It’s extremely hot! I remember a couple months ago looking into the predicted temperatures for Delhi at this time of year, but clearly I did not internalize what the high temperatures would actually mean. In practice, the heat makes it suffocating to stand anywhere where there is no air conditioning. The classrooms only have fans so I am also constantly bright red and sweaty. I really hope I don’t scare any students away! Clearly, I wasn’t made for such temperatures.
On a different note, we have now arrived to Yamuna Nagar which is a small industrial town 5 hours north from Delhi. The town is unremarkable, but the small college that we are staying at is very quaint. There is a soccer field where brave children play soccer at around 4 p.m., some trees that provide some shade, and large exterior halls that give you somewhat of a breeze. Leap has four office rooms in the college that are fortunately equipped with AC. These have a modern, clean cut interior design that resembles our hotel rooms. This is a stark contrast to what you see in the exterior of the buildings. Our hotel for example shares a wall with a psychiatric hospital and its first floor has a chain restaurant that serves all type of Asian cuisine. It is covered with blue windows that are covered in dirt.
Regarding our internship: The Propeller program, a month long Leap Summer course for high school students, started on Monday. The entire Leap team is extremely energetic. It is inspiring and exciting to see people that are so happy at work and fulfilled by what they are doing. We have been participating in some classes, but will be running our own session tomorrow for the first time. We are excited and somewhat nervous. We have been told that our accent is hard to understand, so the last thing we want to do is lose the students. Wish us luck!
