Today we got a real taste of Bangalore! After breakfast, my fellow students and I went on a walk to a local park, and we shortly realized that getting around in Bangalore is quite different from getting around in Minnesota. Good thing our new local friends who are joining us for the trip were there to show us the ropes of crossing the street!
Bangalore is a beautiful, green city, and I can definitely tell why it was dubbed the Garden City in the past. However, the exquisite greenery was juxtaposed by the presence of garbage lining large parts of the streets and parks. Additionally, I noticed that there were hardly any public garbage cans and recycling bins.
After lunch, we split up into our project groups and were sent on a treasure hunt. The first clue led my group to the Vidhana Soudha, the state legislative building, which we reached by our inaugural auto rickshaw ride. We drove past what appeared to be a political gathering, which was not surprising as elections just recently occurred.
With the help of various locals that we asked for help, the subsequent clues led us to Chinnaswamy, which is Bangalore’s cricket stadium, Garuda Mall, which we reached by Metro, and the Airlines Hotel, which is in fact not a hotel but a restaurant! Our final task was to share a DBC (Death by Chocolate) at the Corner House, which was quite a tasty way to finish off the adventure.
Our final activity of the day was learning about Bangalore’s past. An issue in India is the lack of water, and through the telling of the history of Bangalore, its settlement, and its extremely fast growth, it was clear why such problems exist here.
It was a very fun day, highlighted by interactions with locals, auto rickshaw rides, and getting to know our fellow classmates and our new local friends! I look forward to learning more about Bangalore and exploring potential design solutions to problems we will be learning about.
-Kelsi S.
