It’s hard to believe I’m already halfway through this internship! Immersing myself in Bollywood’s fast-paced environment has been nothing short of exhilarating. From the energy on set to the scale of production and the collaborative spirit, every day has been a new adventure. I interned at Rising Sun Studios during a major ad shoot for…Continue Reading Lights, Camera, Internship: My Bollywood Experience So Far! 🎬 🎥
My father and mother met at a blue-light disco. My nan went to primary in Ngaruawahia before moving to Auckland. My koro left Maatauri when he was 16. My nannies were part of the Maaori women’s liberation movement. My tuupuna, Matire Toha and Kati Takiwaru Te Wherowhero, brought peace to Ngaa Puhi and the Waikato…Continue Reading The Cave That Sings
How do you know when a place has started to feel like home? Three weeks in and three weeks to go. The more I think about leaving Mumbai, the more I don’t want to leave. There are still so many people who I want to get to know better, and so many things I want…Continue Reading Interning the Indian Way
In an incredibly short timespan I’ve started to evolve from a chronically overthinking kid who’d never left the Pacific to a strong-willed, highly adaptable intern living like a local. The cheat code is Mumbai pushing me to treat every day like a new level in the video game of life. I understand this sounds like…Continue Reading Life is Like a Video Game
Okay, get your bucket list out right now. Grab a pen, and add ‘attend an Indian wedding’. From the colours to the music, the dancing and the food, an Indian wedding is a whirlwind of vibrant energy you don’t want to miss! I feel incredibly fortunate to say that I had the privilege of attending…Continue Reading Wedding Time!!
People, people, and more people. This was one of the key differences I first noticed when entering the ‘City of Dreams.’ Coming to a place where the population of the city alone is 4 times more than the population of the entire country, seeing the rush compared to New Zealand was definitely eye-opening. Viewing Mumbai…Continue Reading The Magic of Mumbai
It would be dishonest to suggest that my expectations of Mumbai were entirely positive. Conversations prior to my departure had instilled me with greater caution than optimism. It has taken but a week for that caution to be replaced with awe and a true appreciation of the city in which I find myself. What could…Continue Reading An Expectation Exceeded
The title is not an exaggeration! Arrival 🛬 Arriving here, I was expecting a city a bit busier than Auckland — noisier too. I was expecting the weather to be slightly warm (even though it is winter in Mumbai) and public transport to be easy to manoeuvre. But I was off target on so many…Continue Reading Keeping Pace with Mumbai’s Heartbeat
Arriving in Mumbai was an experience I’ll never forget. Seventeen of us crammed into vans with barely any room, bags hoisted onto the roof, and a makeshift seatbelt strap handed to me in the front seat. As I settled into this chaotic, lively scene, I knew I was in for an adventure. In my first…Continue Reading First Impressions of Mumbai: My First Week
Since arriving in Mumbai 8 days ago, I’ve taken 182,212 steps, spent 434 minutes on trains, ridden in 12 taxis and 14 tuk-tuks, spent 24 hours at my internship, handed out just as many bars of soap, tried at least 1 new food at every meal, attended 2 hockey trainings, and visited 4 forts. Like…Continue Reading Numbers Tell a Story – But Not the Whole Truth