Final Reflection: Brittany Margrave
Reflecting on my recent trip to India with our group from UNO, thousands of words come to mind. Upon my arrival I was bombarded with bright colors, overwhelming aromas, and loud noises everywhere. I was astonished by the beautiful historic sights we saw such as the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, Qutab Minar, and many more. I must say that when I look back on my experience in India however, it was not the tourist explorations that left the greatest impact on me, but the Indian way of life.
As we rode in our tour bus and walked along the streets, the issue of poverty started to surface in my understanding of the country. I have never experienced children coming up to me to beg for food or elderly women grabbing my arms in hopes for spare rupees. I can say these experiences changed my entire view of wealth and opportunity. I felt humbled and realized how much I have in my life to be grateful for. I now understand how easily I have taken these blessings for granted. Simple things such as adequate housing and sufficient food to survive are not commonplace for all Indian citizens but are considered basic expectations for most Americans. I have developed a greater appreciation for the small needs in my life that are easily met.
Another striking revelation I had while in India related to their pollution. I was stunned to see mounds of garbage and litter throughout the streets. At first, I had trouble understanding how a small issue could get that bad, but the more we traveled through the north of the country, the more I understood that this is a generational problem India faces. Many of India’s eldest population was not taught any better than to throw their trash on the street and thus, taught their children the same. I also found this to be a systemic issue because many of the public streets do not have adequate waste management services because of the overwhelming population. This issue will take a couple generations of teaching about pollution to be resolved. I was extremely surprised about this difference in environmental mentality between the U.S. and India.
Ultimately, I found the experiences that were the most prominent to me were the interactions I had with native Indians. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I felt such a strong sense of welcoming and I felt extremely at home during my stay. It is a common Indian custom to treat one’s guests as gods and I certainly felt treated as such during my visit. I will cherish all of the friendships I began and the connections I have taken with me from our faculty led trip.
Brittany Margrave
