and it has been about a week of being here. The journey here for me was hectic, from moving out from my apartment in Ann Arbor, to being the New Dehli airport the next day, to then get to Chennai the next, and then finally Pondicherry. There was so much uncertainty in the journey here, from being interrogated by immigrations, losing my SIM card, having my card not work at ATMs, etc. I was worried…
I am writing this post after having been in India for five days. I arrived on Saturday, it’s Thursday as I’m writing this, in Mumbai early that morning. After a nap I had my first meal in India which was amazing. Then I went out looking for rupees and quickly was able to exchange some cash. Finally I went shopping for clothes for my teaching role at the school in Delhi that I will be teaching at for four weeks….
The first two weeks of my ten week stay have been exhilarating and very interesting to say the least! After being delayed three hours on the tarmac at Charles De Gaulle in Paris, I finally arrived in Bangalore at around 2 am. The landing was anything but smooth. Due to the heavy rains in the area, we had to circle the city twice until conditions were good and once we landed, the plane seemed to bounce on the runway before…
