My STEP signature project was a study abroad experience in Manipal India. Throughout the month, I learned about public health through lectures and field visits around Manipal University.
Before my trip to India, I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know anyone else going on the trip with me, which really scared me. So not only was I traveling to an unknown place, I was traveling with people I had never met before. I had traveled to other places before with my family but never without them. I learned that I could handle traveling without my families’ guidance and do so without problems.
When thinking about what India would be like I thought of a completely different world than the United States, which wasn’t completely wrong. I thought of scenes from movies that showed slums and the poorest people in India. I was not expecting to see the huge disparities in wealth and health. We saw large beautiful homes and also slums that were only miles from each other. With this idea that everything was going to be different, I assumed the people would be different. I was surprised to see so many similarities in people from the US and India. Many of the students that I met were very similar to me and the other Ohio State students on the trip. Although we grew up in different environments we shared some of the same values, like education, family, and friends. Realizing that people who live in what seems like a different world share the same values and enjoy the same things I do changed my world view.
Throughout my study abroad experience I learned about the culture and people in India. We had lectures and discussions about the culture and traditions in India. A big portion of this included religion and how it influences the culture. Not only did we learn about culture in lecture, but also we experienced it. Taking field trips to places like temples and health centers gave us the opportunity to talk to people and experience daily life in India. Even simple things like riding the city bus to the beach was an eye opening experience about Indian culture. They would pack in way too many people on these buses to the point of having no personal space, but this is normal in India. The women at the beach would not wear swimwear but would still dress modestly, demonstrating the cultural importance of modesty. Small differences in culture made daily life in India different from life in America.
Staying on a college campus gave us the opportunity to compare and contrast college life in India versus in the US. There were many similarities between Manipal and Ohio State. They had a grass space similar to the oval, a cafeteria, dorms, and a library. Not only were there physical similarities, the students are similar. Everyone was there to learn and graduate to get a job one day, just like at Ohio State. In the dorms we met students from Malaysia who left home to get an education, like myself. We had conversations about what we like to do for fun and many things were similar. However, when we went on a field trip to a slum area, we had conversations with women my age who were mothers and wives. The difference in life between the wealthy and poor women in India is nothing like the United States. It was eye opening to see the disparities in wealth and how they affect life in India.
Visiting a slum while on a field visit was an eye-opening experience. We found that most of the homes in the slum community were dangerous to live in and were overcrowded. Now that we knew this about their homes, there wasn’t much we could do about it, which was hard to walk away from. When we arrived in the slum, so many children greeted us with so much excitement. It was hard to believe that so many children lived in this unsafe, overcrowded environment. Also, we went on a school day, so it was sad to realize that all these children weren’t at school where they belong.
My STEP signature project, a study abroad to India, expanded my worldview. In my future career goals, communicating with diverse people is an important skill. Now that I understand different cultures and views, I can better interact with people. Additionally, understanding the importance of all lives, not just the ones similar to mine is something that I will value and demonstrate the rest of my life.