Through there is still an impossibly large number of things still waiting for me in this wide world, I know that underneath appearances we are all primates looking for happiness and understanding in a life whose specifics are defined by our culture, our family and ourselves.

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As of now, I have studied abroad a total of three times. My first was to China for a cultural course consisting of an intense two-week study of Chinese history and Mandarin language. We visited all the cultural and historical sites we could see in Beijing, Xi’an, Qufu, Jinan, and Shanghai. My second abroad experience was Comparative Management in San Jose, Costa Rica, where we observed various businesses and production factories, comparing their work processes with those of the United States. Both abroad experiences were very different from each other, yet delivered similar results. Through them, I was able to observe cultural differences from the outside by making several conclusions that were sometimes based on assumptions due to a lack of understanding. Finally, I enrolled in Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship in India, which changed how I thought of studying abroad. Immersion and observation are two different ways to experience a culture. After completing the course at BVB, my preference is now immersion.

Since this was my first total immersion experience, I was not sure what to expect. Since we were doing group projects, my grades now relied on my ability to work with my multidisciplinary and multicultural team. What if the cultural differences were too difficult to overcome? What if we could not connect on a common understanding of the goals? What if we just plain didn’t like each other? These were some of the questions that ran through my head before beginning the course. Thankfully, all of my worry was for nothing. Working with my team was wonderful; we all worked very well together and was able to create a comprehensive and coherent presentation for our final project. Additionally, I feel like the lifelong friendships with some of the students at BVB is another priceless benefit of the entire experience.

What surprised me most about the cultural immersion aspect of studying abroad was how organic and fluid it was. There was no control over anything, it just happened. The bonds between UML and BVB students formed quickly, without plan or warning. Although we were from opposite sides of the earth, we had so much in common with the Indian students that it was startling. On my second day in Hubli, my team met with their company’s primary investor. After a very fruitful meeting, we went out to a local coffee shop called Seven Beans. As I sat outside in the pavilion, it was almost like I was in the United States with fellow UML students instead of in India with people I had only met yesterday.  I never could have anticipated how fast the friendships formed.

Over the course of 10 days, the bonds had grown so strong that saying our goodbyes proved a very difficult task. I witnessed grown men sobbing in tears and women holding each other close before parting. It was all very sad to see, but it was also an incredible thing to be a part of. Never before had I experienced working side-by-side with students in another country. I had grown so close to some of the people at BVB that it was very painful for me to leave. I am lucky that I live in the era of Internet communication. Otherwise, I’d need to write letters or buy a long distance phone plan in order to keep in touch with the BVB students. Hurray for the Internet!

Now, Hubli means something to me. It is not simply a city that I observed from the outside during a study abroad course. I experienced Hubli from the inside out, and that has made all the difference. I feel my ability to adapt and adjust to any situation in life has been strengthened even more than it was before. I learned a lot about who I am as person in the last three weeks by simply putting myself in unknown and unpredictable situations and adapting accordingly.

Remember: when the water is deep, the temperature doesn’t matter. Just swim.

-Rebekah Dufrene

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The good:

I really enjoyed the Seven Beans guest speaker. His story was inspirational. I had visited Seven Beans several times before the final day of class when he spoke to us. Being a fan of all things coffee, I immediately loved the atmosphere and social aspect of the place. It was great to hear the origin of the “seven beans” story, and to hear about the owner’s struggles and triumphs as an entrepreneur.

I also enjoyed the few times in class that we worked on interactive small team projects. It is much more of a learning experience for me when I’m actively doing something instead of sitting for a lecture.

The final project was a great learning opportunity. My team, Campus Cloud, met with the angel investor on the second day in at BVB. It was such an exciting and scary experience. However, he was such a nice guy that the meeting ended up with us all getting coffee at Seven Beans. Working on the project with my team wasn’t always a smooth process, but we were able to pull everything together and make a great presentation.

The not so good:

I agree with others that said the particular room that we were in made it very difficult to hear anything, even when sitting in the front. Every word that was said was echoed into oblivion. There were several days that I could not understand anything from the guest speakers. Even when the microphones were used, the sound was still echoed and distorted.

The classroom time could have been less “lecture” and more interactive. There was one day that we made a small presentation on a problem with a possible solution. That was one of my favorite days because I felt like I was doing something. I know this is just personal preference, but a +3hr lecture was not enjoyable for me.

Overall, I do feel like I learned a lot about the entrepreneurial process, especially since I was working with a start-up company. I’d recommend this course to anyone who wants to obtain a multicultural, multidisciplinary team experience.

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“I guess this is goodbye, old pal, you’ve been a perfect friend,                                              I hate to have to part, old pal, someday I’ll buy you back.”

He happens to be singing about a cow, and I’m not about to purchase anything back, but I find the words fitting. We went into the “woods” of this extraordinary country, and made so many friends and had such a time of growth in a country where the cow happens to be revered. But the musical is all about the growth of the characters, and I know that I definitely grew.

Entrepreneurship was something that was foreign to me. I find safety in numbers and equations, or on a stage with a giant crowd, most certainly not buried in the depths of a business plan. But I know that someday I wanted to be the engineer who has the ability to talk between any group, therefore my business understanding had to develop.

Working  directly with Ushas School for Exceptional Children was an amazing experience. Though at times I felt the timeline for the course kept me from bits of information I would’ve like to know earlier, and didn’t give much processing time, we managed to come so far and I believe we made a difference. The mentally disabled children at the school were precious, and in the end, we were able to influence the owner to see that she needed to spend small amounts of money on promotion of her school with brochures and cards so she could bring in more donors. We were able to outline that she needs to get a new board so that she has more manpower and is not stretching herself thin, also, we saw simple changes to social media that are easy fixes to promotion problems. In short, we learned how to make a difference, and turn a bunch of engineers into entrepreneurs in the making, and it was a great feeling I hope to have again.

India was a step forward through professional know-how, and was an eye-opening experience. It is my “old pal” who I say goodbye to, who I may see again someday.

-Marcelle Durrenberger

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On the first two days of class, those of us who were working with organizations for our projects were able to visit them. My group’s organization, Family Planning Association of India, offers a wide variety of services relating to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for free, mainly to people living below the poverty line. It was amazing to witness how importantly they regard their mission of advocacy and access, even though many of the people they serve don’t always see the value in what they’re providing. After observing the organization for two days, we took all of our gathered information to the classroom.

Initially, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to see any tie-ins between entrepreneurship and innovation in regards to what our organization does. As the days progressed, we listened to class lectures and guest speakers, and it became clear to me. In India, discussing sexual education and health can still be very taboo, as it sometimes is here in the US, too. Despite how uncomfortable it makes people, and despite the fact that some people would rather be sick and suffer than address their sexual and reproductive health needs, FPAI pushes forward. What they’re doing can be new and uncomfortable culturally to many of the people they encounter, but they refuse to give up. They utilize a network of diverse partners with multiple channels to do what they do. In a country with a population as large as India’s, their work is crucially pioneering, and nothing less than admirable.

Working with FPAI while learning about innovation and entrepreneurship really made me reconsider the value of social entrepreneurship. Although not always profitable like traditional entrepreneurship, it can be infinitely more rewarding. In aiming to provide education, access, and treatment regarding SRH to India, FPAI is faced with the challenge of forcing a paradigm shift. They face this challenge with all the passion, bravery, and creativity that you would expect from people who know that if they should succeed, the world will be changed for the better forever.

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On the first two days, all the groups visited their respective non-profits and understand their workings and problems. Then rest of the days, we were taught various Entrepreneurship skills and methods in classroom so that we could develop a good plan for the respective non-profits, along with that we were working on our projects day in and day out without stopping. We also had various successful entrepreneurs who talked about their lives and how they became successful. It was a treat for any to-be entrepreneur to listen to already established entrepreneurs. Apart from studies, we made lots of friends in BVB engineering college, where students were extremely helpful and friendly. Working with a team where each team member has a different idea and wants to work differently was always a task, but coming up with a common solution was the best part. Working with a diverse team and yet coming to one decision, is what makes a good team. Making a valuable project report and power point presentation were the two main things that were needed in this course, because these two things will be sent to the respective non-profits so that they can work upon their weak areas. Therefore, our team was very careful about these two requirements and we worked on them accordingly.

All the teams successfully completed their projects reports and presented their presentations with the immense help and guidance of Professor Ashwin Mehta, Professor Deborah Finch and Professor Nitin Kulkarni. Without their support this course would have been impossible.

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My favorite part had to be the group project. A week ago if you asked me whether or not I enjoyed the project I would have shouted, “No!” But, being back in Lowell with a break from the course I realize how valuable that project was. We were given the ability to look at and work with start-ups or already established companies, listen to their business processes and strategies and give them recommendations. Usually you have to have years of experience and credentials to get anyone to listen to what you have to say, but this class gave us that chance. These companies are going to look at what we recommend and then take some of our ideas and implement them.

The hardest part about the course had to be working with my companies CEO. I think going forward, when start-ups are being involved they should be handled the same way the company projects were handled. Meet for the first two days, then given the liberty to work alone. With that freedom or separation I think our reports would have been easier to compose and come to an agreement on what we felt needed to be done going forward.

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