Reflection

“How was India?” That is what I have been continuously asked since I have returned from my travels. While I want to unpack my experiences and share my new insights, I also struggle with how to approach reflecting on that question because I am still grappling with each day’s mix of feelings and experiences. However, one thing that I am confident about is that the informal learning structure fostered an ideal educational and learning process for me to learn both independently and collectively. It was incredibly valuable that our program was relationship-based because it enabled me to learn through the unique perspectives of people within Bangalore and build on the pre-existing foundation of trust. I enjoyed how while we had a theme for the trip, it was intentionally kept broad so that we could shift our conversations and activities accordingly to what was most relevant and important to the group.

As I reflected on the significance of informal learning, I thought about Prathiba NandaKumar Ma’am’s notion about how education and art can (and should) be viewed as a gateway and it is never possible to learn the entire context to something. This compelled me because it stressed my individual responsibility to act my own curiosities and further my own learning as I unpack the complex issues that we scratched the surface of in India. In regards to the emotional process of learning, it was definitely incredibly heavy at times and challenging to transition back and forth between my feelings/energy in contrasting sites and places (such as profound signs of poverty to beautiful flower markets). However, having large group reflections and the overall small-group dynamic with twelve people helped with that, as I found myself initiating conversations about what I was feeling more often. For instance, one of the hardest experiences was when we were in a group and witnessed a man abusing his wife in front of a crowd of people on a street corner. This stood out in regards to my emotional processing because I had never felt so powerless or firsthand seen a traumatic scene where I was forced to come face to face with violence I had no control over.  Moreover, it was also memorable because we collectively cried and talked about the situation, our roles, and the larger implications after the incident rather than being a bystander and shying away from our internal processing. This group support coupled by the support from our professors was crucial throughout the trip to all aspects of our learning.

While I originally applied to this program because of my interest in exploring social justice in the unfamiliar field of art, I ultimately came out learning more about myself – as a traveler, as a student, and as a global citizen. One major theme that I learned revolved around the ethics of traveling, the morals of service, and the larger implications of cross-cultural interactions. For instance, asking imperative questions such as: Why am I here? How do I witness well? How do I navigate my foreignness? These questions set a framework for our everyday reflections and dialogue during our trip, but they also permanently instilled a double consciousness in the way I view the world since using a critical lens when entering unfamiliar places is relevant to both being abroad and home. Being an outsider or a foreigner has similar implications, and the discussions we had throughout our trip made me reanalyze both my past travels and my interactions in Seattle and moreover, better realize how the tensions created by outsider/insider dynamics are often overlooked in society. In my future endeavors, I will intentionally be more mindful of the way I observe others, the way that people perceive me, and how I observe others.

Another significant thing that I learned through our program’s focus was that I am a work in progress (as is every individual) and it is important for me to recognize what is and what is not within my sphere of influence. In other words, I cannot fix all of the world’s structural problems, suffering, and oppression, and I have to be okay with that and not get overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness or else it is likely that change will not happen. Instead, I must uphold a sense of determination and realize that caring matters and entering a difficult space to learn matters. Profound issues of inequality - such as caste, race, oppression, or gender disparities – that we encountered in India are not rooted in one place. One unforgettable discussion that I remember was with the student Dalit activist group who asked us how we stand up for social justice on our own campus. This struck me because it highlights an important takeaway from this trip, which is that the issues that we were exploring in Bangalore are also very real in our own community (and all areas in the world) even if the context and manifestations of those issues might vary. As a way to exercise allyship, it is important to recognize the roles that we all play in empowering marginalized communities and working against injustice in Seattle.

In regards to what I learned about myself, at the beginning of the trip we were asked to articulate our strengths and weaknesses, which eventually shifted to the theme of confronting the intersection of our strengths and vulnerabilities. This resonated with me as I stepped outside my comfort zone during the trip and questioned both my identity and place in the world, but it also allowed me to learn more about how to identify some of my areas of growth through encouraging me to reflect on my vulnerabilities. For instance, getting intimidated by others’ knowledge, sometimes avoiding uncomfortable conversations, or taking more time to process. On the other end, one of the strengths that I recognized were being adaptable, which was important characteristics during our trip because our days consisted of a flexible, changing schedule. Lastly, another strength I thought about was being optimistic, as we talked about how it is crucial to sustain a sense of hope and joy while simultaneously living in a social justice-oriented life.