February 9, 2023

Get your kicks on week 6

And so here we find ourselves, approaching the end of week six, and the band marches on. The halfway mark has come and gone, and every day we come closer to our final deliverables. Unfortunately, one of our crew is down with ‘Rona but they seem to be managing well. Or at the very least, the take-out food we pass through the door is being eaten and empty containers are being passed back. I must say that their absence has left a gap in the conversation, and I eagerly await their return. For better or worse, gaps in air are often enthusiastically filled by yours truly, and I’m not always sure that’s a good thing for me or anyone else. But I digress.

So where are we? Most groups are now settled into their daily (or lack of daily) routines with their partner organizations and are doing their best to make headway on their directives. For many of us, it seems our schedules are spontaneous and our goals mercurial. We shuffle out of the hostel in the morning at different times with different moods, and we return in a similar unpredictable fashion. As far as group activities go, this week we all presented findings from our ‘tool book’ assignment, and I have to say I was quite impressed. Everyone presented well, and I found their activities engaging. I found it really valuable to see everyone’s presentation styles, and I am genuinely excited to see our final presentations. Special shout out to Aditya who not only created an engaging innovation-focused activity for his toolbook assignment but also gave a knock-out presentation on the water system of Bangalore.

So where am I? That’s a good question and one I don’t think about enough. With every passing day, I feel more comfortable here. In a day to day sense, I’m doing just fine. Sure, India is different, but it didn’t take long to track down the things I view as essential to an agreeable existence. Nearby our dwelling, I have good food, good shopping, good people, good walkability, good access. I have water and a clean, safe place to stay. Not only do I have all that, I have the means to move around the city cheaply via private cars or auto. Honestly, I can see myself assimilating to life and the daily conditions here. It took just a few weeks for me to start overlooking some of the less savory aspects of public spaces such as trash, public urination and so on. So as Carmen and I work towards a solution to help change the way middle class citizens view their roles and responsibilities towards public space, I wonder if we can get the buy-in necessary to make an impact. If an outsider can quickly adjust their expectations and accept messed-up public spaces, it seems like a local could easily accept the status quo. I suppose doubt can be a valuable tool. Time will tell. But for now, we keep moving forward. “Fail cheap and fail fast,” they say. “Iteration,” they say. “Trust the process,” they say. “Cross your fingers and wear a helmet.” Those last two are mine.

Friday morning, bright and early, we’ll climb aboard the bus and head to Hampi. While we have a great deal of work looming over our heads, I am looking forward to the trip. After several weeks of going down our own paths, I am excited to reunite once again to bounce, weave and honk up and down chaotic Indian roads together in pursuit of our goals… and maybe, a good time with good people.

By Nick