Emily | New Delhi, India | Week 5

I apologize for not being able to write this until now, we travelled a lot my last week and then once I returned to the states, I had to move into a new apartment and begin a class. Anyways, my last week in India was a lot of fun, but, first I had to take care of business. I finished my last few projects and organized everything that needed to be turned in. Following what I learned at the seminar LS&A held for us at the end of the winter semester, I scheduled my exit interview and requested a letter of recommendation the week before. By the time our appointment came around, my boss unfortunately had to cancel. We exchanged e-mails though.

After taking care of work, the other interns McKenzie, Meghna and I spent time at my favorite spots in New Delhi and tried a few more new spots before travelling to Mumbai! In Delhi, we travelled to a HUGE and famous market where we had some famous parathas and went sari shopping.

          

In Mumbai, we took a tour of the caves on Elephanta Island, visited the Gateway to India, and ate tons of delicious food. The food on the left is north Indian Thali, which is basically a buffet of deliciousness. The food on the right is famous Mumbai street food called Vada Pav which is super spicy but in the best way.

  

ALSO, at Elephanta Island, we met this cute little pup who kept showing up wherever we went. We named him Chandler – we named two other dogs after Friends characters lol.

Emily | New Delhi, India | Week 3

Last Thursday’s trip to the village was not exactly as expected. Being solar electrification interns, we expected that our job would be to bring solar electricity to the villages, not take it away. However, our company’s system is set up on a sustainable model that requires each villager who accepts our help to pay a certain monthly fee – a fee that is much smaller than actual solar panel companies would allow for someone to pay. In one of the villages that SSF had helped before, villagers have refused to pay their monthly dues. The company has travelled back time and time again, trying to explain the long term benefits of the systems and how though they are spending money now, it will pay off in the long run. Each time they promise to pay but never follow through, so this trip, we had to remove the panels. The experience was especially uncomfortable because it was our first time to the village, our boss was not their to introduce us, and our only role was taking away their power. So, it definitely could have been better. Though it was an unpleasant experience, I feel that I learned a valuable lesson in this line of work: not everyone wants to be helped in the way that you are able to help them. This will be important in my career if I am to start a business similar to this. Also, I have gotten to know the National Service Scheme volunteers better, making this experience and any future interactions with these villagers a lot less daunting (below is our group picture at the end of the day at the village).

This past weekend definitly made up for our trip to the village. The other interns, McKenzie and Meghna, our friend here in India, Surbhi, and I travelled north to Rishikesh, a city in the foothills of the Himalayas. Our campsite was situated right on the bank of the Ganges River and there we got to kayak, rock climb, white-water raft, meet other travellers from all over the world, and eat some amazing Indian food. It was very nice to get out of the city to a slightly colder climate and just relax. I definitely plan to head back to Rishikesh at some point and take part in one of their treks of the Himalayas! (Below is my rock climbing at the camp and white-water rafting on the Ganges River)

Also, in case you were in need of some cheering up, this is a mama monkey eating a banana holding her baby!!!

Week 2: After the Weekend at the Village

These past few weeks were met with challenges. After striking 5 deals over the weekend (May 22nd – May 24th), Matt and I had a lot of work cut out for us. We put together all of the proper documents, talked to our consultant at the solar company to retrieve our systems, and skyped with our funders in the U.S. We worked for the next two weeks, planning a trip to install the solar panels the weekend of June 5th-7th. However, at the last minute, our funder did not release the funds. There was a miscommunitcation/misunderstanding between what he had pictured the money to be used forv(lighting classrooms of villages) and what it was needed for (lighting streetlights in villages for security at night. Because it is almost always sunny during the day in India, they did not need lighting for during the day). This often comes with the teritory of having a funder from one country, and the business in the other. Although it was frustrating at the time, I am happy to see the possibilities that can go wrong with this type of business. Now in the future, if I am to own a company like this, I know I will need to spend more time with the funders helping them to understand the environment that we are working in.

Moving forward, we have connected with other volunteers through an Indian organization National Service Scheme (NSS). Tomorrow, we plan to travel to a village that we have already installed panels in, pictures to come!

Besides work, another intern, McKenzie, and I were able to travel to Agra and Jaipur. You can see my picture with the Taj Mahal and the world’s biggest sun dial below! This weekend we will be traveling to Rishikesh, a city at the base of the Himalayas, to go camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, and to relax with some yoga.

Week 1: Biggest Challenge/Opportunity

(This post is copied from the Summer Vocation blog. The theme was: what has been a major challenge at your internship?)

I began my internship three weeks ago at the Skilled Samaritan Foundation in New Delhi, India. I found my biggest challenges right off of the bat. I knew coming into this internship that it was a relatively new company and their first year taking interns. However, after listening to my friends’ past internship experiences, I was still expecting a bit of structure. I soon realized that was not the case.

My internship title was a Solar Electrification Intern and I was told that I would be helping to light the homes of villagers by working in the field every weekday and possibly weekends. However, I was not able to see the villages until two weeks into my six week internship. All of the time before, and after, was spent making brochures and presentations, writing e-mails, talking to funders, and adjusting their website. At the time, I was disappointed; I had anticipated gaining a lot of field work to be able to bring back to the classroom this fall. Now, I am very appreciative of this very different but equally fulfilling experience.

Because this is such a new company, my boss has allowed the other interns and I to take on a leadership role, acting almost as her partners. We are able to get first-hand experience in starting and running an NGO; something I had always considered doing in my career. The problems we have faced are things I never would have anticipated, and after these three weeks of interacting with various partners and funders, I feel I am more prepared for my long term goals. I am just excited to see where the next 3 weeks take me.

(The first picture is of another intern, Matt, the panchayat (village leaders) of our first client in Babri village, and I after we made a deal! The second picture is of Matt, my boss Gauri, and I with one of our solar panels at a school in Shukrtal village.)