Tonight was our night in the convent. and wow, there were a lot of bugs. I guess it wasn't really that bad, but I could have done without all of the dead spiders...
During the day we went to a wholesale market that was much more organized thatn the last one we visited. It was government operated and cheaper than private owned ones for people to sell produce. Then we went back to the NGO (KIDS) and listened to presentations on fibres and the women who collect them and construct products from them.
Then we went to the church that the KIDS organization was a part of. I found the church to be very interesting because of the Indian influence on the Catholic Church. The statues (Jesus, Mary, ect) were in the "boxes" much like the Hindu Dieties are and they were decorated with strings of flowers and rupees and lots of bright colors. It also appeared that people prayed to them in the same mannar they prayed to the Hindu dieties.
After spending some time there we went on a boat through the backwaters to the "
"gateway of India" or the place where the monsoons all come in and what colombus was looking for. It was pretty cool, to look from the backwaters into the sea, and learn more about that. Tomorrow we take a full day and night backwater cruise.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Mmmm whatcha say. Mmm that you only meant well? well of course you did.
Well, lets see, we left Coimbatore on Saturday to leave for Cochin. We took a train, the trip was about 5 hours. That pretty much took up the entire day. We sat near some people from California that talked to us quite a bit. I also really like our new tour guide he talked to us a lot on the way from the hotel to the train station, about anything we wanted him to. He's nice, and very helpful.
Today we went to an Ayurveda Hospital. We learned about and saw a bunch of different ophthalmology procedures. I noticed that it was actually much cleaner than the hospital I was in the last time I was here. We also went to the factory where they make their medicines, that was more sterile than the OR I was in (though the regulation flip flops were the same...)We spent the morning there, and had lunch and then headed back to our hotel. We just got done eating dinner at the Upstairs Italian Restaurant.
Kochi is the only place on this trip that I have been to before, so that has been really strange. Today we walked down the street that the hotel I stayed at is on, which is the same street as 2 restaurants we ate at, and a coffee shop that made us miss our ferry, at some point I plan on going to look at the wall that I ran the scooter into since that street is right next to our current hotel. Its just been weird. But nice.
Cochin (Kochi) is BEAUTIFUL, more so than I remembered, its much more developed than the places we've been, and cleaner. Almost no beggars, and a few tourists. Its been a nice change actually. The only annoying part is the rickshaw drivers, especially when they stood outside the restaurant waiting for us to come out last night. Other than that its green and pretty and comfortable.
Frustration of the day: Dan, the program director, who is impatient, uncaring, annoying, and unhelpful. and I'll spare you the rest of the rant for tonight, but....really... AND people taking pictures of children in the clinic, lets use our heads people. How would you feel if that was your child, or even you.
I'm really looking forward to going down to see my host mom, Its really unfortunate that we're all having so many problems with Dan, it takes a lot away from the trip, which in turn is taking a lot of people away from India. The times we all enjoy the most are when we are on our own trying to get around and do things, and we aren't being herded and rushed for no reason. I'm trying to be more positive about him, but his blatant lack of caring about anyone is really causing me to lose the sliver of respect I had left for him.
Wow, that was pretty negative, I didn't mean for it to be, I truly am having a good time, that being said, since I hate ending these on negative notes (and since they have to be transformed into a class assignment, I am still enjoying India, and I really have learned a ton, and the people are still like they were last time, welcoming and amazing. I still love it here.
Today we went to an Ayurveda Hospital. We learned about and saw a bunch of different ophthalmology procedures. I noticed that it was actually much cleaner than the hospital I was in the last time I was here. We also went to the factory where they make their medicines, that was more sterile than the OR I was in (though the regulation flip flops were the same...)We spent the morning there, and had lunch and then headed back to our hotel. We just got done eating dinner at the Upstairs Italian Restaurant.
Kochi is the only place on this trip that I have been to before, so that has been really strange. Today we walked down the street that the hotel I stayed at is on, which is the same street as 2 restaurants we ate at, and a coffee shop that made us miss our ferry, at some point I plan on going to look at the wall that I ran the scooter into since that street is right next to our current hotel. Its just been weird. But nice.
Cochin (Kochi) is BEAUTIFUL, more so than I remembered, its much more developed than the places we've been, and cleaner. Almost no beggars, and a few tourists. Its been a nice change actually. The only annoying part is the rickshaw drivers, especially when they stood outside the restaurant waiting for us to come out last night. Other than that its green and pretty and comfortable.
Frustration of the day: Dan, the program director, who is impatient, uncaring, annoying, and unhelpful. and I'll spare you the rest of the rant for tonight, but....really... AND people taking pictures of children in the clinic, lets use our heads people. How would you feel if that was your child, or even you.
I'm really looking forward to going down to see my host mom, Its really unfortunate that we're all having so many problems with Dan, it takes a lot away from the trip, which in turn is taking a lot of people away from India. The times we all enjoy the most are when we are on our own trying to get around and do things, and we aren't being herded and rushed for no reason. I'm trying to be more positive about him, but his blatant lack of caring about anyone is really causing me to lose the sliver of respect I had left for him.
Wow, that was pretty negative, I didn't mean for it to be, I truly am having a good time, that being said, since I hate ending these on negative notes (and since they have to be transformed into a class assignment, I am still enjoying India, and I really have learned a ton, and the people are still like they were last time, welcoming and amazing. I still love it here.
Friday, May 28, 2010
This is the time to be more than a name or a face in the crowd....
Last night the man at the place I always buy water decided that I needed to try banana chips, milk sweets, and jack fruit chips. That's always a fun part of India. Anyway,
Today was our last day at Shanti, so we had to decide how to allocate the $1200 that we had to donate. We chose to give it to a temple cleanup and a scholarship fund for rural children. It was a difficult decision but we also decided that when we get back we're going to try to fund a food project that the government and Shanti Ashram self help women run. We chose the temple because we felt that it would be a difficult project to get funded and that it will benifit quite a few people, who may begin to learn about how important it is to keep the environment clean. We chose the scholarship program because it will allows to send 7 students to college for one year.
Earlier in the day we learned about there Bala Shanti program which a pre-preschool program for rural children that teaches them all sorts of things. We went and visited the school, the children there were so excited and wanted to know everyone's names and majors and home places. I hate feeling like a celebrity. Its what happens whenever we are around children or uneducated people. I just want to tell them that there is nothing more special about me than there is about them. We asked them who wanted to go to university and all of them raised their hands, then we asked who wanted to travel and again almost all of them raised their hands. It was so nice to see. And then of course at the end they wanted pictures. We talked to the teachers which was fun, hearing what they had experienced and how they had changed by being part of this program.
We also had our last session today with Dr. Veno (who I may have mentioned earlier) She is pretty much the most inspirational person I have ever met. I probably said that before, but I feel like I can reinforce that.
Frustration for the day: Dr. Veno tried to arrange a side trip for some of us to get dropped off at a place where a woman makes jewelry (anklets, earrings etc... its where she shops) but Dan decided that we didn't want to buy real jewelery and that we should buy the cheap stuff in Udaipur. If I'm going to buy jewelery I don't mind spending 20 USD on it. I think the stuff we could have gotten here would have been much more valuable and exciting. So, that was really frustrating.
I have learned so much about development in the last week. Shanti Ashram reinforced everything that I thought and taught me much more then I ever could have guessed it could. I want to pick up the organization and put it in every country around the world "developed" or not, we could all use a Shanti Ashram. (Which by the way, Ashram means meeting place, and Shanti means peace).
Its been very refreshing to hear people say that it is important to celebrate different religions and people and to provide for those with little or nothing without any political backing. It seems to be just how it is here. (not for everyone I'm sure).
The internet cafe is about to close, so I'll save most of the quotes for a later post.
I would really like to do an internship with Shanti Ashram...
"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills."
M.K. Gandhi
Today was our last day at Shanti, so we had to decide how to allocate the $1200 that we had to donate. We chose to give it to a temple cleanup and a scholarship fund for rural children. It was a difficult decision but we also decided that when we get back we're going to try to fund a food project that the government and Shanti Ashram self help women run. We chose the temple because we felt that it would be a difficult project to get funded and that it will benifit quite a few people, who may begin to learn about how important it is to keep the environment clean. We chose the scholarship program because it will allows to send 7 students to college for one year.
Earlier in the day we learned about there Bala Shanti program which a pre-preschool program for rural children that teaches them all sorts of things. We went and visited the school, the children there were so excited and wanted to know everyone's names and majors and home places. I hate feeling like a celebrity. Its what happens whenever we are around children or uneducated people. I just want to tell them that there is nothing more special about me than there is about them. We asked them who wanted to go to university and all of them raised their hands, then we asked who wanted to travel and again almost all of them raised their hands. It was so nice to see. And then of course at the end they wanted pictures. We talked to the teachers which was fun, hearing what they had experienced and how they had changed by being part of this program.
We also had our last session today with Dr. Veno (who I may have mentioned earlier) She is pretty much the most inspirational person I have ever met. I probably said that before, but I feel like I can reinforce that.
Frustration for the day: Dr. Veno tried to arrange a side trip for some of us to get dropped off at a place where a woman makes jewelry (anklets, earrings etc... its where she shops) but Dan decided that we didn't want to buy real jewelery and that we should buy the cheap stuff in Udaipur. If I'm going to buy jewelery I don't mind spending 20 USD on it. I think the stuff we could have gotten here would have been much more valuable and exciting. So, that was really frustrating.
I have learned so much about development in the last week. Shanti Ashram reinforced everything that I thought and taught me much more then I ever could have guessed it could. I want to pick up the organization and put it in every country around the world "developed" or not, we could all use a Shanti Ashram. (Which by the way, Ashram means meeting place, and Shanti means peace).
Its been very refreshing to hear people say that it is important to celebrate different religions and people and to provide for those with little or nothing without any political backing. It seems to be just how it is here. (not for everyone I'm sure).
The internet cafe is about to close, so I'll save most of the quotes for a later post.
I would really like to do an internship with Shanti Ashram...
"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills."
M.K. Gandhi
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I had a feeling that I could be someone...
"India is a place where a Jet and Bullock cart can travel together and not have an accident." This is how Dr. Ramasamy opened his lecture on children's preventative health today. He talked about the importance of vaccines and education on health in general. Someone asked if he got frustrated by people who didn't want to vaccinate their child because of the suspected health risks. His response was that he did not get frustrated instead you would try to find out what they had problems with and address those issues to try to convince them. He was not only a brilliant man but also a fun speaker. He was the first to open a pediatric clinic in Coimbatore. It was pretty amazing.
The other very inspiring person at Shanti Ashram is the director. She is an amazing person, and very humble about it all. She went to medical school (I believe in India) then to Harvard for public health, and now runs the NGO, and is on an advisory council to the government. She is truly an amazing and kind woman.
After our talks today, we went into a village to see an MMR vaccination clinic in action. It was pretty much exactly what I expected after seeing the hospital last time I was here. Not at all what we would define as sterile, but pretty close to how the British handle things. and 1.2 billion people go to these hospitals/clinics so somehow it works. I just have to get outside of my American box to understand how. Pictures and descriptions later.
After that we were invited to the president of Shanti's house for lunch. They cooked us extra mild, extra indian food that was AMAZING. And the best chai I've had since I have been here.
After lunch there were more presentations and then I came here to blog and work on my assignments.
I've noticed that when we have to have things translated, when its women who do it we get the entire conversation word for word, but when its a man translating they don't do everything, sometimes they skip entire topics. It's kind of frustrating when that happens.
This computer just got really slow so I guess that's enough for tonight. We only have one more day at Shanti and then we'll be leaving Coimbatore on Saturday morning.
On to essays and dinner.
:)
The other very inspiring person at Shanti Ashram is the director. She is an amazing person, and very humble about it all. She went to medical school (I believe in India) then to Harvard for public health, and now runs the NGO, and is on an advisory council to the government. She is truly an amazing and kind woman.
After our talks today, we went into a village to see an MMR vaccination clinic in action. It was pretty much exactly what I expected after seeing the hospital last time I was here. Not at all what we would define as sterile, but pretty close to how the British handle things. and 1.2 billion people go to these hospitals/clinics so somehow it works. I just have to get outside of my American box to understand how. Pictures and descriptions later.
After that we were invited to the president of Shanti's house for lunch. They cooked us extra mild, extra indian food that was AMAZING. And the best chai I've had since I have been here.
After lunch there were more presentations and then I came here to blog and work on my assignments.
I've noticed that when we have to have things translated, when its women who do it we get the entire conversation word for word, but when its a man translating they don't do everything, sometimes they skip entire topics. It's kind of frustrating when that happens.
This computer just got really slow so I guess that's enough for tonight. We only have one more day at Shanti and then we'll be leaving Coimbatore on Saturday morning.
On to essays and dinner.
:)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Life is a beautiful thing...
Well. Today. tons of stuff, of course. First we listened to some presentations, and then we headed out to visit the perur temple. Which was the most beautiful one I've seen so far. It was painted and colorful. And there was an elephant, (for those of you keeping track this was elephant encounter #3). Then we went over to see where some of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes are. That was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be more colorful and busy, I guess. It was not, but it was still a cool experience. We all know how much I love his quotes. Pictures of this later, you will see what I mean.
From there we went to speak with the president of a local village. He was a very nice man, who had served three terms. There we got henna done and he gave us each Gandhi's autobiography (I think it was the autobiography, I'll check that later.)
Then we headed back to the Ashram for more presentations, on what they want us to fund. (we have $1200 as a group to split between projects). I'll talk more about this after the rest of the presentations.
The evening was filled with stories from the children who are participating in some of Shanti Ashram's programs, it was truly amazing to hear about the impact it has had on them. Then there was singing and dancing....There is nothing like making a complete fool out of yourself in India, dancing with Indians, to Indian music. Don't worry, there are videos. It was actually pretty cool to be up there dancing with them, and seeing how excited they were that we were dancing. (they also laughed a lot)
Now I'm sitting in an internet cafe listening to the backstreet boys, and trying to remember everything that happened today. Our days are so full its hard for me to keep up with everything I've done.
I wrote this pretty fast so I might have to finish adding things I forgot later but for now, I'm going to go get dinner (probably tomato soup and french fries, its just that kind of night.
From there we went to speak with the president of a local village. He was a very nice man, who had served three terms. There we got henna done and he gave us each Gandhi's autobiography (I think it was the autobiography, I'll check that later.)
Then we headed back to the Ashram for more presentations, on what they want us to fund. (we have $1200 as a group to split between projects). I'll talk more about this after the rest of the presentations.
The evening was filled with stories from the children who are participating in some of Shanti Ashram's programs, it was truly amazing to hear about the impact it has had on them. Then there was singing and dancing....There is nothing like making a complete fool out of yourself in India, dancing with Indians, to Indian music. Don't worry, there are videos. It was actually pretty cool to be up there dancing with them, and seeing how excited they were that we were dancing. (they also laughed a lot)
Now I'm sitting in an internet cafe listening to the backstreet boys, and trying to remember everything that happened today. Our days are so full its hard for me to keep up with everything I've done.
I wrote this pretty fast so I might have to finish adding things I forgot later but for now, I'm going to go get dinner (probably tomato soup and french fries, its just that kind of night.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Content like a panda bear...
Today we talked a lot about food security. They defined having food security as being able to supply 2100 calories to each person in the household. The poverty level is having an income of less than 24,000 rupees a year for a family of four. Welfare in India is provided in the form of subsidized food (rice can be bought for 1 rupee a kilo instead of 20, there are also subsidies on kerosene, sugar, and some kind of beans) We visited a shop where the subsidized foods can be purchased, they are run by local women's self help groups because when the government ran them there was too much corruption. Both the government and the people prefer them to be run this way. Everybody in India is supposed to have a ration card, their income determines what they can get subsidized. I guess the entire population with a ration card can get subsidized sugar. It was really interesting to learn how welfare worked here compared to the US.
We also learned that Shanti Ashram gives loans to these women to start their own small businesses and chargers 18% interest (which is improvement over the 60% regular banks charge them) and that half of that goes into training for the women at Shanti and the other half goes directly back to the group.
There is a nice educational rant for you all. We also played with the children at the leadership camp at Shanti Ashram, which is always fun, especially when they steal our cameras and we get a bunch of surprise pictures later.
I'm frustrated with quite a few things about the program director, but I'll spare you all that rant for now.
I'm really enjoying India, pretty much every part of it. Everyday is an adventure, even when we are trying to do the simplest things. Its a pretty amazing place.
:)
We also learned that Shanti Ashram gives loans to these women to start their own small businesses and chargers 18% interest (which is improvement over the 60% regular banks charge them) and that half of that goes into training for the women at Shanti and the other half goes directly back to the group.
There is a nice educational rant for you all. We also played with the children at the leadership camp at Shanti Ashram, which is always fun, especially when they steal our cameras and we get a bunch of surprise pictures later.
I'm frustrated with quite a few things about the program director, but I'll spare you all that rant for now.
I'm really enjoying India, pretty much every part of it. Everyday is an adventure, even when we are trying to do the simplest things. Its a pretty amazing place.
:)
Monday, May 24, 2010
And I wonder where these dreams go, when the world gets in your way
As we were sitting around the table listening to presenters talk about the work of Shanti Ashram I couldn't help but wonder why there were not more organizations like this one. Why it has not been spread to more villages, cities, states, and countries. Is it that difficult to start something like this? If I say this, however, and then do not try myself to create such organizations, because I am "too young, or too inexperienced" then maybe I will be answering my own question. Maybe it is that mindset that makes this not happen. Then I think, maybe I could start something, maybe with the right mindset and the right resources, and lots of work maybe I could do it. Gandhi said "be the change you wish to see in the world" If I'm going to sit here talking about how not enough is being done, isn't it true that I should be out there doing something about it. It can't be impossible. Create an organization that will train people to train people. I'm sure it would be a challenge. Then I think, well it must be difficult if more people aren't doing it, but maybe that is just it; everyone thinks that no one is doing anything because it is practically impossibly to do, and then no one tries. Right now, I want to be the one person that tries...
Shanti Ashram defines itself as a Gandhian organization, it "strives to be a catalyst for change" and it does a fairly good job at that. They believe that "everybody is not equal, some people need more help". When they start a project they first go to a village and find out what the need is, and then work to get it funded, many other organizations work the other way. They offer help to villages in Coimbatore, rather then force help. Trying to force development is, in my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes we make. It is truly an amazing organization, what it does seems to work. Their "mission statement" seems to really say how development needs to be done, and they stick by that. They have projects and programs in many of what I would define as key areas needing improvement: health, education, environment, woman's empowerment, and many others. I'll give more on their projects as I learn about them.
On another note, I really can't stand it when everyone compares everything to the US dollar. I know that 40 rupees or <$1 a day is not a lot of money no matter where you are, but it doesn't help me to understand how much money people need to make a day here to be comfortable. The guy at pizza hut the other day said that he made 5000 rupees a month. Immediately everyone was like "oh that's less than $300 dollars" everything is different, you can't really understand how much money something is if you start thinking in dollars. ugh.
We also talked today about what it means to be "developed" the presenter said, "I cannot say if the US is developed or not, you still have a 10% unemployment rate, are you happy with that? Are you always happy in general" He said that instead of basing development on GDP (gross domestic product) or HDI (Human Development Index) we should base it on Gross National Happiness. To a great extent, I agree with him.
My day today was, as you can see, just full of thoughts on development, we spend the next 5 days at Shanti, learning about the different projects and how the organization functions. I'm extremely excited about it!
Gandhi said, "there is enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed". Very, very true.
Shanti Ashram defines itself as a Gandhian organization, it "strives to be a catalyst for change" and it does a fairly good job at that. They believe that "everybody is not equal, some people need more help". When they start a project they first go to a village and find out what the need is, and then work to get it funded, many other organizations work the other way. They offer help to villages in Coimbatore, rather then force help. Trying to force development is, in my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes we make. It is truly an amazing organization, what it does seems to work. Their "mission statement" seems to really say how development needs to be done, and they stick by that. They have projects and programs in many of what I would define as key areas needing improvement: health, education, environment, woman's empowerment, and many others. I'll give more on their projects as I learn about them.
On another note, I really can't stand it when everyone compares everything to the US dollar. I know that 40 rupees or <$1 a day is not a lot of money no matter where you are, but it doesn't help me to understand how much money people need to make a day here to be comfortable. The guy at pizza hut the other day said that he made 5000 rupees a month. Immediately everyone was like "oh that's less than $300 dollars" everything is different, you can't really understand how much money something is if you start thinking in dollars. ugh.
We also talked today about what it means to be "developed" the presenter said, "I cannot say if the US is developed or not, you still have a 10% unemployment rate, are you happy with that? Are you always happy in general" He said that instead of basing development on GDP (gross domestic product) or HDI (Human Development Index) we should base it on Gross National Happiness. To a great extent, I agree with him.
My day today was, as you can see, just full of thoughts on development, we spend the next 5 days at Shanti, learning about the different projects and how the organization functions. I'm extremely excited about it!
Gandhi said, "there is enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed". Very, very true.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
pictures of you, pictures of me hung on the wall for the world to see
Today was our free day. So we didn't do much more than just walk around. But at one point a man asked one of us to take his picture. Now, this happens all the time, but I don't really understand the appeal of it. They don't keep the picture, they don't ask for a copy of the picture. I just don't get it.
The man who runs the shop down the street, asked for some American coins, I told him I would bring him some tomorrow, he was pretty excited about it. I love the people here. They are adorable.
The Western Ghats, which I can see from the hotel are beautiful today, it looks like they are surrounding us. Its one of those things that a picture cannot capture.
Its been a good day :)
The man who runs the shop down the street, asked for some American coins, I told him I would bring him some tomorrow, he was pretty excited about it. I love the people here. They are adorable.
The Western Ghats, which I can see from the hotel are beautiful today, it looks like they are surrounding us. Its one of those things that a picture cannot capture.
Its been a good day :)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Where are we, what the hell is going on...
I like my song lyrics titles... : ) Wow, its been three days and I have so much to say. I guess I'll try doing this by day:
Thursday started off with a visit to another temple, they are so beautiful and interesting and I learn something new every time we go I don't think I will ever get tired of visiting them. From there we went to a sari making factory and saw how they were made. That was also very cool, I've always wondered how they did it. Then we went and bought silk saris from the same group of people. From there we headed back to Chennai and stayed with our tour guide for a while. Then we went to get dinner, at a McDonalds in a mall. Can I just say now, that I don't like westernized India, at all. Its very...uncomfortable. Developed India and Modern India are one thing, westernized India is a whole other thing. It was just, way too much, and out of place, and uncomfortable (yes, I know I already said that). Anyway after dinner we boarded a night train for Coimbatore.
The night train was fine. The smell was intense but we hung jasmine flowers on the fan and that helped. The train ride was 8 hours i slept for most of that, so it went by pretty quickly and easily. When we got into Coimbatore we had an hour and then we went out to markets. First, to a farmers market which wasn't too busy and the farmers there wanted pictures and gave some of us free fruit. (I also bought mangoes. Then we went to a Wholesale market which was INSANE. There was a lot of staring, and groups around us. We didn't stay long, before going to the flower market. Which again was quiet and smelled nice. ;)
Then we listened to some lectures on the agriculture projects at TamilNadu Agriculture University. It was really exciting to hear how innovative they were in that area. Later we had a picnic with some TNAU students and talked mainly about cultural differences between the US and India.
And finally today, we had the day off, with an optional activity which ended up being really cool. We went to Isha, which is a non-religious, non profit yoga organization. There we bathed with a ball of mercury (sounds safe, doesn't it?)wearing only some cloth wrap dress, and then meditated in front of the Dhynalinga. The whole experience was interesting and exciting.
The end of this week was filled with my two least favorite things about India: The beggars, and animals. Outside of one of the temples was the worst, there were tons of children and adults and diseases and I just wanted to help all of them. but instead I put on my India face, and looked at no one, and responded to no one. it is one of the hardest things to do here. Then, of course, there are the animals. My pathological fear of rabies (its pretty bad) keeps me from going near them, but seeing them being hit, or kicked, or so thin you can count the bones in their bodies breaks my heart.
In contrast to that was today, when the little kids all smiled and waived, and when we drove down the road with the Western Ghats as our background. It doesn't make up for the pain I feel for the people with next to nothing, or the animals scrapping for garbage, but it is why I love India.
I realized today, more than ever, that westernizing India takes away from what makes it so special. We don't need to make it something it is not, we only need to work to make it a cleaner, healthier version of what it is.
India is one giant contradiction. It is rich and poor, calm and chaotic, painful and joyful, loud and peaceful. India is everything all at the same time. And that is what makes it amazing.
Thursday started off with a visit to another temple, they are so beautiful and interesting and I learn something new every time we go I don't think I will ever get tired of visiting them. From there we went to a sari making factory and saw how they were made. That was also very cool, I've always wondered how they did it. Then we went and bought silk saris from the same group of people. From there we headed back to Chennai and stayed with our tour guide for a while. Then we went to get dinner, at a McDonalds in a mall. Can I just say now, that I don't like westernized India, at all. Its very...uncomfortable. Developed India and Modern India are one thing, westernized India is a whole other thing. It was just, way too much, and out of place, and uncomfortable (yes, I know I already said that). Anyway after dinner we boarded a night train for Coimbatore.
The night train was fine. The smell was intense but we hung jasmine flowers on the fan and that helped. The train ride was 8 hours i slept for most of that, so it went by pretty quickly and easily. When we got into Coimbatore we had an hour and then we went out to markets. First, to a farmers market which wasn't too busy and the farmers there wanted pictures and gave some of us free fruit. (I also bought mangoes. Then we went to a Wholesale market which was INSANE. There was a lot of staring, and groups around us. We didn't stay long, before going to the flower market. Which again was quiet and smelled nice. ;)
Then we listened to some lectures on the agriculture projects at TamilNadu Agriculture University. It was really exciting to hear how innovative they were in that area. Later we had a picnic with some TNAU students and talked mainly about cultural differences between the US and India.
And finally today, we had the day off, with an optional activity which ended up being really cool. We went to Isha, which is a non-religious, non profit yoga organization. There we bathed with a ball of mercury (sounds safe, doesn't it?)wearing only some cloth wrap dress, and then meditated in front of the Dhynalinga. The whole experience was interesting and exciting.
The end of this week was filled with my two least favorite things about India: The beggars, and animals. Outside of one of the temples was the worst, there were tons of children and adults and diseases and I just wanted to help all of them. but instead I put on my India face, and looked at no one, and responded to no one. it is one of the hardest things to do here. Then, of course, there are the animals. My pathological fear of rabies (its pretty bad) keeps me from going near them, but seeing them being hit, or kicked, or so thin you can count the bones in their bodies breaks my heart.
In contrast to that was today, when the little kids all smiled and waived, and when we drove down the road with the Western Ghats as our background. It doesn't make up for the pain I feel for the people with next to nothing, or the animals scrapping for garbage, but it is why I love India.
I realized today, more than ever, that westernizing India takes away from what makes it so special. We don't need to make it something it is not, we only need to work to make it a cleaner, healthier version of what it is.
India is one giant contradiction. It is rich and poor, calm and chaotic, painful and joyful, loud and peaceful. India is everything all at the same time. And that is what makes it amazing.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Today started out in a petrified forest. A bunch of trees turned into stone, it was really interesting. Then we went to fort sinje and climbed a little bit of the moutain leading to where the fort was. Then we took an unplaned trip to the second largest temple in south India. It was stone work (is that a word) was gorgeous. The florescent lights however were not. It was one of third things that loses something because of the vendors and wired lighting. But still pretty and still interesting.
Today was also a day full of sadness. We ran into a lot of beggars and a lot of dogs that didn't look very happy nor healthy. One man hit his dog every time it barked. Both of these things are hard to see and hard to deal with.
We also talked a lot about development and how big the split is between some citys and villages and others. When you think about the US and most other places they are pretty equally developed but in India you can be in western Mumbai or drive a little ways and be in a villiage with no real houses.
I wold give more thoughts on all of this (believe me I have them) but I'm stuck using my iPod for Internet so i'm going to keep this short. Tomorrow we take an overnight train to Coimbatore which should be very interesting. And for now I'm going to go to sleep it has been a long day.
Goodnight!
Today was also a day full of sadness. We ran into a lot of beggars and a lot of dogs that didn't look very happy nor healthy. One man hit his dog every time it barked. Both of these things are hard to see and hard to deal with.
We also talked a lot about development and how big the split is between some citys and villages and others. When you think about the US and most other places they are pretty equally developed but in India you can be in western Mumbai or drive a little ways and be in a villiage with no real houses.
I wold give more thoughts on all of this (believe me I have them) but I'm stuck using my iPod for Internet so i'm going to keep this short. Tomorrow we take an overnight train to Coimbatore which should be very interesting. And for now I'm going to go to sleep it has been a long day.
Goodnight!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
When it rains in Asia (It makes her feel this way)....
Today started off with Yoga outside, behind the hotel at 6:45 am. It was a pretty extrodinary experience. Following that we headed out to another project, that involved teaching displaced women how to farm and create fertilizer, they took us to someones house and we were shown how to tie Jasmine flowers, how to make plastic baskets, and introduced to a plethra of different herbal remidies, and some really tastey "medicine soup" We were shown around the fertilizer farm and taken to an organic farm down the road. Again it was a great project, with only a few minor flaws. (which I'll get to later). They gave us something called "Pom" which is this funny looking fruit with white-ish jelly stuff on the inside. It was, interesting.
Later in the day we went to Asham to meditate. On the way out of there we saw an elephant coming down the street. (it was on its way to the temple.) So we all followed it to be blessed by it. (aka give it a rupee and it hits you on the head) How often can I say that an elephant hit me on the head...
After that we spent some time wondering around shops, untill it started pouring rain, and then there was lightning and thunder. So, I'm typing this drenched in water in a little room in our hotel.
Today was filled with quite a few beggars, that is definitly one of the most difficult parts of India, I want to help them all, but I know what will happen if I do. Picking and choosing who to help is nearly impossible, but we all do what we can and are comfortable with while we are here.
In other news, I haven't completely lost the ability to understand Tamil. Its not as good as it used to be but it still exists, and I have a pretty easy time getting vendors to leave me alone when I don't want them around. Its been kind of fun seeing how quickly I can slip back int Indian hand gestures and expressions.
Everyday on this trip is different, and they are getting increasingly more interesting so far. Tomorrow we're supposed to climb stairs up a mountain...its still pretty unclear what the details are, but I guess we'll find out when we get there. For now, its time for a long overdue shower, and very soon sleep.
More later.
I miss you all!
Later in the day we went to Asham to meditate. On the way out of there we saw an elephant coming down the street. (it was on its way to the temple.) So we all followed it to be blessed by it. (aka give it a rupee and it hits you on the head) How often can I say that an elephant hit me on the head...
After that we spent some time wondering around shops, untill it started pouring rain, and then there was lightning and thunder. So, I'm typing this drenched in water in a little room in our hotel.
Today was filled with quite a few beggars, that is definitly one of the most difficult parts of India, I want to help them all, but I know what will happen if I do. Picking and choosing who to help is nearly impossible, but we all do what we can and are comfortable with while we are here.
In other news, I haven't completely lost the ability to understand Tamil. Its not as good as it used to be but it still exists, and I have a pretty easy time getting vendors to leave me alone when I don't want them around. Its been kind of fun seeing how quickly I can slip back int Indian hand gestures and expressions.
Everyday on this trip is different, and they are getting increasingly more interesting so far. Tomorrow we're supposed to climb stairs up a mountain...its still pretty unclear what the details are, but I guess we'll find out when we get there. For now, its time for a long overdue shower, and very soon sleep.
More later.
I miss you all!
Monday, May 17, 2010
I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me, papa-paparazzi
We pulled into the driveway at the Annamalai University in Chidambaram. (The second largest university in the country) As we got out of the bus we saw men with cameras and video cameras. Not knowing what was going on we took off our shoes and followed the program director into the building where we were ushered into a room with couches and chairs. after some introdcutions we finally figured out that we were in the office of the chancellor of the university, surronded by the press (who were constantly taking pictures and videos of us) . As I was sitting in this high powered man's office, barefoot, drinking chai, I remembered just how unique India is.
From there we went to the agricultrure college to learn about a project they were doing to help women. there we were presented with shawls and flowers, and coconuts to drink out of. The women put flowers in our hair, we all exchanged addresses and they cooked us food.
Then we went on to the headquarters of a womens self help group. the women said that through the group they had become more independent. It used to be that they would not leave thier houses but because of the group they could now go out on thier own. At one point a woman stood up and asked us who we were and why we had the right to ask them these things. This in itself seemed like a big step for her. She was an Indian woman directing a question at a white male.
Both of these groups were interesting to learn about. They were both helping to empower the women in the country. We were, as usual, treated with amazing kindness and hospitality. The people remain my favorite part part of this country. Working one on one with them and seeing how excited they get to put flowers in our hair or exchange addresses and phone numbers is one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced.
From there we went to the agricultrure college to learn about a project they were doing to help women. there we were presented with shawls and flowers, and coconuts to drink out of. The women put flowers in our hair, we all exchanged addresses and they cooked us food.
Then we went on to the headquarters of a womens self help group. the women said that through the group they had become more independent. It used to be that they would not leave thier houses but because of the group they could now go out on thier own. At one point a woman stood up and asked us who we were and why we had the right to ask them these things. This in itself seemed like a big step for her. She was an Indian woman directing a question at a white male.
Both of these groups were interesting to learn about. They were both helping to empower the women in the country. We were, as usual, treated with amazing kindness and hospitality. The people remain my favorite part part of this country. Working one on one with them and seeing how excited they get to put flowers in our hair or exchange addresses and phone numbers is one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
It can be overwhelming, huge and beautiful
Our first full day in India was intense, it ended up being at least a 15 hour day. We went to marina beach, which is the second longest beach in the world. Then on to St. Thomas' Catholic church, (St. Thomas' toe is supposed to be there). We walked around a little and saw a piece of the mass, but because it was Sunday we didn't stay long. Then it was the greenfield villiage of India, not even joking. It was an outdoor museum showing all the different houses of the different economic classes in the southern states of India. With demonstrations for children of all sorts of different Indian traditions.
Then it was on to probably the major portion of our day, which was an croccodile preserve. A fantastic idea not carried out very well (more on this later). but there were 365 croccodiles in a very small are and they were laying on top of each other, just as an example of what I mean. After this we went around to some temples, and on the way I saw a potbelly pig roaming the streets.
It was an extremely active day, but not all that exciting, that could be from the lagging jet lag, but we'll see what tomorrow has to offer.
Then it was on to probably the major portion of our day, which was an croccodile preserve. A fantastic idea not carried out very well (more on this later). but there were 365 croccodiles in a very small are and they were laying on top of each other, just as an example of what I mean. After this we went around to some temples, and on the way I saw a potbelly pig roaming the streets.
It was an extremely active day, but not all that exciting, that could be from the lagging jet lag, but we'll see what tomorrow has to offer.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
up, up, and away!
To sum up the journal I'll just give you a few phrases:
- hit my head on the ceiling of plane #1
- spent 6 hours in Newark airport
- 15 hours on a plane full (literaly) of screaming babies
- Had the 19month old next to me throw things at me
- Ate gluten free plane food
- Stayed awake all night in the Mumbai airport
- Flew to Chennai
- Fell asleep watching a movie (3-7)
- Tried to sleep through the night (9-5am)
So as always it was an adventure.
Its good to be back, but weird not having everything like it was the last time I was here. We'll see what it turns into though, good or bad it will definlty be an adventure.
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