January 12, 2024
A Long Journey
I jolted awake at the sound of my alarm at 6 am, marking yet another early morning for the GCIL crew. As I reflected on the day and this program as a whole so far, I was first greeted by thoughts of how intense the heat had been and how long the hours of each day were. Upon second look, I was filled with a sense of excitement and wonder of being in a new country surrounded by people as eager and excited as I was for what was to come. An even deeper reflection yielded thoughts of apprehension about what I was doing there and how I could effectively use my privileges to create a tangible impact while I was in India. Pushing these thoughts aside for the time being, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and boarded the bus at 7:30 am.
Our rural destination was Srirangapatna, but we were in no real rush, so we made stops along the way – touring one of the largest silk markets in the world, exploring the transformation of silk cocoons into thread, and visiting a water treatment plant.
Soon after a brief explanation of the aeration techniques used at the treatment plant, we all, once again, clambered onto the bus for another hour until we arrived at Kokrebellur Bird Sanctuary. We saw hundreds of birds throughout the village and even interacted with baby pelicans going through rehabilitation. We were graciously served lunch and learned of the rich history of the sanctuary. When asked how the local youth responded to the sanctuary, with a light-hearted smile, the man explained that many young people in the surrounding neighborhood had lost their strong connection with the birds due to technology and modernization. It felt similar to my uncle telling me and my cousins to get off our phones to better reconnect and enjoy nature back home.
With warm wishes and thank yous, we set off for a hike up to a lookout point. The dusty path towards the hill gently sloped upwards, but once we reached the base of the hill, the rocky, unstable, and rugged stairs offered steep inclines. However, cliché as it may sound, the breathtaking, sweeping panoramic landscape, was truly worth the effort. The views offered a welcome reprieve from the exhaustion of the day and also some time for reflection as I thought about my worries about making a positive impact. I’m not here, nor am I able, to save the world in ten weeks. And although I am far from having all of the answers, I began to understand the power of leaving my inhibitions and fully letting myself experience everything this program has to offer which will help me do, say, and be exactly what I was meant to.
By Casera
