Honors accounting student Caitlin Murphy recently studied abroad in India, where she rode elephants, reveled in the country’s natural beauty, and gained insights to last a lifetime.
India isn’t for everyone. If you can’t handle seeing extreme poverty, India isn’t for you. If you can’t handle not having a clean bathroom whenever you want, India isn’t for you. And if you can’t handle being uncomfortable, then India definitely isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for the experience of a lifetime, India is definitely for you.
A typical method of transportation in much of India
I have spent three weeks traveling across India from New Delhi to Agra to Corbett National Park to the Himalayas to Bangalore to Kabini. And yes, I was exhausted. Yes, at times I just wanted to go straight home. Yes, I was totally out of my comfort zone. But I genuinely feel that I have an experience that most Americans can’t say they’ve had. The intent of the trip was to learn about business in India, but I can tell you that I have learned so much more.
India can be an overwhelming place. There are children begging in the streets. There is bribery and there is corruption. But India is also an amazing country. Nearly half of the economy exists in informal markets from fruit stands lining the streets to hawkers following you around trying to sell you sunglasses. And yet, it works. This is why foreign companies have such difficulty in the Indian market. You can’t even begin to understand it until you walk the crowded streets getting hassled by hawkers.
A family of monkeys on the way to Kabini
We spent every day of the trip doing something different. We worked with Indian graduate students. We did jeep safaris through the jungle. We had corporate visits. We wandered the streets. We shopped. We observed. For three weeks I witnessed different aspects the Indian culture and I don’t understand it one bit. Three lane roads have six lanes of traffic. There are sidewalks, but people walk in the streets. Cows walk down the middle of the road. Indian strangers take your picture when they think you don’t notice. Beggars bang on your windows when you get stuck in traffic. Farmers breed cows for their manure. By far the best thing you can do is just accept it. You can try and try to understand it, but even Indians don’t understand it. All that matters is that it works. So if there is one thing that I have learned it’s that you’re not going to do things the same way that others do them. But your way isn’t superior and neither is theirs. They’re just different.
I have learned so much these three weeks that I don’t even know where to start. Traveling to a foreign country as different as India is a humbling experience. I have never been so uncomfortable in my entire life. And I have never been so grateful in my entire life. I would recommend the India study abroad program to anyone looking for the experience of a lifetime.
Caitlin Murphy enjoys an impromptu elephant ride