India is a fascinating country and I always learn so much from the people I meet. Sometimes it’s a challenge to reconcile the extremes. On the one hand, there are a lot of talented people and some amazing things going on there. But there’s also a huge amount of abject poverty in places like the Ujariaon slum in the state of Uttar Pradesh. People live in makeshift homes and face a lot of health problems. Yet, when I got a chance to talk with them, they’re like people everywhere. The people living in the slums want their kids to get educated and they are optimistic that things are going to get better. It was touching to hear their stories.