Sorry for the delay friends. It’s been a troublesome week not to mention one with very limited internet. I went to Delhi last weekend and though I was hosted yet again by my wonderful friends I felt terrible for most of the time. I had 3 days of headaches- literally woke up and went to bed with them, and by the time I was back in Janauri (after a pretty rough 11 hour trip) I was sick. Sore throat, exhaustion, aches, and stomach problems. I was frustrated because I was ready to get the ball rolling with our recycling project and ended up having to sleep and rest for a large portion of the week. Though I ended up getting in touch with a couple of NGOs about partnering with us on our project. What I’m currently trying to figure out is 1. Which recycling plant to partner with and 2. How to actually get the waste to the plant. I’m trying to see if we can figure out a way to partner with migrant workers here to give them some income or if we could actually make a little money from this project (which we desperately need) by partnering directly with the companies. Olivia, the new god-sent intern, has basically finished our presentation (she’s the powerpoint queen) for the villagers and various schools and we’re aiming to make our first presentation on October 4th. So hopefully this next week will be a productive one where we’ll create some real partnerships and get this thing movin!
I’ve reached a new stage in my adjustment here. I feel much more relaxed. Even when, for instance, our bus broke down the other day, leaving us semi stranded. At the beginning of my trip, a situation like that would’ve resulted in a major stress out for me but this time I was able to shrug my shoulders and say, “eh, the adventure continues.” I’ve had enough challenging experiences now to know that things really will be ok. There’s always someone here willing to help and even if there’s not, you can use basic words to get what you need. It’s really been an exercise in letting go of control. The more I leave things to fate, the better things seem to go for me. The key seems to be making sure I have back up plans.
This weekend we’re in another mountain town, Shimla. I’m so incredibly happy to be back in the mountains. Shimla is especially interesting because it was a haven for the British during the raj and still has a lot of the colonial architecture/layout they established. Recently I’ve been trying to imagine what these towns and cities must’ve been when the paint was fresh and cars were few. Globalization has brought so many evils to this country. Of course without it, I very well could not have been here, not to mention a myriad of other benefits we've all gained from it. But still, what an incredibly exotic and natural place this must’ve been. Even 30 years ago it was probably a different world. I wish I could’ve seen it. Anyway, our hotel is pretty funny. The first night we stayed in a damp but relatively comfortable place. It was a little too expensive for what we were getting so we were on the lookout for a better option as we meandered through the city yesterday. We were approached by less obnoxious touts (as far as touts go) who showed us a different hotel in a more central location. Some of you may already know this but for those that don’t (cause I didn’t before I came here) touts are people who try and get you to stay at certain hotels or use certain tour companies and get a commission from the hotel for taking you there, which is often actually tacked on to your rate. In general I’ve avoided them but now that I’m beginning to gain a better understanding of what prices should and should not be here and also because they gave off a better vibe than most I’ve met, I listened to them. The guy who talked to me of course pulled out the Indian charm in the process, “You know, I love your accent and your smile, so you get a good price.” Sure buddy. Yeah that’s right, I’m sure you get the best rates in town. Mmmmhm. But we looked at the first hotel they wanted us to stay in, declined because it was overpriced and crappy, and then they showed us the good stuff. We managed to get a hotel that, listed in my lonely planet for 2500 rupees a night (around 60 dollars) for 1000 rupees a night (about 24 dollars). There’s three of us in the room so split three ways it’s not so bad. But man, we are in the LOVE room. Mirrors everywhere. I’m trying not to think about it so much. I’ll try and post pictures if I can figure out this whole blog thing. My fellow bloggers are really putting me to shame. Alright, well I think that pretty much sums it up!! Hopefully I’ll have some positive updates about the project in my next post. Cross your fingers for us out here!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
My silver lining
Even on my worst days, or maybe especially on them, I find inspiration in the kindness of people here. I’ll discover that as I’m about to break down, just give up for the day, turn around and go get in bed, someone will amaze me. This post is simply to list the random acts of kindness I’ve received. I started jotting these experiences down and realized yall might like to see an example since my more recent post was pretty depressed. So here it is!
A couple of days ago I was in Chandigarh I decided to venture out on my own for lunch. This is still a pretty nerve racking thing for me to do in a city because it requires that I get a taxi, explain where to go when neither of us understand the others’ language, and then I experience the sensation of being a foreigner alone in a bustling metropolis where I can’t have a real conversation with anyone. Maybe I have no reason to be nervous but oh well, I am. The other day I went to KFC (which is a weirdly big deal here by the way) just so I could avoid having to figure out what different things on the menu were and so I could order easily in English and pay in a way so that it was easy to avoid much contact/translating/sign language with others. But this day I was determined to take a step forward and go to an Indian restaurant. Partially due to the fact that I just wanted some good, healthy, and vegetarian Indian food. So I found a restaurant that was recommended to me and walked to the counter which more difficult than it sounds- depending on where you go, lines are just a nice idea. Here people were crowded around the counter, trying to edge their way in to the front. My immediate thought was it’s not worth it, I'll go to a place with no lines. But then I decided, when in India… do as Indians do. So, much to surprise of the people around me who I’m sure disregarded me as an amateur- definitely not a threat to their retrieval of lunch- a tall freckled foreigner barged into the mass of waving hands. I got to the front relatively quickly and was all smug about it until I realized that I didn’t know how to describe what I wanted and then I just felt like an idiot with all of them looking impatiently and expectantly at me. I quickly ordered my old (and delicious) standby- a thali. If you’ve never had one of these, try it next time you go to an Indian restaurant. It’s the best way to get small portions of a few different delicious dishes- for someone who doesn’t really know Indian food like a native- it’s a good way to sample. So after my food was ordered I was given a ticket and verbal directions in Hindi about what to do with it. Great. I turned around looking I’m sure like a deer in the headlights and found a kind looking old man who worked there smiling at me. I smiled back. He tilted his head to the side and asked “where you sit? “ I looked around at the packed restaurant, “ehhhhh.” He just smiled and said “ok ok aek minat (one minute).” Thankfully he returned quickly and led me to a small, recently vacated table where he’d placed a reserved sign for me. A relief. Though I still needed to go get my food- “no worry” he said and grabbed my ticket from my hand and bustled off. A few minutes later he was back with my steaming thali. I thanked him as much as I could while he was still in ear shot, "Shookriya shookriya shookriya-" one of the like 20 words I know in hindi. After my scrumptious meal I walked out of the restaurant and soon heard “hanji hanji (yes yes) miss miss!” Having been catcalled at a few times already that day I ignored it. Then eventually I sneaked a peak over my shoulder to see who was yelling at me and saw that same sweet old man running after me, holding my water bottle that I had apparently forgotten as I meandered out of the restaurant in a food coma. I was so grateful (and embarrassed/ashamed for ignoring him)- he was not required to do any of this. But that’s how people work here. I mean yeah I’ve met some rude people who I think wish I would just go home. But around the corner there’s always someone with a smile on their face and a desire to help me, just because.
That’s just one of the many experiences I’ve had with random acts of kindness here. Mabye you had to be there, but I find what this little old man did for me so amazing- just because in a country where people have every reason to be desperate and mean to each other, they often unconsciously go out of their way not to be.
Anyway, this week has been an improvement. The operations manager who has come to stay with until the new intern arrives has been determined to make the Janauri center a proper home… or at least a livable one. We’ve been cleaning for hours during the day- My job today was scrubbing one of the bedrooms clean and before I did that there was a layer of dirt on the ground, trash everywhere, and cobwebs covering the walls. Doing this has really helped me feel more at home. And now I have internet on my computer here so I can really get moving on my project. The new intern arrives tomorrow so hopefully things will finally settle down and I’ll be able to develop a solid schedule. And this weekend I'm of to Amristar, the holy city of the Sikhs- home to the Golden Temple. I've been looking forward to seeing this since long before I came. Planning on taking lots of pictures!
A couple of days ago I was in Chandigarh I decided to venture out on my own for lunch. This is still a pretty nerve racking thing for me to do in a city because it requires that I get a taxi, explain where to go when neither of us understand the others’ language, and then I experience the sensation of being a foreigner alone in a bustling metropolis where I can’t have a real conversation with anyone. Maybe I have no reason to be nervous but oh well, I am. The other day I went to KFC (which is a weirdly big deal here by the way) just so I could avoid having to figure out what different things on the menu were and so I could order easily in English and pay in a way so that it was easy to avoid much contact/translating/sign language with others. But this day I was determined to take a step forward and go to an Indian restaurant. Partially due to the fact that I just wanted some good, healthy, and vegetarian Indian food. So I found a restaurant that was recommended to me and walked to the counter which more difficult than it sounds- depending on where you go, lines are just a nice idea. Here people were crowded around the counter, trying to edge their way in to the front. My immediate thought was it’s not worth it, I'll go to a place with no lines. But then I decided, when in India… do as Indians do. So, much to surprise of the people around me who I’m sure disregarded me as an amateur- definitely not a threat to their retrieval of lunch- a tall freckled foreigner barged into the mass of waving hands. I got to the front relatively quickly and was all smug about it until I realized that I didn’t know how to describe what I wanted and then I just felt like an idiot with all of them looking impatiently and expectantly at me. I quickly ordered my old (and delicious) standby- a thali. If you’ve never had one of these, try it next time you go to an Indian restaurant. It’s the best way to get small portions of a few different delicious dishes- for someone who doesn’t really know Indian food like a native- it’s a good way to sample. So after my food was ordered I was given a ticket and verbal directions in Hindi about what to do with it. Great. I turned around looking I’m sure like a deer in the headlights and found a kind looking old man who worked there smiling at me. I smiled back. He tilted his head to the side and asked “where you sit? “ I looked around at the packed restaurant, “ehhhhh.” He just smiled and said “ok ok aek minat (one minute).” Thankfully he returned quickly and led me to a small, recently vacated table where he’d placed a reserved sign for me. A relief. Though I still needed to go get my food- “no worry” he said and grabbed my ticket from my hand and bustled off. A few minutes later he was back with my steaming thali. I thanked him as much as I could while he was still in ear shot, "Shookriya shookriya shookriya-" one of the like 20 words I know in hindi. After my scrumptious meal I walked out of the restaurant and soon heard “hanji hanji (yes yes) miss miss!” Having been catcalled at a few times already that day I ignored it. Then eventually I sneaked a peak over my shoulder to see who was yelling at me and saw that same sweet old man running after me, holding my water bottle that I had apparently forgotten as I meandered out of the restaurant in a food coma. I was so grateful (and embarrassed/ashamed for ignoring him)- he was not required to do any of this. But that’s how people work here. I mean yeah I’ve met some rude people who I think wish I would just go home. But around the corner there’s always someone with a smile on their face and a desire to help me, just because.
That’s just one of the many experiences I’ve had with random acts of kindness here. Mabye you had to be there, but I find what this little old man did for me so amazing- just because in a country where people have every reason to be desperate and mean to each other, they often unconsciously go out of their way not to be.
Anyway, this week has been an improvement. The operations manager who has come to stay with until the new intern arrives has been determined to make the Janauri center a proper home… or at least a livable one. We’ve been cleaning for hours during the day- My job today was scrubbing one of the bedrooms clean and before I did that there was a layer of dirt on the ground, trash everywhere, and cobwebs covering the walls. Doing this has really helped me feel more at home. And now I have internet on my computer here so I can really get moving on my project. The new intern arrives tomorrow so hopefully things will finally settle down and I’ll be able to develop a solid schedule. And this weekend I'm of to Amristar, the holy city of the Sikhs- home to the Golden Temple. I've been looking forward to seeing this since long before I came. Planning on taking lots of pictures!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Frustrated
So I've been avoiding writing this blog. In regards to my work, many things have been building up that have led to my intense frustration with my internship. I'll start with my return from Manali though my issues began on day one.
It was hard to leave Manali and return to the heat. Though it's beginning to cool down a bit, the weather channel still reported it "feels like 100 degrees" I got stuck in Chandigarh on my way back due to a bus strike in the city. But I actually used that opportunity to stay in a nice hotel and get some good sleep on western mattress in a room with air conditioning. I didn't leave the hotel for the whole day. It was a little mini vacation. : ) Of course, the next day buses were up and running again so back to Janauri I went.
I realized when I got to Janauri I was avoiding really trying to start my project because I was beginning to have doubts that I would be able to do it. I'd already discovered that some of the things my organization promised me were not delivered (they said food was provided and the accommodation would be decent- by indian standards the place we live isn't even very decent) and I'd found out that all of the interns were summer interns and they were leaving, which could potentially leave me in the village alone. Of course I made it clear I would not stay there alone and they said an intern from another village would be staying with me until the next intern arrived. I'm still bothered that there will be only two of use. BUT. Before coming I made it clear that I did not want to teach English. What I have discovered is that EduCARE's source of income is their english program. If you can even really call it a program. Sometimes I'll have ten students, only one english book, and no blackboard of any kind. I also have no training in teaching ESL so this whole situation is stressful and depressing for me. They started the center I'm at- Janauri about a month and a half ago because they incorrectly believe that a huge amount of new interns would be arriving. So what they've done is spread us really thin across the three centers. They're determined to make me stay at this center simply because they need someone to teach English. I was pretty upset by this- it puts me in a really bad position because basically, I can either leave or I can try and do some waste management (by myself now) while teaching English and running the girls club. It sounds like one other girl is coming to Janauri and we're going to have to juggle all of the responsiblities between us while still trying to get our own projects accomplished. I feel like I was tricked into this. I was also told when I came that there was a waste management center already established that I could base my project off of. After talking to the other intern who was "managing" the waste mangement center in the other village, it became clear to me that this was also a creative twist on the reality of the situation. There is no waste management center. During our conversation the intern said, "Waste management center? What waste management center? I tried to get them to use cotton bags instead of plastic in the shops and it worked for a week or so but then they quit." I was furious by this point. I looked into going back to Chandigarh to do another internship through AIESEC but it turns out they're kind of a sham as well. By the end of the evening on Thursday, I was miserable, feeling like I'd flown around 9000 miles and spent a lot of money to sit around in a village to try and work with a shady english program.
The man who runs EduCARE, Baljinder Bhullar, says that EduCARE is about education and sustainability, yet the only sustainable effort they have is the one that makes them money (english). Apart from that, he tells the interns to create their own project, do the research, and take care of it themselves- that he'll help when he can. Is this the reality of aid work in developing nations? Is this why so little progress is made? The fact that he's expecting me to do so much while knowing no Hindi and having relatively little education is very upsetting. He said not knowing Hindi wouldn't be a problem. It's a huge one. No one in the village speaks English except the limited amount spoken by our english students. My other job role was supposed to be female empowerment. But due to the language barrier the girls club is little more than physical activities like drawing and games. I've tried to be creative as possible but I'm running out of ideas. The translators provided by the organization are local staff who have other responsibilities and limited time to help. In my anger and hopelessness, the only thing I really felt like doing was going home. I felt like a failure. However, after a few pep talks from my annoyingly optimistic family :) and after talking with the other interns, I have developed a plan-
My goal is to, instead of making a landfill of sorts (which is just not possible for me to do in the time I have), implement a recycling program in the village. I've done a little research and it seems doable. It'll consist of local education, working with a recycling plant, and working with the villagers to set up bins around the area. I'll hopefully have to teach English only once a day and run the girls club twice a week which I hope will leave enough time to get this project done. If it doesn't work due to lack of support or something like that, I plan on writing a research paper about aid work in developing nations and what's going wrong. I may do that anyway. I'll interview interns, Mr. Bhullar, AIESEC members, and other NGOs while also doing research back in the U.S.
I hope to find a silver lining in all of this. I know that if nothing else, coming to India has been extremely educational and has shown me a lot about myself- pushed me to my limits and made me realize that limits are relative. I hope my project will be successful, but I'm preparing myself for the eventuality that I'll have to regard any failure from an academic perspective so that this continues to be a learning experience.
It was hard to leave Manali and return to the heat. Though it's beginning to cool down a bit, the weather channel still reported it "feels like 100 degrees" I got stuck in Chandigarh on my way back due to a bus strike in the city. But I actually used that opportunity to stay in a nice hotel and get some good sleep on western mattress in a room with air conditioning. I didn't leave the hotel for the whole day. It was a little mini vacation. : ) Of course, the next day buses were up and running again so back to Janauri I went.
I realized when I got to Janauri I was avoiding really trying to start my project because I was beginning to have doubts that I would be able to do it. I'd already discovered that some of the things my organization promised me were not delivered (they said food was provided and the accommodation would be decent- by indian standards the place we live isn't even very decent) and I'd found out that all of the interns were summer interns and they were leaving, which could potentially leave me in the village alone. Of course I made it clear I would not stay there alone and they said an intern from another village would be staying with me until the next intern arrived. I'm still bothered that there will be only two of use. BUT. Before coming I made it clear that I did not want to teach English. What I have discovered is that EduCARE's source of income is their english program. If you can even really call it a program. Sometimes I'll have ten students, only one english book, and no blackboard of any kind. I also have no training in teaching ESL so this whole situation is stressful and depressing for me. They started the center I'm at- Janauri about a month and a half ago because they incorrectly believe that a huge amount of new interns would be arriving. So what they've done is spread us really thin across the three centers. They're determined to make me stay at this center simply because they need someone to teach English. I was pretty upset by this- it puts me in a really bad position because basically, I can either leave or I can try and do some waste management (by myself now) while teaching English and running the girls club. It sounds like one other girl is coming to Janauri and we're going to have to juggle all of the responsiblities between us while still trying to get our own projects accomplished. I feel like I was tricked into this. I was also told when I came that there was a waste management center already established that I could base my project off of. After talking to the other intern who was "managing" the waste mangement center in the other village, it became clear to me that this was also a creative twist on the reality of the situation. There is no waste management center. During our conversation the intern said, "Waste management center? What waste management center? I tried to get them to use cotton bags instead of plastic in the shops and it worked for a week or so but then they quit." I was furious by this point. I looked into going back to Chandigarh to do another internship through AIESEC but it turns out they're kind of a sham as well. By the end of the evening on Thursday, I was miserable, feeling like I'd flown around 9000 miles and spent a lot of money to sit around in a village to try and work with a shady english program.
The man who runs EduCARE, Baljinder Bhullar, says that EduCARE is about education and sustainability, yet the only sustainable effort they have is the one that makes them money (english). Apart from that, he tells the interns to create their own project, do the research, and take care of it themselves- that he'll help when he can. Is this the reality of aid work in developing nations? Is this why so little progress is made? The fact that he's expecting me to do so much while knowing no Hindi and having relatively little education is very upsetting. He said not knowing Hindi wouldn't be a problem. It's a huge one. No one in the village speaks English except the limited amount spoken by our english students. My other job role was supposed to be female empowerment. But due to the language barrier the girls club is little more than physical activities like drawing and games. I've tried to be creative as possible but I'm running out of ideas. The translators provided by the organization are local staff who have other responsibilities and limited time to help. In my anger and hopelessness, the only thing I really felt like doing was going home. I felt like a failure. However, after a few pep talks from my annoyingly optimistic family :) and after talking with the other interns, I have developed a plan-
My goal is to, instead of making a landfill of sorts (which is just not possible for me to do in the time I have), implement a recycling program in the village. I've done a little research and it seems doable. It'll consist of local education, working with a recycling plant, and working with the villagers to set up bins around the area. I'll hopefully have to teach English only once a day and run the girls club twice a week which I hope will leave enough time to get this project done. If it doesn't work due to lack of support or something like that, I plan on writing a research paper about aid work in developing nations and what's going wrong. I may do that anyway. I'll interview interns, Mr. Bhullar, AIESEC members, and other NGOs while also doing research back in the U.S.
I hope to find a silver lining in all of this. I know that if nothing else, coming to India has been extremely educational and has shown me a lot about myself- pushed me to my limits and made me realize that limits are relative. I hope my project will be successful, but I'm preparing myself for the eventuality that I'll have to regard any failure from an academic perspective so that this continues to be a learning experience.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Jumping off a mountain in Manali
Coming to the mountains this weekend was therapeutic. Once I was out of the heat, tucked away in Old Manali- a wonderful little town in the foothills of the Himalayas, I was able to relax and take in my whole trip here. We've been staying in an adorable guest house situated at the top of a steep hill with an incredible view of the surrounding mountains. Despite the steep climb, it's a great place to stay that we're getting for 200 rupees a night (around $4.50). I love India. It's going to be so hard to come back to the U.S. and pay 10 dollars for a meal. Today my lunch cost around $1.50. And the pace of life here is so relaxed and content- if I were to live abroad for an extended period of time, I could actually see myself coming here.
I head back to my village Monday night on an overnight bus and when I get back I really start working on my waste management project. I'm looking forward to getting started but I'm dreading returning to the exhausting heat. Maybe I'll just hide out in the mountains on the weekends until it starts cooling down.
Today I had an experience that I think is representative of my trip to India. I went Paragliding. We had to hike up a painfully steep trail for about 45 minutes before reaching our take off point. On the nerve racking car ride up to the area where we did it, the driver (one of the paragliding pilots) admitted how dangerous paragliding was, that around 100 people broke their legs here a year and even occasionally there was a fatality. Though it's still statistically much safer than driving a car, I was still terrified. But when we got to the take off point and I got all strapped in there was no going back. Then the scariest part- running full speed and jumping off the side of a mountain. My trip in the sky was beautiful and thankfully the landing was very easy. One of my friends didn't have that luck though. Landing depends on the wind, and right as they were getting ready to touch down, the wind dropped off and she crashed into the ground. Thankfully she folded her legs underneath her or else she probably would've broken one. But looking back, jumping off that mountain reminds me of how I approached my trip here- I just had to bite back my fear and forget all of the unknowns and do it. And like with my trip, I'm glad I did. I'm going to take this to a disgustingly corny finish, using a quote I just came across when I was looking at Ms. Samantha Hiner's facebook- The world may be falling out from under my feet, but at least I'm getting a chance to fly. Thanks Sam. :)
I head back to my village Monday night on an overnight bus and when I get back I really start working on my waste management project. I'm looking forward to getting started but I'm dreading returning to the exhausting heat. Maybe I'll just hide out in the mountains on the weekends until it starts cooling down.
Today I had an experience that I think is representative of my trip to India. I went Paragliding. We had to hike up a painfully steep trail for about 45 minutes before reaching our take off point. On the nerve racking car ride up to the area where we did it, the driver (one of the paragliding pilots) admitted how dangerous paragliding was, that around 100 people broke their legs here a year and even occasionally there was a fatality. Though it's still statistically much safer than driving a car, I was still terrified. But when we got to the take off point and I got all strapped in there was no going back. Then the scariest part- running full speed and jumping off the side of a mountain. My trip in the sky was beautiful and thankfully the landing was very easy. One of my friends didn't have that luck though. Landing depends on the wind, and right as they were getting ready to touch down, the wind dropped off and she crashed into the ground. Thankfully she folded her legs underneath her or else she probably would've broken one. But looking back, jumping off that mountain reminds me of how I approached my trip here- I just had to bite back my fear and forget all of the unknowns and do it. And like with my trip, I'm glad I did. I'm going to take this to a disgustingly corny finish, using a quote I just came across when I was looking at Ms. Samantha Hiner's facebook- The world may be falling out from under my feet, but at least I'm getting a chance to fly. Thanks Sam. :)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
My name is Khushi
I'm writing this with Henna covered hands. Though here it's called Mahani. I found this a little odd seeing as didn't henna originate here? I feel like it should've kept its original name. One of my English students came over one night to do it and apparently she's the best, when the other villagers saw it, they all asked if it was her.
Here in Kanuari I have stepped back in time. Really only the occasional bus and a few motor bikes zooming around remind me we're in 2010. In the mornings I walk down a winding, sometimes dirt and sometimes cobbled path to work. The village is situated in the hills so it's a hike, but it's a beautiful one. Our living arrangements leave much to be desired but it looks like we'll be moving to a surprisingly nice apartment next week. At our current residence, we're renting a couple of rooms from an older woman- they set up a makeshift kitchen outside for us with no fridge and ants crawling everywhere and the western toilet often doesn't work so we resort to using the squat toilet. On the brighter side, we have a very private garden where monkeys come in the morning to steal guavas from the trees and where you can see every kind of bird and butterfly. After a difficult first night here, I woke up the next morning to the sound of crickets and the birds and realized that everything is going to be just fine.
I left Chandigarh on Monday morning and one 4 hour sweltering bus ride later I was in Hoshiarpur- a smaller district north of Chandigarh. There I was met by another intern, Anne-Claire (but we just call her Claire) from France. She took me onto another bus to the village. In order to get up to the house I had to have my first, and so far most nerve racking, motor bike experience. It consisted of putting my giant suitcase between myself and the driver, then holding onto him with the tips of my fingers as we sped through the sandy roads (no helmets). Since then I've ridden more and become more comfortable- but I think I'll always opt for a bus, car, or train when I can.
I've had multiple people come up to me and talk to me in Hindi, confused why I don't know the language. I recently found out why. Here in India, there's an uncommon skin condition that results in light skin with brown patches on it. Though I think normally it's only on the face (I may be wrong there) and the patches are much bigger than my freckles. Still, some people think I'm Indian with that condition. It's made for some pretttyyyy awwkkkwwarrd moments. But it's funny because even when I say "no no it's not a problem, it's fairly common in the U.S. and it comes from ireland," they said, "Problem? Why would it be problem? Just the way you are." I love that.
I'm waiting for another intern to return from Delhi to start my work- He and I will be starting the waste management center here. This EduCARE center is brand new- barely three weeks old- so I've walked into a total starter upper. But I don't mind that as long as I have guidance. In the meantime I've taught an english class (daunting and awkward) and helped out with the after school program. But boy is it HOT here. By the time I walk down to the center in the morning I'm dripping with sweat. And I'm pretty consistently covered with it all day. Yesterday I rinsed of twice AND took a shower. And I still felt hot. I'm looking forward to it cooling down in a few weeks.
During my English class my students gave me my official Hindi name-Khushi- meaning happy. I love it. I'm so glad that when they see me, they see happiness. By the next day my name had spread like a wild fire and at the after school program whenever the kids wanted me they yelled "khushi khushi khushi!!!" My naming is probably my favorite experience so far. Waste management here is really unheard of. As I walk along the beautiful path to my house, the greenery is often covered in piles of trash. Here there is no trash pick up or landfill- people throw there trash out the car window or out their back door. I'm hoping once we create another option for them that they'll come to believe that the extra effort of bring trash to a center is worth it. In the U.S. laws were implemented the 60s against littering but they don't exist here, and in the places where they do exist, there is no enforcement. So we have to count on the hearts and minds of the people here. Considering the warm and loving reception I've had from the people here, I'm hoping convincing them won't be too difficult.
I'm settling into my life here and have enjoyed the few days I've had to adjust but I'm ready to get to work! We will most likely start our environmental work next week and this weekend we're going to Manali- a mountain town in the state called Hamachal Pradesh- it's famous for it's beautiful scenery which are the foothills of the himalayas. Can't wait!
Here in Kanuari I have stepped back in time. Really only the occasional bus and a few motor bikes zooming around remind me we're in 2010. In the mornings I walk down a winding, sometimes dirt and sometimes cobbled path to work. The village is situated in the hills so it's a hike, but it's a beautiful one. Our living arrangements leave much to be desired but it looks like we'll be moving to a surprisingly nice apartment next week. At our current residence, we're renting a couple of rooms from an older woman- they set up a makeshift kitchen outside for us with no fridge and ants crawling everywhere and the western toilet often doesn't work so we resort to using the squat toilet. On the brighter side, we have a very private garden where monkeys come in the morning to steal guavas from the trees and where you can see every kind of bird and butterfly. After a difficult first night here, I woke up the next morning to the sound of crickets and the birds and realized that everything is going to be just fine.
I left Chandigarh on Monday morning and one 4 hour sweltering bus ride later I was in Hoshiarpur- a smaller district north of Chandigarh. There I was met by another intern, Anne-Claire (but we just call her Claire) from France. She took me onto another bus to the village. In order to get up to the house I had to have my first, and so far most nerve racking, motor bike experience. It consisted of putting my giant suitcase between myself and the driver, then holding onto him with the tips of my fingers as we sped through the sandy roads (no helmets). Since then I've ridden more and become more comfortable- but I think I'll always opt for a bus, car, or train when I can.
I've had multiple people come up to me and talk to me in Hindi, confused why I don't know the language. I recently found out why. Here in India, there's an uncommon skin condition that results in light skin with brown patches on it. Though I think normally it's only on the face (I may be wrong there) and the patches are much bigger than my freckles. Still, some people think I'm Indian with that condition. It's made for some pretttyyyy awwkkkwwarrd moments. But it's funny because even when I say "no no it's not a problem, it's fairly common in the U.S. and it comes from ireland," they said, "Problem? Why would it be problem? Just the way you are." I love that.
I'm waiting for another intern to return from Delhi to start my work- He and I will be starting the waste management center here. This EduCARE center is brand new- barely three weeks old- so I've walked into a total starter upper. But I don't mind that as long as I have guidance. In the meantime I've taught an english class (daunting and awkward) and helped out with the after school program. But boy is it HOT here. By the time I walk down to the center in the morning I'm dripping with sweat. And I'm pretty consistently covered with it all day. Yesterday I rinsed of twice AND took a shower. And I still felt hot. I'm looking forward to it cooling down in a few weeks.
During my English class my students gave me my official Hindi name-Khushi- meaning happy. I love it. I'm so glad that when they see me, they see happiness. By the next day my name had spread like a wild fire and at the after school program whenever the kids wanted me they yelled "khushi khushi khushi!!!" My naming is probably my favorite experience so far. Waste management here is really unheard of. As I walk along the beautiful path to my house, the greenery is often covered in piles of trash. Here there is no trash pick up or landfill- people throw there trash out the car window or out their back door. I'm hoping once we create another option for them that they'll come to believe that the extra effort of bring trash to a center is worth it. In the U.S. laws were implemented the 60s against littering but they don't exist here, and in the places where they do exist, there is no enforcement. So we have to count on the hearts and minds of the people here. Considering the warm and loving reception I've had from the people here, I'm hoping convincing them won't be too difficult.
I'm settling into my life here and have enjoyed the few days I've had to adjust but I'm ready to get to work! We will most likely start our environmental work next week and this weekend we're going to Manali- a mountain town in the state called Hamachal Pradesh- it's famous for it's beautiful scenery which are the foothills of the himalayas. Can't wait!
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