![\"Indian](\"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/cwhisler\/files\/2016\/07\/cowroad-300x225.jpg\")
Indian cows sheepishly exit the road.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
People stacked themselves on trucks from the bumper all the way to the roof. Bikes served as vessels for entire families with only one helmet for the five of them. Others herded livestock through traffic.\u00a0And here I was feeling brave because I was finally able to pull myself away from the feeling of nearly wetting myself enough to notice them. The irony in this is that this is one of the few times I felt like no one was noticing me.<\/p>\n
It is impossible for us to fly under the radar here. Growing up in areas where I was part of the majority has always made it easy to blend in. But not so here. Everywhere we go we receive stares as we pass by. In the cities this is not so pronounced, but when we visit the villages it can feel as though our arrival has brought the entire place to a halt. People come to greet us and stare out of curiosity. This used to make me fidget and shift around under their gazes a lot, uncomfortable with the attention. Now I\u2019m getting more used to it, finding little ways to\u00a0distract myself from the stares, like trying to see how children are reacting to\u00a0our surprising appearance.\u00a0It’s amazing to see the variety of reactions\u00a0from these kids, which range from fear and horror to\u00a0feigned disinterest until they think we are looking away.<\/p>\n
![\"Nate](\"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/cwhisler\/files\/2016\/07\/IMG_0941-300x225.jpg\")
Nate and Erika are swarmed at a school for autographs.<\/p><\/div>\n
People still manage to be amazingly warm in spite of the shock. I can\u2019t imagine having strangers show up to my house with a video camera and agreeing to allow them to film. Sometimes I feel like they\u2019re more comfortable with the scenario than I am.\u00a0Either way the discomfort is often easily remedied with\u00a0a smile or a quick joke.<\/p>\n
I learned the power of a sense of humor on our first field visit. We\u2019d just begun our first set of interviews and I was writing notes like a mad man. When I looked up, I noticed two of the farmers waiting to be interviewed staring at me and laughing. I went back to my work, not thinking much of it. When I looked back up they were clowning on me again. We made eye contact and one of the men pointed at me and brushed his hand through his hair exaggeratedly to mock\u00a0my mannerisms.\u00a0All three of us burst into laughter. I couldn\u2019t believe the kinship I felt with someone whom I\u2019d hardly spoken a word to.\u00a0Building bonds like these throughout the day has to be one of the most rewarding part of the fellowship.<\/p>\n
Saying goodbye is the feeling I\u2019ll never get used to. When I signed up for this fellowship, I did not anticipate growing attached to people from one day of gathering data.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/cwhisler\/files\/2016\/07\/odishasolar-300x225.jpg\")
A man shows me the rooftop solar panels powering his village’s microgrid<\/p><\/div>\n
It\u2019s the little things – like a family’s offer for us to take tea in their home out of the hot sun – that build these relationships. These moments make me feel appreciated and supported at a time when I could easily be an outcast. Yet as I see the sun go down as the end of the day approaches, I know I\u2019ll have to leave these little bonds I\u2019ve built behind.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s finally time to go pack up the car, the whole village converges once more. As they walk with us, take pictures, smile, and laugh I\u2019m overcome with a bittersweet sensation. This feeling always seems to blindside me even though I\u2019ve been through it several times now. Admittedly, being in India isn\u2019t always this warm and fuzzy.<\/p>\n
There are times, usually at night where I find myself thinking of my other two homes. When I\u2019m sitting at the dinner table, preparing to eat curry or hakka noodles for the umpteenth time, but long for a burger or pizza. Or on a Saturday morning when I realize my friends must be going out on a Friday after a long week of work. Coming back after a long day to a cold shower and a hotel room in which I share a bed with no blankets can be rough, but they serve as a reminder to appreciate luxuries when I have them. These are sacrifices I knew I would be making when I accepted this fellowship, but they sting nonetheless and sometimes get under my skin more than they should. Luckily, my teammates do a good job taking my mind off of these moments as much as possible.<\/p>\n
![\"teamforest\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/cwhisler\/files\/2016\/07\/teamforest-300x225.jpg\")
We\u2019ve grown to become a family, which sometimes means we fight like a family. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s more frustrating – arguing with Erika or realizing that once in a blue moon she might actually be right (maybe that\u2019s just the heat talking). That being said, I don\u2019t know where I would be without these two with all the highs and lows that come and go in this fellowship. Having such a great team has definitely smoothed out the experience a thousand times over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have no idea what I\u2019m doing. That\u2019s how I would sum up what this fellowship has taught me in one sentence. I was too relaxed and maybe even a bit cocky about how well I would adapt to life … Continue reading