Regular reflection is intrinsic to the global service learning (GSL) process. The students taking part in this pilot SVYM GSL program are submitting weekly reflection exercises, from which we will share excerpts.
Week 1 Reflection, Alyssa:
Week 1 Reflection, Alyssa:
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| Alyssa with students at the Viveka School of Excellence in Saragur. |
"Ultimately, I am just so thankful for this amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity. My colleagues have pushed me intellectually to be more questioning, think deeper, and apply what we learn outside of the classroom. The field visits to the factory and the shelter will be experiences I will never forget. I also loved seeing the palace and all of the cultural sites that we were fortunate enough to see the “VIP” rooms, as they call it here. There is so much to say about my Indian adventure that it is hard to capture but I think the most important is the change it has left in my soul. When humans see something that is true, it compels them. SVYM is one of the most true, humble, and grounded organizations I have ever heard about or been lucky enough to work with. This is why I am so compelled to get as much out of this trip as possible. I am pushing myself in the classroom, on field visits, with friends here, with locals here, pushing myself to be a constant learner, pushing myself to identifying my comfort zone and then running the opposite way. I have been able to come to realizations about my life and make decisions that I had been pondering for months. They now seems so simple and clear, maybe because I am so far away from home that it is easy to take a couple steps back, or maybe because this has been such a humbling experience. Either way, I am so thankful to SVYM and Cornell for making this possible, it is something that I will never forget."
