RBI Week 4: Monsoons, Mumbai, and Masala: Making Memories
“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people” – Mahatma Gandhi.
At the end of last week we had been planning our weekend trip to the beautiful province of Goa, a few hours southwest of us. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in booking Indian busses without an Indian credit card, we have had to reschedule to this weekend. However, this did mean that we had the opportunity to explore more of Pune and the surrounding area this weekend, and the chance to look forward to Goa for another week.
Several members of our group took a trip to a spa in Pune called Touche and found that 90 minutes and 1 deep tissue massage later found themselves de-stressed and content. As they found one way of relaxation, the other group of us headed to Lonavala, a lush green hillside divided by rivers and waterfalls. We headed to Pawna Dam to take in the wonderful scenery and converse as best we could with the locals. Of course, as it has been monsoon season for several weeks now, it rained for nearly the entirety of trip, and we found that we didn’t need to go anywhere near the lake to get our feet wet.
We spent most of the first part of the week working diligently on our projects as we realize that now time is of the essence. On Wednesday we were taken to the main Symbiosis University campus just outside Pune, which resides on the top of a larg
e hill, providing excellent picturesque views. We got an insight into the student’s projects there and were pleased to find similarities to our own projects. We found that many of the students also had an interest hearing our views on the recent decision for the UK to leave the EU.
The next day we traveled back to Mumbai to visit the RBI central office. We took our first real tour of the city and got a feel for how large the city was in comparison to Pune. We were able to visit the RBI museum, the Mumbai regional office, and the famed RBI central office, all in one busy afternoon.
As our fourth week here comes to a close, we realize that the end is nearer to us than the beginning, and can’t help but feel that the time here has slipped away from us. We plan to use our remaining time here to the fullest extent, and can’t wait to find out what India has in store for us next.
Nicholas and Daniel, GEO RBI Interns