"How very Life of Pi of you..."

On June 25, a bunch of us interns went to Pondicherry, a 3 hour bus ride from Chennai (of which I stood the entire time, which was very nice meditation for me…), to catch the tailend of AIESEC India’s June National Conference. Over 300 AIESEC members from, I believe, 15 cities in India were there, to discuss solely AIESEC work. It was a fantastic time, I loved meeting so many of the other interns in India, from every part of the world imaginable. The members, the @ers, were awesome, so full of energy and passion and excitement. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to a national conference, and it wasn’t enough. :) There’s a very palpable buzz when everyone comes together, so much chatter and sharing and mixing, and I learned a lot about the way a different AIESEC country functions, how it works, what their conferences mean to them and the realization of their goals…

It’s incredibly competitive in India, in terms of raising traineeships and bringing in exchange participants, and building contacts and securing investors—so far from what the US does and how it functions. I’m so glad I got that experience, even only for a couple days, because I feel like I have a much more rounded perception of what AIESEC means, as the global organization that it is.

My favorite part was spending so much time with AIESEC Chandigarh, even though they are constantly downstairs in the @Office; I really, really enjoyed traveling with them, going to the beach, having amazing food, talking @...they had a HUGE group, almost 30! Manveer, the Local Community President and a genuinely awesome guy, managed to organize such a huge group, with impeccable organization, patience, and good humor. That takes skill.
They take such good care of us interns, and JNC really made that clear. There’s not much more to say, except I’ve made some incredible friends in the past month, and I am so, so glad that I am not leaving any time soon…(ok, a month. It's all relative!)

Besides the conference, we took full advantage of the beach. I have to say I prefer Tel Aviv and Hong Kong to the one we saw, in terms of cleanliness and general freedom and comfort, but still…the water is the water, and especially when it’s over 100 degrees…not much else matters. I was raised by the mountains, and don't get me wrong, I love them and I miss them. But there is something about a huge expanse of water that is so powerful and poignant and still so peaceful. (No, I did not intend for that mad alliteration, but it's still nice, no?)

Plus we got fresh coconut juice, though it was more exciting in theory than in practice…

As a former French colony, the architecture and cuisine definitely reflects that. We found a couple of lovely French restaurants and cafes, and Sander, our European representative, was in some state of bliss because of it. Le Dupleix was the gorgeous hotel where we had breakfast--probably the most stylish bathroom I have ever seen at a hotel, for the record.

Lots of beautiful flowers and trees as well...I especially like how they look against the clean, solid colors of the painted walls.

Our last morning there, we got up at 4:30 am to watch the sunrise over the ocean. It was hilarious, as in we were rushing, running, to catch it in time. But we were there plenty early, and had a headstart for the rest of the day. In addition to seeing the sunrise, we did various awesome things, like visit an ashram, drink chai, eat amazing croissants, and SEE AN ELEPHANT. Even better...I GOT BLESSED BY AN ELEPHANT! I'm sorry, but that moment was so lifechanging, I can't even begin describing it here. It will eventually get an entry of its own...

Just because, you know, we're young, and happy, and IN INDIA...yippee!!

One of my professors showed us a photo of something like this from her travels in India--there is still a problem with female foeticide and infanticide, so campaigns and posters are made and distributed in the hopes of changing public opinion...and social beliefs that males are of higher value than girl children.

I LOVED the 43 hour journey back to Chandigarh: a 3 hour bus from Pondi to Chennai, then a 36 hour train from Chennai to Delhi, and then another 4 hours to Chandigarh by bus. Trains are just sweet. Everyone in one small space together, so much conversation and joking and fun, learning how to say really useful phrases in Portugese (gostoso...), Bahasa (ganteng...), and Dutch (lekker...), LOTS of chai and cookies and samosas and veg briyani and folding paper cranes and looking out the window and sleeping on sleeper bunks (for me, these things are always easy, perks of being able to fall asleep anywhere...and being short). I have loads of photos from the ride, but these next two I chose because they show the extreme divide in India that is so obvious, and still so disturbing. You see the same lush green in both, but one is covered in trash, the other with none at all...it's an illustration of the huge challenges that face this country in terms of poverty and waste, and yet how it could be if there were the right resources and attention to improve these conditions.

And so we returned back to the north--the country is too big, too overflowing with sights, places, things to do, people to meet...for one trip. Someday, I'll have to make it for India Trip Part II...