“Hipster”, “Cool”, “Foodie” are probably not the first words you hear when you ask people to comment on Detroit. They certainly weren't the words I heard. Every narrative of Detroit I heard created an image of an enigma for me. A city that was struggling to define itself to the world, still learning to walk after the crippling bankruptcy, still a nebulous dream. But I knew I was wrong the moment I stepped foot in Detroit. The city was more alive, more fresh than any I had visited so far. It had the privilege that rarely any city gets - it got a chance to build again, to learn from its mistakes, to celebrate its history and it made itself into a trending, hipster, busy city that I helplessly fell for.
I quickly realized that Detroit, like Delhi, was a city of contrasts and this is exactly what made it so unique. It was rising from the ashes literally everywhere. There were new cranes in the erstwhile blighted areas, a hidden renovated mansion in a maze of crumbling walls, an insanely creative contemporary art project in the middle of what looks like the remnants of the hard time detroit faced. It is so unexpected, so unpredictable, so alive. Its energy is contagious.
The first week was obviously heady. New internship, new roommates, new colleagues. It was like the freshman fall all over again. From biking on the streets for the first time to having a Shake Shack meal, there were a lot of firsts. An inspirationally sustainable work space is what greeted Tommaso and me as we went to our first day of work at Detroit Food Academy. While we were still gawking at how amazing the building was, we met Jake and Margo, our amazing community partners. After a quick meeting we had all we could have asked for - a plan for what we had to do, permission to wear casuals and unlimited coffee. Getting a sense of our work took a bit of time but I do think we are finally at a point where we can learn from the organization effectively. Because that’s why we are here - not to help them but learn from their resilience, tenacity and innovation and help wherever we can.
There is a lot for me to experience here. From saying hi to everyone on the street to learning the ins and outs of marketing, I have a lot to learn. And I guess that’s the best part.
I quickly realized that Detroit, like Delhi, was a city of contrasts and this is exactly what made it so unique. It was rising from the ashes literally everywhere. There were new cranes in the erstwhile blighted areas, a hidden renovated mansion in a maze of crumbling walls, an insanely creative contemporary art project in the middle of what looks like the remnants of the hard time detroit faced. It is so unexpected, so unpredictable, so alive. Its energy is contagious.
The first week was obviously heady. New internship, new roommates, new colleagues. It was like the freshman fall all over again. From biking on the streets for the first time to having a Shake Shack meal, there were a lot of firsts. An inspirationally sustainable work space is what greeted Tommaso and me as we went to our first day of work at Detroit Food Academy. While we were still gawking at how amazing the building was, we met Jake and Margo, our amazing community partners. After a quick meeting we had all we could have asked for - a plan for what we had to do, permission to wear casuals and unlimited coffee. Getting a sense of our work took a bit of time but I do think we are finally at a point where we can learn from the organization effectively. Because that’s why we are here - not to help them but learn from their resilience, tenacity and innovation and help wherever we can.
There is a lot for me to experience here. From saying hi to everyone on the street to learning the ins and outs of marketing, I have a lot to learn. And I guess that’s the best part.
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