My Experience in Hyderabad.

It was in June that I’ve ran into an AIESECer who told me about the internships, It intrigued the wanderlust in me. I’ve decided to work in India & this shall be my first solo travel although I was a little scared because it would be to a country on which the social media warns with a lot of precaution, especially for women. But all my doubts and fears poured by the social media have vanished after talking to an AIESECer from Hyderabad.  

I’ve reached the Airport & found the AIESECers of Hyderabad waiting for me, in a country where I was a complete stranger, they made me feel like home.

There are three things that run in my mind majorly  when I think about Hyderabad!

First – The People.

The overflowing warmth of the Hyderabadis  throughout my stay is inexpressible, I stayed with my Co-interns from other different parts of the world and worked with underprivileged children for 6 weeks whose smiles irk me & made my experience better, each day.

I felt a genuine care each time my manager asked me if I had my meal since I was not used to eat food which is too spicy.

I always had an impression that Indians are extremely serious and Judgmental but they have surely proved me wrong.

They were happy & understanding people.

Second – The Place.

A perfect blend of Indianness and Western culture.

Hyderabad has places like Charminar, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Ramoji Film City,  Golconda Fort, which depict the Culture along with some Beautiful clubs & lounges which make the nightlife extremely lively, in Hyderabad.

They have the best local food, like the world famous Biryani, idli, tandoori chicken and my favorite of all – Gulab jamun.

That so called less traveled nation had so much to offer to those travelers who wanted to discover beautiful places.

Third – Religion and Spirituality

During my stay, i had been to Temples, Masjids, Churches and Gurudwaras.

Everywhere, the passion for what and whom they believe is admirable!

Whenever the locals  used to talk about their faith, I  could see a soul who is unshakable and firm to what it strongly believes.

Traveling to Hyderabad, was not just a lifetime experience. It was a lifetime in itself.

How often does the world come to your living room?

Little did we think about if before our daughter asked us if we could host an international friend of hers who was coming to India for her AIESEC Internship.
Though hesitant at first, we look back and thank ourselves for agreeing to it.
What can be a better way of cultural interchange and to understand how the world is in the other corner..

We have eventually developed a life-long friendship and a strong bond.

Just within a few days of her stay, hosting proved to be an unparalleled cultural education. So many of our assumptions about her food, habits, or attitudes weren’t quite right, yet so many of our values were similar. Given the need for our children’s generation to gain global competence, these personal experiences right from home has surely given them confidence in socializing, working, solving problems, and finding new ways to communicate with diverse colleagues and friends.

During unexpected moments, like posing for a picture,She shared casual insights that you can’t learn from a book or a movie. Sharing our day-in, day-out lives opened windows for refreshing surprises — the kind that you have to experience for yourself.

Adapting to living with someone raised in a completely different culture has surely taught our kids much about their tolerance for different habits, and become better communicators and more cooperative, assertive, flexible and compassionate adults — which is going to help them in their life ahead.
Saying good-bye to her brought out heartfelt emotions, where the closeness we had grown to feel for our new daughter felt so palpable. In the midst of our collective, emotional good-bye, I realized that hosting her has given us so much :  the life-long bond of a new member of the family, and many lessons — or gifts — we’ll carry throughout our lives.

Hosting an international sounds threatening but it certainly is a step worth considering, especially in these highly connected, globally-changing times we live in, where face-to-face still wins over virtual friendship.