It’s Time to Reflect

I like to make fun blog posts, it’s one of my favourite activities on this trip. I like to think of how I can break up the events of the day and share them with you all in a fun and light-hearted way. It’s a good way for me to process all the things that are taking place without talking about them too seriously. This is, in part, because I’m not a very extroverted emotional person, I process things mostly internally, or conversationally one-on-one. But we can’t always do things in the way in which we want, so this blog post is my compromise to give a more in-depth look of my mind today, and all the struggles, fears and joys of designing on the program.

A lot of this whole design process has been understanding constraints. We have the time that we have, we can only finish within that time the amount that we can finish. Our control lies in strategizing and prioritizing that time, trying to edit and build whatever we can within it, but beyond that, it is out of our control.

I started off this trip with an essay about time, and that it’s the thing I really have to offer. It was vague, and broad, and maybe didn’t sound at all important. But I still think it’s a precious commodity, and I appreciate the organizations that have given us their time, and I hope that I’ve been able to utilize the time here to contribute back.

Today we met with Ninoshka and Silke and talked about the trajectory of our project for Tara Trust. We’ve been lost for awhile, looking for a direction that made sense. They were both open and honest with us in terms of what they didn’t like and what they thought were  really exciting prospects. It was a clarifying moment for us as a group, and in a way, it was nice that we were on our own without Sarah, because it created an opportunity for us to fail, and only in that opportunity were we able to really to see clearly what we needed to accomplish in the next two days. Pressure really does help form the diamond ideas.

So we’re wrapping up everything now. The prototypes, the presentation, the implementation plan, the whole shebang. It’s amazing that we’ve all been together for three weeks, with very minimal physical personal or emotional space, essentially no time that was not programmed or structured, and still are enjoying one another’s company and still actively communicating and valuing each other’s opinions. It would be very easy for us to get frustrated and check out, and not a single person has.

I’m continuously impressed by my peers, and feel grateful for their support and encouragement when I am frustrated, confused, or just being stubborn about my own hopes or ideas. Liza said at dinner today that she was really going to miss India…and then tacked on that she was really going to miss being all together every day. It melted my heart, thinking how fast the time went, and how much we’ve all gotten to know each other better.

I’ve loved my time in India, I’ve loved learning about India, and I’ve loved being pushed to work on a project with fellow quirky, fun-loving, patient, talented, sassy, opinionated, witty, silly, punny, designers and friends. I’ve loved seeing sass, talent, opinions, and wit come through language barriers with the women we’ve been working with as well. I’ve loved seeing all the different boutique hotels and shops and seeing how people are supporting small local business and women’s groups who are doing great work. Over the last three weeks we’ve built our own little community, and have started bridging our community with the communities we’re working with. It’s a network of ideas, and support, and development, and that feels really nice.

Signing out of blog posts,

Megan

King

Monsoon Season

Messy Minds, Messy Spaces

Two days left to go, and the big crunch has begun.  Although we’ve all been here before during projects back in Toronto, the challenges of working in a “pop-up” style design situation are teaching me some interesting things, and leading me to question some of my habits.  Similar to projects back home, our work days in villa are filled with discussions and are animated by an endless flow of sketches and diagrams.  We also scour the internet for information, and scratch together prototypes for form and functionality.  The major difference that we are still learning to grapple with is the lack of supplies and tools that are normally available.

On one hand it forces resourcefulness, for example today I had to install a button snap into fabric using a screw from a drawer handle as a punch, and a brick as a hammer.  Although this was an exciting achievement, it only makes me wonder how much more difficult this style of “pop-up” design would be in an even less developed country than India, or in a more rural setting.

It also makes me wonder about designers who regularly embed themselves in developing contexts, do they have a go to tool-kit for hacking together ideas and prototypes?  I find it funny to be thinking about how important these hacking skills might be, because I distinctly remember thinking the complete opposite three months ago in Toronto.  I distinctly remember worrying about whether I was too comfortable with ductape, and that I should consider committing to only 3D printing for a semester.  Not to say there isn’t value in being well versed with new technologies, but I’m being reminded about different skills for different contexts.

Anywho, as I’m writing this I’m still drawn to think about what our next move should be in the project.  We have about one day left, and we are taking a critical look at how to wrap up as best as we can.  There are so many things we would like to deliver, but right now it’s clear we have to be selective, because of road blocks we have hit with the material.  The deciding criteria really revolves around this: what are the most important things we can finalize to ensure the project can move on after we leave.  I’m finding this to be different from projects I’ve done before, because this criteria doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on the flashy portfolio pieces.  Instead of renders and mock-ups, we are focusing more on templates and instruction manuals for the women.  I wonder if this is a mindset that could translate to my work at OCAD.  Perhaps if I focused on making my projects a launching point instead of just mock-finished product, that they might have a different potential.  Maybe it would allow me to more easily revisit projects later and push them further, or perhaps they could be a launching point for some other student or designer who finds them online?  Who knows, but ok, time to get back to it,  36 hours to go!

(Shown below, a sweet stand-up desk 😉 the Amul pavilion, and some crafty henna hands)

The plan for the day is for the two groups to work on our prototypes. After lots of research and brainstorming the Tara Trust group decided to zone in on making a beach bag for the physical prototype and then showcase the other products through graphics. Megan and I headed for Margao Market with Raksha to source materials. As discussed with our group members Alyssa, Liza and Melih we decided to get linen and burlap for the exterior of the bag and then line the bag with a cotton saree print. We also found colourful rope, coconut buttons and zippers for the bag. The market is becoming a familiar place for us to go to. I love the variety of products; from fabric to fresh fruits and veggies to things you never knew you needed, this market has it all. Everybody from men to women to children alike are working hard and hustling to sell their products. Margao Market has been one of the best forms of inspiration as we start to get a better understanding of the Goan lifestyle.

We then headed back to the guesthouse for a quick lunch as both groups have planned to go to Kiran Niketan to get some sewing done with the women. Because we just got our materials not too long before we left for Kiran Niketan we didn’t have much time to prepare and cut out a pattern for the bag prior to. Thus, when we got there we made quick decisions about the design so that we could start sewing. We decided on an oversized beach bag, cut out the design, and then one of the women started the sewing. We realized after that there are some changes that needed to be made with the design of the bag and so we needed to go back to talk to our group members.

Today the stress was real, as we are fast approaching the deadline. Our group really felt a sense of urgency to make more progress on our product. I am anticipating two long days and nights ahead of us in order to complete our project.

Our group then took some much needed time to relax and refresh our minds. We celebrated Megan’s birthday with balloons, Henna Night and of course, cake and ice cream! Raksha created beautiful, unique henna designs for each of us; some of us got inspired to start doing their own Henna!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN !

Today was the calmest day at the guest house. I woke up really late and when I went downstairs and everybody was already on duty and doing something related to the project. I am responsible for the design of the products so my team and I had to make a decision about the products that we will be introducing to Tara Trust.

I was thinking what we could do for the tourists to buy when they get to Goa or before they leave. Then I thought maybe a summer kit could be useful since Goa is a vacation place for so many people around the world. The kit will be called “GOA Series” and it includes a beach bag, a cover up for females, 5-panel hat, towel/yoga mat and a smaller bag that goes into the beach bag to gather sprays, creams and other things that you would carry when you go to a beach.

Alyssa and T’mikah are working on the patterns that will be displayed on the products and they are trying to choose the patterns carefully because we also want to show the Portuguese influence that exists in Goa.

I did some quick drawings to show what we will be working on but did not make a finalization on them.

After a little bit more brainstorming, we chose to go with these products;

The pattern of the bag is designed by Alyssa and now we are working on the other three products that we will be including and which pattern we will be using on the products.

We also played with the materials that we got to experiment and see how it is going to look like and if it is going to be fast and easy to do. Block printing idea did not work out well because the paint kept staying in between the carves and created a mess on the fabric.

As we moved on, we kept experimenting with the material and made some handles for the beach bag we designed. After trying a bunch of materials, we decided to use; different coloured cotton cords.

And the monsoon begins.

I put my t-shirt out yesterday to get it dry but forgot it out there so it is washed again. Thank you Zeus.

It is the first day of our last week here in Goa. For the Oscars junction group, that means material sourcing and prototyping. With little time left, it is important we stay on schedule.

Our challenge is to make a grocery bag with locally sourced sustainable material that’s is uniquely Goan for Oscars Junction. The bag also has to be easy enough for the women of Kiran Niketan to make it in their homes or in the community center.

Jake and I started off the day by heading into Margo with Sarah and Aaron to do our second round of material shopping. While shopping, I saw a woman in the crowed of people with a reusable bag, I walked over to speak with her. With a sense of pride, she told me that she was born and raised in Goa and that she always brings a reusable bag to shop in order to avoid using plastic bags. It was good to see this kind of thinking locally and that people are willing to talk about the initiative. These are the kinds of shoppers we want to appeal to for the project. After managing the crowds in the hot beaming sun, we were on our way to the car when Aaron spotted someone else with a Jute reusable bag. We spoke to them, they explained they bought if from a well-known grocery store, Star Bazar. The proceeds of the bag go towards children’s education which made their purchase mean more than just buying a regular bag.

When we arrived back at the guest house, the prototyping was already on its way with Maddy and Michael. After lunch, we got to work eminently because we need to have a ready version to show our client Ashford tomorrow. With little time left every moment count for us.

Saturday night I was pretty nervous as to how our project is going. We had an idea that we were really eager about; however, it is not the direction we will be heading towards, so we are back to square one. I was feeling the urge to stay back and get an extra day on the project, but I am very glad we went to the spice farm.

We had breakfast at 9:30 am. I had to miss my favourite part of the day because my stomach wasn’t feeling well. After breakfast we head out to the spice farm. It took us around an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the owner: Chinmay Tanshikar. He had a sincere smile and welcomed us with some juice and cashews. We then got on a jeep and headed to Savri waterfalls. It was a little bit of a hike. I can tell you all about the beautiful view and how much I was enjoying it, but I think a picture will do a much better job.

While some people dived into the water right away, others laid down, put their feet in the water and enjoyed the view. It was much needed relaxation time before we are unto the last week of the program. We spent around 2 hours there then we headed back.

Second favourite part of the day. It was lunch time. The spice farm generously offered us lunch. There were so many options, all too delicious.

After lunch, we headed for our spice tour. Chinmay is such a great source of knowledge when it coming to farming. He is the fifth generation to take over the farm. Chinmay explains that taking care of a farm is labour intensive, but it teaches you how to not be selfish and be patient.

FUN FACTS:

• Pepper and salt were used as a form of money (i.e.: you can use them to pay rent)
  • The word ‘salary’ comes from the Latin word for salt
• Coconut trees take 25 years to grow
• Chocolate is an anti-depressant (Hence, why girls eat chocolate when they’re sad)
• Glass doesn’t break on mud floors

Looking at Chinmay’s life style today made me think on how technology is separating us from nature. Most of our food is processed food which we have no idea what have been added to, we can’t live without our phones and laptops, we spend most of our time indoors looking at a screen instead of talking to others or simply meditating outside. Chinmay lives in a very humble house that was built over 100 years ago. There is no T.V, no air conditioner. Everything they need comes from nature. They live in a mud house, which absorbs the heat during the day light, then cools off at night which acts as a natural air conditioner in the morning. They use cow poop on floors as it keeps bacteria away. It is amazing to see people really connecting with nature and experience this kind of life.

Towards the end of our tour, Chinmay saw us how to climb a coconut tree. We all tried to do it while some of us failed miserably (me), and others were able to get a bit high.                           

After our tour we head back to the hotel where we had lunch, and had the evening to work on our projects.

Note: Today’s blog post is a collection. Each section is led by a song I listened to during that part of the day, along with a short poem, and captioned photos. I had much fun making this blog post, and I hope you enjoy it, and get a little sense of how I’m experiencing India.

Playlist of the Day:

1. Hot Dog Stand – Begonia (Alexa Dirks)
2. Breezeblocks – Alt-J
3. This Feeling – Alabama Shakes

“I find myself in this spot from time to time

Can’t tell if it’s dark or not, but I’m not blind

Everything gets to be so hazy

I feel like being alone

But being alone makes me feel so crazy”

-Begonia

WAKE UP! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP.

I woke up at 6:30am and had my tea.

No one yet, was awake with me.

Maddy arose at 7 and joined my table,

I promise you this is no fable.

Alyssa was next, that beautiful gal,

She joined us too and all was well.

“Do you know where the wild things go?

They go along to take your honey, la, la, la”

-Alt-J

GO! GO GO GO.

We all got on the bus, The Traveller, it’s called,

Through jungle, past churches, miles we were hauled.

At last we made it to the beautiful spice farm,

Trekked to a waterfall, and how we fell for its charm.

Splashing and bathing, we spent the morning,

Being nibbled by fish that gave us no warning.

A nice man gave us a tour of all the spices,

Some are used as drugs in some places, which are bad, bad vices.

They fed us a delicious meal which left us satisfied,

Would’ve eaten more, but probably would’ve died.

After all of that, it was time to go,

With all our new spice souvenirs in tow.

(photo by T’mikah)

(caption by Michael Neal)

(photo by T’mikah)

(photo by Melih)

(photo by T’mikah)

(photo by T’mikah)

(photo by Melih)

(photo by T’mikah)

“I just kept hoping, I just kept hoping

The way would become clear

I spent all this time tryna play now

I found my way here

 

See I’ve been having me a real hard time

But it feels so nice to know I’m gonna be alright”

-Alabama Shakes

SLEEP! BEDTIME BEDTIME BEDTIME.

As you might be able to tell,

Sleep would do me well.

For over a week I have been sick,

All along it was carrots that were making me feel ick!

The projects are overwhelming and sometimes I feel lost,

But I’m dedicated to continuing, no matter the cost.

With renewed energy, and a silly blog post,

I’m ready for tomorrow, starting with toast.

Inspiration for the project has come throughout the day,

Which has been helpful to wash some anxieties away.

Colors and patterns whizzing through my mind,

Soon this whole adventure, will all be behind.

I hope in the last week, no new allergies are found,

But friendship and knowledge are sure to abound.

Goodnight my dear readers, I hope all is at peace,

From this ridiculous blog post, you are now released.

I woke up this morning to a pretty wonderful view from our hotel’s balcony, I really wish I had had a bit more time to take another dip in the pool before breakfast. My legs were still a bit sore from the dancing of last night but that didn’t stop us from going for a walk around an old Portuguese fort. The view from the fort was really beautiful but the sun made it feel a bit like a frying pan. I sweated a lot. Speaking of sweat, India has  taught me a lot about why we sweat in order to cool off in the wind. Sweating indoors just seems wrong because your body is just like “this always cools me off, why isn’t this working?” Just something I think about a lot when I am sweating a lot.

We got back on the bus and made our way to the Museum of Goa contemporary arts. Tragedy struck right before we arrived, my camera fell off of my lap and onto the floor of the bus. Unfortunately the glass filter on the lense shattered. It looks worse than the actual damage, since the lense itself is still intact. I assumed the worst, so I was happy to discover that my lens is still usable. (I only realized this at the end of the day and spent too much brain power concerned about replacing a lens) 

I didn’t have any expectations of this gallery as I know very little about Goan Contemporary artists.  I was immediately intrigued by the space the gallery was in, it was this gorgeous loft -like building with white walls and so much natural sunlight. I was also impressed by how accessible the work it self was, I don’t always “get” contemporary or modern art but I felt that the way it was being explained was very logical and intuitive. The artist/owner, Subodh Kerkar  would make works that played with material and historical contradictions to express the meaning of his work, an example of this is his piece tilted Goa’s Ark. This work is a play on the Christian story of Noah’s ark and a reference to event that took place in Goan history involving fisherman and statues of their Gods.

I learned so much from that gallery and was really inspired by our conversation with Subodh Kerkar, he really embodied the idea of taking your pleasure seriously in the at that he went from being a doctor to an artist and gallery owner. So many of the career opportunities he spoke about became available to him though his openness and willingness to take risks. Taking your pleasure seriously is something that I want to make a large part of my own life and how I go about my design practice.

We spent quite a while in the gallery, by the time we finished it was time for lunch. We went to a busy restaurant so while we waited to be seated I explored the other parts of the building along with Alyssa and Michael.

After lunch we did a bit of shopping/research, first we went to a shop called Sacha’s, it had all kinds of beautifully crafted objects. The owner of this store was telling us that all of the fabric that is used in making the clothes in specially woven. I was really impressed by the careful curation of the store and how intentional their design work was.

The second place we visited was called paperworks and it was a store which (unsurprisingly) sold paper! There were some gorgeous cards and notebooks, I purchased some wrapping paper which to me looks nice enough to hang on a wall. I also picked up a small block print to play around with, maybe for the project we are working on now and definitely for my own summer projects back in Toronto.  When we got back to Jasminn we had a bit of time to talk over the direction for projects and I feel confident in the place we’re at with it. There is a lot to be done in the next few days but anything is possible!

Today we had a full agenda planned, as it is day one of our last weekend getaway. We are all excited to have a much needed break, soak in some inspiration at the beach, reflect on our projects and of course go shopping! Our first stop was the antique shop where we saw mostly Japanese art, antique tea sets, sculptures as well as wooden furniture. We then went to Margao Market looking for materials to spark some ideas. The two groups split up to divide and conquer. We met a beautiful woman named Leta who wanted us to go and visit her jewelry store. She was excited to learn that we are from Canada and that sparked conversation. We learned a little bit about her and her perspective on life. She said unlike many people in India she is proud of her skin tone and she encouraged use to also be proud of what God has blessed us with. We then said our goodbyes and she reminded us to never stop smiling. It is little moments like this that truly add meaning to our trip here in Goa. India is so busy, crowded with so many people, on many different walks of life. So it was really nice to stop, and actually talk to someone … even if it was for just a few minutes. We have so much to learn from one another, if we would just stop and listen.

We came back to the guesthouse and had a surprise waiting for us. Raksha ordered Puri with Mango Pulp as treat for lunch! It was amazing, everybody was obsessed with the Puri … we couldn’t have enough of it! After a fulfilling lunch, we set out for a tour of BITS Pilani, which is an institute for technology and science. I was impressed with how inclusive the school is. There are many sports and groups for the students to get involved in. One of the main student groups is for festivals. It is important that the community of faculty and students to come together and celebrate all festivals so that everyone feels as home, regardless of their religion.

Finally, it was time to head to the coast of North Goa, check into our hotel and got ready for the beach! Walking along the beach was such a beautiful experience. The sun was getting ready to set; there were other people, dogs and cows alike walking along the beach with us #onlyinindia. With the sand between our toes, the sun on our faces and the waves setting the mood around us life could not be any sweeter. This was the perfect start to our weekend. Afterwards, we did a little shopping to get a few last minute souvenirs and then went to dinner at St. Anthony’s on Baga Beach. Dinner led to drinks, which led to a few of us singing karaoke and dancing the night away! All in all, it was the little things that made this an amazing day.

Today began with everyone meeting in the living room for some very early morning presentations. We had all spent a long time the night before analysing the user and stakeholder interviews, and understandably this morning people were still wiping the sleep out of their eyes. I was one of those sleepy faces actually, but in my defence, my cherished OCAD earplugs vanished the night before.  They will be missed dearly.

The presentations went very well, and both groups gained a lot of good insight from each other.  For me, this is the first opportunity I have had to do multiple in depth interviews, and it’s really fascinating how much you can learn.  I’ll admit, not being leading when asking questions is not my strong suit.  I’m just too friendly to coldly ask about people’s habits, but I’ll improve.

We spent the rest of the day in the café doing more research into materials.  It seems that we have zeroed in on using textile from industrial sized rice bags that are left over at the grocery store itself.  The material is great, it’s durable, can be cut to large sheets, and is widely available from many businesses and factories right here in Goa.  After researching for a few hours I took an obligatory swim in the pool, and I’m beginning to think that it is probably the one amenity that our school should invest in next.  Student union reps, if you are reading this you know what will get my vote!

In the evening we all gathered for the typical dinner of rice, curries, and roti.  I discovered today that you can get room service for things like CocaCola during dinner; this is a slippery slope.  Over dinner we discussed a reading concerning whether humanitarian design is the new colonialism.  Clearly, this is a tricky subject.  There are many cases of designers doing harm to developing nations with poorly thought out projects; for example harming local economies by flooding them with donated goods.  However, over the past week it is becoming clear to me that we are serving more the role of enthusiastic connectors between different organizations, people, and resources.  Hopefully our projects will create sustainable opportunities after we’ve left, and I feel confident that overall we are doing good.

Back on the subject of our project, we hit another major milestone this evening!  We bought tape, scissors, and paper!  The time has come to start prototyping and sketching, and it feels good.  You can see Maddy and Genevieve hard at work in the photo below.  This was taken in make shift office #2, this time on the second.  It’s crazy to think that by this time next week these paper models will be polished designs with a presentation, instruction manual, and implementation plan (o lord that is daunting to say out loud), but I know we will pull it off!

The days seem to be stretching out beyond the hours of the sun.

Tomorrow, Project 2 is due and both of our groups must prepare a presentation of the interviews we have conducted so far. The Oscar’s Junction group has finished their interviews and space analyses since yesterday and are planning for a full day of work at the villa. Start time – 9:30 am. Our Tara Trust group still has several interviews up ahead and today we are preparing to meet two different hotel owners.

At the moment, I still have blanks in my mind about the direction of our project. Having had meetings with the group of women working for Tara Trust on Monday and a meeting with a Park Hyatt employee on Tuesday, the interview notes that we have gathered thus far still feel disconnected. However, things started coming together after a meeting with an inspiring woman, both stylistically and project-wise. After breakfast (with scrambled eggs and omelets!), Sarah, T’mika, Melih, Liza, Megan and I piled into a car while Raksha sped along side on her motor bike. At 10:30 am, we arrived at a quaint looking boutique hotel, the Vivenda Dos Palhacos. We were first greeted by two dogs, long and floppy looking beagles.

Then walked out Charlotte, a nicely put together British woman, dressed in various shades of pink. Her greeting was immediately warm and inviting, which we soon saw reflected in her hotel. Walking to a table outside, we began to see into her curious boutique hotel. It was very different from the Hyatt property that we toured yesterday. Rather than striving for convenience, comfort and a more universal idea of luxury, Charlotte aims to intrigue her guests and allow for a charming and unique stay. I particularly enjoyed her active role in her guests stay. She makes it a point to initiate conversation and relationship between guests. The best part is that there are so often connections between her guests. People realize that they’ve gone to the same school in elementary or that they live on the same street back home. The coincidences of this world are endless.

Sitting around the table in the courtyard, we were served fresh water lime sodas as Sarah introduced the project to Charlotte. She was excited, motivated and gave a lot of input. The session passed by with ideas and examples of materials, marketing and typical Goan styles thrown around.

Silk scarves, playing cards, a match box, books and another NGO product example were all passed around for us to take a gander. It was a big moment of brainstorming and expanding on the ideas we already had for Hyatt. After this, we toured the space.

Beautiful.

Each room was completely unique and the décor was gathered as an eclectic grouping of items from all around India. The architecture and interior decorations become a combination of local Indian, Portuguese and Western style. From a charming and intimate pool to humorous framed images, Charlotte managed to piece together a hotel like no other.

The space was so nice that Melih had an impromptu photo shoot!

Ninoshka and Silke, working with us from Tara Trust shared some of the past items made by the women of the Zari community. When looking at the tote bags, paper baskets and notebooks Charlotte did not hold back on her criticism. She explained that products needed more character, more of a story towards the wonderful initiative and people behind them. Why would I buy this generic tote bag over any other? I don’t know who made it. Be brave and people will love it. Be adventurous. Her words stood strongly in the space between us. It was refreshing and a necessary thought to add to our further exploration of materials, products and branding.

We eventually said our goodbyes and returned to the hotel.

The next few hours were filled with lunch and more process work. The Oscar’s junction group has been making good strides towards product and material analysis. Testing bags on motorcycles and testing fabrics thresholds with soda bottles, books and pillows. A limited summary of their process from what I know so far, it’ll be probably be best to have our presentations tomorrow.

Around 5pm, Manish, the owner of the hotel we are staying at, became available for an interview. Manish sat down with us in his restaurant and was very open about his business ideologies. He not only shared information about hotel management, but also showed excited interest in the Tara Trust initiative and the women’s products. Another potential client! Things are moving! The foggy front end that Sarah warned us about is lifting!

We toured different rooms and spaces around the property as Manish continued to spew information and insights. But even more than this, he led us to another person of interest. It turns out that there is a business owner that sells local artisan works online, and she is staying in the villa right next to ours. A funny continuation of coincidences… We now have another interview to set up and further considerations to make with Tara Trust’s trajectory.

Finally, the sun set and we made our way back to the villa to catch dinner. It had been a long day at this point, but the night was not over yet. DJ Terry Tunes is playing by the poolside tonight and we get to have dinner at the restaurant!

A moment in the strobe lights of fame for both Melih and Megan.

Let alone dancing to a couple tunes sung by Terry before finally heading back home.

A blurry capturing of Raksha and Megan’s salsa skills. The dancing never stops.

Project 2 is still due tomorrow morning and we know that it’s going to be a long night. While finalizing our presentations and interview summaries, some trail in and out of sleep and others stay awake with the motivation of late night, left over pasta.

One by one we close our laptops and head to bed. 3:30 am marks my threshold for the evening. Goodnight and see you all bright and early.

We had an interview with the Park Hyatt Hotel, Goa branch’s marketing manager at 11:00 AM and one of my eyes is still sleeping and the other one is begging for sleep. On the other hand, I was excited to have my Nutella that I got last night with the toasted bread in the morning. After the breakfast, we rested a bit and then went to the Park Hyatt Hotel.

It was so interesting because there was an X-Ray machine and a metal detector in front of the hotel and a guy scanned our car with a machine to make sure that there is nothing explosive. The hotel was beautiful and so luxurious looking. There were tourists and local people who were visiting Goa. We waited at the lobby for the person who we were going to interview. After she came we went to the restaurant (which was amazing) and they offered us drinks.

After asking a couple of questions, we started our tour of the hotel. We visited two different rooms and the beach. The first room was smaller than the second one and less luxurious and the second room was massive and there were rose petals beside the bath; which I loved the most. My team members and I took pictures of the products they are using in the rooms or generally at the hotel in order to brainstorm for women who we are working with.

After our tour, we came back to the lobby and there was a person who was the HR Manager and we asked a couple of more questions before heading back out to our resort.

I slept three hours because I was extremely sleepy and the heat here is making me more tired than ever. After a three-hour sleep, I took shower and went downstairs to see what people are doing. As I was sitting on the veranda, the sky’s colour turned into orange! Megan and Alyssa went to the rooftop to take pictures and then around 7 PM, I went there to see what they were doing up there because it was dark already and they were not back yet. So I went to upstairs and they were chatting and chilling without me…

10-15 minutes later, the second group came back from their interviews so we went downstairs to have dinner together.

I am so picky in terms of food, so I was hoping that there would be rotis so that I could eat my Nutella with them and the rotis were there! After talking during the food, we had a 20-minute break and then Raksha took us to our resort’s fun zone to teach us some Bollywood dance moves. Some people got tired, the others kept partying! I really enjoyed the dance night.

P.S. I have my fourth eye now.