Prestin '18 - Cullman Scholar in India

Created in 1983 by Hugh Cullman '42, the Cullman Scholarship Program supports students in off-campus study opportunities. During the summer of 2017, nine scholarship recipients pursued courses of study ranging from serving as a medical intern in Mongolia to doing hands-on Animal Rehabilitation in South Africa. Recently, Prestin '18 gave a presentation at All School Meeting about her Cullman Scholarship attending the Woodstock School in India.
 
Here’s Prestin:

Last July, I travelled a total of 33 hours by planes, busses, taxis, and on foot to arrive in a little village in the foothills of the Himalayas called Mussoorie, in Uttarakhand, India. I was immediately greeted by monsoon rain that didn’t let up for two months, and hundreds and hundreds of monkeys. Perhaps beautifully, perhaps naively, I arrived with absolutely no plan. Startled by the constant stares, feverish Hindi, and lack of toilet paper, I was so out of my comfort zone I felt numb. For the first two months, I spoke very rarely and instead constantly listened to and observed my surroundings. In a country occupied by a plethora of different smells, sights, and sounds, it’s easy to drown in the chaos. At the center of the bazaar, there are cars beeping, people yelling, monkeys screeching, dogs barking, and the smell of roasted corn and rotting vegetables wafting through the streets. It’s a lot to take in.
 
My three main disadvantages in the beginning were being white, speaking no Hindi, and having a nut allergy. This led to several things, including hunger, silence, and embarrassment. My forced vow of silence grew on me, and I became very good at contextualizing my surroundings, which is how I eventually learned to speak some Hindi. My disadvantages were not disadvantages at all, just differences. In a sea of Indians, Buddhists, Nepalese, Muslims, Tibetans, and more, I was the little white girl with a nut allergy.
 
However, no matter how bleak the situation, I made a habit of remembering that I would be okay and that I could handle far more than I gave myself credit for. And by altering my attitude to abide by a more open-minded approach, India’s raw beauty metastasized into my everyday life. The “winter line,” a geographical phenomenon occurring in only two places in the world, flooded my bedroom window each night with vibrant pinks and oranges. I sat on the bank of Hinduism’s spiritual mecca in Rishikesh, at the River Ganges, and observed the Ganga Aarti, a holy ritual to honor the Hindu goddess Ganga. An unbreakable bond between my friends and me carried us through difficult times and was a constant source of light in my life. At 14,000 feet, I took shallow breaths as I took in the snow peaks of Rohtang Pass on my 18th birthday. India’s inclusive and diverse beauty literally took my breath away, and for that, I am grateful.
 
Upon my return, Mr. Weidman approached me and said, “I wish I could have prepared you a little more,” but I honestly don’t think anything he could have said would have remotely prepared me for what to expect. India was undoubtedly the most difficult thing I have ever done, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The most rewarding things in life come from a place of crushing difficulty, and in order to figure out what you are truly capable of, you must arrive at your breaking point, and then take five steps further.
 
As I watched the sunrise over the eastern peaks of the Himalayas on the morning of my departure, an overwhelming sense of gratitude flooded my thoughts, and I knew I had made the right choice. I thank the Cullman Family for the opportunity to explore and discover my limits.
 
Thank you, Prestin, for sharing your experience and stay tuned for more Cullman Scholar news.
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