Pre-departure – First Post – Charlie Bell

My main motivation for studying abroad, as I feel is likely the same for most students, is to experience a culture and way of life different from my own. Up until now, I have only traveled along the east coast of the United States, and I’ve lived in New England my whole life. Everything going on around me has stayed much the same for as long as I’ve been alive, as it has before me and likely will for years to come. I know the way things are done, the way people are supposed to act, how people think, and what is valued and important to the people around me. I’m very comfortable in my environment, and I feel as if I have a very good understanding of it. While this is good in some regards, it’s not in others. My world views and opinions haven’t very much so been challenged, and I perceive and measure things only through their relation to my own experiences. The people in my community and the outlook they have on the world tend to be very homogenous, and thus so have the influences they have had on my own thought and outlook on life. While I may not have put this much thought into my initial decision, I think this is the my main motivator for studying abroad and what excites me the most about my upcoming trip.

I expect my experiences on this trip will broaden my world view by giving me the opportunity to look at things in a different way than I ever have. Mumbai, India is far different from my hometown of Wells, Maine in about every way imaginable. I expect my trip to be a very humbling experience. I know that I have had it very good and easy growing up, but my good is only quantified by understanding the conditions of the poorest person I know. I expect to have a far greater appreciation for the things I have by understanding and witnessing the struggles that face people in India. My goals are mainly to immerse myself as best I can and really make the most out of all the opportunities I have. While a cliché and broad goal, I believe it to be realistic and attainable. If I do immerse myself I know I will have made the most of my trip, and I will return home satisfied with my experiences. Apprehension and hesitancy will be the biggest hindrance to achieving my goal and I believe these are two things that are very easy to fall back to. It’s all about stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things and look at things in a different way. If I am able to keep an open mind and be open to new thoughts and ways of doing things then I will have made the most of my trip. My only fear is that I am a super picky eater, something I definitely have to work on. I’m worried that my selective eating my be interpreted as displeasure with the quality of food and insult whoever made the food. Another goal of mine is to try to overcome this and try the wide variety of cuisines that India has to offer.

I’m mostly looking forward to finally getting a chance to travel. Growing up I’ve always enjoyed geography, history, and learning about the world, but I’ve never had a chance to experience it. America has 300 years of history and we often look at things in such a short term. To get this opportunity to visit India, a country with civilizations dating back to 3000 BC, is such an amazing chance to experience and see places of such historical significance. The significance of which I feel most people, myself included, are largely ignorant to.