Things are starting to pick up here. Last week all the fellows gathered in Bangalore with Kate, Ramsey and Anu for the summit. It was our halfway point check in to share out progress, brainstorm ideas for the last 3 months and participate in a few DI logistical activities. It was packed full of work, but my friends Gaurav and Manasvi kindly invited us over on Friday night for a dance party. Yes, I still love dance parties and yes I am learning bollywood moves. I am being taught by some pros. Watch out San Francisco, I've got moves you have never seen.
Late night dance parties are universal. All my apartments have hosted a few killer parties, Day street being the least because of the shaky floor and jarringly close neighbors. Alas, the tradition carries on and was greatly appreciated by all the fellows. The summit was bittersweet though. I realized this may be the last time the fellows are all together. We have a great friendship and camaraderie that is unique, it may be fueled by the extremity of our experiences and the desire to have a partner in crime. But it does seem more than that. We are a collection of people that believe in the power of community and are curious about the idea of social design.
I have learned alot being here about social design, about process, design thinking, change makers, etc. The buzz words that designers like to throw around, that make sense in theory but in application don't have the brevity that academia gives them. Community engagement is all collaboration, communication and authenticity with a bit of design. Full stop. We can fluff up the language to make it more tangible or to give it more legitimacy but it can be a lot simpler than that. And when you are working in the field, using these buzzwords only creates barriers and adds confusion. It is best to strip out the design vernacular and speak simply.
The other exciting thing this past week was my weekend trip to Hampi. Jayashree, Arasu and I tagged along Hannah's trip with her friends from LA. We showed up Saturday morning and spent two full days walking around temple ruins from the 1500s. Hampi is a world heritage site that includes what seems like hundreds of temples from various religions. After 2 days of solid trekking, we only saw the main sites. the hills surrounding Hampi are filled with smaller temples and buildings that would be fun to tour if more time was available. My favorite sites were the Vittala temple with stone chariot, the Lotus Mahal, and the giant Ganesh temple. Ganesh is becoming my favorite god, a kind yet curious face. Seemingly peaceful and ready for play at the same time.
Generally, Hampi is pretty spectacular, but you have to see if for yourself. Photos can't capture the vastness or scale. If you are in the hood, let me know and I will gladly revisit.
Late night dance parties are universal. All my apartments have hosted a few killer parties, Day street being the least because of the shaky floor and jarringly close neighbors. Alas, the tradition carries on and was greatly appreciated by all the fellows. The summit was bittersweet though. I realized this may be the last time the fellows are all together. We have a great friendship and camaraderie that is unique, it may be fueled by the extremity of our experiences and the desire to have a partner in crime. But it does seem more than that. We are a collection of people that believe in the power of community and are curious about the idea of social design.
I have learned alot being here about social design, about process, design thinking, change makers, etc. The buzz words that designers like to throw around, that make sense in theory but in application don't have the brevity that academia gives them. Community engagement is all collaboration, communication and authenticity with a bit of design. Full stop. We can fluff up the language to make it more tangible or to give it more legitimacy but it can be a lot simpler than that. And when you are working in the field, using these buzzwords only creates barriers and adds confusion. It is best to strip out the design vernacular and speak simply.
The other exciting thing this past week was my weekend trip to Hampi. Jayashree, Arasu and I tagged along Hannah's trip with her friends from LA. We showed up Saturday morning and spent two full days walking around temple ruins from the 1500s. Hampi is a world heritage site that includes what seems like hundreds of temples from various religions. After 2 days of solid trekking, we only saw the main sites. the hills surrounding Hampi are filled with smaller temples and buildings that would be fun to tour if more time was available. My favorite sites were the Vittala temple with stone chariot, the Lotus Mahal, and the giant Ganesh temple. Ganesh is becoming my favorite god, a kind yet curious face. Seemingly peaceful and ready for play at the same time.
Generally, Hampi is pretty spectacular, but you have to see if for yourself. Photos can't capture the vastness or scale. If you are in the hood, let me know and I will gladly revisit.
2 comments:
Between me, you, and Kelsey, there are Maiorano dance parties happening on three continents right now!
Ah!! Christa, that is hilarious. We don't even know how similar we are, eh? You have to send me your email. I have been wanting to catch up but our moms seem to be a little slack on passing on the information.
Bollywood, African, and good ol' American pop ... Next time we are all together, we'll have a nice little dance off. Ha
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