Few things made me happier this week than walking into a home and seeing hugs and hearing welcomes between old friends. This week in Dokur, a rural village that ICRISAT has been working with since 1975, I got to see that just about four times a day.
This hospitality and warmth did not just extend to Swati and Vidya, but many families excitedly welcomed Dora and I into their homes. At the first house I went to, the whole team showed up. Vidya and Swati were greeted by massive smiles and hugs from every member of the family, from three beautiful children to a married couple to the grandmother. Swati and Vidya introduced us to everyone, then Vidya and I got started on our interview.
Though I was a little apprehensive about asking people to recall what they had eaten for the past few days (which is not the easiest task. I barely remember what I ate last night!), I was surprised at how readily people gave me their time to answer our questions. Even though this family was busy with children and plenty of work, they still took the time to welcome me in and answer my questions. People were familiar with the project we were doing and were ready to help us.
The generosity and warmth of this family and many of the other families I got to meet will stick with me for quite some time. Through conducting surveys for TCi, I had the opportunity to meet so many beautiful people that I would never have otherwise and learned about the kind of home I want to run in the process.