2025 Student Blog
February 28, 2025
Jumping on Wet Rocks
During the first half of GCIL, I was kind of having a crisis. I knew some people going into the trip, but almost everyone in the group was a stranger. Over the first 4-5 weeks of the program, I tried to make an effort to talk to people, but I always felt awkward or like…
The World is Ending
This blog marks the end of Week 8 here at GCIL. The week started off differently than most. We had just returned from Coorg, where there was barely any working internet—it almost felt like the world was ending for a few hours. But life goes on. Being back in Bengaluru felt familiar: waking up, having…
February 27, 2025
Why did I come to India?
As I’m sure other blogs have described, groups are currently in the heavy midst’s of their GCIL projects. It is solidly hectic – with a constant rush of people running in and out of the hostel for interviews, recordings, construction, everything. To be completely honest, this is not the most exciting thing to write a…
Conversations in Transit
As we approach the end of the program, our workload continues to grow. After receiving feedback on our reports earlier this week, we’re able to refine our focus moving forward. Our team, Sensing Local (although that will change soon when we decide on our brand name), is currently working on improving bus signage in the…
February 26, 2025
One-Day Friendships with Lifetime Memories
*Please note that names have been changed to protect individual privacy.* Today marked our last day conducting interviews with farmers. I wish I could say that I started the day feeling excited, but I struggled even to appreciate the quiet streets outside our hostel. Our 6 a.m. departure time was pushed to 6:45 a.m., and…
Toothpaste and Tears
As I stand on the terrace of the first floor of the hostel, I brush my teeth, mixing toothpaste with tears as I recall the game of duck-duck-goose that my colleague Kayla suggested we play with the children. You might wonder why a simple game like duck-duck-goose moved me to tears. Well, during our visit…
February 25, 2025
Transportation and Transformations
On February 20th, Team TUI got to attend Namma Raste which is a transportation convention organized by the BBMP. The BBMP is responsible for the civic and infrastructure needs of Bengaluru. Team TUI has spent weeks working on the display for the exhibit so it was very exciting to see it finally come to life….
Thums Up
With coming up on nearly two months in Bengaluru, the thoughts of returning back to Seattle flood my mind more often than they did at the beginning of this experience. I’m thinking about the return to my final spring at UW, although I’m not even taking classes. Some of the thoughts about what spring will…
February 24, 2025
Where Coffee Grows, So Do We
Coorg transported me back to my summers between the ages of 8-20 when I spent long days on my uncle’s farm in Hawaii. Years ago, my uncle and his family sold everything they had in California and bought land just outside of Kona on the Big Island. Their land was covered with over 100 macadamia…
Matchbox Collecting
If you’ve walked more than 5 minutes with me in India you have probably seen me pause, usually mid sentence, and pick something up off the ground. A matchbox, from the dirty street. No shame. Over two months in Bengaluru, I’ve collected around forty of them. They’re everywhere. People use them, toss them, and forget…
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