By Diamond Allen
I’m so blessed to have been able to be a part of this trip. I really enjoyed the trip and everything that took place. I’ve never been out of the country and for me to be able to go across the world is an amazing opportunity. When I was offered the opportunity I was beyond excited. I couldn’t believe I was going across the world. The food was great, the chaperones on the trip were great, the friends I made were great, everything on the trip was great.
I really enjoyed being able to get to know and work with the Inventure Academy students from Bangalore. I’ve created international relationships. I have friends across the world thanks to this experience. I now have friends that I can connect with about an issue and we can come together and solve that issue together. International friends can solve international problems together. We’ve created a bond with each other like no other in just a few weeks. I never realized how close you can become with someone after you spend three weeks with them. I miss them so much already.
The chaperones on the trip and those who made the trip happen are greatly appreciated. The endless time and effort they put into making this a worthwhile experience is appreciated. They are great role models and leaders. They definitely also left an imprint on my life and are great friends to have and look up to. They made the trip fun from the workshops, to the activities, to the photographs, to the laughs, to the bus rides, and finally to just the talks.
The exposure to Indian culture was great. The food we ate and restaurants we went to were delicious. Everyday I was there I was trying to fit in and I felt like I was a local beside me not having a accent. The people we met and the speakers we talked to were very inspiring and inspired me to become a global citizen.
The trip taught me a lot and opened my eyes to so much. Before this I never thought of the water problem or any problems those in other countries faced. I had only thought about the problems we are facing here in California. The trip made me realize how much I take advantage of the simplest things and how to be grateful for always having warm water showers all the time or never having to worry about the taps not running. I never thought of the housing situation in other countries or the poverty level until I went on this trip and seen the problems firsthand. I now know that true we here face some tough situations, but their situations and problems they are facing across the world are much worse. I now know that I have to think about the problems others are facing because those might be the same problems I come to face. I will never forget the people I interacted with or the experiences I had or the things I seen.
This trip planted the seed in me to be the change in the world. To see a problem, learn about the problem, then address the problem, and finally solve the problem with other change makers. This trip also taught me to always think about others and the problems others face. The frugal innovation lab taught me a lot. It taught me to always be a frugal innovator. It taught me a lot about thinking about the problems that I can face. Whenever I’m designing something I will always use the frugal innovation process. I
