Independence, Self-Awareness and Adaptability (Week 0)
In no particular order, the three characteristics that I have always valued above all else are independence, self-awareness, and adaptability. I firmly believe that these traits are what will lead me to success in whatever I choose to pursue later in life. They are also three traits that will allow me to keep my options open until I actually know what I want to do with my life. Throughout my college career, these are the things that I have focused on improving the most, be it with friends, colleagues or mentors. I have continuously sought out new opportunities to challenge and improve these aspects of myself, from peer-educating a gender and identity Critical Thinking and Writing class to backpacking Western Europe alone for a few weeks and even working in the fast-paced and ever-changing environment at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship.
The next chance for me to improve these characteristics and so much more was becoming a Global Fellow. I have been given the amazing opportunity to work at Franklin Templeton Investments for eight weeks this coming Summer in Hyderabad, India. Hyderabad is located in the southern-central part of India and is well known for a major center for the up and coming Indian tech industry.
I can’t help but feel excited to experience an entirely different culture for an entire summer. I am curious as to how this will affect my work environment at Franklin Templeton. Although FT is a US-based company, they are known for altering their office cultures in accordance with local culture, rather than having their foreign offices conform to American standards and norms. If anything, I am concerned about how I will be able to adapt to what I am expecting to be an entirely different culture. I have previously prided myself on being adaptable, but this is something entirely different, and on a whole other scale.
Another thing I am excited about is the food! I love Indian food, or at least our Americanized version of it, and enjoy the different spices and sauces they use in their cuisine. One of the specialties of Hyderabad that I am excited to try is the biryani, which is seasoned and spiced rice with either meat, fish or vegetables. I am sure it will be very different than what I am used to; I am looking forward to it nonetheless. Everyone keeps warning me about how spicy the food in Hyderabad, but I have always enjoyed spicy foods, so I am not too worried about it. Definitely at the back of my mind, though.
Lastly, I am excited about my layover on my way to India. I was able to book my flight so that I have a connection in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I have never travelled to Dubai, let alone the Middle East so this is also an entirely new experience for me. Although I will be going on almost no sleep, and only have about 22 hours in the Emirates, I am going to do as much as possibly can. At this point I plan to travel to the Dubai Mall and have made reservations to go to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world!
