See pictures my colleagues and I took during our trip to India as part of the 2008 Global Technology Initiative.
2008 GTI Photos

This morning I had an overwhelming sense of nausea and ended up not keeping down any of my breakfast. Although, I've had what I now call "India Asthma" (hurting lungs, coughing, and phlem), I thought it was too good to be true that I would experience India without getting really sick. In fact, today, a record number of students were too sick to leave the hotel including Sara, Jacklyn, Amber, Irene and me.

Today, we visited the Train Museum, McDonalds, and an industry site. This site visit consisted of a presentation as well as a facility tour; the most notable part being the facility tour. Although this company had state of the art equipment, their safety and health standards were different from what I had grown accustomed to in the United States. There was a strong smell eminating from the chemical lab, however, no employees were wearing masks or protective clothing.

Coming from Chennai, Bangalore comes across as a different world. There are dashed lines on the roads (although it is unclear what the rules are for how many vehicles in a lane.) The temperature is comfortably warm and a light breeze cools the air. The sidewalks are much cleaner and the buildings are sturdier since they are mostly made of bricks and concrete. Many buildings even have solar thermal tanks, which is excites me as I am extremely interested in alternative energy.

Today we took a train from Chennai to Bangalore. There is nothing that will awaken the senses as much as a five am walk through the Chennai train station. The toilets on the train have an open hole to the tracks and even this early hour the station is filled with people. Dogs and cows wander though the crowd to add just another layer to this hodgepodge. Since the train station is enclosed in a building, all of these smells ripen in the air.

I was eager to get on the train.

Today was our introduction to corporate India, which added another dimension to this land of extreme contrasts.

Since, my entries will be short and this is my first day in India, rather than explain one event, I will present a collage of what I have learned and experienced today.

Hi! My name is Melissa Bautista and I am a senior Mechanical Engineering student. I will be graduating in May; however, in January I have an amazing opportunity to participate in the 2008 Global Technology Initiative trip to India. Growing up in the Bay Area and personally having a multi-ethnic background, I have always been fascinated by foreign cultures and believe that the traditions, languages, and histories of other countries enrich our community with diverse perspectives about the world.