Most people know about the perks of travelling to new countries and how there is a lot to gain from it - new experiences, new people, new food - but there’s an opportunity for something much deeper if you are open to it.

This summer, I went to the Prague Summer School, a week-long series of lectures and experiences on Sustainability, Globalisation and Development. It was organised by the NGO Schola Empirica, and sponsored by AnantU. Four of us were selected for the sponsorship from the University - Preshita Kavar from BArch, Sneha Varghese from Anant Fellowship, and Priyaansh Bhatt and I from BDes.

Prague is the capital city of Czech Republic in Central Europe, and AnantU gave me a chance to visit this beautiful city, while providing me with an innumerable sense of achievement after returning.

During the week, we had lectures on diverse topics, conducted by people from different walks of life. We had a professor called Killian Stokes, from Ireland, who ran a coffee company, with its coffee sourced from Ethiopia. Through his lectures, we got to know about fair trade in Africa, and learnt from his multidisciplinary perspectives on the development in developing countries.

We interacted with Lisa Trogisch, who is currently engaged in fieldwork on mountain gorillas, in the conflict war-zones in Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda; we had discussions and debates on how these animals are being dragged and killed in the political agendas of these countries.

During the week, we also participated in debates on women’s rights, conservation, how to effectively solve real-world problems, global development, entrepreneurship, sustainable built environment, and more.

Through one such interaction, I realised the impact of climate change, and how it is very, very real. We had a conversational lunch with Čajkova Tereza, who is a researcher on education for sustainable development, about responsible food and resource consumption, and sustainable food systems. If I’m being honest, I have to say that I would’ve never thought about the world the way I do now, if it wasn’t for this experience. Now that I’m back home, my showers are shorter and I’ve realised the importance of clean water. I have reduced the use of plastic drastically, and I am trying to make changes to my lifestyle in a way that can reduce my carbon footprint. Because if the whole planet consumed in the same way you and I consume resources, we would need 7 more planets to meet our requirements.

In the different countries I travelled to during my trip, sustainability is an aspect that was always taken into consideration while designing a space or a product. And it was insightful how sustainable design integrated within itself an environmentally friendly approach and considered natural resources as part of the design.

I met many interesting people from different cultures and countries, and was completely amazed to know about their perspectives on third-world problems persistent in a developing nation like India. We talked about how sustainability was approached in our respective countries, and we debated about solutions to global problems we face as a planet. It was a great feeling representing India among that group of people. There were people from Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the USA, Armenia, India, China, Switzerland, and several other countries. It was an interesting cultural mix; we had conversations about stereotypes, cultural appropriation, different ethnic identities, and it felt like everyone brought a bit of diversity to the table.

There were certain experiences that took place outside of my comfort levels. They challenged my routines, beliefs, and the roles I played in life. This process was often disruptive, uncomfortable, and a shock to my system. But there was a learning in all of these experiences.

Besides Prague, I was backpacking across the cities of London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. At all of these places, I was seeking inspiration on how to be better at what I’ll be doing, designing interactive spaces. I was sketching a lot during this month, because for me, when I sketch on location, it helps me feel, observe and see what’s going on in the space. It is like having an intense awareness of shape, colours, movements, which is crucial to me as a designer.

The creative benefit that an individual gains from travelling can be drastically impacted by how immersed they become into the culture that they’re visiting. I quickly noticed that different cultures tend to solve problems in different ways, and many would appreciate forms of aesthetics that were vastly different from what I was used to. Cars, toilets, door handles and locks, interior design, power outlets. No matter where you go in the world, the execution of these common designs will, many times, be fundamentally different from place to place. And that’s what encouraged me to think beyond about what we’re already doing in our country, and if there is a different way which is probably more beneficial?

Now that I’m back home, I see my country differently- music, culture, food, water, everything. I have realised a lot during the month I was traveling, and now that I know how important sustainability is, I’ve made some necessary changes to my lifestyle, that all of us should be practicing. I’ve gotten a sense of what globalisation looks like, and I’m thankful to my University for providing me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.