Hubli has been a truly eye opening experience. I was assured that I would never leave Massachusetts and yet here I am, in a classroom trying to solve local problems on a national scale. The rock garden we visited was fun and educational. I learned a lot from the wall paintings and the sculptures that stood. This week was a tough week however. The classes have been long and tough for my group and myself. The work is getting harder to keep up with due to the small window of opportunity we are given to work on our projects. For example, the 500 Rupee challenge. It was intense due to a 2 day length period. Also trying to gather primary research was more of a challenge than anticipated. We made plans to have fun in the town of Hubli but those plans fell apart when we realized how tired and defeated we felt. The next few days will feel the same until we leave to Chennai. I’m not ready to leave my new friends. 
Author Archives: connor_arsenault@student.uml.edu
Hubli is amazing
After such a long flight on Qatar Airways, I have landed myself in the opposite side of the world; Hubli India. The jet lag was no longer a phenomena. After driving through the city, I felt a mixture of extreme exhaustion and disbelief that a place like India exists in my experience. We arrived at the scholar house and met our Indian and Chinese counterparts. I felt a welcoming that was unmatched compared to the US. After a short rest, we socialized and got acquainted with each other. After the first day we had an extensive class lecture and explored Hubli with each other. You must be good at negotiating with the business owners to get a good price for anything. The food is amazing and the people are nice. Our group functions well together and we enjoy each others company. It’s as if I’m in a dream where I dont want to wake up from. 
