Halfway through Sagar's journey...

In my first post, I broached the idea of working at an organization specific level, or working at the sector level. I convinced myself that getting the latter experience was better for me, because I know what conditions on the ground are like. Having lived in Mumbai all my life, having travelled around the rural countryside, having made trips through the slums, I thought I knew the conditions and situations that people lived in, and came from. In any case,

When I talk to someone in my usual network, I implicitly make these assumptions unless visually contradicted:

1. The person has a complete family

2. The person has a life-plan, or a sense of life-security

3. The person has someone close to spend time with, or at least communicate with on a regular basis

4. The person has gone, or is going to go to college along the regular time cycle

I didn't even know that I was making these assumptions until they were all shattered by a simple conversation with my hostel neighbor. He works at hotel in the Raffles Area, would like to return home to India but can't afford to because he has to support his mother and sister, is pursuing part-time vocational college at the age of 26. And he is still better off than other youth that I have been reading about and interacting with. That made me realize how truly lucky I was just to have been brought up in a secure and loving environment. How important family is, and people are.

It's a totally different thing to see someone from afar and try to empathize with them, and talking with them and realizing that it would only have taken a very slight twist of fate for the two of you to have switched roles. And why should he be the one suffering?

p.s. I know I haven't posted much detail of my actual work and experience in Singapore - and my posts have been more philosophical. I will definitely try and include some finer details and nuances of Singapore life (with photos) for my next post.

-Sagar