Today finally felt as though we were "beginning the end of our
journey." We have spent eleven days learning about India in the "Spark
and Learn" phase of the AYA Program, and now it is finally time to
"Innovate."
We began the day with a 2.5 hour session synthesizing many of our thoughts and experiences. All of us addressed several prompts that got us thinking both about our own personal leadership growth and our growth as global citizens understanding the water/sanitation issues in India. A rich and meaningful set of discussions arose including one about the concept of "Hospitality" around the globe. More questions were raised than answered, but it is worth noting that it was the incredible hospitality we felt in small villages, major corporations, under-resourced schools, and luxury hotels that prompted us to think about whether we deserved this type of attention and care and why it was given so generously.
Other topics that drew significant reflection were "competition in the US vs. India" and "traveling to see things vs. traveling to build relationships." It seems that the more we learn about daily life in India, the more we reflect on our own daily lives and behaviors at home.
We began the day with a 2.5 hour session synthesizing many of our thoughts and experiences. All of us addressed several prompts that got us thinking both about our own personal leadership growth and our growth as global citizens understanding the water/sanitation issues in India. A rich and meaningful set of discussions arose including one about the concept of "Hospitality" around the globe. More questions were raised than answered, but it is worth noting that it was the incredible hospitality we felt in small villages, major corporations, under-resourced schools, and luxury hotels that prompted us to think about whether we deserved this type of attention and care and why it was given so generously.
Other topics that drew significant reflection were "competition in the US vs. India" and "traveling to see things vs. traveling to build relationships." It seems that the more we learn about daily life in India, the more we reflect on our own daily lives and behaviors at home.
The afternoon was spent working in groups on the final
projects. Everyone chose an aspect of water access, distribution,
filtration or sanitation to explore. Some groups are choosing to
synthesize information and create a compelling presentation on why we
need to understand and respond to the water/sanitation crisis in India.
Other groups are designing frugal solutions to one small aspect of this
incredible crisis.
Tomorrow promises to be a long, but fulfilling day with everyone sharing their final projects in the late afternoon.
Stacey Kertsman
Dear Stacey and Usha and all trip leaders,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for putting together such an incredible experience for our students. What indeed struck me was that people, whoever they were, were willing to take the time from their daily lives to share their experiences and enrich our ambassador's lives as a result. I have never had the privilege to visit India personally but it seems to be a culture that puts emphasis on relationships with people, something that we sometimes forget in the US. Having lived in 3 different countries, I have grown to appreciate relationships that last a lifetime. The people I have met have remained in my memory more than the sites I have seen. You always remember the way people make you feel! it sounds like our ambassadors are growing to appreciate this aspect of traveling. I look forward to hearing about their projects.