Orientation

Orientation was a long 10 days (minus one for arrival, one for departure to our sites, and one off-day, making it a full week, really) of being briefed on issues of Indian development. We discussed issues in rural versus urban development, migration issues, slums, education, public health, sanitation, livelihoods, child runaways, and others. This week was really insightful, however it was quite a blur. First and foremost, it didn’t feel like we were in New Delhi – we could’ve been anywhere on earth, since everything was held in a spacious air conditioned seminar room where we spent 8-12 hours of our days. However, as I spend more and more time in India, I think I’ll philosophize on the various aforementioned issues, and then post those thoughts here. This way, instead of regurgitating the knowledge learned during orientation, I’ll hopefully have some personal experience on the ground to tie to the larger issue.