The Indian phase of the program was overwhelmingly phenomenal. Having had very limited experience abroad, India captivated me and changed the way I viewed myself and my home country in relation to the disparities caused by inequitable wealth distribution.

While in India, all interns participated in building the capacity of the partner organization (the Society for Promotion of Youth and the Masses) to strengthen its HIV/AIDS response. Along with other interns, I was part of a curriculum development team for the training of North Indian professionals. With much pride, we developed a comprehensive HIV/AIDS and drug-use training package that is currently being used by SPYM to train professional human service workers on HIV/AIDS-related issues. This endeavour was challenging because it required me to put aside my Western ideas on drug and HIV prevention, counselling and outreach in order to facilitate culturally competent models of education using Indian expertise.

While in Delhi, I had the opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of Indian socio-political and global factors in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to live in a vibrant and fascinating city. In Delhi, I was forced to meet the challenges of adapting to cultural differences that made each simple outing to the market or ride on public transit seem like an incredible adventure. This internship has left a deep impression on my personal history and professional commitment to working towards social justice.