The Intern Files...

     I have successfully survived my first two weeks as an Intern!!!

     As the Alliance is divided into two parts, the end of travel week brings about the beginning of our internship period. Although we had all met with our organizations a few times before beginning full time, I don't think many of us were expecting all of the surprises our lives as interns would hold.
     So, just how did we get here, two weeks into our internships? Let's take a crash course in Becoming an Intern in India 101. Upon our decision to apply to the Alliance, we are asked to also submit a resume and submit a document describing the nature of the work we would wish to do. My resume outlined some Environmental Research projects, my recent involvement with my school's Wilderness Program, a winter internship with Habitat for Humanity, distinguished scholarships, academic focus, etc. In my letter of intent, I noted that I would like to work with an environmental issues/awareness group that was locally focused in order to see how India is handling the environmental issues it faces as it globalizes and develops. In previous studies I have had some experience in research projects that look at environmental change and as I am interested in globalization and development, as well as the environment, I thought a group such as the one I desired to work for while here for the semester would be a perfect meshing of all of my interests.
     When the Alliance receives our applications and makes the decision to accept students, they take a look at these documents and get to work on linking us up with an organization they feel meets our interests. They also work to arrange for the organization to have a set of projects or tasks for us to complete if they agree to take on interns for the last month of our semester.
     At the beginning of October, we all meet as a group and are guided through what is expected of us during our internship period. We must keep a daily journal highlighting what we have done, what we have learned, as well as any obstacles we have faced, questions we have, etc. We are also responsible for keeping a time sheet which marks hours we are with our organization (in the office or in the field), have worked on our internship journals, and even a few mark-ups for travel time (they've gotta cut us some slack somehow, right?!) At the beginning of our internship period we have to submit an internship proposal which gives background on the organization, the roles of our "co-workers", the project(s) we will be responsible for completing, and how it links up with our current academic and future goals. We must also submit what is referred to as an Academic Paper at the end of our internship period which discusses what we did, what we have learned, how it will help us in the future, etc.

.....and now for the interesting part!!!! WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?!

     For my internship, I have been assigned to Parisar, an NGO in Pune focused on lobbying and advocating for sustainable development with an emphasis on issues in urban areas. Parisar's main focus as of late has been on the issue of sustainable transport (increasing the city's walkability, cyclability, increasing the quality of bus services, etc. in order to encourage people to use more environmentally-friendly modes of transportation).  
     My particular project is focused on creating a method for assessing the BRT system in Pune. BRT stands for Bus Rapid Transit. In essence, a BRT is supposed to run similar to that of a metro system, instead using buses and above ground BRT-only designated lanes, to increase its efficiency and the quality of service. Parisar has done lots of work assessing the city buses, run by PMPML, developing and conducting surveys, defining service parameters, and quantifying the data in order to create a comprehensive report. It is their hope that I will be able to do the same for the BRT system or at least lay down the foundation for such to occur before my last day in December. I came into the organization knowing nothing about the BRT, but had to quickly become a near-expert on the topic in order to understand the services it should be providing and how to assess whether or not users' needs were being met. I have spent the past few weeks immersing myself in all things BRT-watching videos, reading assessments of other BRT systems in India as well as around the globe, deciphering guidelines, conducting research, asking questions, and getting down to business!

...I guess the even bigger question is, "What have you accomplished so far?!" 

     Considering I came into my task knowing nothing about my subject matter and am slightly behind the scheduled time-table, I would still say adequate progress is being made. I have been flooded with guidelines, other assessments of BRTs, and videos in order to be familiar enough with BRT to do the work required. So far, I have worked with the organization to: define the parameters of the BRT (how we will assess the BRT based on certain standards for savings on travel time, reliability, comfort, convenience, accessibility, affordability, and the identity of the BRT), create a User Survey (which will provide user feedback on their experience with the BRT and highlight areas of improvement necessary for the BRT to be efficient and provide better service), create Observation Checklists for the Surveyor (which will be used to provide the organization's point of view in regards to necessary aspects of the BRT, and prepare a presentation on the process thus far. Not too shabby, huh?

So....what's next?

     In my last few weeks here, I will be going out into the field to conduct my surveys (once they have gotten final input and have been revised for what I can only hope will be the last time!), which will hopefully allow me to gather enough feedback to write a report on the current state of the BRT. Because of the shift in my time-table, however, it is looking like the more realistic goal for me personally will be to get in the field, conduct some surveys, and put together a report on what information I have gathered so far and where the project will continue from there. It is a total bummer that I won't get to see the whole project through, but I will have gained some great skills and can eagerly wait for the final report to come out a few months after I leave!

**The first part of this video talks about designated bus lanes, a crucial component of all successful BRTs, the second half is also very interesting, discussing a PRT (personal rapid transit system) being developed for a city under construction (Masdar City) in Abu Dhabi

dream.love.discover.

Dachelle!