What Two Years Can Mean

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

I passed by the Lady Doak College gate for the second time, the security guard giving me a confused look. I had been walking laps around the entrance, steeling myself to cross the street. It was my first weekend in my new site and I couldn’t manage to step foot outside. I rounded the corner for the third time and took myself outside, crossing the street alongside a wandering cow. It was my first time outside the campus since I arrived. Then a scooter coming up behind me sounded its horn, and I jumped, making a bee-line for the gates.

In my first year, the designated scooter or ‘Scooty’ as it is affectionately known, waited dormant in the Lady Doak parking lot. I passed by it most mornings, too scared to drive it. So it sat there, collecting dust. I was still learning how to navigate the busy roads; driving through them seemed impossible. Previous fellows had suggested getting to know Madurai by foot, and I took their advice. My first accomplishment was a successful grocery store trip. I got used to the sound of horns as a kind reminder, a gentle nudge, or a quick alert to stop, a “hello”. The months went on like this until suddenly, I was tired of walking, of negotiating auto prices, of the bus. I started to practice, circling the Lady Doak campus, taking Sunday morning trips to the post office minutes down the road. But, it was only when my new co-fellow arrived in Madurai that I truly embraced Scooty life.

Phoebe driving the Scooty

Donnie & Phoebe at Jallikattu for Pongal

With Donnie as my co-pilot, we navigated the streets and found new places to eat. It was an exciting time, with someone there to push me, I learned quickly. I started to memorize familiar routes. I got better at turning with a passenger on the back. I learned to sound the horn whenever I was turning, or doing anything, really.

At times we have been referred to more generally as the ‘Madurai fellows’. With the familiarity I feel in both Lady Doak and American College campuses, this title stands true. Often the lines blur between work, and life - living in a big city with a small town feel. It’s like running into a friend in an unfamiliar part of town. A professor sees me walking back from the grocery store and gives me a lift home. I enter a mess hall downtown for dinner and run into a student I had a meeting with an hour ago.

Phoebe speaking at LDC to close the International Service Learning Program

ISC President, Secretary, & Phoebe in the ISC office

Recently, the center I work in (International Study Centre or ISC) hosted a panel of students who had just returned from their study abroad exchanges. In front of an audience, these five students gave advice and encouraging words, sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience to their juniors. These students and I had gone through Lady Doak’s study abroad progress together just a year before. At that moment I felt the weight of what two years could mean.

The center has undergone renovations, two temporary location shifts, and a whole new generation of students. In that time I faced the ambiguity of the work. Sometimes, managing the legacy of ISC and its return felt daunting. I sought guidance from anything I could find. Every nook and cranny of my office was filled with traces of past fellows. I made the most of the advice my predecessors had given me. It was simple - get people there.

The bougainvillea flowers in front of the ISC office

A sunset over the rice fields in Hampi

Across from my office, there’s a big bougainvillea bush full of purple flowers. People always come to this corner to take pictures. We tried several things to bring attention to ISC. We hosted engaging workshops and held extra language courses. There were potlucks and, as a result of one late-night planning session, Open Mic Nights. But like Oberlin, everyone at Lady Doak is kept pretty busy, so getting people to give extracurricular attention to the club took time. In an attempt to capture interest, I once gave directions to the ISC using the flowers as a landmark.

I’ve gotten to know the other residents of campus well, too. The first half of my second year, the dogs on campus stole my shoes in broad daylight. I had forgotten to shut the metal gates that separate my front door from the rest of the campus. I live a short 30 second commute from my office, so this extra level of distance is welcomed at times. One morning after I had forgotten to close the gate, the shoes went missing. I knew immediately that the dogs had done it. I quickly set out looking for the pair but failed to find them. I discovered the dogs sitting comfortably on the other side of campus, surrounded by offerings of biscuits and leftover biryani; and only one shoe in sight.

Making biryani in ISC

The friendly (sometimes) campus dog family

I’ve been lucky to experience Madurai with two past fellows, Kate, and more recently, Vanessa. In some ways our experiences mirror one another, but in much bigger ways they differ vastly. Madurai has changed, and keeps changing before my eyes. Climate change brings unseasonal flooding and high temperatures in the summers. The city expands into the outer reaches of the plains. More than one new restaurant crops up on my street. I watch my friends get married and move away. I welcome a new fellow and more friends.

What drew me to Shansi initially was the 2-year time-commitment. A longer time period gave me a chance to build relationships that will last. Because I had the space, I was able to grow into the role alongside brilliant and supportive coordinators and students. This experience will shape me for years to come. But with a few months left, it’s hard to put a label on this feeling. I managed to avoid falling off my scooter for another month. I read more books than I ever have. I participate in workshops and learn to dance.

Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple

Phoebe & Donnie outside SCILET with sugarcane

I am still seeking a balance between the urge to rush, and the knowledge that patience and persistence go a long way in a busy college setting. I am forever working on my timing. Arriving last to events that I mistakenly believed were open, rolling time; while other times missing cues about being fashionably late. I haven’t perfected this yet.

Soon a Lady Doak professor will take up residence in the Shansi building in Oberlin again, a resumption of a decades-long partnership of exchange between Oberlin Shansi and Lady Doak faculty. She and I talk about buying winter coats for Ohio winters as we sweat in the Madurai sun.

Amer Fort in Jaipur

Phoebe in Jaipur at the Jantar Mantar, an observatory with the world’s largest sundial

Returning home on a necessary visa trip last summer, I found myself unexpectedly back in Oberlin; the only fellow to return to the Shansi house mid-fellowship. It was special. I got to meet the next cohort and my incoming co-fellow. It was also disorienting. I felt pulled between worlds.

That feeling hasn’t left me as I write this from the ISC porch, facing the bougainvilleas. I’ve been avoiding counting my “lasts” - last Pongal, last batch of study abroad students, last mango season, last bike ride. This time of year is my favorite. There's the harvest festival where sweet pongal is distributed, and the air is invigorating. Yesterday, I almost wished I had a sweater as I drove my Scooty to Tamil class, weaving through the cool morning air. It is hard to believe the time is coming to an end, I still have so much left to do!

Pongal celebration at LDC

Pots of Pongal

These days my office is full. There’s been a shift to more student-led programming, where students are taking control of the space, dreaming up new ways to connect and expand their thinking. I feel inspired by the work they have done to bring ISC back to life, and the joy that comes with a typical club gathering. It’s a privilege to work with the multitalented and generous ISC coordinators Ms Hannah and Ms Vrushaa, both professors of English at the college. I also found a home among the American College English department thanks to professors Dr. Paul and Dr. Joel, and was warmly welcomed into SCILET by Dr. Premila Paul with a constant supply of tea and lighthearted banter. Along with ISC staff and students, life at work is fun and constantly evolving. I have learned so much about “trusting the process”. There are times when I feel very certain about my life and my work here.

Beach cows in Goa

I also witnessed the work of re-establishing a second site in Madurai pay off. I saw both Ponniyin Selvan movies in theaters on their release day, one year apart from each other, and watched a new library open up down the road. I traveled in my sleep on buses across South India as well as beyond its border. Maybe there is no such thing as the ‘right’ time, or maybe I am sentimental, but I feel so lucky to have come to Madurai when I did.

Mysore snacks

Parotta at LDC

Papaya at a friend’s farm