I tend to get these questions a lot whenever I announce my next international destination. I think my family has come to expect this from me over the years. For my first blog post I thought it would be useful to answer some basic questions and to give you a general overview of what I expect to be doing in India (although as is common in international work, what you plan to do and what you actually do are often 2 different things). So here it goes:
WHAT:
Most traditional Master's programs include a thesis that you write during your 4th semester at the end of the program. My program is different in that students have an option of going abroad and working in the field with an organization. This gives students the opportunity to apply what they've learning in school in a real world setting. I chose this option and it's called the Design, Management, Partnering, and Innovation (DPMI) Practicum -- or the short-hand, DPMI Plus. I am required to intern with an organization for at least 12 weeks (3 months) and agree on a set of deliverables that I'll produce for the organization as well as submit to my school for academic credit.
WHEN:
I leave California July 30, 2015 and complete my internship on October 31, 2015. Jorge and I will then travel around India for a week (he'll be joining be on November 1st), then we'll both return home on November 8 (arriving at SFO the following day).
WITH WHOM:
I am working with a California-based small foundation and their local partner NGO in India. The NGO is a long-standing, well respected, non profit organization that is working for the empowerment of the Thar Desert communities. The organization is, "based on the Gandhian philosophy of self-reliance and work towards the rehabilitation of drought affected and marginalized rural communities, enabling village ownership and control of its environment, institution, and relations."
WHY INDIA:
Why not!? (p.s. I'll answer this question in more detail in later posts).