Immersion: breaking down assumptions, realising your own biases and forming raw, empathic connections. When I applied for the program, I knew the three weeks would be challenging and I fully expected to be taken out of my comfort zone. We experienced jarring cultural differences, heard heartbreaking stories from locals and were presented with constant internal struggles. What I didn’t expect, is that these challenges would last longer than three weeks, or that I’d still be dealing with some of them over a year later.

The village, Saurath was liberating. It was terrifying. It was inspiring. It was as if we had travelled back in time, almost into an alternate reality where nothing from our world seemed to matter. The kids our age were not busy curating their social media profiles, worrying about how many likes they got on an Instagram post or complaining about slow wifi. Instead, some wondered if their families would let them go to school, they worried the monsoon season would not bring enough, or too much, rain, and they all complained about the cows stopping play in the middle of the cricket pitch. Despite what seemed like stark differences in our worlds, we were strikingly similar. We laughed
together when we mispronounced words, blushed when someone complimented our smile and cherished the new friendships that we made.

Every day in the village was a rollercoaster of emotions. As we faced extreme challenges, we tapped into the best of ourselves, surprising each other by how much we were capable of. The program wasn’t just a chance to understand the people in the village; it was a look into our naked selves. It was an opportunity to reflect on who we were and who we wanted to be. We lived everyday hyper-aware, empathetic and, came out the other side as better people. But did it last? Over a year on, I know I still make snap judgements of strangers on trains or make assumptions about a person’s character based on the way they drive. Where is that person who lived without bias and judgement?

I came back from the program questioning my most fundamental beliefs; beliefs so deeply embedded I didn’t even know they existed. I no longer had an internal compass to guide my actions. I was now trying to justify everything to myself; asking myself ‘why’ at every step, for every action, every day. I went to India with what I thought was a clear sense of purpose driving me, but when we got back, it felt as if I was going through a perpetual state of limbo.

Upon returning, I co-led a series of emotional intelligence workshops which helped students apply empathy in their personal and professional lives. Did this make me a hypocrite? Preaching something I hadn’t mastered and didn’t always practice? For a long time I thought yes, and that was a painful thought to live with. But now, after many nights spent in my own head, I’d like to think it doesn’t. It’s not about being perfect every day, it’s about trying. It’s about being aware and noticing when you do make assumptions, when you let your biases influence your decisions; something we have to practice every single day. It was naive of me to think that a three-week program in India practicing empathy would be enough to last a lifetime. It’s a process, one we must continually engage in. Over a year on, I’m glad I’ve finally come to that realisation. It has helped me avoid the trap of thinking I’m a finished product, when in reality we’re all a perpetual work in progress.

One thing the trip did bring to light is what I value most in my life, and that’s the people in it. It’s surreal to think that by the end of the trip we’d all known each other for only three weeks. We had become family, closer than I ever thought possible. I can say with certainty that the lessons I’ve learnt and friendships I’ve formed will not fade anytime soon; and no matter what my reflection of the trip happens to be in the next five years, there’s no doubt it will leave a lasting impact on my life.

Utkarsh Somaiya

Global Short Programs Student

My time in India was an unbelievable experience, we were meet at Delhi airport by two of the most incredible people who were there to guide us through India. Nothing can compare to first time you drive through Delhi traffic, what an experience. We arrive at our apartment at 1am had a very quick dinner than straight off to bed for a well-earned sleep. A few hours later we were up to go visit the offices of the Drishtee organisation where we were given a tour and got to meet one of the founders of the organisation. Following this we went shopping to buy all of kurtas to wear in the village. What a load of fun we all had dressing up with fantastic colour of Indian clothing. It was then off to the Delhi train station for our overnight sleeper train to Patna, Bihar. I was very apprehensive about this train ride, but it ended up been a fantastic experience. We were met by friendly people on the train and staff that wanted to make sure we had a great experience on the train.

After a 6-hour drive from Patna we final arrived in Saurath the village that we would be spending 2 and half weeks living in. we drive in and there’s a lot of interest in us from the village people. We meet our cooks and some of the translator we will be using, and rest for lunch before going for a walk around the village. The place is so beautiful and much larger than we expected.

We spend the next 4 days exploring different aspects of life in rural India, by visiting schools, hospitals, farms, and religious leaders. It was so interesting to be able to go a talk to people about how the systems work and all the different problems they were facing. I took particular interest in the health systems. From this I went on to spend the rest of my time talking to health works and family’s about HIV education. What I found was that the systems put in place by the government where great ideas, however stigma on the topic and a lack of education of the people in charge of doing the educating and the village people led to a miscommunication.

Once I believed that I fully understood the root of the problem, I set to work with my partner on trying to find a solution to the problem, this is no easy feat. What we came up with was a picture based informational sanitary pad liner that you peel off. When we presented this to the village the people really got behind the idea and found it a great way to learn and very informative.

My whole experience in India was amazing, making friends with the children that lived next door, doing morning yoga every day, becoming friends with some amazing people from UTS, meeting people from all different castes and most of all building deep emotional connections with some of people we spend so much time with. The only thing I would change about my experience is having it end.

Catherine Walsh

Global Short Programs Student