Journey Never Ended
By: Gautham Ajith
Tags: Des Moines

Exiting out of the gate and entering into the Des Moines Airport, I was reminded of the start of my flight journey from Des Moines to Delhi. It felt like only a couple of weeks ago when one of the staff from the Sehgal Foundation showed me my room. Exiting out of the airport, I was greeted by family and was taken back home. The scenery in Iowa had not changed since leaving. A highway surrounded by green grass, towering trees and signs remained the same. The unexpecting data centers in the middle of a natural landscape had still caught me by surprise. Right as I got home, I was ready to re-explore my surroundings. I drove around all of my favorite places near home, went to reunite with friends and go back to my normal life. However, the second day back home, I felt a little homesick.

For the rest of the week, I continued to feel away from home. Although my surroundings were physically the same, it felt as if it was different. I never realized the lack of activity outside home. Back in Delhi, there were many things going on outside of the Sehgal Foundation. People walking around, standing near food stalls and talking, and the term “liveliness” was apparent. Outside of home, all I could notice was the stillness of the neighborhood. Occasionally, there would be a person walking on the pavement. I had an urge to go into a crowded environment. Being back home was amazing, yet I did not have the same feeling.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss

The World Food Prize has certainly given me an “eye-opening” experience. Living in a different country all on my own and starting my first research project has taught me many valuable lessons. The amount of gratitude I have for the World Food Prize Program cannot be expressed by words. My gratitude is also shared to the SM Sehgal Foundation for helping me make this experience as comfortable as possible. From providing necessary resources to conduct a study to assistance with travel and accommodation, my internship had no hiccups. I am very thankful for the positive learning environment the foundation provided me.

Being back home and contemplating about the 7 week journey, I have realized some important lessons and made some realizations. The value of independence is quite amazing. When you are left to make major decisions on your own, you either can make small blunders or can make good decisions. Whatever it is, you are learning from the decisions you make. There were times where I lacked good judgement, but I was able to quickly adapt and not make similar mistakes. Decision making has been a major part of my high school years. During my stay in India, the decision making was different as I had less people to influence my choices. This has helped me better filter good and bad decisions since I have been using my own values. This is only one of the many important changes that I have noticed.

Now, I have a better understanding of how the world is outside of home. I have a first hand experience of how life is in Northern India. From the fundamentals of Indian agriculture and its issues to the social life of India, my view of India has changed. There is a jewel in every country and I found what it was back home and in India. My suggestion to those reading this is to explore the world. It can be as small as living in a different state or city or in a different country. Where you stay should not, initially, remind you of home. Staying there for a couple weeks and exploring your surroundings, you begin to understand and learn about yourself and the society around you. Your mind becomes more open and awareness is built. This experience has certainly been life-changing and as time goes on, I will begin to learn the importance of this journey that has not ended.