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<\/p>\nPlans always change. Situations arise, reality is different than it was explained to be, and complications push themselves into scheduled activities. There will always be bumps along the way. In India, quite literally, a bump in the road proved a significant surprise.<\/p>\n
I had been visiting a DREAM training center about four hours journey out of northern Kolkata. That morning I left at 9:45am with my guide, Raghumoni. We discovered upon arrival at the first bus depot that the bus we intended to take was out of commission. One hundred and fifty kilometers, an auto rickshaw ride, three different trains, and a bike rickshaw ride later, we arrived at the training center. For a few hours we sat, met the women at the center, and Raghumoni explained information about the DREAM program, both to the women as well as the NGO partners who provide the space for the class. I sat to the side, unable to understand the Bengali exchanges, while the discussions played out.<\/p>\n
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The women of the DREAM training center<\/strong><\/p>\n Around 4:30pm, two and a half hours after arriving, we left for our return trip home. We transferred from the first bus to a second one. However, after a few hours of driving down the dark road that cuts through the rural countryside, a bump or a rock or maybe just too much normal wear and tare presented a problem: the bus, crammed with people, had a flat tire. At first, I did not know there was a problem. We stopped at a stand along the roadside, everyone got out for bathroom breaks and snacks, and we waited in the light drizzling rain. After a while, I gathered from Raghumoni that the bus needed repair, a repair that would take about half an hour. In Indian terms, I knew that meant an hour or more. When he changed his estimate to be about an hour for repair, I knew we could be waiting a very long time. Eventually, Raghumoni talked our way onto another bus, and I squeezed into a seat with a mother and her daughter. With a shy giggle, the woman tried to talk to me. Her daughter knew a few phrases in English, so they asked what my name was and where I was from, and they gifted me with a small plastic bag of peanuts!<\/p>\n This new bus we got a ride on was not going to take me all the way to the guesthouse where I was staying. I called ahead to Rosella and Kathryn, my teammates, and they agreed to meet me at the bus stations drop off point so I did not have to brave the public transportation alone! Around 10pm, I arrived at the meeting point, with another half hour journey ahead of us, but at least I could breath easily in a familiar area of town surrounded by familiar faces.<\/p>\n Kathryn, Rosella, and I<\/strong><\/p>\n Challenges and surprises, to differing degrees of intensity, were a common occurrence during our 8 weeks in Kolkata. However, times like these highlighted a range of aspects of my personality, both surprising and familiar. First, I found in myself the ability to calmly address and deal with unexpected circumstances. As I stood in the dark in the countryside of Kolkata next to the broken-down bus, I processed the news, refusing to be flustered. When I found out the new bus would not take me all the way to my final destination, I problem solved, calling friends I knew I could rely on. Upon arriving back after the flat tire incident, my teammates\u2019 encouraging presence and words reminded me of the unique patience I had had throughout the day. They pointed out to me my ability to keep a cool composure and flex with the days\u2019 adventures.<\/p>\n Upon returning to the United States, when people ask me if it was hard to be in India because of the poverty, the conditions, or the other challenges that come with an overpopulated, underfunded city lacking infrastructure and development, my first response is no, that wasn\u2019t what made the trip challenging. More challenging for me were personal struggles.<\/p>\n As I stood alone by the bus in need of repair and people chatted around me, I became more and more frustrated with the language barrier between us. While I knew of myself that I am a people person, this fact had never been so strongly revealed to me. I struggled with not being able to hear people\u2019s stories, understand parts of their lives, and learn from them. As at the training center before the flat tire incident, I spent a lot of time sitting and watching and trying to muster up the courage to approach people, smile or point at things, and spark some small interaction. I thrived off of those brief interactions: receiving peanuts, exchanging a few words with the women on the bus, or receiving support from my teammates after a long day.<\/p>\n Sitting with some DREAM women<\/strong><\/p>\n As I move into the next stage of life – graduation, searching for work, exploring volunteer opportunities, considering grad school \u2013 I see myself thriving working abroad. I know I can handle new circumstances and their ups and downs. I learn from people and adapt with them in order to flourish in unfamiliar situations. I also know that in order to succeed long term I need to be able to communicate with others: either already speaking their language or learning it. Community and building relationships drive me, something I know as essential to my wellbeing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plans always change. Situations arise, reality is different than it was explained to be, and complications push themselves into scheduled activities. There will always be bumps along the way. In India, quite literally, a bump in the road proved a significant surprise. I had been visiting a DREAM training center about four hours journey out … Continue reading ![\"IMG_2248_zpsc355c78d\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/monet\/files\/2014\/10\/IMG_2248_zpsc355c78d.jpg\")
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