
Hello friends!
It’s hard to believe that we are leaving Bangalore in four days—it feels like we just arrived in this city. For me, the trip has been very successful in the sense that we were able to experience and appreciate various aspects of the local culture. I was surprised at how quickly we adapted to life in a country that was new to all of us. It definitely helped that we were able to make a few friends who showed us their perspective of Bangalore.
As a group, we learned through exploration. If we allow it to, travel may become a form of education—it requires us to give up the comfort of our own culture to immerse ourselves in foreign surroundings.
With today’s technology, one click of a button allows us to connect with family and friends across the world. As a millenial (ugh, sorry…that word is overused but sometimes necessary), the relationship between travel and technology is an interesting topic to consider. Imagine if we had to travel like previous generations once had to, with hand-written notes being the only way to communicate with loved ones.
As a generation that relies on instant messaging, would a lack of fast communication hinder or help our travel experience? Personally, I often struggle with finding a balance between keeping in touch with people back home and, at the same time, fully taking in the new sights around me.
As of lately, I have been making an effort to not feel so guilty when I don’t immediately accept a far-away friend’s Facetime call. After all, I’m only in Bangalore for a short period of time. By limiting my conversation time with far-away friends, I feel like it’s easier for me to absorb my immediate surroundings.
That being said, it’s imperitive to at least send the occasional “I’m still alive” text to your parents—unless you like waking up to fifty unread text messages from a very worried mom.
xx
Paige

