Final Thoughts

Our official time in India ended this morning over brunch in the hotel. We all had the opportunity to discuss our business plans for our final projects. I came to India with an idea to help the DC community, but have been so struck by the poverty and health disparities in India that I have changed my idea. Mumbai is a city covered in trash, a problem I believe is the underlying issue of the health crisis facing those living in the city, especially in the slums. Factors relating to government corruption and population size make the waste management infrastructure nonexistent. The piles of trash and sewage is an image that has stuck with me the entire trip, it is something I cannot walk away from.

While driving through Delhi the other day we passed by an open area filled with pigs. With a little direction from Dr. Parish, it occurred to me that pigs could be a solution to waste management. The idea will need to start on a small scale, just one slum, and I still have a lot of research ahead, but I think this is an idea worth thinking through. I have a few weeks to work it all out, but I will share my plan with those who are interested once it is done.

India provided me with many struggles. At home, I often feel that everything is my “comfort zone”. Even if something is unfamiliar I adapt quickly. India was an “uncomfort zone” at almost every turn. No one likes feeling uncomfortable, but I was happy to find that I do have boundaries and there are things that make me feel out of place. I am looking forward to getting back home, but India has helped me realize that I can do work in rough areas (just as long as I have a nice place to go back to at night).

Throughout the trip I often thought of how many people would benefit from seeing what I saw. We live in a country of complaints and I am sometimes frustrated by the lack of patience from everyone, myself included. I saw Indians living in worse conditions than any homeless person in the US without complaint. There is a balance. People in slums should be more outraged at their situation, but at home we should stop complaining about everything (and if we do complain being proactive about a solution). I would love to bring groups of Americans to India to see how the rest of the world lives.

For those of you at home, I am excited to show you my limited number of pictures, but it might be a few weeks before I can wrap my mind around everything I saw and put it into a cohesive conversation. It is not to the Taj Mahal for a day then one more day in Mumbai before heading home.