Lucy and local co-workers and friends at a Northeast Indian food festival
Lucy is only 21 but already a seasoned traveler, having traveled to several countries throughout South-East Asia and Europe. It comes as no surprise that she has a passion for geography and is currently studying for a BA in Human Geography at the University of Durham in the UK. Lucy is spending her summer holidays in Bangalore, South India where she’s doing a six-week marketing internship with a local NGO which supports the entrepreneurial activities of women artisans from the deprived regions of north eastern India.
She’s delighted she had the opportunity to come to India and work for an organization which makes a difference to rural women’s lives. When she couldn’t find an internship in the non-profit sector in the UK, she decided to look further afield. “I wanted to do a summer internship and was looking into opportunities in the UK but found that most were related to law and finance, which I wasn’t at all interested in. When I found out about this opportunity to work with an NGO in India, I applied and Leave UR Mark got back to me immediately. I do a mix of different things here related to marketing and social media. I’ve been helping out with events that are held at the shop; this week we have a book launch. I also spend some time serving customers which brings me in contact with many different people, and I’m helping with the production of a PR booklet.”
Photo from business.outlookindia.com
Lucy was expecting life in Bangalore to be similar to what she had already experienced in other Asian countries, but she has had many surprises. “I had been to Kathmandu and I thought that Bangalore would be similar: a mayhem of cars and cows. It’s actually a lot more chilled out than I expected and more relaxed compared to what I’ve experienced before. Bangalore is very green and feels very safe. I had expected the worse and was very pleasantly surprised. It’s a very welcoming city and I’m enjoying being here.”
The most valuable aspect of Lucy’s experience in India has been interacting with the locals which has opened her up to new and unique experiences. “The people I work with are wonderful. They take me out places and to lunch so I can try different foods. I love Indian food: aloo parathas and biryani are my favorites. I’ve gone to the cinema with my co-workers to see a Hindi film and even attended a community church service with people from Nagaland (Northeast India). Seeing everything through the eyes of the people here instead of having a romanticized view of India has been valuable, because I get to see life here as it really is.”
Out to dinner with Leave UR Mark volunteers
On a more personal level, Lucy feels that coming to India on her own has taught her self-sufficiency and given her a sense of personal achievement. “This is the first time I’ve traveled to a place on my own. I was initially worried that I would panic, but I didn’t. This has been an accomplishment: I’ve learned that I can do it. Later on I would like to have an international career and travel without issues, so this experience has been very valuable for me.”
An important piece of advice from Lucy to those bound for India is to apply for the Indian visa well in advance, as the process can sometimes be unexpectedly slow. “Applying for the visa well ahead of time will save a lot of last-minute stress. I thought that two weeks were enough but when I applied, I learned that there was a minimum of 10 days processing time.” Most importantly, when traveling in India, Lucy recommends always keeping an open mind: “Be open-minded about everything. People can quickly get stressed out. Anger doesn’t get you anywhere – so keep smiling!”
To apply for this project, please email info@leaveurmark.com
