I find it incredible how people can reach out to a person they do not know. In the last two weeks in Hyderabad, I was very lucky to have people I hardly knew, but have some sort of connection to, connect me with people that live in Hyderabad. The first night I was here, feeling very isolated and a little scared in my room, alone, in a guest house full of only men, I was greeted by friendly faces that I didn’t even know. My dad made one call at 11 o’clock at night and within 45 minutes an Aunty and Uncle (who have never met my mom and dad) were at my front door to take me for ice cream. Since then they have been calling to check up on me, take me out to dinner and even helped me go shopping for work clothes.
Another instance is a pervious fellow that was placed in Hyderabad two years ago and decided to stay. She spoke at orientation about her experience and her and I connected. As soon as I got here she invited me to a party and connected me with a lot of people my age living here. She even got me a ride from a guy named Ian (I know Ian is reading this right now ;) ) who has been an absolute gem to me. From the first day of giving me a ride to the party, Ian has always called me up, inquired how the settling process is, and has included me in all of his plans. From him I have met some wonderful people who I am enjoying immensely. The other day five of us had a “cook out” and had my first sleep over in India, which was grand! I helped cook Indian food…and it tasted amazing! Jeana and Shrina…it was SO much better than our attempt for butter chicken years ago, I learned something for when I come back.
I am so grateful for how wonderful some people can really be.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
FOOODDD!!
Food
Ever since I have been in Delhi I have been working out of the Regional office of my NGO…meaning I have not been in contact with the communities that I intend to work with. Saturday (YES we work on Saturdays here) I finally got the opportunity to get myself accustomed to the site I will be spending most my time at, a site that works with and provides programs to HIV positive people. A few of the staff are paid but most of the members who work a large amount of hours there are all HIV positive people wanting to make a difference. It’s truly admirable. Also there is no distinguishing between staff and members, everyone is the same there.
I went to observe the clinic day where doctors distribute medicine for opportunistic infections and a session where a lawyer informs the members of their rights as they are discriminated against because they are HIV positive. Lunch arrived about 20 minutes after I got there and the fuss over me began. I was led into a room (mind you I do not speak the same language as most of these people so I am getting by on my broke Hindi) and told to sit. I realized they were sitting me there for lunch. I attempted to explain that I wanted to sit outside with everyone else on a sheet that was placed on the floor. No one would allow me to do so, they did not want me to sit on the floor. Everyone else, staff and members, ate on this tin foil plates while I was given a huge glass plate. Everyone came in one at a time serving me the different plates of food. I could hardly sit still having all these people serve me; it was more than I could handle. I kept telling them it wasn’t necessary as I could do it myself but they weren’t having it. Finally my plate was set with food and they left me to eat. Then every two minutes someone came in to see if I wanted more food or just see if I was ok. I felt so incredibly bad because they gave me water, which was tap water, so I could not drink it. I hated myself when I saw the look on their faces when I did not take the water they offered me. How could I explain that my spoiled self is from the US and I cannot handle their tap water? Finally I was done eating, and then got attacked by people because I attempted to take the 10 feet treck to the sink to put my dish away.
It’s difficult for me to handle this on a daily basis. I have many friends who have maids that are elderly, (I hope I do not insult any of my friends living in India) and it’s very common to have them clean your house and do the cooking. When I move into an apartment I am sure I will have the same thing. Yet it’s such a contradiction to me because I always thought it was my Indian culture that taught me to treat elders with the utmost respect. I was never allowed to let elders get water themselves, always offer them your seat, they should always be served food before you, etc. I respect this about my culture. Yet I come here and it really depends on your status.
One thing I will say is the hospitality is amazing. No matter where you go you are offered Chai (tea) or water. What a simple but beautiful way to express to someone you are welcome in my home or office.
Ever since I have been in Delhi I have been working out of the Regional office of my NGO…meaning I have not been in contact with the communities that I intend to work with. Saturday (YES we work on Saturdays here) I finally got the opportunity to get myself accustomed to the site I will be spending most my time at, a site that works with and provides programs to HIV positive people. A few of the staff are paid but most of the members who work a large amount of hours there are all HIV positive people wanting to make a difference. It’s truly admirable. Also there is no distinguishing between staff and members, everyone is the same there.
I went to observe the clinic day where doctors distribute medicine for opportunistic infections and a session where a lawyer informs the members of their rights as they are discriminated against because they are HIV positive. Lunch arrived about 20 minutes after I got there and the fuss over me began. I was led into a room (mind you I do not speak the same language as most of these people so I am getting by on my broke Hindi) and told to sit. I realized they were sitting me there for lunch. I attempted to explain that I wanted to sit outside with everyone else on a sheet that was placed on the floor. No one would allow me to do so, they did not want me to sit on the floor. Everyone else, staff and members, ate on this tin foil plates while I was given a huge glass plate. Everyone came in one at a time serving me the different plates of food. I could hardly sit still having all these people serve me; it was more than I could handle. I kept telling them it wasn’t necessary as I could do it myself but they weren’t having it. Finally my plate was set with food and they left me to eat. Then every two minutes someone came in to see if I wanted more food or just see if I was ok. I felt so incredibly bad because they gave me water, which was tap water, so I could not drink it. I hated myself when I saw the look on their faces when I did not take the water they offered me. How could I explain that my spoiled self is from the US and I cannot handle their tap water? Finally I was done eating, and then got attacked by people because I attempted to take the 10 feet treck to the sink to put my dish away.
It’s difficult for me to handle this on a daily basis. I have many friends who have maids that are elderly, (I hope I do not insult any of my friends living in India) and it’s very common to have them clean your house and do the cooking. When I move into an apartment I am sure I will have the same thing. Yet it’s such a contradiction to me because I always thought it was my Indian culture that taught me to treat elders with the utmost respect. I was never allowed to let elders get water themselves, always offer them your seat, they should always be served food before you, etc. I respect this about my culture. Yet I come here and it really depends on your status.
One thing I will say is the hospitality is amazing. No matter where you go you are offered Chai (tea) or water. What a simple but beautiful way to express to someone you are welcome in my home or office.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Quotes quotes quotes
Another fellow shared this quote with me today (she noticed I am obsessed with quotes), I really liked it and just wanted to share:
"The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget."~A. Roy.
Explains a lot (not all) of why I am here in India for all of you who are still confused as to why I decided to do this.
My settling in Hyderabad is a roller coaster..but I am just so glad I am here :)
"The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead: To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget."~A. Roy.
Explains a lot (not all) of why I am here in India for all of you who are still confused as to why I decided to do this.
My settling in Hyderabad is a roller coaster..but I am just so glad I am here :)
Friday, September 14, 2007
Rural Site Visits
I want to explain 
some of my experiences 
during training in detail. First of all I cannot begin to describe how amazing this group of Fellows is. I am in constant awe of their ambition, intelligence and passion. I truly feel privileged to be apart of this group. In addition to being well accomplished, these fellows are so much fun to be with. We have all been together for a little over 12 days but feel as if we have known each other for years. We have had a blast together through all our experiences and will see each other at our midpoint meetings, end point meetings, and in between travel. Some fellows are in the same city, some are in cities alone, including me.
As far as experiences all the speakers were motivating and a wealth of knowledge. We got the amazing opportunity to assist Rotary International with a polio vaccination for young children. What a truly incredible experience! We were driven about an hour outside of Delhi to a different state. From there we went to three different stands in various areas that were passing around polio vaccinations. Polio has been eradicated in most areas but has been difficult to eradicate in India. At each booth they take children ages 5 or younger and give them a simple two drop vaccination and a black marker on their finger to show they have had the drops. After this the volunteers go to each and every house in the next few days to see if every child has been given the vaccine. The child needs to have this about 25 times to be fully vaccinated, so the volunteers will do the same thing next month. I was able to give a child a vaccination, which was the most incredible feeling. These towns were so excited to see the volunteers and to see us helping. It was heart breaking how poor some of these children were but it gave me a lot of pleasure to give them excitement for a day to see the “Americans”. These kids love digital cameras too, they beg you to take a picture of them and then show them. I got trampled by kids multiple times to take a picture of them. The other people in the slum areas were so appreciative of us visiting. In the last area (which was predominantly Muslim) the Imam had us come into his house and though it was obvious that everyone had very little, they gave us a crazy amount of fruits, and sweets. Our picture was taken a million times and then we were asked to give information about our projects in India. It was an honor to be invited into the Imam’s house and even the mayor (a female) was supposed to meet us but we unfortunately ran late and missed her. Finally everyone gave us the necklace of flowers, a long cloth as a gift and a plaque with a picture of Krishna. I can’t begin to describe how much of a privilege it was to visit these areas and interact with the people. It was both heart breaking (because of the poverty) and beautiful (because of the love and hospitality) at the same time.
Another experience was rural Rajasthan right outside of Jaipur. We took a bus and then a small jeep into our sleeping accommodations because the bus would not be able to get through the roads we took. Our accommodations were a small school in the middle of nowhere. People were so hospitable, forcing food on us and offering us amazing tasting chai. We were in rooms of five with lizards and bugs everywhere and Indian style toilets (a hole in the ground) but we still all woke up in the most peaceful state of mind to beautiful music and gorgeous nature. From there we went to a rural site to observe the schools. Different grade levels were in one very small room with one or two teachers maximum, teaching each group a different lesson. They lack materials and books; however this school even being established for these kids was a big step. I got to sit and help some little kids how to add with the little Hindi skills I have and got the opportunity to recall the simplicity of childhood without video games, TV, computer, etc. with a simple gave of “duck duck goose”. I had a blast teaching these kids, especially this beautiful little girl named Kali. She was so beautiful and intelligent and I realize that she will never be told that in her life. Later we walked around the village and felt the hospitality of those around. We also saw the young girls working endlessly on a loom for rugs. These girls cannot go to school every day because of work, however they have night school for three hours
We got to go to another site which was my favorite experience. In rural villages NGOs (Non government agencies) attempt to go and provide livelihood for the people. In this village people farm a lot, so the NGO went in and taught the women how to save and invest. Now the women all have weekly meetings of how to progress. They save money and their husbands do not have access to it. The women (in response to this) had to take a lot of disapproval and abuse from their husbands who did not initially approve of their group formation. They have worked hard to keep their program going besides their husbands’ resentment and possible retaliation. Many of these women expressed how they do not like what they do and do not want to have to deal with their husbands beating them and coming home drunk. They do not have any running electricity or even a restroom in their houses. Though they deal with this from 5am to 10 pm each and everyday these women were still happy and so hospitable. At first introduction they sang a song for us then asked us to sing an English song for them. We couldn’t think about anything besides a melody of “Row Row Row Your Boat” which we did in three separate groups, the video is hilarious! These women took us in the field to show us everything and immediately were crawling all over me. They held my hand as we walked and overwhelmed me with questions of my marriage, what I am going to be doing in Hyderabad, who I am planning to “unveil” my wedding veil to. These woman were all over me, to the point that once we were walking back they were all pulling me in the opposite direction to stay. The sweetest thing was they straight away pulled out corn from their crops to give us some, though they hardly have any food for themselves. These families hardly have anything and even then, when my flip flop broke, they offered from me to take theirs. This flip flop accident did allow for my first bollywood moment to happen as the tour guide from the NGO that was taking us around, took off his shoe for me to use and walked around bare footed. I was even dubbed one woman’s sister. I loved this experience so much. It was so beautiful to watch these strong women and was inspiring to see the initiative these NGOs that I will be working with are taking.
From these experiences I already feel like a different person. My eyes have been opened up to a world I have known about but never understood. It is difficult to go to a club at night or even a nice restaurant and see the attitudes of the rich, and see how much they actually have, then go to areas like I mentioned above and see the poverty and despair. It is a constant struggle to watch the separation in India. On another note, India does really have that power everyone speaks about. It is beautiful in so many ways and the hospitality is beautiful.
some of my experiences 
during training in detail. First of all I cannot begin to describe how amazing this group of Fellows is. I am in constant awe of their ambition, intelligence and passion. I truly feel privileged to be apart of this group. In addition to being well accomplished, these fellows are so much fun to be with. We have all been together for a little over 12 days but feel as if we have known each other for years. We have had a blast together through all our experiences and will see each other at our midpoint meetings, end point meetings, and in between travel. Some fellows are in the same city, some are in cities alone, including me.As far as experiences all the speakers were motivating and a wealth of knowledge. We got the amazing opportunity to assist Rotary International with a polio vaccination for young children. What a truly incredible experience! We were driven about an hour outside of Delhi to a different state. From there we went to three different stands in various areas that were passing around polio vaccinations. Polio has been eradicated in most areas but has been difficult to eradicate in India. At each booth they take children ages 5 or younger and give them a simple two drop vaccination and a black marker on their finger to show they have had the drops. After this the volunteers go to each and every house in the next few days to see if every child has been given the vaccine. The child needs to have this about 25 times to be fully vaccinated, so the volunteers will do the same thing next month. I was able to give a child a vaccination, which was the most incredible feeling. These towns were so excited to see the volunteers and to see us helping. It was heart breaking how poor some of these children were but it gave me a lot of pleasure to give them excitement for a day to see the “Americans”. These kids love digital cameras too, they beg you to take a picture of them and then show them. I got trampled by kids multiple times to take a picture of them. The other people in the slum areas were so appreciative of us visiting. In the last area (which was predominantly Muslim) the Imam had us come into his house and though it was obvious that everyone had very little, they gave us a crazy amount of fruits, and sweets. Our picture was taken a million times and then we were asked to give information about our projects in India. It was an honor to be invited into the Imam’s house and even the mayor (a female) was supposed to meet us but we unfortunately ran late and missed her. Finally everyone gave us the necklace of flowers, a long cloth as a gift and a plaque with a picture of Krishna. I can’t begin to describe how much of a privilege it was to visit these areas and interact with the people. It was both heart breaking (because of the poverty) and beautiful (because of the love and hospitality) at the same time.
Another experience was rural Rajasthan right outside of Jaipur. We took a bus and then a small jeep into our sleeping accommodations because the bus would not be able to get through the roads we took. Our accommodations were a small school in the middle of nowhere. People were so hospitable, forcing food on us and offering us amazing tasting chai. We were in rooms of five with lizards and bugs everywhere and Indian style toilets (a hole in the ground) but we still all woke up in the most peaceful state of mind to beautiful music and gorgeous nature. From there we went to a rural site to observe the schools. Different grade levels were in one very small room with one or two teachers maximum, teaching each group a different lesson. They lack materials and books; however this school even being established for these kids was a big step. I got to sit and help some little kids how to add with the little Hindi skills I have and got the opportunity to recall the simplicity of childhood without video games, TV, computer, etc. with a simple gave of “duck duck goose”. I had a blast teaching these kids, especially this beautiful little girl named Kali. She was so beautiful and intelligent and I realize that she will never be told that in her life. Later we walked around the village and felt the hospitality of those around. We also saw the young girls working endlessly on a loom for rugs. These girls cannot go to school every day because of work, however they have night school for three hours
We got to go to another site which was my favorite experience. In rural villages NGOs (Non government agencies) attempt to go and provide livelihood for the people. In this village people farm a lot, so the NGO went in and taught the women how to save and invest. Now the women all have weekly meetings of how to progress. They save money and their husbands do not have access to it. The women (in response to this) had to take a lot of disapproval and abuse from their husbands who did not initially approve of their group formation. They have worked hard to keep their program going besides their husbands’ resentment and possible retaliation. Many of these women expressed how they do not like what they do and do not want to have to deal with their husbands beating them and coming home drunk. They do not have any running electricity or even a restroom in their houses. Though they deal with this from 5am to 10 pm each and everyday these women were still happy and so hospitable. At first introduction they sang a song for us then asked us to sing an English song for them. We couldn’t think about anything besides a melody of “Row Row Row Your Boat” which we did in three separate groups, the video is hilarious! These women took us in the field to show us everything and immediately were crawling all over me. They held my hand as we walked and overwhelmed me with questions of my marriage, what I am going to be doing in Hyderabad, who I am planning to “unveil” my wedding veil to. These woman were all over me, to the point that once we were walking back they were all pulling me in the opposite direction to stay. The sweetest thing was they straight away pulled out corn from their crops to give us some, though they hardly have any food for themselves. These families hardly have anything and even then, when my flip flop broke, they offered from me to take theirs. This flip flop accident did allow for my first bollywood moment to happen as the tour guide from the NGO that was taking us around, took off his shoe for me to use and walked around bare footed. I was even dubbed one woman’s sister. I loved this experience so much. It was so beautiful to watch these strong women and was inspiring to see the initiative these NGOs that I will be working with are taking.
From these experiences I already feel like a different person. My eyes have been opened up to a world I have known about but never understood. It is difficult to go to a club at night or even a nice restaurant and see the attitudes of the rich, and see how much they actually have, then go to areas like I mentioned above and see the poverty and despair. It is a constant struggle to watch the separation in India. On another note, India does really have that power everyone speaks about. It is beautiful in so many ways and the hospitality is beautiful.
First two weeks in INDIA!!!
For more pictures:
My first few days in India have been a real eye opening experience in so many ways. I am staying in a youth hotel with the 29 other fellows that are in the same program as. We are in New Delhi for the first 12 days for training, then everyone separates to go to their host location.
The streets of India are exactly what I imagined them to be. Driving in my first auto rickshaw was an exciting experience as we drove through the extremely wealthy and extremely poor areas of New Delhi. We have attempted to see as much as possible in this city, though most of our time is taken up by our training.
I must say I feel truly privileged to be a part of this prestigious and incredible program. Our training consists of a plethora of information concerning social, religious, economic and health issues in India. We have very informative and important speakers from all over India coming to speak to us about various topics to prepare us for our experiences. These topics trigger a lot of questions and concerns about the issues that continue to disturb India. Our topics of discussion are always very intense and there are plenty of fellows to contribute to profound conversations. AIF is extremely well connected in India and the US which is why we were privileged enough to have speakers from every realm. Some of the speakers include, a former Chief Minster of Madhya Pradesh, an India state, the US Ambassador for India, a lead social activist, a woman who participated in the feminist movement in India and is now a well known author and publisher, a man in charge of a dalit (untouchable caste) rights worker, a man in charge of the disabilities non profit, livelihood coordinators, the Deputy Managing Director of the lead bank, etc. In addition we had our own viewing of the National Gallery of Modern Art, where the director gave us a private tour while the museum was closed.
My co fellows are incredibly intelligent. All of them have accomplished a truly mind boggling amount things and are on a strong mission to have a positive impact in this country. Every conversation stirs up many thoughts, issues, emotions, moral dilemmas and social interests. It’s refreshing to be around and apart of such intellectual conversations on a daily basis. It saddens me how sometimes our lives become so routine that we lack such conversations on a daily basis, and I am glad to have that in my life right now. I am lucky to be a part of every conversation and am taking every word that is spoken to soak up all the information I possibly can. I find it very inspiring and motivating to be around such topics of discussion.
I realize now that I will have a constant dilemma while in India. The issues we are concerning ourselves with are serious and are very dominate in the Indian culture. Poverty is out of control, social stigmas and castes societies are still strongly in place, public health services are not readily available, jobs are scarce and the division between rich and poor is un measurable. We are constantly debating on the fact that we should bargain with rickshaw drivers, yet realize this is their livelihood, and what is 10 more rupees to us (25 cents)? Most lower class people make about 20 rupees a day (if at that) which is about 50 cents. A dollar and 5 cent blood test at the hospital is practically impossible for many of these people because of the price. Untouchables as a caste have been able to rise, get an education and hold high positions in their jobs, however they are still discriminated against to the point that a higher caste member will purify a seat that an untouchable has sat in before they continue to sit. The issues go on and on.
Post training, I will be working in these fields and get an even stronger sense of all these issues. I am beyond excited to get involved in my program, however am constantly fearful of all the poverty and social injustice I will see.
Though we are focusing on all these issues I want to emphasize I am very happy with everything I am learning. This wealth of knowledge feels empowering and I just feel so blessed to be here. I am having a blast during down time with the other fellows and look forward to maintaining friendships with them.
The streets of India are exactly what I imagined them to be. Driving in my first auto rickshaw was an exciting experience as we drove through the extremely wealthy and extremely poor areas of New Delhi. We have attempted to see as much as possible in this city, though most of our time is taken up by our training.I must say I feel truly privileged to be a part of this prestigious and incredible program. Our training consists of a plethora of information concerning social, religious, economic and health issues in India. We have very informative and important speakers from all over India coming to speak to us about various topics to prepare us for our experiences. These topics trigger a lot of questions and concerns about the issues that continue to disturb India. Our topics of discussion are always very intense and there are plenty of fellows to contribute to profound conversations. AIF is extremely well connected in India and the US which is why we were privileged enough to have speakers from every realm. Some of the speakers include, a former Chief Minster of Madhya Pradesh, an India state, the US Ambassador for India, a lead social activist, a woman who participated in the feminist movement in India and is now a well known author and publisher, a man in charge of a dalit (untouchable caste) rights worker, a man in charge of the disabilities non profit, livelihood coordinators, the Deputy Managing Director of the lead bank, etc. In addition we had our own viewing of the National Gallery of Modern Art, where the director gave us a private tour while the museum was closed.
My co fellows are incredibly intelligent. All of them have accomplished a truly mind boggling amount things and are on a strong mission to have a positive impact in this country. Every conversation stirs up many thoughts, issues, emotions, moral dilemmas and social interests. It’s refreshing to be around and apart of such intellectual conversations on a daily basis. It saddens me how sometimes our lives become so routine that we lack such conversations on a daily basis, and I am glad to have that in my life right now. I am lucky to be a part of every conversation and am taking every word that is spoken to soak up all the information I possibly can. I find it very inspiring and motivating to be around such topics of discussion.
I realize now that I will have a constant dilemma while in India. The issues we are concerning ourselves with are serious and are very dominate in the Indian culture. Poverty is out of control, social stigmas and castes societies are still strongly in place, public health services are not readily available, jobs are scarce and the division between rich and poor is un measurable. We are constantly debating on the fact that we should bargain with rickshaw drivers, yet realize this is their livelihood, and what is 10 more rupees to us (25 cents)? Most lower class people make about 20 rupees a day (if at that) which is about 50 cents. A dollar and 5 cent blood test at the hospital is practically impossible for many of these people because of the price. Untouchables as a caste have been able to rise, get an education and hold high positions in their jobs, however they are still discriminated against to the point that a higher caste member will purify a seat that an untouchable has sat in before they continue to sit. The issues go on and on.
Post training, I will be working in these fields and get an even stronger sense of all these issues. I am beyond excited to get involved in my program, however am constantly fearful of all the poverty and social injustice I will see.
Though we are focusing on all these issues I want to emphasize I am very happy with everything I am learning. This wealth of knowledge feels empowering and I just feel so blessed to be here. I am having a blast during down time with the other fellows and look forward to maintaining friendships with them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
