Hi everyone! So I originally wrote this on the plane ride home and then forgot I never posted it because, well, I was on the plane. The last couple of days have been jam-packed with experiences, and although I was a bit tired and ready to come home, overall I still had a great time and found everything really interesting. 

I’ll start where I left off, on the trail to Delhi. We got into our hotel pretty late and just went to bed making it a pretty uninteresting night. The next morning we had a couple of hours to burn before taking a four-hour bus ride to Agra. We spent the time as a group exploring Delhi with our guide Vipul. We started off by going to a Sikh temple. We learned about the religion, which is the fifth largest religion in the world, before we went and toured the temple. After, we went to some street stores and walked around. It was a really interesting experience, it was similar to market-like roots market, but with even more going on. Vipul took us to a really nice authentic Indian restaurant before we piled into the bus for Agra. The hotel in Agra was by far the nicest one we had stayed at all trip and was an awesome change from the previous places we had stayed. We went out for dinner, this time to a restaurant that helps to advocate for and employ victims of acid attacks in India. Acid attacks are when a strong corrosive acid is thrown in someone’s face, permanently damaging their skin, and leaving them with both expensive medical bills, but also some social ostracization. Overall a really interesting and powerful experience, with delicious food to go along with it. It was our last night as a group, so after dinner, a number of us hung out, retrospectively maybe for a little too long given our five AM wake up the next morning.

The following morning we woke up and went early to the Taj Mahal to avoid the heat and the crowds. It was absolutely gorgeous. We got a full tour of the premise and inside the Taj Mahal. We went back to the hotel, had some breakfast, and packed our bags for the long day ahead of us, before heading out again. We got a tour of the Agra fort where the emperor  and important individuals also lived.  By this time it was really hot and everyone was tired, I personally didn’t take away much from the fort. We stopped at a couple of other places along the way back to the Delhi airport where I said my goodbyes to the part of the group that wasn’t on my flight. 

Reflect on the cultural site visits in/around Delhi including the Taj Mahal. What did you find interesting? What did you learn? 

I really enjoyed going to all the places we went. The Sikh temple was super cool, and I loved learning about the religion. They have a really great sense of community and the premise of the religion is that the group is the most important. They give out free meals to anyone who wants one, no matter the circumstance. The Taj Mahal was also a really unique and interesting experience. Besides it just being super beautiful, the Taj Mahal has a really intreating story. Grieving for his recently deceased wife, the Emperor constructed the temple as a monument and burial site for her. After his power-hungry son seized power from him and imprisoned him, the emperor eventually died and was buried next to his wife in the tomb. The last place we visited was the Agra fort which I was there for physically but not really mentally. It was also super pretty though, the ancient architecture of the structures was amazing to see. 

What are you learning about yourself? What are you learning about yourself and leadership? Remember to contextualize your answer using readings, discussions, and papers from earlier in the class.

I’m learning a lot about myself, probably most about how I relate to others and how I do with social situations. I’ve learned how much I need time away from the group to recharge and how I often get a lot of energy from just sitting and thinking rather than being with people. As for what I’m learning about myself in leadership I feel like I got into a lot of it in my last blog post. I only have a couple of things to add or reiterate to what I said there after a couple more days to reflect. I think the main thing that I can work on when it comes to leadership is improving my peer leadership. I can take more initiative, specifically when it comes to things the group thinks are important but I might not think are as valuable.