The City that Never Sleeps

By Phoebe Von Conta ‘22, Lady Doak Fellow 2022-2024

After weeks of preparation and anticipation, I was standing at the front of a classroom, advancing powerpoint slides containing study abroad information for students. I was sweating in the November humidity, Madurai’s peak rainy season having just ended. It was my second month in my new position at the International Studies Center, working at the first women’s college established in Madurai, known as Lady Doak College. Compared to the English language teaching sites and full-time working positions Shansi offers, this position is different. The Shansi Fellow works in the International Studies Center (ISC), a space for students to gather, build professional skills, and engage with international topics, it’s also where students go through the study abroad process. The flexible position allows me to carve out my own place here, a task equally thrilling and daunting.

The summer before I arrived, I tried to imagine what my daily life would be like. Once in Madurai, I said yes to every invitation, I sought out routines and opportunities to explore the place I would call home for the next 2 years. I remember the first time I joined the campus track team for morning practice, afraid I had gotten the time wrong when students weren’t at the track. However, a few minutes later I saw students approaching, one groggily joked about almost sleeping through practice. Soon enough the track was full and we started our warm up jog. For a place known as “the city that never sleeps”, by six o’clock the city is already alive and bustling. Running laps as the birds on campus woke up, I felt able to connect myself to the students and the city in a new way. I was reminded of the beauty of sharing a run with someone, something I dearly missed from Oberlin.

Having a fellow back at Lady Doak feels special, especially since the pandemic halted ISC events for a while. Earlier this year, Kate, the previous LDC fellow, returned for a visit. We spent some time traveling together, with another friend, Mathangi. It was truly special to speak with a past fellow about my position here, while on campus. She affirmed my frustrations, and offered advice. She and Mathangi actually taught me to use the designated scooter for fellows here. The three of us spent Pongal together, a Tamil festival celebrating abundance and gratitude for the harvest. We ate sugarcane, made idli, and prepared the sweet rice dish, placing spoonfuls of milk and jaggery into the pongal before it boiled over in abundance. We spent the rest of the day playing Rummy with Mathangi’s extended family. At the ISC, we celebrated the harvest as well, having a harvest festival themed event that also served to officially open our temporary location. Students presented on harvest traditions around the world, including Pongal. We finished the day with a potluck and sugarcane eating contest. The students smoked me, the winning time coming in just shy of four minutes!

Just down the road from Lady Doak is American College. Upon arrival in Madurai, I got to know faculty in the English department, dear friends of Shansi, who took me in, invited me home, and shared their lunches with me. I felt as if I had gained two support systems when I had expected to rely most on Lady Doak. Taking part in the writing programs at their independent literary center gave me a space beyond the ISC to spend time in, and I quickly felt at home there. I even published work in their poetry journal, something I never thought I would do.

Off-campus, getting around Madurai is easy. I’ve never had access to as many transportation options as I do here. My first month, I was invited to visit the Keeladi archeological site. By bus, I watched the cows in the street pass by us, and then gazed out onto the coconut-tree lined freeway on our way to the site. A few friends and I visited Arittapatti by car, a national biodiversity heritage site close to Madurai, the first of Tamil Nadu’s kind, in November. We were lucky enough to see much of the ecological and historical importance while visiting, we even spotted a rare owl! One of my first auto trips was to the famous Meenakshi Aman temple, where I practiced navigation skills in Tamil. Gaining confidence in my language skills is certainly a process, something I’ll continue to practice throughout my time here. It’s rewarding to get a phrase right, or catch a bit of Madurai slang here and there. It’s satisfying when my ordering skills improve, especially for my favorite dosa or idli.

Since I am the only fellow placed at Lady Doak, I’m grateful to have other Shansi Fellows living close-by, too. During a recent trip to Kotagiri, I visited the Keystone Fellows, Isabel, Reet, and Maddie. It was the longest trip I had taken alone thus far. After a treacherous journey through the chilly mountains, I reached town. As the taxi driver pulled away, I heard my name being called from the road below me, and I saw three rain jackets and boots racing up the hill. We all hugged and I felt something inside me shift. I feel so lucky to be able to share my time in India with Isabel, Reet and Maddie, who I’ve deemed my senior fellows despite the 7 hours separating us.

For the first time, I am beginning to not just enjoy Madurai, but feel like I have a place here. In some ways, it feels like my fellowship here is just beginning, in other ways, I am shocked that almost 6 months have passed since I first landed. I feel so grateful for the support that Shansi continues to provide to form my experience here, and I feel lucky to be part of a long line of fellows here. There is no place quite like Madurai, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of my time here will bring.

The City that Never Sleeps

By Phoebe Von Conta ‘22, Lady Doak Fellow 2022-2024

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