Journeys Without Borders

March 7, 2014
| 1,357 Comments
| Center of Development, Education, Life in India, Natural Resource Management, Reflections

 

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Four college students traveling to an unfamiliar place halfway around the world with no understanding of the indigenous language, Malayalam, might seem a bit nerve racking to some; but not to these travelers.  We were willing to fully immerse ourselves in the Indian culture, and we did just that.  After being greeted at the Bangalore airport by Villanova alumni and current Profugo field fellow, Tyler Casteel, this group of four Engineers Without Borders members set off to appreciate a new world and there was no turning back.  This trip turned out perfectly and will be an unforgettable remembrance and learning experience for all. Many thanks to Jenny Koleth, Tyler Casteel, Emily “Auntie” Davies, Aneesh James, Chidananda Matada Shivananda, and many more very special individuals who played a role in this journey’s success.

As engineering students, our primary purpose for the voyage to Wayanad, India was to concentrate on the technical projects we, and other Villanovans could begin to work on immediately, as well as in the future.  However, this trip quickly became far more than simply an engineering jaunt.  Our journey to the southwest region of India had a perfect balance of engineering, interaction with the wonderful Prashanthagiri community we were supporting, and exploring all the beautiful sites surrounding Wayanad, India. who played a role in this journey’s success.

Our group could not discuss our excursion to the Profugo House without mentioning all the energetic, compassionate children that abound in the Prashanthagiri village.  The most noteworthy recollections from the trip were directly created because of the loving neighborhood children who quickly became our friends.  Amidst all the bouncing of soccer balls and footballs, the community children adored listening attentively about our families and friends and shared stories about their family and friends. And they LOVED taking photographs!

A favorite moment of my two weeks in India occurred when the Villanova students, accompanied by four neighborhood children set out on a hike up a rolling hill bursting with tea plants in order to watch the sun set.  A trail that would typically take fifteen minutes to complete ended up being much longer due to the children’s fascination with our cameras.  One of the girls was trying to take close-up pictures of us, two of the boys were attempting to take pictures of each other taking pictures of each other, and little Abhi “Waldo” was on his tippy-toes, stretching his arms out high to get as close a picture of the moon as possible.  Getting to know these children on a personal level, as well as the other children in the village revealed to all of us the significance of engineering service work. By the end of our stay, we left feeling as if we had known some of the villagers far longer than our brief stay.   The self-sustaining projects that Profugo has initiated in this community is a long-term commitment and will ultimately assist these children to be able to reach the potentials I know they are certainly capable and worthy of achieving.  As a Villanova engineering student, I am undoubtedly honored to assist Profugo and the wonderful people I met over in India.

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