This blog is a series of personal reflections and professional accounts of researching and experiencing education throughout the world.
Just walk into it.
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I've been in Delhi now for three days. The first day I met the USIEF coordinators and attended an orientation session that was planned for the fifteen Fulbright-Nehru Master's Fellows, but was extremely valuable for me as well. The Nehru fellows are primarily between bachelor's and master's degrees and spending nine months researching an area of interest. The young man I chatted with most is going to Mumbai to learn about the use of the mangrove forests to combat carbon and climate change. When I think back to my 23-year old self, I was in no way mature enough to take on such a global issue in a foreign country. These are the minds that will be the change-makers of tomorrow.
Dean's Office Waiting
Day two was spent at Delhi University. I finally met my faculty advisor, Dr. Latika Gupta. She showed me around campus and introduced me to other faculty and a few graduate students. She's an incredible educator with a critical eye for systems and inequities and has a brilliant sense of humor. Most of our time was spent figuring out paperwork logistics for the Foreigner Regional Registration Office, which has been a full-time job. We also chatted about my research intentions and given the limited access to government schools, I will likely need to shift focuses. One sentiment that has been echoed from all alumni who have come to India is be flexible. I'm quickly understanding why.
Sign at Metro
On day three I was sent an angel. Prior to arriving, USIEF arranged for a facilitator to show me around the city. I was gifted Meghna, a local teacher. We immediately hit it off by commiserating over the heat and our affinity for afternoon naps. We started by using the metro (subway station) to go to a market for clothes shopping. I learned on the first day that the Delhi metro was designed and built by Japan as a way to keep India from aligning with China. The system is definitely Japanese efficient. It is air conditioned and self-explanatory. There is also a car on each train for women only. As I stood there imagining a crowded subway car, I wished there more spaces specifically designed for the safety of women. I wonder how many of us would prefer those spaces when given the option.
Our next stop was a clothing store so I could buy Indian dresses or kurtas for visiting schools. As a plus-sized woman, I was really nervous about finding clothing that fit me and was prepared to have something made. She knew right where to go and I found my first two, of probably many more. She also showed me the best coffee shops around the next place I will be living and how to order an auto or motorized rickshaw on Uber. While walking around, I told her how the previous day I had to cross a busy street twice and after stepping out and back about five times, I just walked into it praying that the cars, trucks, bikes and autos would stop. She laughed and affirmed, "That's how you do Delhi - just walk into it."
While still in the US, Kevin clued me into the Dalai Lama's public event schedule. I am not a practicing Buddhist nor do I fully understand the dharma of the Buddha, but I have a great reverence for the 14th Dalai Lama, his resilience and wisdom. So when he announced a public teaching in October, I decided to go. It would be my first trip outside of Delhi and a welcome change of pace. In 2014, I first became exposed to Buddhism and the plight of the Tibetan people while trekking in Nepal. Growing up I had seen the "Free Tibet" bumper stickers and flags, not knowing the relevance it had in our global politics or culture. Until this week I had no knowledge of the continued struggles of Tibetan refugees and the current levels of oppression in Lhasa. It's easy for me, as a westerner, to isolate foreign conflict into a box that doesn't "involve" me, however as His Holiness reminded us today, there is no individual or intrinsic existence. M
I've learned that after speaking with Indians about India, my next favorite conversation is speaking to Americans about their time in India. There's an instant sense of camaraderie and understanding that comes from living and learning in such a dynamic and diverse place. The Fulbright Conference 2022 was the perfect place for those conversations. Initially I had no intention of presenting at the conference. However with a little encouragement and a slight sense of obligation, I sent a proposal and was selected to be on the education panel. The format was a fifteen minute presentation followed by a Q&A session. There were also concurrent panels on theology and public health. The other education research focused in higher education spaces. The presenter before me is a doctoral anthropology student at NYU and has been working on her project for over four years! She is courageously researching youth political movements at the university level. At the time of the conf
14 August 2022 This time last year I attended the welcome orientation for the 2021 cohort of DAT participants. Of the twenty teachers chosen, all except two of us have completed their exchanges and many went in January of this year. Given that I had extra time to prepare, I had grandiose ideas of having my preliminary research complete, a literature review written and a body so fit that I'd be cast as an extra in a Bollywood film. Needless to say, I've accomplished none of these. However I have spent a significant amount of time thinking globally about education and policy, learning about the effects colonialism on education, connecting the dots between patriarchy and disparity, and exploring NGO school projects working to provide opportunities to underserved students. I got married to ease the paperwork of the visa process. It didn't work (the paperwork, not the marriage), but it gave me a reason to reconnect with some of the most important people in my life - my h
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