When you have to be at the airport an hour and a half past midnight, do you sleep for the night? If you’re anything like us, the answer is no. Not when your luggage is still scattered haphazardly across your hotel room. Not when you just finished eating one of the most elegantly presented and delicious tasting dinners of your life. And especially not when you’re trying to make the most of your last hours on the ground of the beautiful and illuminating country of India.

Eight months ago, the SELF Class of 2014 had a dream, but they knew it would be impossible to achieve. They had personal connections in India, and a stunning vision for their senior capstone project, but the $65,000 necessary to turn their dream into a reality was another story completely. With a Plan B project thoroughly prearranged and ready to implement at any time, the Fellows drafted a proposal, rehearsed a presentation, and gave life to the India Impact. To their utter delight, their dignified project was met with nearly unanimous acceptance, and was, before long, fully funded. Needless to say, the trip to India would be among many of the Fellows’ most impactful college experiences.

 

Straightforward was our goal; simple it was not. To establish new and innovative study abroad opportunities for KU engineering students, a deliberate and well-cogitated itinerary was prescribed. That’s why we forged relationships with prestigious Indian colleges. In Thiruvananthapuram (or, in simpler English, Trivandrum), our meetings with the Asian School of Business proved invaluable. Professor Rajeev, the school’s esteemed director, explained their ability to provide student housing along with a mix of business and technically-oriented lectures. In the port city of Cochin (or Kochi), Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology brought, naturally, a very engineering-intensive option to the table. Finally, the Indian Business School provided an endless list of illustrious industry connections, all in the scenic and diverse metropolis of Bangaluru (better known as Bangalore).

 

Our lofty study abroad goals also drove our search for India’s best companies. We saw the country’s largest condom manufacturer at HLL Lifecare, auto parts extraordinaire Bosch, playful and exceptionally innovative Google of Bangalore, and the stunningly impressive biological research at InStem, among others. These enormously educational businesses and institutions touched nearly all fields of engineering, and as such will provide impactful experiences for our target study abroad student audience.

 

How often do Americans have the opportunity to travel to India? Not very often, we figured, so we intentionally made the most of every moment we spent in this culture-rich country. From the tired and true practices of the Kumbalangi Village to the modern, state-of-the-art factories at HLL and Bosch, we experienced centuries of manufacturing developmental difference. From the traditional Kathakali dance performance to the Taj Hotel’s festive cocktail party, we enjoyed India’s diverse and unique social atmosphere. From Cochin’s persistent salesmen and basic tourist shops to the westernized shopping mall at 1 MG Road, we spent thousands of rupees on souvenirs you won’t find anywhere in the States. And from a decidedly un-American McDonald’s to Trivandrum’s spectacular Jasmine Bay Restaurant, we sampled every new and interesting food that was placed in front of us, oftentimes to our stomachs’ severe discontent. We pulled out all the stops for our India travel experience, and I can confidently speak for all of my classmates when I refute any accusations of post-trip regret.

 

As I write this, I sit 11,000 meters, err, 36,000 feet, in the air, stretching my legs in a Boeing 777’s comfy aisle seat. My classmates and I are deep in reflection of the sights, the friendships, and the experiences we gained in India. Our young, sponge-like brains are spilling over the brim with incredible new memories and information. We dread the jet-lagged state of classes that unapologetically start on Monday morning, but eagerly await sharing stories of our journey with friends and family. We aren’t thrilled about re-entering the normalcy of our American lives, but look forward to the exciting study abroad opportunities that will soon be available to our fellow engineering students. If it’s not apparently obvious, sleep was the last thing on our minds before we set out for the Bangalore airport. I’m not sure what time zone we’re flying over right now, but I do know that it’s bedtime somewhere. So dhanyavad, or thank you, India, for the memories, the lessons, the adventure; they won’t be soon forgotten.

 

Namaste,

 

RJ Zeiler