Not many people (or perhaps not many I know) get to travel outside the United States. There are the occasional semesters studying abroad in Europe, the honeymoons to Mexico or the Bahamas and the family family cruise from Disney.
I am one of the vast majority of people who has never been outside the borders of home, and I've always wanted to see what else is out there in the world, to explore other lands and immerse myself in a completely different culture (I know this is somewhat romanticizing travel, but bare with me).
That is all going to change as of Sunday, when I fly out of Evansville, Indiana with two other University of Southern Indiana students, D.J. Horstman and Amy Brown. The three of us are part of a research project taking place in India. We will be spending the majority of our time in New Delhi, while the actual research will be conducted in the town of Alwar, which is in the state of Rajasthan. Alwar is about 160 kilometers south-southwest of New Delhi, and about 150 kilometers northeast of Jaipur.
While in Alwar we will be interviewing families who have used the unique approach developed by the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) the Society of Development Studies, and see if their approach did in fact improve these families' lives both materially and socially.
The trip has been funded by the Provost's office at USI, and is in an effort to expand the university's mission of outreach and engagement by establishing some solid foundations for further student trips to India.
I will be posting to this blog as often as I can, keeping you updated on the research and the culture shock of an untraveled American. Once we have some pictures they will be posted to gadget at the bottom of the page (for now, ignore the stock photos blogger has decided to provide me). Until then, wish us luck and stick around.
Namaste!
Chanse Ford
At least the stock photos are aesthetically pleasing.
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