First thoughts...

I have been accepted to a Field Study Program for BYU, taking place in Southern India. I will be in Coimbatore, which is in the state of Tamil Nadu. I think about India every day...I always joke with my roommates that if India was a man, I'd marry it...that sounds kind of weird, but I honestly can't get India out of my mind, I am looking forward to living among the people the most. I will be working with a Geography professor, Chad Emmett, on my research project. So far, my idea is to go and interview middle aged women about how they feel about themselves. I don't necessarily want to go too much into self-esteem, but I want to know how they perceive themselves and everything. I want to mostly observe them and take notes on how they act in certain situations. I have always wanted to do a Study Abroad or Field Study, but I never thought it possible. When I received an email about this opportunity, I had the strong feeling that my opportunity had come. My intentions are to really feel what it is like to live among people who are totally and completely different from me. I want to know what it's like being able to adjust and to accept people who are from literally across the universe. I want to be able to help them feel important and valued. I don't know how I will go about that, but that's what I want the most...to know that I made someone in that country feel better about themselves and learning the most about them.