For my first time traveling out of the country I visited a beautiful city in the middle of India called Pune! This journey was beneficial for me because I want to pursue a career in public health after I graduate. This was the perfect experience because I was able to study abroad and gain an internship in public health for my major of health sciences. Although I only spent two weeks abroad, I fell in love with the city of Pune! This crowded city houses many beautiful sights including shops, restaurants, mountains, lakes, livestock, and amazing people. On this journey I got to experience life outside my comfort zone to help me better understand the lives of individuals in a third world country. For my internship abroad I got to leave the city of Pune and travel to the mountain tops where I visited many rural tribal villages.

The villages are where I conducted my internship work which involved interviewing the villagers using a translator about their health. In these intimate interviews which usually took place in the homes of the villagers, I got an in depth understanding of the everyday lives and health of the amazing people! When interviewing the villagers about the topic of health, they were slightly reluctant to go into detail about their own health because it isn’t of great importance to them. They spend most of their days working hard in the fields as farmers to provide for their families which is what they honor the most! I loved being able to talk with the villagers about their day-to-day life and health. They were as excited to talk to me as I was to talk to them, which made for amazing and enlightening conversations. The villagers had amazing hospitality – every individual I interviewed offered me tea, snacks, and blessed me on my journey. Overall, my experience in Pune helped me understand the lives of individuals who live a completely different lifestyle than me. It opened my eyes to the benefits and challenges of the world, and showed me that public health is the right career for me! This trip was just the beginning of a public health career full of traveling and better understanding the people of the world! Thank you, India.