January 8, 2025

Comfort and Normality

In reflecting on these past few days, these days abroad in India as GCIL have felt like a dream. After the first few days, I felt that culture shock but stuck with these emotions long enough to see them go and be replaced with new ones. Leading up to my coming to India, I have been writing, rewriting, and refining my work since the fall quarter ended. I am applying for The Bonderman Fellowship and have been intensely focused on exploring who I am and what I hope to gain from this experience. I reflect on why I want to pursue this opportunity and my purpose in doing so. These questions not only relate to the Bonderman Fellowship but also connect to my experience with GCIL. In fact, I have been unconsciously answering these same questions for GCIL while primarily writing to gain admission to the Bonderman Travel experience. What I didn’t know when I applied for GCIL was that I needed this opportunity to better understand myself so that I could better help others. After all, I entered the School of Public Health at UW to help the communities that made me who I am today.

So what has been significant is the ability to reframe this culture shock into a lesson. Some of these lessons are that I need to make coffee every morning and I need music playing at all times to help keep me mindful, present, and grounded in this experience. To give me this sense of comfort and normality. This matters because it will be in this fighting spirit that I will draw on during inevitably difficult parts of this journey.

What changes now is that I will view adversity and the statement “not good enough” with more nuance than before. I’ll remember that the best students get the hardest tests and also that being uncomfortable and feeling these feelings are totally valid. Like the two in this beautiful photo, we will have to find ways to become comfortable with the sudden changes in our journey. We will need to take steps towards creating a positive impact here in this wonderful place. As we continue, I hope we create space and time to reflect on how these experiences are impacting us and the people who live here.

By
Manny