Well, I head out for Udiapur, India on this Thursday and I can feel the swelling of many feelings: anticipation, excitement and hope. The past few weeks I have received much information regarding where I will be staying, the other interns placed throughout the city and the content of the work that I will be doing. While I will be working independently with a non-profit, there will be other interns that will go through orientation with me the first week and I'm sure we will keep in touch during the time there. Nevertheless, most of my time there is still in the realm of the 'unknown.' My hope is that despite the undefined or unclear, I am enabled to beneficently serve the NGO I will be working with and, in turn, the population with whom they serve. In some ways this is an trial in self-reliance, but in other ways it is just the opposite. Relying on God, the talents and abilities I have been blessed with, the goodwill of both my host family and NGO, and the general hospitality of the Indian people are the many parts that will contribute to my experience in Udaipur. Suffice it to say, I will be putting the entirety of who I am into my work there. I can't wait to observe grassroots development from the on-the-ground perspective and have pre/misconceptions overturned. Next update sent will be in India! Also, previous blog posts were from my time working on a farm in Italy this past fall if interested.
This is the NGO that I will be working with: www.jatansansthan.org/
Thanks for all of your support and encouragement!
