From Indian food to India land
In Sept of 2001, I left the good ol’ US of A for my junior year abroad in St Andrews, Scotland. It was, as you can imagine, a tumultuous time. Despite my fear of the unknown, being so far away from my family, and attempting to come to terms with the events of 9/11; it ended up being one of the greatest learning opportunities and most fun adventures I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. It was during my time in Scotland that I tried Indian food for the first time. Being an adventurous eater, I’m not sure why it took me so long to discover the delightful flavors of tandoori chicken and palak paneer, but alas, I’m glad I finally did. There was a restaurant on the edge of town called The Balaka, which my friends and I frequented in between our meals of fried fish and mushy peas.
Fast forward 10 years. This past week, I attended the first meeting for our i4 class for winter quarter. We will be studying what management in an emerging market looks like, working on a group project for a company in Mumbai, and ultimately traveling to India to present our research. The i4 program at Fisher gives interested students a chance to do exactly what my class will be doing in India. Some of the other current program options include Germany/Poland, Brazil, and Ghana. (Click here for program information). While I was sitting with friends eating my green herb chicken and garlic naan 10 years ago, it never occurred to me that I would eventually have the opportunity to study about and travel to the country that inspired that delicious food. Thank you, Fisher College of Business, for this incredible opportunity.