March 10, 2023
Final Thoughts
The series of blog post finales began over a week ago, with all of you, my great classmates, sharing your final words about our time here in India. I loved all these posts. How nice it was to hear you summarize these weeks that seem to defy a summary in my head. Of course, at each 8 AM blog reading, I also began to ask myself more and more seriously, “What will I have left to say after all of you have spoken?” Today, on the last day of the program, I have my answer.
Yesterday, team Biome had our final meeting with our mentors. We ate delicious food, laughed about the funny photos we’d seen from well diggers, and talked about what each side had liked and would like to see improved in the years to come. Even after our polite affirmations as to what we liked about the internship, Shubha, our main mentor, reminded us that she also wanted to hear what could be changed. It was an insight for me that Biome, as awesome and established as they are, seeks to improve how they host three American students for seven weeks.
Of course I see the same level of focus in all of you as we ask about the details of our videos and projects. While positive feedback is appreciated, the majority of questions we are asking sound more like: “What needs improvement? And, how can I get better?” I’ve noticed a natural hunger to produce the best that we can amongst all of us. I have to say by far this is one of the greatest gifts of this program to me. It is not often that you get to be surrounded by peers in a classroom and feel confident that you all have similar drives to wrestle with something grand, to give it a go and see what you can produce. And it’s even less common to sit with the same people and have honest conversations about how hard making a real impact can be and how wrestling with the grand can sometimes remind us just how small we are. But the truth is our smallness is not a negative; it does not make us weak nor a failure. Accepting it can make us humble, aware of who we are and who we are not. And this reality check is invaluable in all places of life – not just the classroom, not just India.
Thank you, all of you, for saying “yes” to this program. For trying something daunting, for taking risks and failing, in grudging excitement. I have gained a lot from just being able to spend ten weeks with people who would do such a thing. So let’s remember the yes we gave many months ago, because we knew then this day would come, and now is the time to share what we’ve done. Reports, videos and presentations are submitted, and all that’s left is standing in front of interested peers, mentors and strangers and explaining what we’ve been working on for the last ten weeks. Do not be afraid!
By Chloe
