Ever since my late evening arrival in New Delhi on August 19th, 2018, I have felt so comfortable here in India. This country is full of beauty, rich history, various religions and cultural influences. For many years, I have always wanted to travel to India and I was fortunate to do so for the first time during July 2017. I traveled to Bengaluru (Bangalore) with a group of fellow nursing school students (Baylor University – Louise Herrington School of Nursing) and two amazing professors. Being in India during these 10 days far exceeded my expectations of what I thought I knew. I knew that I had to find a way to get back to this beautiful land.
In September 2017, I was made aware that the deadline to submit a research proposal for the Fulbright scholarship was coming up in October. I had a few short weeks to conduct preliminary research on my topic and with guidance and advising by Baylor University’s Fulbright liaison, Dean Elizabeth Vardaman and my mentor, Dr. Shelby Garner, I was able to create a strong proposal for my Fulbright application and submit it by the deadline. I proposed to study the perceptions of dietary habits and the link to cardiovascular disease in the city of Bangalore. According to recent World Health Organization statistics, cardiovascular disease is a noncommunicable disease (NCD) and NCDs are the cause of 57% of pre-mortality rates in India. I will elaborate more on my project later.
Fast-forward to March 16, 2018 – I was notified by the Fulbright board that my project had been chosen and I would temporarily reside in Bangalore for 9 months starting August 19th, 2018. This was an exciting day! Without the encouragement and support that I received from so many special in my life, including my parents, my son, my close friends, Dr. Hurshel Burton, and Dr. Shelby Garner, I am not sure if I would have been able to achieve this prestigious accomplishment in my life.
Favorite things about India so far:
- Hindi movies on Netflix.
- The delicious homemade Indian cuisine that Mahdi and Lucas prepare for me at the guesthouse.
- The friendly staff at BBH and RANSON.
- The curious, intelligent, and friendly nursing school students.
- Other Bangalore Fulbright Scholars from the US that I have met and am currently getting to know.
- Locals that I have met and am getting to know.
- Bucket baths – YES, bucket baths. I love them.
- Paying Rs. 399 every 3 months for my cell phone plan, which gives me 1.4GB of data per day compared to my previous international plan with AT&T in which I was paying $200/month for my plan + international data at 1GB per MONTH. 399 rupees = $6.
- Indian clothes – so comfortable, vibrant, and inexpensive (compared to American clothes)
- Chai Tea from the canteen.
- Did I mention the delicious food?
Amanda's Fulbright Adventures 