Namaste! I've had a wonderful time in Northern India enjoying the mountains and cool(er) air and now have made it all the way to the south to the state of Kerala. I'm on the southern most tip of the sub continent surrounded by the Arabain Sea and palm trees. I'm constantly reminded how lucky I am that I'm being able to experience WAY more of India than most Indians will ever be able to see. When I call "home" (to my Indian family in Jodphur), they always ask with such excitement... "what is it like?" "is it like Jodphur?", "how's the weather?", "what are you eating?". I dream of one day being able to take Anushree back to some of the places I've visited.
Well, now it's off to an Ashram! Being a student of yoga at home, I'm so excited about learning more in an authentic Indian ashram. I'll have no email access for the next 2 weeks, so this will be my last post. I'll be winging my way back to the states Aug 30th with a big smile, new perspective and plans to return to India again...
Thank you so much for allowing me to share my journey and for following along with such interest.
Here are some of the many lessons I've learned from my time in India. As my friends, family and much needed support group, I ask that upon my return, you help remind me of these lessons and hold me accountable to apply these learnings into my life stateside.
Some lessons learned:
1. Ask for help.
2. Rain is something to be celebrated.
3. I should wear more bright colors.
4. I can be ANYWHERE as long as I have a bottle of water and wet wipes.
5. "As you wish" are such sweet words to hear. (I want to hear them AND say them more often)
6. Patience is a great companion. It puts things in perspective, teaches you new things, and makes life A LOT easier.
7. You do not have to understand it to appreciate it. (whatever it is)
8. "Sure...why not?" is a fun attitude to have.
9. Plan less. Do more.
10. TRUST. Trust others. Trust myself. Trust the Universe (or whatever you call the Divine...God, Jesus, Allah, Shiva, etc. Supposedly, Hinduism has 330 million Gods)
11. "Sweat means your body is working properly."
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
a new friend
My time in Dharmasala gifted me with a special new friend, Lukdon.
Lukdon is a Buddhist monk who was in the conversational English group I taught. Thru our communication efforts and much laughter, I felt an immediate connection with Lukdon so I asked him if he’d show us around the Dalai Lama’s temple complex. Over the next 2 days my sweet new friend spent hours with us…showing us around the temples, explaining Buddhist philosophy, telling us about his life (up at 5, meditate for 1 hour, light breakfast, study, lunch, sleep, study, dinner, library time, sleep and then again…), sharing his story, shopping for mala beads (Buddhist prayer beads) and practicing English. Lukdon became a monk at the age of 13 (he’s now 27) and has been in India separated from his parents and 5 siblings (who are still in Tibet) for past 8 years. He has a dream of becoming an English-Tibetan translator so he’s very disciplined about practicing English. He even has Bill Clinton’s autobiography audio file on his cell phone so he can listen to English. It makes me giggle to think of Lukdon learning English with Clinton’s Louisiana drawl. Lukdon met us before we left Dharmasala to give us a blessing for a safe journey. My eyes filled up with tears as we said goodbye.
Lukdon is a “Buddha-ful” being. He puts a face on the Tibetan cause. He embodies generosity and happiness. He became my teacher and my new friend.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Dharmasala
Dharmasala feels very different than the rest of India I’ve seen. It is the capital-in-exile for Tibet so most of the people are Tibetan… they look different, dress different, speak a different language and practice Buddhism versus Hinduism. The cows have been replaced with monkeys, the honking dramatically reduced and green tea now substitutes for Indian sweet tea with lots of milk. It’s high in the mountains, lush and green, and is much, much cooler. Yippeee! It looks, feels, and smells a little like fall in the Smokey Mountains- except there are lots of Buddhist monks walking around in the their maroon robes with mustard colored sashes and little “purses”. It’s rained since we’ve been here so my experience of Dharmasala has been against a background of heavy fog and soundtrack of rain and thunder (very mystic). Although a little more “touristy” than I imagined, I’m very happy here.
Today I volunteered with a non-profit organization called LHA. Lha is a Tibetan word meaning “innate goodness in nature”. The organization’s mission is to provide meaningful social services to both Tibetan refugees and local residents. My volunteer assignment was teaching conversational English to a small group of 5 very enthusiastic and appreciative students. We sat in a circle on the floor and asked each other questions. Periodically, I would stop down and correct their pronunciation or provide a more appropriate word. We discussed family, food, HH the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, life in Dharmasala and Tibet, etc. They asked me what I thought of Tibetans and in return, I asked them…”What do you think of Westerners?”
Young Buddhist monk: “Westerners focus on money. Asians focus on religion. Westerners have everything they need physically but may not be happy inside.”
43 year old woman who works in woolen clothing shop (we worked on her pronunciation of “woolen” for a while): “Westerners are independent, they don’t need anyone. When I see women traveling alone, I think she has guts. I couldn’t do that. I also think westerners are crazy.”
Me: “Crazy? Why?”
Response: “Because they all want to go to the top of mountains. Why? What is there to see?”
Me: Hmmmm (not knowing really how to reply)
A shy girl in her early 20’s, a refugee from Tibet who has lived in India for only 3 years: “I think westerners are kind.”
Another refugee in her early 20s. Not shy. Lived in India for 7 years. Misses her family and speaks to them via phone 1 month. Whenever she didn’t understand a word, she’d type it into her cell phone and ask me if correct: “I think westerners are cheerful ‘because they have no problems.”
Me: “ Westerners have problems. They might be different problems than Indians or Tibetans but they have problems too.”
Group response acting like some big connection was just made: “Ohhhhh….”
A giggly twenty something girl who wrote all the new words I taught her on her hand: “I think Westerners smell good.”
Me: “Thank you.”
And we all laughed!
Today I volunteered with a non-profit organization called LHA. Lha is a Tibetan word meaning “innate goodness in nature”. The organization’s mission is to provide meaningful social services to both Tibetan refugees and local residents. My volunteer assignment was teaching conversational English to a small group of 5 very enthusiastic and appreciative students. We sat in a circle on the floor and asked each other questions. Periodically, I would stop down and correct their pronunciation or provide a more appropriate word. We discussed family, food, HH the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, life in Dharmasala and Tibet, etc. They asked me what I thought of Tibetans and in return, I asked them…”What do you think of Westerners?”
Young Buddhist monk: “Westerners focus on money. Asians focus on religion. Westerners have everything they need physically but may not be happy inside.”
43 year old woman who works in woolen clothing shop (we worked on her pronunciation of “woolen” for a while): “Westerners are independent, they don’t need anyone. When I see women traveling alone, I think she has guts. I couldn’t do that. I also think westerners are crazy.”
Me: “Crazy? Why?”
Response: “Because they all want to go to the top of mountains. Why? What is there to see?”
Me: Hmmmm (not knowing really how to reply)
A shy girl in her early 20’s, a refugee from Tibet who has lived in India for only 3 years: “I think westerners are kind.”
Another refugee in her early 20s. Not shy. Lived in India for 7 years. Misses her family and speaks to them via phone 1 month. Whenever she didn’t understand a word, she’d type it into her cell phone and ask me if correct: “I think westerners are cheerful ‘because they have no problems.”
Me: “ Westerners have problems. They might be different problems than Indians or Tibetans but they have problems too.”
Group response acting like some big connection was just made: “Ohhhhh….”
A giggly twenty something girl who wrote all the new words I taught her on her hand: “I think Westerners smell good.”
Me: “Thank you.”
And we all laughed!
It's a small world
I left Amritsar headed to Dharmasala on Wednesday via a pit stop in Phagwara, Punjab to visit with Ron’s family. Ron Singh (I didn’t know his last name before but now I do because he’s Sikh and all Sihks have the last name of Singh…however not all Singhs are Sikh!) is the owner of one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Nashville- Bombay Palace. When Ron found out I was coming to India he INSISTED that I visit his family and since I ended up being only 2 hours away in Amritsar… I did!
I arrived at 9AM to the warmest greeting!! Even though we had never met…and that I really don’t even know Ron except from chatting with him as he takes my order at Bombay Palace…there were hugs all around. I meet his 2 daughters, his 18 month old granddaughter, his daughter’s husband and in-laws, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews and neighbors. In the span of the 3 hour visit, we looked at wedding photos, played with the baby, ate a yummy Indian “brunch”, and fielded calls from Ron at home in Nashville (he was soooo happy that we were all together and wanted me to stay for 15 days, go see his father’s house 90 km away, try the finest restaurant in Phagwara, etc) all while sitting/laying on the master bedroom bed! They insisted in holding camp in the bedroom because it was the coolest room with AC and a fan. It was so kind! They even gave us gifts.
A parade of about 12 people walked us to the car to send us off. It was such a wonderful (and very typical) Indian experience!! There is an Indian saying that guests are gods and therefore you should treat them as such…Ron and his beautiful family are wonderful examples of putting those words in action.
I’m so thankful that I said yes to Ron’s invitation and went out of the way or off the direct route to have this special experience. What a wonderful lesson to remember.
Nashville, Tennessee to Phagwara, Punjab. Indian restaurant acquaintance to having a bed picnic brunch with family and friends. It’s a small world.
I arrived at 9AM to the warmest greeting!! Even though we had never met…and that I really don’t even know Ron except from chatting with him as he takes my order at Bombay Palace…there were hugs all around. I meet his 2 daughters, his 18 month old granddaughter, his daughter’s husband and in-laws, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews and neighbors. In the span of the 3 hour visit, we looked at wedding photos, played with the baby, ate a yummy Indian “brunch”, and fielded calls from Ron at home in Nashville (he was soooo happy that we were all together and wanted me to stay for 15 days, go see his father’s house 90 km away, try the finest restaurant in Phagwara, etc) all while sitting/laying on the master bedroom bed! They insisted in holding camp in the bedroom because it was the coolest room with AC and a fan. It was so kind! They even gave us gifts.
A parade of about 12 people walked us to the car to send us off. It was such a wonderful (and very typical) Indian experience!! There is an Indian saying that guests are gods and therefore you should treat them as such…Ron and his beautiful family are wonderful examples of putting those words in action.
I’m so thankful that I said yes to Ron’s invitation and went out of the way or off the direct route to have this special experience. What a wonderful lesson to remember.
Nashville, Tennessee to Phagwara, Punjab. Indian restaurant acquaintance to having a bed picnic brunch with family and friends. It’s a small world.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Varanasi
Varanasi is one of the holiest sites for Hindus and is known as the city of learning and burning. Home of Shiva, the river Ganges or Mother Ganga is where pilgrims come to wash away their sins. It is also one of the holiest crossing places where mortals can cross over to the divine so all Hindu ashes will be set free in the water of the Ganges. It's not for the faint of heart. The sites and smells of the numerous crematoriums and then the blotted bodies floating in the river are difficult. There is an earie quiet on the Ganges...an interesting mixture of life and death. Devotees joyfully bathing, swimming, spalshing, drinking, washing (their body, hair and laundry) in the holy water while fires burn and bodies are being cremated near by. For some reason, "holy men" or sadhus are not cremated and their bodies are just put in the Ganga. I read that an estimated 45,000 uncremated corpses are disposed in the river every year. (We had the "priviledge" of seeing about 5 human corpses and lots of animals during our boat rides.) The sacredness of the place is palable. No words can describe the experience. I'm glad I had the opportunity to witness. I will never forget.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Monsoon
This blog was supposed posted on July 27th. It's old news now.
A typical Indian experience….or why I love this country.
Monday night in Delhi and decided to go for a casual South Indian dinner within walking distance of the hotel. As we were walking out of the hotel, the concierge recommended that we take an umbrella cause the “rains are coming”. It started as a sprinkle and by the time we got to the restaurant we were officially drenched. We had a nice dinner and started chatting with a sweet Indian family sitting next to us. They were so excited about the rains finally reaching Delhi. They offered us to try their food as college age girl and the mother shared their best shopping tips. We said our farewells and Bruce and I started our odyssey home.
It had rained HARD the whole time we were in the restaurant and the rain was still coming down. The roads were flooded. Picture the most rains you can imagine. We were stuck! For about 40 minutes we tried to figure out how to cross the street, find an auto, or build boat. We were now more than drenched. Picture fell in a pool with all your clothes on kind of soaking wet. I jokingly said….we need our little Indian family to come and take us home, and just then out of nowhere a car slowed down which I thought was a taxi… the window rolled down and there they were… our family, true Monsoon Angels!! The six of us jammed into their tiny car and we started the journey to our hotel amidst lots of laughter and thank yous. Once we reached the hotel, we couldn’t get out of the car because the water was up to the car door (“knee deep”). “Papa” finally was able to back up into the driveway so we could get out without flooding his car. So now, we were standing outside (with the hotel umbrella) trying to figure out how to cross the lake to get into the hotel when a hotel SVR (the only thing that could make it thru) pulled up and drove us the 20 remaining feet into the hotel.
It was such an adventure! The rain and flooding were unbelievable…but the beautiful, kind friendship shown by the family was totally expected…it’s the Indian way!
The news just reported “the entire city collapsed due to unrelenting rain”. As I sit, dry, safe and sound in the hotel watching TV, my thoughts and prayers are with the hundreds of thousands of Delhites who are living on the street or in tent cities. God bless them.
A typical Indian experience….or why I love this country.
Monday night in Delhi and decided to go for a casual South Indian dinner within walking distance of the hotel. As we were walking out of the hotel, the concierge recommended that we take an umbrella cause the “rains are coming”. It started as a sprinkle and by the time we got to the restaurant we were officially drenched. We had a nice dinner and started chatting with a sweet Indian family sitting next to us. They were so excited about the rains finally reaching Delhi. They offered us to try their food as college age girl and the mother shared their best shopping tips. We said our farewells and Bruce and I started our odyssey home.
It had rained HARD the whole time we were in the restaurant and the rain was still coming down. The roads were flooded. Picture the most rains you can imagine. We were stuck! For about 40 minutes we tried to figure out how to cross the street, find an auto, or build boat. We were now more than drenched. Picture fell in a pool with all your clothes on kind of soaking wet. I jokingly said….we need our little Indian family to come and take us home, and just then out of nowhere a car slowed down which I thought was a taxi… the window rolled down and there they were… our family, true Monsoon Angels!! The six of us jammed into their tiny car and we started the journey to our hotel amidst lots of laughter and thank yous. Once we reached the hotel, we couldn’t get out of the car because the water was up to the car door (“knee deep”). “Papa” finally was able to back up into the driveway so we could get out without flooding his car. So now, we were standing outside (with the hotel umbrella) trying to figure out how to cross the lake to get into the hotel when a hotel SVR (the only thing that could make it thru) pulled up and drove us the 20 remaining feet into the hotel.
It was such an adventure! The rain and flooding were unbelievable…but the beautiful, kind friendship shown by the family was totally expected…it’s the Indian way!
The news just reported “the entire city collapsed due to unrelenting rain”. As I sit, dry, safe and sound in the hotel watching TV, my thoughts and prayers are with the hundreds of thousands of Delhites who are living on the street or in tent cities. God bless them.
Gandhi Ji
Gandhi ji: “My life is my message”
Visited the Gandhi memorial in Delhi. Housed in a big park, it’s a simple black marble memorial with an eternal flame, some flowers and 3 men chanting along side. It seems to be an appropriate tribute to Gandhi ji.
Like many in India, I’m a big fan of Gandhi and what he stood for. (Gandhi’s sweet face is on all rupee notes) I’m currently reading Gandhi’s autobiography, Experiments with Truth and marvel at his true authentic leadership style. Gandhi has given us many great quotes to ponder and learn from such as “Truth is the highest religion” and “Be the change you want to see in the world.” My new favorite Gandhi quote is…“My life is my message.” Here’s a little story that illustrates his integrity as he constantly pursued Truth…
A mother brought her son who had a sugar addiction to Gandhi and asked Gandhi ji to speak to the young boy get him to stop consuming so much sugar. Gandhi told her that he’d be happy to speak with her son, but they needed to come back in 2 weeks. Confused and reluctant, the mother left with her son. They returned in 2 weeks and Gandhi met with them. He explained all the harmful affects of sugar and addiction and pleaded with the boy to quit the sugar. In awe of Gandhi’s powerful presence, they boy agreed. The mother was appreciative of Gandhi’s help but questioned why they had to wait 2 weeks for this simple message. Gandhi replied…”Madam, When you came to me 2 weeks ago, I too consumed too much sugar. I could never ask your son to quit something that I myself was addicted to. It took me 2 weeks to quit my sugar habit...only then, could I ask your son to do the same.”
Hope you all are well.
Visited the Gandhi memorial in Delhi. Housed in a big park, it’s a simple black marble memorial with an eternal flame, some flowers and 3 men chanting along side. It seems to be an appropriate tribute to Gandhi ji.
Like many in India, I’m a big fan of Gandhi and what he stood for. (Gandhi’s sweet face is on all rupee notes) I’m currently reading Gandhi’s autobiography, Experiments with Truth and marvel at his true authentic leadership style. Gandhi has given us many great quotes to ponder and learn from such as “Truth is the highest religion” and “Be the change you want to see in the world.” My new favorite Gandhi quote is…“My life is my message.” Here’s a little story that illustrates his integrity as he constantly pursued Truth…
A mother brought her son who had a sugar addiction to Gandhi and asked Gandhi ji to speak to the young boy get him to stop consuming so much sugar. Gandhi told her that he’d be happy to speak with her son, but they needed to come back in 2 weeks. Confused and reluctant, the mother left with her son. They returned in 2 weeks and Gandhi met with them. He explained all the harmful affects of sugar and addiction and pleaded with the boy to quit the sugar. In awe of Gandhi’s powerful presence, they boy agreed. The mother was appreciative of Gandhi’s help but questioned why they had to wait 2 weeks for this simple message. Gandhi replied…”Madam, When you came to me 2 weeks ago, I too consumed too much sugar. I could never ask your son to quit something that I myself was addicted to. It took me 2 weeks to quit my sugar habit...only then, could I ask your son to do the same.”
Hope you all are well.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
vacation!
I sadly left my family in Jodhpur Monday evening on the night train to Jaipur. It was 3rd class air-conditioned sleeper (not by choice…it was all that was available). There were six to a “cabin” and I “slept” in a lower berth surrounded by a family of 5 other Indians. It was OK and I was able to fall asleep until I was woken up to 2 mice playing in my hair. UGH! The thought of it still gives me the willies. I didn’t scream…I just quickly sat up and then stayed sitting up for the next 3 hours singing in my head to my iPod until we arrived. Just another Indian experience to add to my list. The conditions of my train travel just added to the sweet relief I felt when I checked into a very nice Taj hotel property in Jaipur. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Clean rooms, air conditioning, using tap water to brush my teeth, hot showers all blessings from the hotel gods…
In between tours of forts and monuments, I’ve been living the life of a Rajasthani princess with yummy meals, a massage, and laundry service. In the past 7 days, I’ve explored Jaipur (the pink city and capital of Rajasthan), Udaipur (a quaint-500K pop- lake city and hometown of our venerated guide Shastri ji), Agra (the spectacular Taj Mahal!!!) and now the metropolitan Delhi.
We have been continued to be blessed as everything-weather to lodging-has been perfect. We even lucked out to have 2 fabulous guides in 2 different cities that consequently were the guides to President Clinton when he was in India.
It as been so much fun for me to practice my Hindi and maneuver the trains, auto rickshaws and negotiation required in India. After a month, I feel totally comfortable. I continue to process the complexity of India as I’m able to interact with more Indians and have more diverse experiences. Consistently everyone is so friendly…I have almost as many numbers (of drivers, friends and family of people I’ve met, and my Jodhpur family and peeps) stored in my Indian cell phone as I do in my blackberry at home.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
last day of internship
Namaste!
Saturday was my last day of my internship. Overall it’s been a great experience and I’m very sad to leave my Indian colleagues.
I’ve learned a lot while working here...about the NGO sector and the complexity of development work, about village life in Western Rajasthan, cross cultural communication and professional collaboration, and most importantly I’ve learned some more about myself. I’ve definitely learned that I don’t want an “office job” (sitting in a hot quiet office from 9-6 got old) and I feel I gained more patience from this experience.
I’m still processing how “foreigners” can best help in developing countries… The language barrier (which can be overcome) and cultural differences (which can be understood/appreciated but not really overcome) provide challenges to doing impactful work. I believe the best way to facilitate meaningful, sustainable change is from within the local community. More reflection and exploration on this is needed…
Another funny take away from my time at UNNATI, is that I go ½ way around the world to try something different and I end up creating an Intern Orientation Manual, discussing turn over, and doing some executive coaching (among other things)…all activities I did in my “previous” life with Clear Channel University. I guess you can take the girl out of executive coaching, but you cant take the executive coaching out of the girl.
Sunday was a fun day off. I took Anushree to abacus class and then “ran errands” with my friend Michael. My host family treated me to a special farewell dinner last night. It was so nice to sit outside and celebrate our time together. Anushree slept with me last night. It’ll be hard for us to part. We are already planning her trip to America to visit me in 7 years….and I know I’ll be back.
I’ll be leaving Jodhpur on Tuesday to begin my “holiday” travel. During my 1-month journey, I’ll get to see more of India than most Indians will ever get to see in their lifetime. I have my 1st 2 weeks “planned” (as much as anything can be planned in India). I’ll be visiting Jaipur (the Pink City), Agra (Taj Mahal), Delhi and then Varanasi (the holiest site for Hindus-along the Ganges). I’m blessed to have good friends as travel partners… Bruce is joining me for the Jaipur, Agra, Delhi portion and then Michael and I will connect for Varanasi and beyond.
I hope you are all well. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I embark on my journey.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
quick update
Namaste! Just a quick entry to let you know I’m fully recovered and feeling well. Besides a sore hand from the “jamming” of the IV, I’m at 100%! They haven’t discovered the rolling IV tree here so every time I had to go to the bathroom (which was a lot since I had a fast stomach), they had to remove the IV tubes and then jam it back it in. We did that probably about 20 times. Ouch.
Friday, July 10, 2009
the healing guru?
(It’s a long entry...but hang in there; it’s been an interesting couple of days. Actually, I think this could be the beginning of my 1st screenplay)
It all started Tuesday evening (Guru Purinam), when a fellow intern, Justin and I walked to the Ashram near Unnati. Since it was Guru Day and Purinam (full moon), thousands (we were told 8,000) of followers had come from all over to visit this ashram and be in the presence of this guru-Shri Ram Lal Jai Siyang. It looked like a festival with buses and tents…we were intrigued and wanted to check it out.
Within in minutes of walking in, we were greeted by some of main disciples who worked at the ashram and spoke English. We were ushered into a room to hear the story of the guru…He’s a healing guru. He heals people from cancer, AIDS, diabetes, etc and all you have to do is meditate on his picture repeating your mantra for 15 minutes twice a day and you’ll be healed. The guru is the 13th (or 12th) reincarnation of Krishna (I think) and has many disciples in India and Israel and even from the US…. Dennis Kucinich (the democratic presidental candidate from ohio) and his wife are followers (we saw pictures to prove it!).
All the sudden, there was a lot of commotion and we were told… “He is coming!” We jumped up and all the disciples grasped hands to form a human chain so the guru could enter the meditation hall without being mobbed by his chanting raving fans. He sat on a platform in front of the hall while hundreds crammed in and sat in meditation in front of him. Justin and I were escorted to the front to sit. People around us were crying, moaning, swaying, shaking, and smiling. It was so surreal. After about 15 minutes, they came and got us and told us to wait because the guru would meet us after the sitting. We giggled at the randomness of this all and decided to just go with it and see what would transpire…I was waiting for my 1st “meet and greet” with a guru.
After a while, we were escorted “backstage” and had to walk along a balcony over looking hundreds of followers who were sending us the evil eye wondering “how do those 2 white people get to meet our guru??” After some brief instruction (you may take pictures, the guru is just a normal guy, don’t worry), we were brought into his “bedroom”. The room was the coolest room I had been in since being in India (actually it ended up being the 2nd coolest as my hospital room was the coolest…more on that later). The floor was painted a bright blue and sitting on a white bed was a round old Indian man dressed in white pjs with very thick gold eyeglasses. We touched his feet and sat before him in silence. With the loud AC blowing, the guru asked….
Guru: Where are you from?
Me: America.
Guru: Where in America?
Me: Nashville, TN
Guru: hmmmmm…. Never heard of it. Dennis Kucinich the famous US presidential candidate is my disciple.
Me: I heard….and saw the photos.
Guru: Something in Hindi…. (His disciples told us that the guru wanted to watch us meditate. Close your eyes.)
Justin and I settled in and closed our eyes to the hum of the AC. After a bit, the guru said “bus” (which is “enough” in Hindi-you learn that word as Indians are famous for force feeding their guests) and handed me a book, which was authored by him. I was told to read 2 paragraphs. The reading was about the importance of a mantra and that everyone has they own special, unique mantra that will help them connect with the Divine. The guru then said something in Hindi…that was basically translated to us as “if you come back July 30th to our new followers orientation workshop, the guru will give you your secret individual mantra”. And with that, we touched his feet again, said thank you and were escorted out of the guru’s bedroom.
Truly one of the most unusual experiences of my life. Part spiritual adventure…part comedy sitcom…part pyramid scheme. We were told you can check out the guru on his website www.the-comforter.org and that he even has video on YouTube!
The story continues….
In the middle in the night, I woke up with a fast stomach (Indian term for diarrhea…much nicer way of saying it right?) and was sick all night long. I decided to stay home from work Wednesday to rest and let whatever had taken hold of my body run its course. I couldn’t get really sick…I just met with the healing guru, right?
Unfortunately, I got worse and by 6pm that evening, I was being taken to the doctor and then hospital with a 102 fever. I was in bad shape…intense headache and body pain, blacking out, burning up with fever and my stomach was still “fast”. Walking into the Indian emergency room I felt like I was in a movie. Thank God my friend Michael was with me to share the experience. I was “examined” in the ER and was told I had to be admitted and spend the night. The tears came (only a little). “Wait… I need to call my American Doctor!” I called Bruce and he sweetly coached me thru while I laid on an ER bed with 15 people staring at me with tears in my eyes.
Me: “I’m afraid they’ll give me an IV”
Bruce: “They need to….”
Me: “but I’m in India…its dirty”
Bruce: “But the needle will be clean. Watch them take it out of the package. Kim, think of all the Indian doctors in the US who were trained in India and all the Indian doctors in India who were trained in US. You’ll be fine. You have to do this!”
So…I bravely staggered thru the “waiting room” of lots of brightly colored Indians sitting on the floor, saluted the many statues, wall clocks, and posters of Ganesh (the elephant god who removes obstacles) and began my adventure in the Indian hospital.
Emotional relief came quick as I was brought into the “penthouse suite” of hospital rooms (at least by Indian standards). I had a clean, private room with a little balcony with a western toilet, AC and a fan! Exhale. Understanding every 3rd word… I had great care!!
After over 24 hours in the hospital consisting of 6 bottles of IV fluid (antibiotics and “liquids”), a shot in my bum for pain relief, 10-12 pills, blood work, urine test and special Indian medicine mixed in curd, I was discharged.
Smita (FSD’s Program Coordinator) and Michael tagged teamed babysitting me so I was never alone and always had someone to laugh with…when I finally felt like laughing…and there was much to laugh at.
I was at the expensive hospital that was ranked #1 in Jodhpur in terms of cleanliness. Knocks at the door and in would enter a boy with a broom to sweep my room, another knock and a lady would come in and empty my trash (even though there was nothing in the trash can), another person would come in and clean my bathroom, another knock and another person with a broom. My favorite was when a man with a backpack of chemicals came in and sprayed my tiny room for mosquitoes. Twice a woman came in and said,…”Room clean? Toilet clean? Ok, please sign” and my “keeper” of the moment would have to sign to verify that the room was clean.
The medicine process was that a nurse (most of them were male) would come in with something that looked like a yellow post-it note and hand it to Smita. Smita would read it and then crumble it up in a ball and throw it over my balcony to someone who would go to the pharmacy and then bring it up. The crazy thing was that after about 8 pills and lots of IV fluids, my stomach was still “fast”, so I agreed to Indian medicine, which were physillum (sp?) husks mixed with curd. It tasted horrible but after 2 servings my fast stomach slowed down! (I guess 5,000 years of Ayurvedic medicine has wisdom)
I felt very loved and cared for as my Indian Aunties (Smita and Veena) rubbed my feet and back and snuck in good curd… and while Michael sweetly helped me keep my mind off the pain by letting me babble and with her beautifully critical eye oversaw all needle sticks and made sure that we knew what I was taking and why I was taking it. I even had 3 of my work colleagues from Unnati come and visit me! It was so sweet and funny since none of them can speak English. They just came in and sat on my little sofa and smiled while I chatted. After an awkward 10 minutes, they said “OK”, got up and left. So nice!!
I got home last night around 10pm with the doctors instructions to rest and stay off Indian food for 24 hours. So today I’m home from work (I hate that I’ve had to miss 3 days…I’ve never stayed home from work for 3 days sick back in US) eating bananas, plain, white toast, sipping tea with no milk or sugar (no fun) and forcing down curd to replenish the good bacteria in my tummy. I’m on the road to recovery!
Even though I was very sick, my Indian hospital adventure was a great experience. I was totally dependent on others, which is not something that I’m used to or comfortable with. I learned I had to let go and trust...to ask for help (which is difficult for me to do) and was once again reminded that the Universe provides (as It always does!) I sat for hours looking out my window into the other windows of the hospital and felt connected. Many others were going thru the same experience…sick, afraid, worried and in pain. Just because I couldn’t speak the language or that the standards were unlike what I was used to; I was no different than my fellow Indians. It was an uncomfortable, foreign situation for us all. It turns out that getting sick and the beautiful people who helped me thru it were my true gurus. Thank you for the lessons learned.
PS. Little Anuashree came home from school today with stitches in her chin. She fell and hit her chin on a desk. It seems like after my meeting with the “healing” guru, a black cloud has fallen over our “family”. So much for the healing guru, right?? At least I have someone to play Go Fish with while I’m in recovery! xoxox
It all started Tuesday evening (Guru Purinam), when a fellow intern, Justin and I walked to the Ashram near Unnati. Since it was Guru Day and Purinam (full moon), thousands (we were told 8,000) of followers had come from all over to visit this ashram and be in the presence of this guru-Shri Ram Lal Jai Siyang. It looked like a festival with buses and tents…we were intrigued and wanted to check it out.
Within in minutes of walking in, we were greeted by some of main disciples who worked at the ashram and spoke English. We were ushered into a room to hear the story of the guru…He’s a healing guru. He heals people from cancer, AIDS, diabetes, etc and all you have to do is meditate on his picture repeating your mantra for 15 minutes twice a day and you’ll be healed. The guru is the 13th (or 12th) reincarnation of Krishna (I think) and has many disciples in India and Israel and even from the US…. Dennis Kucinich (the democratic presidental candidate from ohio) and his wife are followers (we saw pictures to prove it!).
All the sudden, there was a lot of commotion and we were told… “He is coming!” We jumped up and all the disciples grasped hands to form a human chain so the guru could enter the meditation hall without being mobbed by his chanting raving fans. He sat on a platform in front of the hall while hundreds crammed in and sat in meditation in front of him. Justin and I were escorted to the front to sit. People around us were crying, moaning, swaying, shaking, and smiling. It was so surreal. After about 15 minutes, they came and got us and told us to wait because the guru would meet us after the sitting. We giggled at the randomness of this all and decided to just go with it and see what would transpire…I was waiting for my 1st “meet and greet” with a guru.
After a while, we were escorted “backstage” and had to walk along a balcony over looking hundreds of followers who were sending us the evil eye wondering “how do those 2 white people get to meet our guru??” After some brief instruction (you may take pictures, the guru is just a normal guy, don’t worry), we were brought into his “bedroom”. The room was the coolest room I had been in since being in India (actually it ended up being the 2nd coolest as my hospital room was the coolest…more on that later). The floor was painted a bright blue and sitting on a white bed was a round old Indian man dressed in white pjs with very thick gold eyeglasses. We touched his feet and sat before him in silence. With the loud AC blowing, the guru asked….
Guru: Where are you from?
Me: America.
Guru: Where in America?
Me: Nashville, TN
Guru: hmmmmm…. Never heard of it. Dennis Kucinich the famous US presidential candidate is my disciple.
Me: I heard….and saw the photos.
Guru: Something in Hindi…. (His disciples told us that the guru wanted to watch us meditate. Close your eyes.)
Justin and I settled in and closed our eyes to the hum of the AC. After a bit, the guru said “bus” (which is “enough” in Hindi-you learn that word as Indians are famous for force feeding their guests) and handed me a book, which was authored by him. I was told to read 2 paragraphs. The reading was about the importance of a mantra and that everyone has they own special, unique mantra that will help them connect with the Divine. The guru then said something in Hindi…that was basically translated to us as “if you come back July 30th to our new followers orientation workshop, the guru will give you your secret individual mantra”. And with that, we touched his feet again, said thank you and were escorted out of the guru’s bedroom.
Truly one of the most unusual experiences of my life. Part spiritual adventure…part comedy sitcom…part pyramid scheme. We were told you can check out the guru on his website www.the-comforter.org and that he even has video on YouTube!
The story continues….
In the middle in the night, I woke up with a fast stomach (Indian term for diarrhea…much nicer way of saying it right?) and was sick all night long. I decided to stay home from work Wednesday to rest and let whatever had taken hold of my body run its course. I couldn’t get really sick…I just met with the healing guru, right?
Unfortunately, I got worse and by 6pm that evening, I was being taken to the doctor and then hospital with a 102 fever. I was in bad shape…intense headache and body pain, blacking out, burning up with fever and my stomach was still “fast”. Walking into the Indian emergency room I felt like I was in a movie. Thank God my friend Michael was with me to share the experience. I was “examined” in the ER and was told I had to be admitted and spend the night. The tears came (only a little). “Wait… I need to call my American Doctor!” I called Bruce and he sweetly coached me thru while I laid on an ER bed with 15 people staring at me with tears in my eyes.
Me: “I’m afraid they’ll give me an IV”
Bruce: “They need to….”
Me: “but I’m in India…its dirty”
Bruce: “But the needle will be clean. Watch them take it out of the package. Kim, think of all the Indian doctors in the US who were trained in India and all the Indian doctors in India who were trained in US. You’ll be fine. You have to do this!”
So…I bravely staggered thru the “waiting room” of lots of brightly colored Indians sitting on the floor, saluted the many statues, wall clocks, and posters of Ganesh (the elephant god who removes obstacles) and began my adventure in the Indian hospital.
Emotional relief came quick as I was brought into the “penthouse suite” of hospital rooms (at least by Indian standards). I had a clean, private room with a little balcony with a western toilet, AC and a fan! Exhale. Understanding every 3rd word… I had great care!!
After over 24 hours in the hospital consisting of 6 bottles of IV fluid (antibiotics and “liquids”), a shot in my bum for pain relief, 10-12 pills, blood work, urine test and special Indian medicine mixed in curd, I was discharged.
Smita (FSD’s Program Coordinator) and Michael tagged teamed babysitting me so I was never alone and always had someone to laugh with…when I finally felt like laughing…and there was much to laugh at.
I was at the expensive hospital that was ranked #1 in Jodhpur in terms of cleanliness. Knocks at the door and in would enter a boy with a broom to sweep my room, another knock and a lady would come in and empty my trash (even though there was nothing in the trash can), another person would come in and clean my bathroom, another knock and another person with a broom. My favorite was when a man with a backpack of chemicals came in and sprayed my tiny room for mosquitoes. Twice a woman came in and said,…”Room clean? Toilet clean? Ok, please sign” and my “keeper” of the moment would have to sign to verify that the room was clean.
The medicine process was that a nurse (most of them were male) would come in with something that looked like a yellow post-it note and hand it to Smita. Smita would read it and then crumble it up in a ball and throw it over my balcony to someone who would go to the pharmacy and then bring it up. The crazy thing was that after about 8 pills and lots of IV fluids, my stomach was still “fast”, so I agreed to Indian medicine, which were physillum (sp?) husks mixed with curd. It tasted horrible but after 2 servings my fast stomach slowed down! (I guess 5,000 years of Ayurvedic medicine has wisdom)
I felt very loved and cared for as my Indian Aunties (Smita and Veena) rubbed my feet and back and snuck in good curd… and while Michael sweetly helped me keep my mind off the pain by letting me babble and with her beautifully critical eye oversaw all needle sticks and made sure that we knew what I was taking and why I was taking it. I even had 3 of my work colleagues from Unnati come and visit me! It was so sweet and funny since none of them can speak English. They just came in and sat on my little sofa and smiled while I chatted. After an awkward 10 minutes, they said “OK”, got up and left. So nice!!
I got home last night around 10pm with the doctors instructions to rest and stay off Indian food for 24 hours. So today I’m home from work (I hate that I’ve had to miss 3 days…I’ve never stayed home from work for 3 days sick back in US) eating bananas, plain, white toast, sipping tea with no milk or sugar (no fun) and forcing down curd to replenish the good bacteria in my tummy. I’m on the road to recovery!
Even though I was very sick, my Indian hospital adventure was a great experience. I was totally dependent on others, which is not something that I’m used to or comfortable with. I learned I had to let go and trust...to ask for help (which is difficult for me to do) and was once again reminded that the Universe provides (as It always does!) I sat for hours looking out my window into the other windows of the hospital and felt connected. Many others were going thru the same experience…sick, afraid, worried and in pain. Just because I couldn’t speak the language or that the standards were unlike what I was used to; I was no different than my fellow Indians. It was an uncomfortable, foreign situation for us all. It turns out that getting sick and the beautiful people who helped me thru it were my true gurus. Thank you for the lessons learned.
PS. Little Anuashree came home from school today with stitches in her chin. She fell and hit her chin on a desk. It seems like after my meeting with the “healing” guru, a black cloud has fallen over our “family”. So much for the healing guru, right?? At least I have someone to play Go Fish with while I’m in recovery! xoxox
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 7th
Washing machines…(and dry cleaning for that matter) are now one of my favorite inventions!! Yes, I know there have been many other important technological advancements in history, but right now I cant think of anything more satisfying than being able to use a washing machine. I finally have my Indian clothes (after 2 weeks of frustration) and am now systemically ruining each garment with the bucket washing technique. It’s a comedy of errors… my wet red top brushes against and thus stains my blue top, I drop my white kutah in the Rajasthan red clay while trying to hang it up on the line and then a random burst of wind comes and knocks my clean clothes off the line onto the dirt so I have to rewash. Ugh. God bless whoever invented the washing machine! (I saw a nice one at the store the other day for 6500 Rupees or about $140)
July 7 is a very auspicious day here in India (and I guess for Hindus all over the world). Besides being my beautiful friend Erika’s birthday…It’s “Guru Day” and to make it even more special…it’s a Full Moon! The holiday is basically a “teacher appreciation” day where people pay respect to their teachers and their teacher’s teachers for sharing their knowledge. Pujas are performed, shrines are decorated and at my mothers school they are having an assembly for the children to honor the teachers. Another part of the celebration is that you purchase special stacks of grass and then make a wish as you feed them to the cows….and I'm told your wish will come true! So in honor of Guru Day, remember all of your teachers and be thankful for the lessons they have taught you. (Also make a wish as you feed any cows… or eat them!)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Field Visit
This weekend I went on my 1st field visit. It was quite an adventure! Started off on Friday morning on the back of a motorcycle (definitely one of the craziest things I’ve ever done) to meet up with my team. Then 6 of us crammed into a Jeep and bounced and swerved (most of the roads were only 1 lane so it’s a game of chicken every time you come upon another car, truck, motorcycle, rickshaw, cow or camel) for about 4 hours to the outskirts of Barmier. It was truly a road trip stopping often for roadside snacks, “cool” drinks and chai while they told stories in Hindi and laughed a lot. I laughed a lot as well…its funny that how when others laugh it makes you laugh even though you have no idea what they are laughing about. I had a wonderful translator, Surabhi, a 20-year-old Emory student who lived in India until she was 10. She was so valuable and after the weekend together and 8 hours of car time we became fast friends.
The purpose of this field visit was to conduct a needs assessment of four (4) Self Help Groups (SHGs) for upcoming livelihood training. A Self Help Group or SHG, is a very popular development strategy in India to empower women. Many have been started by the Government and NGOs. Basically a SHG consists of a minimum of 10 women who each contribute a set monthly amount to the group. The SHG can then collectively go to banks or other lenders to get loans at about 12% interest. The SHGs use the money for various things such as emergency savings in case someone gets sick, material for daughters wedding, to buy a four grinder or to use as seed money for income generating projects such as goat trading, owning a small shop, sewing business, etc. It has also been found that the SHGs provide a community or support group for these women to learn about their rights, learn from each other and overall build self-confidence.
UNNATI is getting ready to do a workshop to help build the capacity of these SHGs focusing on livelihood training; so the objective or our visit was to assess current financial and social status of the SHGs, document current income generating practices (livelihood) and explore possible new livelihood options. This information will be used to create customized training based on the needs of the SHG.
The villages that we visited were about 400 km away from Jodhpur near Barmer… about 80 km (or 40 miles) away from the Pakistan border. It was vast desert. We stayed in an “urban” village centrally located between the 2 rural villages each about 40 km from our home base. We’d travel to the village community centers and wait for the parade of women to come…dressed in rainbow colors with lots of “jewels” and their beautiful, strong faces covered in veil. I witnessed chaotic conversations as Rheka and Surabhi masterfully facilitated the discussions and we gathered our data.
We learned…
· That of the 4 SHGs we surveyed over ½ of the members are below poverty line (BPL). According the World Bank BPL is for those who make less than 1 US dollar a day. The Indian Government provides subsidy for BPL individuals. Most of the women were unclear about benefits and how to access.
· The women contribute 20 or 50 Rupees a month into the SGH (approx .50-$1.05) and have taken out loans of between 60-90,000 rupees per SHG.
· The women do not understand the terms of the loan. They have not been paying interest throughout the loan, so the interest will come due after the principal has been paid off. (not good)
· Most of the women have not used the loans from the SHGs on income generating activities. They need awareness and knowledge of sound livelihood options.
· 2 SHGs have been having success in goat trading. They can buy a goat for 1,200 Rps ($30). They buy 1 male and several females. Goats tend to have multiple births (twin goats) so their investment grows quickly. They get 1 kilo of milk from the goats a day and then sell the males to Muslim traders for meat who bring a truck into their village (no transportation costs).
From this information, we will design a training to address the lending process, BPL benefits, the practice of internal lending and possible livelihood options of goat trading and sewing. My idea is to have the women who have had success in goat trading teach the others how to do it. They understand the goat trading business way better than we do and I think they will receive great benefit from being the experts leading their peers. We’ll see how it works out…
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Party!
Last night was a big night it was the annual UNNATI staff party! I wanted to skip it or just make the obligatory stop by, but in the end, I am so glad I stayed and got into it as I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
At 7 pm, UNNATI staff members and their families (including in laws) all came dressed in their Indian finest. (Remember the entire party was in Hindi so I had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen next. I just went with it…)
The program included a series of competitions-individual and family, a talent show, games and lots of laughing. We played charades, pin the bindi on the woman (I’m serious!), a form of hot potato where whoever was caught with “it” had to sing or dance, had a speech competition (I couldn’t play), and more. The talent show consisted of little children singing, a young girl doing a traditional dance with a bowl of fire on her head and lots and lots of re-enactments of Hindi music videos while store bought cookies, ruffles potato chips and orange Fanta was passed around. It was awesome!
Around 10:30 we went into the mess hall to eat dinner. Babies were asleep on shoulders and toddlers asleep on the floor to be woken and propped up for the staff/family photo after dinner. Everyone left together around 11:30pm (note tomorrow is a work and school day) with huge smiles on their faces.
No bonuses were given out, no gifts exchanged, no speeches made, no awards awarded and no alcohol served...it was just a fun time to PLAY and to share your family with your work family (Although I don’t think they’d ever think of their colleagues as family. Family has a powerful place in the Indian culture.)
It was such a special night and a cool experience to have NO idea what was going on…not worrying about what’s coming next or making a fool of myself (I got that over with when I tried to introduce myself in Hindi). I had no context. No expectations. Nothing to compare it to or judge it against. I was totally in the moment…and it was really, really fun!!
PS. My next post will be on Monday as I'm going out in the field the next 2 days. Happy 4th of July! Enjoy some watermelon and fireworks for me!!
At 7 pm, UNNATI staff members and their families (including in laws) all came dressed in their Indian finest. (Remember the entire party was in Hindi so I had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen next. I just went with it…)
The program included a series of competitions-individual and family, a talent show, games and lots of laughing. We played charades, pin the bindi on the woman (I’m serious!), a form of hot potato where whoever was caught with “it” had to sing or dance, had a speech competition (I couldn’t play), and more. The talent show consisted of little children singing, a young girl doing a traditional dance with a bowl of fire on her head and lots and lots of re-enactments of Hindi music videos while store bought cookies, ruffles potato chips and orange Fanta was passed around. It was awesome!
Around 10:30 we went into the mess hall to eat dinner. Babies were asleep on shoulders and toddlers asleep on the floor to be woken and propped up for the staff/family photo after dinner. Everyone left together around 11:30pm (note tomorrow is a work and school day) with huge smiles on their faces.
No bonuses were given out, no gifts exchanged, no speeches made, no awards awarded and no alcohol served...it was just a fun time to PLAY and to share your family with your work family (Although I don’t think they’d ever think of their colleagues as family. Family has a powerful place in the Indian culture.)
It was such a special night and a cool experience to have NO idea what was going on…not worrying about what’s coming next or making a fool of myself (I got that over with when I tried to introduce myself in Hindi). I had no context. No expectations. Nothing to compare it to or judge it against. I was totally in the moment…and it was really, really fun!!
PS. My next post will be on Monday as I'm going out in the field the next 2 days. Happy 4th of July! Enjoy some watermelon and fireworks for me!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
girl power
UNNATI’s (the organization I’m working for) vision is to “Create an inclusive society where all stakeholders, particularly the vulnerable-dalits and women, participate with full empowerment and gain equal access and control over services, resources and institutions”.
She knows she is blessed and that not all women in India are so fortunate. I know that I’m also fortunate for being able to dream and pursue (and even achieve) many of my desires. I need to remember that I am empowered and need to be a good steward of that gift since many of my sisters all over this world not have the option. I don’t need to ask anyone’s permission to dream. I have girl power!
The photos are of me and my host mom, Karin Didi; 2 sisters caring for their little brothers while their parents work as mine laborers; and a very pregnant mother going to get water.
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