Going into this Fellowship experience, I was looking forward to developing new skills, learning from local development sector professionals, and building my understanding of women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship. What I did not expect to enjoy was bowling cricket balls through fields, garba until my legs were sore, but most of all, building strong relationships with my coworkers. These three moments were notable for me because they made me realize how lucky I am to be in an organization that cares about its employees and working with such kind people.
Deep Dish Pizza in Ahmedabad’s Streets
My first couple days at Utthan were focused on orientation, learning the history of the organization as well as ongoing projects. Juggling that with adapting to Ahmedabad, figuring out how to call back home, as well as understanding specific cultural and linguistic differences (apparently peanuts are groundnuts here?) had made for a heavy first couple of weeks. This whole time, my coworkers have been my lifeline. Shivani and Monal have had to bear the burden of a million questions (What is an International Year of Millet?) and simultaneously introduce me to the many, many, snacks of Gujarat. So, when they asked me about my favorite foods from Chicago, I was very excited to tell them about how much I loved Chicago-style Deep Dish.
Cue the explanations for my less-familiar coworkers: Yes, it’s a type of pizza. Oh, but the crust is more like a pie crust, but not sweet. But, it’s deep like a pie. No, we have normal pizza in Chicago too, this is just a specific type, etc. Shivani and Monal were more than excited to show me where a restaurant in Ahmedabad had it and took me out to celebrate.
I was very impressed by it. Over 10,000 kilometers away, I was having a pretty-close version of what I would have eaten in the Windy City. While there were some differences (I don’t think my usual Chicago-style has as much cheese as they crammed in. Or as much spice), the most special part of the pizza dinner was realizing that I had a community here that cares about me.
Cultural Cornerstones of Cricket and Garba
I had never played cricket before. After spending evenings at Utthan’s Annual Meeting playing with my coworkers, I’m still unsure if I have ever played cricket properly (what is a wicket?!). For the rest of the Americans reading this, there are many more rules to cricket than I learned. I got two: catch the ball to get the batter out. Hit the ball so they can’t catch it. Very similar to baseball. Between learning how to bowl and running after the ball into several hedges, I felt pretty good – maybe my coworkers were just being nice – but I would basically consider myself an American Sachin Tendulkar.
The other half of the evenings at the Annual Meeting started once we got the speakers set up and the music going. I had attended garba before in the U.S. at some student events in college, but never in the actual state of Gujarat. I tried to explain it to my family like a group dance, except there isn’t an exact choreography, so you follow along until you can match others, and then the dance adapts as the song goes on. Like the YMCA or Macarena, but harder. Even the explaining part sounds much simpler than it felt for me. As my coworkers started dancing in the circle, I tried to match the steps and invariably kept tripping. Luckily for me, we had several more songs to go. By the end of the first night, I was looking forward to each new song and seeing how the dance was different (while still tripping every couple of steps).
Since it was my first time meeting Utthan staff from other offices, I was nervous at the start of the Annual Meeting. By the time it closed, I was missing them and looking forward to my move to the field office in Bhavnagar, when I would be able to see them again and hopefully do garba and play cricket.
Baby Showers in Bhavnagar
After moving to Bhavnagar from Ahmedabad, I had a long list of things to do. Find an apartment, find a laundry, learn about fieldwork, find a laundry write an implementation plan, find a laundry – I was almost out of clothes, if you couldn’t read between the lines. What was not on my list was “attend a baby shower”. I was lucky enough to be invited to one of my coworkers’ baby shower, making for a quick introduction to the workplace and larger Bhavnagar community, as well as an exciting opportunity to celebrate. Learning how much is appropriate to give for a baby shower gift versus the upcoming wedding I was also quickly invited to, was a change from what I was used to as far as the speed of American relationship building was concerned. It was exciting to meet my coworker’s family as well as participate in such a nice moment – and a nice lunch! The part I was most unused to was the party favor/souvenir. Where you might receive candy or a small but ultimately useless memento in the US, I received a practical and much-needed piece of cookware. This is one part of Indian culture I definitely want to bring back home with me.
Courtesy of Rubina Bhatti
An old saying asks “How do you eat an elephant?” The response is always “one bite at a time” meaning that the only way to address a large task is step by step. The same adage holds for joining an organization that has been doing work for over twice as long as I’ve been alive. Before the big problems in the world can be addressed, first you have to know who you’re working with. Yes, these first weeks, I’ve had the luck of attending several major moments for Utthan, allowing me a wide view of the inner workings and operations. But, more importantly, I’ve been able to see how the people who make up Utthan make it happen and feel like I belong. Nothing happens without the community of people behind it, and I feel part of it. It has made me excited to know I’m building a home here and to continue building with them.
