9th April

By Naz

I've been quite detached since arriving in India, I'm here but my soul has not really connected until today. The day started with a group reflection of the time we have spent so far. It was quite obvious of some tensions that had surfaced amongst the group. In a way I was glad that as a group we had moved on past the pleasantries and small talk. Reality had kicked in on who we are as individuals and why we are here. I was not disappointed about this but hopeful that as a group we would rise to the challenge of being outside our comfort zones, tolerance and knowing we care about each other although we express it in different ways.

The afternoon was free time. Some group members decided to go for a massage and pamper themselves, a well deserved treat. I had no plans and so decided to spend it with Lucy a brave soul that is planning on staying in Chennai for 6 months. We visited the project that she will be working on. Suddenly i felt excitement and the real experience of what it would be like working in India. I felt stretched outside my own comfort zone, no air conditioning or big meals we have been enjoying since arriving. Would I be able to do what Lucy was embarking upon? We talked about how we would cope and the mental reprogramming of our minds that would be needed to survive. Thank you Lucy for sharing this experience with me.

In the evening we were privileged to meet other social entrepreneurs from India. As I listened to the various presentations I had a flashback to where I started. I felt grateful to Unltd for picking me up and valuing my work. For defining who I am as a social entrepreneur when I felt isolated and felt I did not belong. Now i was in a room full of like minded people, doing amazing work for social causes.

I got married last week and as a new bride my friends where surprised that as a feminist why I would do such a thing. An opportunity to explore a relationship past the point I had experienced before would have been to deny stepping outside my comfort zone. This is the place where most social entrepreneurs like to live. The feminist inside me is overwhelmed by womens achievements in India, in some cases even more progressive than in the communities I work with back in Birmingham. My amazing husband will only support me to do this work even further and is encouraging me over text messages, even though I should be spending this time with him as a newly wed! (Husband, I miss you very much!) I just wanted to take this moment to pray for all the group and our loved ones we have left behind. May they be happy and well and may the rest of our journey be fulfilling and purposeful.

Love, light & peace, Naz x