After preparing for a couple days before all the students arrived, the South Asian students presented on their cultures for the international students. You can read more here, and see a few student interviews here, beginning with Olga!
Monica
Mohammad
Rohini
Kultwisiso
Shilpi
As our last weekend in India comes to a close , I can’t believe how far we’ve come as group! From complete strangers to family. From Mumbai to Delhi. From the gateway of India to the Taj Mahal, we’ve learned more in these last 3 weeks about ourselves and each other. I truly wouldn’t have wanted to spend this experience with any other people! I’ve formed bonds to last a lifetime, gained valuable knowledge, and endured India’s erratic weather. Although these past few weeks have not been easy, we finally made it through! India has been the total opposite of what I expected. Being exposed to the real social, political, and environmental issues within India has shifted my perspective on the country itself and my personal opinions on similar issues in America!
This to me, is exactly what it means to be a global citizen! To be aware of things happening not only in your own community or country but also around the world! This trip has made me think on a larger scale! I was selfish! To only think about the issues within American society was selfish! Therefore, I think the most important skill I have gained from the trip is selflessness! To be concerned for the well being of all people no matter the country they come from is the true definition of a citizen.
I spent 60% of my trip in Ahmedabad. We had six-hour classes each day for a week on various topics including inclusion, mental health, politics/caste system, Chhara community, LGBTQIA+ community, & Green Straw. While discussing these different type of discrimination in India, we talked about what we could do for our community focusing on these certain topics. Throughout the week we got to build our toolkits of resources, skills, people, & organizations to bring back to our community. Not only did we grow as a group through the classes but we grew during free time doing challenges and walking through Ahmedabad itself. We also had amazing leaders: Divy, Rougye, and Mohit. We decided to call our small group of thirteen the ”Sunbeams!” Even though each day was long, the whole week went by in a blink of an eye. We had an assignment throughout the week to take a photo that had a story to it. We ended this life-changing week with an art exhibition. I finally got to present my photo along with my story in the exhibition. It was a moment of pride not for just my work but to see a room of diversity in people and perspective. I will forever cherish my memories and lessons in Ahmedabad.
Yesterday was our first full day in Delhi and to kick off the last leg of the trip, we visited two significant locations: Lotus Temple and the India Gate.
The Lotus Temple is a place open to all people regardless of faith, nationality, or any other characteristic. However, it is a temple for the Baha’i faith. This religion was founded in the 1800s after a man, the Bab, proclaimed that he was the manifestation of God and soon there would be another. Two years later, another man Baha’u’llah came forward as the second manifestation of God. He was imprisoned for many years where he wrote many books. They would then become the Holy texts of the Baha’i faith.
After the Lotus Temple, we headed to India Gate. This enormous stone archway serves as a war memorial to fallen Indian soldiers from World War I. It is surrounded by other important structures similar to the Washington Mall in DC. Because of this, there were a lot of people there.
I can’t wait to see more of Delhi and see where this last part of the journey takes us!