2nd Excursion- Pondicherry

8/3 - 8/5/2012

2nd Excursion- Pondicherry!

Beginning of the month, and it's already time for our second excursion! Anu sent a car, and we drove two and a half hours down to meet her.

We arrived late afternoon and before we even got into the hotel, checked out the beach. We were still stuck, awed, even as Anu and her girls arrived fifteen minutes later… and we should have gotten ourselves checked in. The water was so captivating, and it had been a long journey by taxi- two and a half hours.

We encountered some difficulties with checking in, and decided to do that later. Anu treated us to a walk in the city, showing us the main roads and the shops we should visit during our free time.

Before dinner, we meandered around the streets. Anu showed us one temple. Usually an elephant also stays there, but was ill and being treated in another location. First temple to walk around in! This was built for the Hindu god Ganesh; we could tell by the different symbols that are his, along with the many, many paintings and depictions of him. Through all of these, the stories are shared and illustrated and thus passed down. Ganesh is the god of good travels and success, and one identifier of him is by his elephant head- hence, the significance of the elephant. Temples are very common to see here. They differ in size, which some you can walk in, such as in Pondy, and some are small, which I learned people worship by walking around or standing in front of. Either way, they are usually a center for meditations and a place for people to have pujas (religious ritual honoring a god) for special or significant occasions.

Then, we ate at a Chinese place. I had my first taste of lamb soup- very good!

We tasted some Pondy ice cream, and then headed back to check in at the hotel and sleep.

After waking up, we got a continental breakfast (toast, butter, omelette, and banana) and then sat on the beach for half an hour. We wanted to get some pasta at a local place, so we walked all over to find it.

In the process, we found a really neat park, and several fun shops.

The park was so green! Such a nice break from all of the buildings and people...

Plus, they had really neat sculptures.

The pasta was great- a little taste of home! And then, we walked to the bakery, where we indulged in donuts and sweets. After that, we got in the taxi to go to Anu's home.

The trip out to her house was a bit of an adventure. She actually lives in the country, so it was fun to explore there. 

She took us to Auroville, a town nearby, known for it’s intentional living style, comprised of people from many different countries and living and working in one common space. Right now, the community has around 1,500 members, but aspires to grow to 50,000. The town started under the leadership of “the Mother”. She had a vision that all people could live sustainably in one community peacefully, regardless of what origin. And, this would mean that the land and everything they have is collectively theirs. No specific piece of land belongs to one specific person or family. Everything is shared. 

Auroville is made up of several communities, which all have specialize further into one area of work. Some are agricultural, some manufacturing, some textiles, some are doctors, some teach, etc.

Within this thinking, it was part of the plan that your spiritual life should and could be a part of everyday living; so much so, that they have a spiritual center, the Matrimandir, in the middle of Auroville, where citizens go to meditate and try to reach the innermost part of their being. This place is closed most of the time for visitors. Only the people who are serious about worshipping are allowed in.

Anu took us to the bakery on the outskirts of the community, before heading back to the house. We bought bread and pastries, and then went to the house to make dinner.

Upon arrival, her two girls were also glad to see us, along with  her five dogs, some turkeys, and many chickens.

The girls took us on a walk down the road and through their field (like a pasture to us), which was very rocky and in some places, dense with plants. The dogs of course, came with. After about an hour of exploring, we came back hot, tired, and ready to eat. Dinner was a little later, about two hours.

But, in that time, I was able to get my fill of dog-petting, talking, and learning how to cook a couple of Indian dishes.

Our Indian meal!!!

I helped make the puri (light, airy bread in the bottom right of the plate.) Puris, anyone? And no, I did not eat totally with my fingers, this meal.

Sunday, we shopped in the morning, and looked in a DVD store. This was a great place, especially if one likes cheap copies of DVDs… Unfortunately, watching movies isn’t really my cup of tea, so I helped find some for the others and then watched them go through difficult dilemmas of finally narrowing down their choices.

Then, went back to the pasta bar for lunch. It happened to be Friendship Day, and at the end after our bill, the waiter came out and gave us each Friendship bracelets. Soooo cute! 

So, happy Friendship Day everyone! (It was really August 5th, but five days late isn't too bad, right? Everyday's a friendship day.) 

A little shopping (surprise…) at the grocery store finished our day, and we were back on the road. 

We got back to MCC, and we were all ready to rest up from the long weekend.

Some interesting pictures:
-A family on an outing to the beach. Here, people get really dressed up and make a day of it. So, the women wear their saris, men in nice western clothes, and the children are all done up.

Then, they all stood as close to the water as possible and a couple waves came that absolutely soaked them. So funny! They looked like they had such a good time.

-statue of Mahatma Gandhi alongside the Bay.

*notice the other tourist taking a video of me taking a picture of the statue, Laura, and consequently, him as well... :) 

Field Placement- Krupa time!

Hello everyone, it's been a while!

Wait. It's been already over 4 weeks; that's a month! Those days flew by... and it's August already!

There have been some difficulties and challenges, but there have been so many fun, new, and exciting things. I wish I could share it all!

Today's post: update on Field Placement.

I have chosen to work at Krupa (pronounced: kri (like KRIsten) pa-- I don't know why), a place that works especially for and with "the forgotten and forsaken", located in a village on the outskirts of Chennai. They begun their ministry helping people suffering from leprosy, but then realized there were so many other facets of Indian society that also needed assistance, that they expanded their focus. Today, they still work with people with leprosy, but also, work in areas of Chennai with gypsy communities, housing children who don't otherwise have access to homes, educating children (especially those who live in their hostels and of the gypsy community), hosting a community college for secondary school drop-outs, providing work opportunity for destitute women to learn weaving and then to accompany that, teaching embroidery and block printing, and also using a sewing machine. They are skilled in making saris, mats, bags, bed sheets, aprons, and other items. Krupa also plans to start a bakery program.

And I get to work there!
The variety of this placement really caught my attention. Many of you who know me well know that I love to be involved in many various programs, especially differing in the level of challenges. So, I hoped to get to observe many of these different programs.

During the first day, I found out that I would be helping to teach the college students basic conversational English and to set up a weekly literary club. I would have an interpreter and/or other students from MCC joining me, so this will not be too difficult of a task, or so I thought. I have not taught yet, but have had several opportunities to interact with the students and to get to know them a little. And I think it will be more challenging than I first supposed; language can be a huge barrier... And I recognize that so much more now that I'm in the minority, or at least a minority of sorts.
The other big project that I have been asked to help with is called Arunodhaya, a program first year students developed and continued all year last year. Their task was to locate all of the autistic children and their families in the surrounding villages, and then start going door to door asking parents of their need and if they would be willing to let Krupa teach their children- free of charge. They encountered a plethora of difficulties here, ones that I would surely face. I believe I will start working on that possibly in August, but for now need to become more familiar with culture and surroundings, language, and people, to be able to help them adequately. And, once a couple of first years come to Krupa, they will be able to go with me and help me, too.

Then, yesterday I was able to see a different part of the city. I visited Krupa Headquarters in the heart of Chennai, set in a neighborhood. This was so neat! I will need to take a picture when I go again, so you all can see. Aside from being able to observe what Krupa is involved in, I was able to help work with them! They were getting ready for a grand opening of selling the women's products from Krupa, and I was there to assist in taking inventory and measuring items. In other words... Organizing! Let me tell you, I felt right at home. While there, I first helped transfer stock from the storage room in one house down the stairs and up another stairs to the room that things will be sold. Then, we sorted all of the products by kind and counted them. We also ended up measuring a lot of the bed sheets and tablecloths that were brought up as well; 6:15 seemed to come pretty fast!
The only thing was that it was a long day... I left here at 8:20, got on a train for 45 minutes, arrived at 9:30 to Krupa Headquarters, and worked there until 6:15. Time got a little away from us. I had to cross a busy road (by myself) to get back to the station and that was probably the scariest part of that journey. I took probably five or seven minutes just gathering up the courage to step out and run! :) But, I made it. Then, caught my train, and was home by 7:15. Not bad, right?

Tomorrow I'm not sure what I will be doing. Indian schedule... I might be at the headquarters, I might be at the other site of Krupa, or I might be off with the department HOD on a field trip. We'll see!

Next week, I think I'll be at the headquarters again, helping with some clerical duties. Perhaps the week after that I'll start teaching English? 

1st Excursion- Malmallapuram!

7/14 - 7/15/2012

Mahabalipuram- otherwise known as Malmallapuram, Tamilnadu, India

1^st excursion out of Chennai!

Our first stop was Dakshina Chitra, located just south of Chennai’s city limits. Here we were able to get a look at both ancient and modern styles of architecture in South India. These houses are so neat, and so well-built. They all have the feel of being very open and welcome. Generally, the windows and doors are not shut, and there were still not many bugs to be seen!

My favorite place in any of these homes, is the courtyard. Situated either inside or outside of the home, it was (and still is in some cases) a place for the whole family to gather. It was typical to have several members of the same family living together, and the courtyard was a place to sit and talk, similar to a living room. If the courtyard is indoors like the one below, the top where the roof would usually be is open to the outside. This explains why there is a lower level, so that water can drain out during the wet months. This open top was to bring in both a source of light and to provide ventilation and circulation of air throughout the home.

It was interesting to me how styles varied, just between states and regions. In the west, Kerala area, their rooftop bricks were mostly flat and layed out. Here, in a typical Tamil Nadu home on the east coast, the bricks are curved and stacked one on top of the other, layering.

And of course, we had to stop by the small shops as we left. 15 minutes turned into a 45 minute extravaganza. Bangles galore!

Finally we made it to Malmallapuram (formerly known as Mahabalipuram). To the beach!

Here is the Bay of Bengal- what an experience! This was our first time getting to be "tourists" and found that we came to the right place. White people were everywhere!

and here's a look at lunch: 

Fried fish and chips! 

In the afternoon, we stopped for a look at the great stone carvings, some carved as far back as 7th Century B.C. 



Arjuna's Penance:        

  

       Five Rathas: 

           

            

Shore Temple:

And of course the next day, we headed back to Chennai, but not before we stopped at the Crocodile Bank!

What a great trip! We had plenty of time to get out and shop, eat great food- both Indian and American, see the ocean, swim in a pool, and meet other students from the US. Their study abroad trip happened to coincide with ours, and we were able to get to know them a little bit.

Robert William, our director for BCA India from the states, came to meet their group, and spent all day Saturday with us. It was really fun to actually get to meet him in person and talk with him about India. 

Other than that, this trip was a learning experience for me. We have been exposed to several gypsy communities and this place had their share of them. The sad part about these people, is that the caste system is so engrained in the society, that these gypsies don't really have a chance at making a living. Many people here (especially of higher castes), regard these people as little more than human, along the lines of Dalit (the proper name for what was previously known as "the Untouchables".) So, on several occasions, these gypsies would come next to us, in our faces, asking us to buy things from them- primarily jewelry that they had made. It was so hard turning them down, knowing that they have such a tough way of life. 

This is going to be an ongoing internal battle I will face, perhaps on a daily basis. It depends where you are, but there is poverty everywhere. I want to help, but this is such a systemic issue, that it will take some major work for people's rights to be realized. This is not my place, at least not yet, but I will continue to work at helping those I can. 

Thus, I enter field placement work.

Week of 7/8/2012- Ups and Downs

This past week has been a crazy roller coaster ride of emotion. The main thing is, that I think I’ve beat the “Delhi belly” at least for now. I am feeling much better!

This didn’t hurt much either… a little taste of home:

Yep, that’s a cold chicken salad sandwich (double decker!!) with French fries 

and vegetables. 

Add olives on top and we were set! :)

I got out of the room finally on Tuesday and made some friends. 

Wednesday, classes officially started. Correction; class for me, started. I had one class that first-years take which didn’t start until the following Monday, so that left one that I actually went to: Development Economics. My afternoon was free, and I got to sit around the room, as well as get out and talk to people and make new friends, you know... the life. What a day of school, class for one hour... 

And to top it off, it was the first Fresher's Night in the hall. This first night was Talent Show night, and we watched all the freshers get up and show off. We got some good exposure to Indian songs and nostalgic American songs sung by Indians, Indian dancing, poem reading, and even keyboard playing (the Titanic, of course). Two hours later, we were all ready to leave. Not so fast! The girl with the microphone found us and told the three of us that we needed to do something too, because we were also "freshers", or at least new to Martin Hall. 

Oh Boy... We had nothing planned. And we were next.

So, we did what any normal, clear-thinking group of female college students would think of. We pulled out our inner Spice Girls and sang- kind of. Remember, we had never practiced before. That was certainly clear. Basically, we had a general idea of how the song goes, but we were so flustered, that the "lead girl" Becca, forgot the right order for the lyrics, and I really didn't know them, so we were a mess. But, the girls loved it and hollered anyway.

Thursday came and went. 

Friday, Anu met us for lunch and brought our BCA director from Bridgewater, VA with her, Robert. He had to come over to help with another program and decided to meet with us while he stayed in Chennai. In the evening, the president of MCC invited us to dinner. There we met with a large group of students from the University of Florida who are on a traveling study abroad program around India. They were staying on campus as well, but in their own guest house.

Dinner was outside, where we were served from a buffet featuring both Indian and American dishes. Literally, dosa (a flat, crispy Indian pancake) and French fries were side by side.

However, we got chased out by the rain, which was much needed! 

Chennai and the surrounding areas were experiencing some extreme water level issues, and people were beginning to be concerned of having enough; so the rains came at a good time.

The next day was the first trip out- weekend at Malmallapuram!

7/4/2012 Wednesday (It's the Fourth of July!!!)
- here, we celebrated Laura Lou's birthday instead. :)

So, we went shopping the first day, and had to buy two kurtas. I needed a bag, and the others did, too, so we got those as well.

That wasn't too bad, was it???








Our first stop Wednesday was the immigration office to register our student visas. It only took us an hour and a half to get through there, pretty quick for this task. We were expecting much longer... so we went out to celebrate.


               Here:

Okay, so this mall is called Express Avenue, notoriously known as the largest mall in Chennai, or one of the largest. It has 5 or more floors, and is extremely long and wide. Becca is going to the middle entrance; it was at least as long on the other side.

Oh, the first thing we did was have chocolate- Deluxe Chocolate Truffle cake- it was so good. It was Laura Lou's birthday! Chocolate overload. With it, I had my first coffee in India. Indians typically drink tea, so it was a lot of fun to have coffee. Afterwards I was so hot, but felt ready to go!

             Here are the clothes (and other things I bought) from this trip out: 

-Two kurtas, added to the existing two from Spencer's

-Two leggings

-One duparta (scarf) (Anu's, "modesty scarf")

The other items were purchased this same day, but in a different mall (Spencer's), the one we visited on Sunday. I went on a little bit of a spree...

However, I did figure out one thing. Okay, are you all sitting down for this? :) I admit it. I like to shop. I genuinely enjoy shopping here, bartering, buying things, trying things on, looking, everything. I'm sure you can't tell...

Except for the six hours... that was too much.

Watch out, malls!

Click for a look at this past week's weather. I'm sure some of you reading this can relate! Luckily, a lot of the time, we have a breeze which cuts down on the feeling of humidity. And there are so many trees on campus that give plenty of shade. In the city, it is hot though!

7/3/2012 Tuesday

We got to take an auto-share (larger auto-rickshaw) vehicle to the first site, FLI (Family Life Institute). Some of the things they are involved in are:

+ hosting their own, private school to the area children. The cool thing with that is it is available at a fraction of the cost other private schools are.
+ low-cost medical assistance to the area people, including gypsies
+ providing space to foster a self-help group
+ providing instruction at minimal cost, to local women for sewing clothes both for themselves and to sell to others

Once there, we got to interact with the children and walk in on some classes, and tour the buildings and area. The children we absolutely ecstatic to see us! They were ages preschool through grade 5 standard, and were learning English and Tamil. All the time, the older girls wanted to say our names, for us to speak to them in English. Finally, I asked to say something in Tamil, so they taught me. Oh, they just giggled about that!!! And then, they just wanted to play with us, or for us to play with them. So Becca, Laura Lou, and I taught them "Duck, Duck, Goose", which they absolutely ate up.

We had tea time and then at 11:30 or so, we left to go eat.

Next was our long drive to IWCO (Indian Community Welfare Organisation). This was our first, long introduction to the notorious, crazy Indian driver. Oh boy... he used the horn very liberally, spoke much Tamil to himself all the time, clicked the lights frequently at the other drivers, swerved everywhere, braked all the time, sped up, braked... Is this making you sick, yet?! Because we were all carsick by the time the day was done.

Anyways, we ended up here and had a whole presentation prepared for us, highlighting the different programs under IWCO.

- Link Workers scheme- area volunteers and paid workers, working in villages searching for sex workers. They go around to homes and educate people about protection and condoms, because they are very concerned about HIV/AIDS.
- Composite Intervention among gay men, Transgender, and female sex workers
- Urban Poor Homeless Initiatives in Chennai

A common theme of their programs is HIV/AIDS prevention and education, providing support to minority groups and their children, and for the homeless, working for them so they stand up for themselves and demand help from the government, because in India, there is a law that says all people should have shelter, or at least something to that effect.

Then, we were instructed to meet at the beach, to meet some LGBTQ people and look at their "cruising" sites. It took us over an hour to get there because of all the traffic. This was no ordinary trip to the beach, like you would typically find in the US. No, we were going to meet with the LGBT and recently Q community to talk with some transgender people. It sounds kind of weird, I know, in writing, but it was so cool! (I thought it was.) These particular people are ones who work with the organization IWCO (one of our field placement sites, if we choose to work with them). Yes, India has gay people too! 

Anyway, we drove to meet them on the beach at dusk, because that is when the khoti (meaning, cross-dressing men) go out. They all will sit around on the sidewalk/concrete walls around the roads to the beach, and at nightfall, walk along the beach, meeting up with other khoti, or meeting clients. IWCO has a support system for this, but they also do some HIV/AIDS prevention work with them- so the man (woman by night) we heard speak, set up an outlet (yellow box with information and condoms) so that people could access it.
She was part of a jamad (equivalent of 'honorary' family). The jamad supports each other and is comprised of several other khoti people. We met with some and were able to talk with them/ask questions- actually, they expected it! So, through this, we learned more about how they "came into it", and some struggles they've had. Anu translated for us.

At 9:00pm, we finally got to the restaurant, a Punjabi place (northern Indian). However, we were all so sick from the trip, and exhausted from the long day, that we just had a mild, not really spicy meal. I had tomato soup. :)