5/8: Daily Life at TAF

Hi! Blog 5 out of 8.

This week’s blog is a little more personal. After writing about my first field visit in the last post, I wanted this one to be more about daily life at the office and the small moments that are making this internship feel very special.

Because yes, I came to India to work on public health, data, and policy implementation. But I am also learning so much from everything that happens around the work: the conversations, the food, the clothes, the jokes, the celebrations, and the people who make me feel included even when I am very far from home.

One of the most important cultural updates is that I finally wore a saree.

I had been saying for weeks that at some point I wanted to learn how to wear one, and this week it happened. Paroma, from the Comms team, brought one of her sarees and helped me put it on, because obviously this is not something I could figure out alone. There is a lot of fabric, folding, adjusting, and trusting the process involved.

Saree and mate

Paroma and me

There was also a very diplomatic moment between India and Argentina: Apoorva (also Comms team) was wearing a saree, I was wearing the Argentina jersey, and we shook hands very seriously, as if we were signing an international agreement. 

India-Argentina peace agreement

I think this is what international relations should look like.

Another highlight of the week was a potluck at the office. Everyone brought food, and, as usual, there was a lot of sharing, explaining, tasting, and asking “what is this?” before immediately eating it. 

Office Potluck

Shivani, Sahil and Nandita

These small moments may seem unrelated to the project, but I actually think they are a very important part of the internship. Working in a new country is not only about understanding the formal system or analyzing the data correctly. It is also about learning how people work together, how trust is built, and how everyday relationships make professional work possible.

In development and public policy, we often talk about institutions, systems, and implementation. But being here reminds me that all of those things are made by people. People who share lunch, celebrate birthdays, lend you clothes, translate conversations for you, explain local context, and make space for you in their everyday routines.

Next blog will probably be more field-focused again, because I will be traveling for my second field visit soon. But for now, this was a small window into office life in Delhi.

Stay tuned!

Leyre in India