February 19, 2025
The Art of Noticing: Reflections from the Road
As I sit here on a tightly packed bus with my fellow gcilers driving from Delhi to Agra I’m practicing the art of noticing. Wearing my noise cancelling headphones, I’m watching the sunset over the lush green fields, observing Harguleen and Amy talk about their aspirations and hypothetical futures. Rohan gazing out the window, Rae’s head bobbing to her music, Kalli greeting me with friendly smiles whenever I turn around to see what everyone else is doing. Aili’s well earned catnap after us, maybe sleeping no more than 3 hours the previous “night” if that’s what you call it.
I am just in awe of the idea of each and everyone of us being on our own path, with our own aspirations, worldviews, all coming together to have epic experiences like this one we are on. Each of us stepping out of our comfort zones is enabled by this country’s rich culture, delicious food, diverse languages, and vibrant traditions. The affordability of travel here empowers us to explore with ease, accompanied by knowledgeable tour guides who enhance our journey with valuable insights into local customs and history. Each of us having our own 1 on 1s with one another, having new seatmates, constantly learning more about each other. I’m just loving the art of noticing! Noticing the discrete photos that one and other take of each other to get the perfect candid photos whether it be at Tipu Sultan’s summer palace on day 4 of being here, in front of an epic water treatment system whilst visiting biome, exploring the art filled streets of Chitra Santhe, during our visit to rise bionics, in a greenhouse filled with coconuts visiting farms with green foundation, at the top of a mountain next to a Jain statue in Mysore, whilst meeting children who attend the Parikrama Sahakarnagar (Saha-ka-ra-na-ga-r) school, discussing urban planning at sensing local’s office, painting walls with TUI, enjoying the beaches of Goa, exploring the ALL the UNESCO ruins in Hampi, and of course our latest adventure of the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, & Jaipur).
Noticing inside jokes that have been crafted and formed since being here, appreciating the intricate details in the walls of the Red Fort in Agra, the Taj Mahal, and the Amber Fort in Jaipur. The art of just existing with your thoughts, the introspective moments we take, or just sitting and experiencing the present. With no preconceived expectations or ideas of what the day could bring as we all have loved just following the leader and fully trusting that we will get where we need to be in one piece without being hit by an auto, car, or anything for that matter.
I think back to Kayla saying how weirdly calm and trusting she was as we crossed arguably the busiest road we’ve encountered yet, i mean bumper to bumper, tire to tire, shoulder to shoulder, but it’s so true. The calm, the trust, the friendship that we are all experiencing is just so amazing and I’m forever grateful for this experience to see so many new places, live somewhere so different to anywhere else I’ve experienced, learn so much about everything as well as myself but in this moment at 6:51pm on Feb 16th 2025 on Manpur – Sauj Rd (Toll road) traveling between Delhi to Agra I’m really grateful for these humans who are along for the ride, who just go with the flow because this is India and you really can’t expect the unexpected enough!
By,
Hope
