Final Reflection Blog

Needed a little extra time to gather my thoughts for this one I guess!

Being outside of the country for the first time in a long time (6 years) I feel as though I have gotten a better understanding of what life is like outside of my little bubble in the US. Although it was just one country seeing how differently people in India live was very eye-opening to me The standard of living there is much lower than it is in the United States. Something that was mind-blowing to me was the transportation system there. They have these golf cart-like vehicles that act as a taxi system and they will take you wherever you want to go to in the city of New Delhi for 20 rupees. That’s about 30 cents. For the most part everything, there was cheaper except for things targeting strictly towards tourists.

A really valuable component for me throughout the course was what I learned from our instructors Shantanu and Gaurav. They are experienced NOLS instructors and shared so much information here and there throughout the trip that I am excited to take with me on my further endeavors. I was so inspired by everything they taught me and by the whole experience I told my parents all about it right when we got back from the trek over FaceTime. Then to my surprise right when I got home my dad surprised me with a brand new backpacking tent! The tips, tricks, and experience I gained on the trek are going to be with me for the first time I get to use the new tent and I am super excited.

As for the leadership component, since coming back I have already seen changes to my style in my everyday life. The most prominent way that I see this is just by my mindfulness. Once you study something so intensely so long it makes you analyze things differently. I like to pay attention to how I and people in my life chose to lead each other. I feel much more comfortable adapting and changing my leadership style to each situation and I see great importance to not only be able to perform one style but to be able to reach all seven leadership styles that we have studied.

It is so hard to answer the frequent question “how was India?!?!” that I get asked at least once every time I see a new person that I know. It was such a diverse and fulfilling experience with so much to talk about I find myself at a loss of words whenever I get asked this question. It would take me well over an hour to even try to explain the transformation and experience I went through in India and I am so grateful for it all.