When E and I were doing market research and deciding what kind of company we should start, we had a few guiding factors. Of course we considered our backgrounds, interests and strengths. We looked at the community to see what industries were viable, where there was a need that we could uniquely fill. But probably the biggest factor was this—whatever we were doing we wanted our business to connect people. We need to connect to the community here, we want to connect the local community to opportunities where their voice is valued and their craft is respected, and we want to connect you to this tiny little city and the life it boasts.
Over the next few posts we’ll be sharing with you how those desires led us to create DABU and some of our hopes for the future. First up, why it’s so important to us that we connect with the community.
As new-comers to Udaipur, we first have to learn how to connect with the community. This is kind of universal but especially true here, where you can’t get anywhere as a stranger.
The practical side of this is that it’s so easy to isolate yourself into a bubble of familiarity when you live outside your home country. Some of you have lived abroad. You know that it doesn’t take long for the adventure adrenaline to wear off and survival mode to kick in. It is so easy to carve out a comfortable routine, you find a few people you can communicate with in your native language, find places that remind you of home, order everything off of Amazon and hunker down. This beats that feeling of humiliation that comes with not being able to accomplish simple tasks, the discomfort of showing up and not knowing how to be “normal”, but it doesn’t lead to a thriving, fulfilling life either. It’s not sustainable to live without community or where leaving the house causes anxiety. We wanted our business to be in-step with our lives and keep us learning, developing relationships, and adjusting to the culture here.
This culture is so colorful, so full of flavor and festivals and traditions. We want to soak up Mewari life! We want to have true friends to hangout with and enjoy evening walks around the lake or scooter rides through the old city. We want to know what it’s like to grow up caring for your family’s fields, or running a small business, or what you look for when finding a husband or wife for your child. Our business needed to encourage us to keep building relationships and learning.
Because of DABU we have worked with artisans across 4 states, met with business leaders, lawyers, shop owners… and all of these meetings come from friends or friends-of-friends that are willing to introduce us. We are so grateful that we get to start the venture alongside such a neat community!
Bye for now!
E & A
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