My name: Bryan Sherrill
Where I consider home: The Valley of the Sun is and always will be home (Phoenix).
My current occupation: Full-time Learner! I just finished volunteering in Costa Rica and am applying for graduate school in 2019.
My interests: Learning new languages, finding new music (the closer to country the better), playing the piano, hiking.
What I would do if I had the day off: I would grab my keys and take a drive to some obscure national park or historically significant part of the desert and learn everything I can about the place. Towards dinner time, I would sample local food and watch the sunset before heading back home.
My favorite ‘bad’ food: A pazookie, golden brown chocolate chip cookie in a skillet with vanilla ice cream on top.
Why I am going to Wayanad, India: Wayanad, India contrasts my experience in Latin America in many ways, both culturally and historically. As an engineer intent on international development, I am eager to learn about these contrasts and gain valuable insight about how the world works.
How I hope to grow during my time in India: I hope that this experience will teach me new ways of seeing the world that will help me to make lifelong friends in the community. Also, two practical growths for me are learning to cook South Indian dishes and learning the local language.
My fears surrounding my service in India: My biggest fear is not being able to optimize my time in the community because of the language barrier. I am also afraid of being tempted by street food and getting sick from what looked like clean rice.
The three things that I must bring to India are: A camera, a journal for note-taking, and the magical power of Imodium.
If I could have an Indian name, it would be: I would choose “Vyomakesh” which is Malayalam for “one with sky-like hair”. I think this is fitting because I love to daydream all the time and I have the whole blond hair thing.
What “a global neighborhood for a better quality of life” means to me: To me, “a global neighborhood for a better quality of life” is not a phrase but a responsibility for people to treat each other with respect and decency. If people are able to tackle the challenges of the modern world by collaborating with various groups across the world, the world would be a better place because it would be just that much smaller and accessible.
