Day 2, The lizards are fans of Dan


Previous Night

Last night the team headed to Pondicherry to cheers to the kicking off of the 2024 project! Here we learnt that Dan is the king of good times – as stated on the Kingfisher beer logo. Most importantly the trip unveiled that Ajay is twins with Chloe as both of their Lord of the Rings Characters are Boromir!

The rest of the fellowship is as follows:

Daniel: Merry

Spencer: Pippin

Wendy: Legolas

Tara: Frodo

Maeve: Sam

Caley: Gimli

Day 2 – Tuesday December 3rd

Day 2 started off better for some than others. Unfortunately, a member of the team caught a bad case of a tummy ailment, but things seem to be looking up and hopefully tomorrow is a different story!

After a delicious breakfast and a quick team meeting, Tara, Maeve, and Chloe started the workday with the team’s first feedback presentation to our client Lalit, an architectural intern, and an Aurovillian civil engineer. 


After practicing and perfecting the presentation for weeks, we were very happy to receive positive feedback to set us on the right track for our fieldwork over the next couple weeks!


Later in the afternoon, a lizard sought friendship through Dan by falling onto his back from a very high ceiling. 

The team completed two interviews. Tara, Maeve, Dan and Caley’s interview was with Jaya who is originally from Sweden but came to Auroville in 1971! She was lovely to speak with and have incredibly valuable insights on how Auroville and the surrounding villages have changed over the years, as well as what barriers exist to fostering women empowerment.


Chloe, Dan, and Caley interviewed Partha. Main takeaways being that change is rapidly occurring both in Auroville and Kuliapalayam. He reflected on the increase of women’s education initiatives and the significant rise in tourism.

The electricity situation is looking significantly more consistent, and a few team members were delighted to experience a warm shower! The WIFI also allowed us to connect with our mission control (Wendy) back in Kingston and update her on the happenings as we miss her dearly over here!


Hopeful for good nights sleep as tomorrow we are headed out for more interviews! 


Comments

  1. WendyDecember 5, 2024 at 8:32 AM

    The cow is living his/her best life! I am also happy the presentation went well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ArnavDecember 5, 2024 at 8:37 AM

      The cow truly was Wendy!! Missing you lots!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1, Welcome to Auroville

Image
December 1, Rise and Shine After a much needed sleep, we began our day with a tour of Auroville. But not before Dan forgot which foods were safe and unsafe to eat and Caley, perhaps a little jet lagged, used a bowl for coffee instead of a mug. Our project client, Lalit, was kind enough to give us a private tour of the Matrimandir, the "soul of the city". From its expansive gardens to private medidation areas, we were taken aback at how serene and peaceful the area was. The overwheleming quiet does lend itself to divine conciousnesses and attaining a medidative state. One would think that after months of pouring over pictures, reading background documentation and conducting interviews, the team would quickly find our footing in Auroville. But the reality is that nothing could prepare us this experience.  From Auroville, we drove to Kuilappalayam. This village serves as our case study village for the 2024 project. We will look to measure what social impacts Auroville's pres...
Read more

Day 0, Journey to Auroville

Image
This blog reports 2024 International Project team's everyday adventures in Auroville, India.  This year's team is comprised of seven students from Queen’s University. Unfortunately, only six -- Tara, Caley, Maeve, Chloe, Spencer and Dan -- could travel to India. We wrote this blog in part for our seventh member, Wendy, and in part to share our story with you.  Day 0, Journey to Auroville The team departed for Auroville after months of preparation. The six of us flew from Toronto to Dubai and finally Chennai. When we made it to Dubai, we were informed that a cyclone had touched down in Chennai. We pushed on, not knowing if the next time we got wifi we would be told to hunker down in Chennai or allowed to make the drive to Auroville.  We made the drive. But not without a few mishaps. From dodging animals, the sheer volume of traffic and vibrant sights and sounds, Nothing says welcome to India like a post- cyclone 3 hour adrenaline fueled car ride. Highlights include Caley p...
Read more