This summer, St. Cloud State University’s College of Science & Engineering has sent two SCSU students, Ali Almanasif and  Peter Ojambo, to India. The students are completing an internship at JK Lakshmi  Cement Company. The internships were arranged through the JKLU-SCSU Internship Exchange program, a partnership between SCSU and a university in India. The partnership creates internship abroad opportunities for students from both institutions. We are tracking the students’ progress here on the COSE International Programs blog. Check back periodically to hear more about their experiences abroad.

Peter’s Experience in India, Journal Entry 5:

To end our journey in India we returned to where everything all started. We returned to JK Lakshmipat University (JKLU) to present what we had learned to a few professors and roughly one hundred students. The presentation went great and served as another learning experience; but the professors did not make it easy on us.

JKLU

They asked a few questions in regards to our new found knowledge at JK Lakshmi Cement. We answered the questions as best as we could and got some feedback following our conversation. The professors at JKLU really care for their students. That care was seen through the questions they asked of us and the advice that was given to us. Leaving the presentation, I came out having learned that no matter how great you become at something you will always face challenges. Those challenges will make you better or completely take you out of the game, depending on how you react to them. The challenges we face in our daily life are there to make us the best that we can be: the best engineer, chef, or whatever else we are currently pursuing to be.

Saying goodbye is something I struggle with. Sometimes I just hate it. Leaving JKLC was sad and joyful at the same time. We were finally leaving our home away from home and the great people we met during our stay. With the realization that I was going back home, I was so excited to get back and see my family and friends so that I could tell them about my experience in India. I was also sad to be leaving my other family, the people that made me feel welcomed in a place that was so foreign to me. They made me feel like their own son. I’ll miss the food but the thing that I will miss the most are the people.

Never having been to a foreign country before, the people I encountered made the experience something memorable. Leaving India, I felt so appreciative for every single person that crossed my path because each and every one of them allowed me to learn something new. Learning from the people of India is something that will help me become a better engineer, and most importantly, a better person. I’m hoping I impacted the people that I encountered in the same way that they did for me. I will miss playing basketball and football (soccer) with my group of friends.  Much will be missed about India; I hope to go back some day.

Our Basketball Court

Our Football Field

This summer, St. Cloud State University’s College of Science & Engineering has sent two SCSU students, Ali Almanasif and  Peter Ojambo, to India. The students are completing an internship at JK Lakshmi  Cement Company. The internships were arranged through the JKLU-SCSU Internship Exchange program, a partnership between SCSU and a university in India. The partnership creates internship abroad opportunities for students from both institutions. We are tracking the students’ progress here on the COSE International Programs blog. Check back periodically to hear more about their experiences abroad.

Peter’s Experience in India, Journal Entry 4:

This is our final week here. It has been raining for the last 4 days unstoppable. Even with flood of the heavy rain, we still go to plant to continue our final section in the training process. Today, we went to see the packing plant where the fine cement is being pitched and delivered to the market. In this section, Amjad Khan (Cement Mill Mechanical Engineer) is our guide and monitor. He is really intuitive and helpful. I’ve learned a lot from him in the last two days as well as I learned so much from Pankaj Mathur (Vertical Raw Mill Mechanical Engineer) and Prahlad Kabra (Vertical Raw Mill Mechanical Engineer) in the last two weeks. I sincerely thank every one of those who helped us and guided us through out time here.

Ali Almanasif, Peter Ojambo, Amjad Khan, Pankaj Mathur, Bharat Gadhvi

Ali Almanasif, Peter Ojambo, and Amjad Khan at the tea shop

The funniest person I’ve met since I arrived to this colony is our driver. Even with the language barrier, we still know how to communicate and laugh. Sometimes he doesn’t show up to pick us up to work and we have to walk. When I run into him later, he either tries to run away or hides somewhere. Last Friday, he made us walk in the rain to work. We arrived to Mathur’s office completely wet!

Ali Almanasif, Peter Ojambo, and Mukesh Gautam at Fateh Sagar Lake

Ali Almanasif and the driver at the Fateh Sagar Lake

This summer, St. Cloud State University’s College of Science & Engineering has sent two SCSU students, Ali Almanasif and  Peter Ojambo, to India. The students are completing an internship at JK Lakshmi  Cement Company. The internships were arranged through the JKLU-SCSU Internship Exchange program, a partnership between SCSU and a university in India. The partnership creates internship abroad opportunities for students from both institutions. We are tracking the students’ progress here on the COSE International Programs blog. Check back periodically to hear more about their experiences abroad.

Peter’s Experience in India, Journal Entry 3:

You can’t say you have experienced all of India without experiencing the monsoon period.  Prior to our fourth week, we had sunny skies and high temperatures – then we had our very first introduction to monsoon weather. It rained nearly every day and rather than getting wet from the heat making us sweat, we got drenched with rain nearly everyday.

Monsoon season in India

While walking it would appear as if you were stepping into a puddle of rain, but once you made that step, everything would turn into a pool of water.  I’ve got to say that, I’m loving the rain because it’s keeping the temperatures down, but it’s keeping me away from my daily exercise routine of playing basketball and football (soccer) with the people of the colony.  I guess the weather is telling me it’s crunch time, time to stay in and focus more on what I really came here to do.

Water, water everywhere

What a better way to end a new experience other than with a bang, right?

We had learned about the mining process at JK Lakshmi Cement, but never got to see the mining actually take place. Realizing that our time in at JK Lakshmi Cement was coming to end we were even more determined to see the blasting process.

Ali and I awaiting mine blasting

Once we arrived to the mining site, we received pertinent information on procedures and finally, watched the process occur.  Unfortunately, we did not witness the 9-meter holes being dug, but we saw the explosives put inside.  After a while we were taken far away to a safe location to see the blasting.  The explosives were so loud and made the whole ground shake.  The video we took of the blasting would do a good job of illustrating how loud the blasting was – it was quite the way to end our time here in India.

Witnessing mine blasting