Day 23

I am reaching the point in my journey where I am exhausted and homesick, especially as Christmas approaches. It's hard to believe it's really Christmas in 90 degree weather and with no family and friends. On the up side, I suppose I'm also missing the mad rush and stress of having to go shopping. I have picked up some interesting mementos to bring home to everyone and in fact, I have already bought a second suitcase. Yikes!

Anyway, we left Alleppey yesterday for Kottoyam where we sat around bored out of our minds for approx. 3 hours. Then we took a 45 minute drive to the middle of nowhere where we spent another 3 hours or so sitting around. This place can be extremely frustrating because we have miscommunication left and right. We've told them we are tired of only seeing Rotary Club meetings where we are paraded around, having our picture taken and pushed back into the van. They take that to mean we need more rest. Their idea of rest is having us sit around and stare at each other. We would much rather be sightseeing (as schools are out for the holiday and are no longer an option). In any case, I am the eternal optimist and am hoping today is better than yesterday.

Here are a few highlights from when I had no Internet access. Here is a picture of me in a house boat. We were able to squeeze in a 2 hour tour of Kerala's backwaters and has been one of the few highlights of the past few days. It was incredibly relaxing and peaceful (except for the modern Indian music playing in the background, which reminded me of cheesy 80s songs). The other picture (if it actually loads--my Internet is agonizingly slow) is of a snake charmer. Heeding the advise of my editor, Travis, I didn't get too close, but it was really amazing to see. This guy had four cobras dancing at the same time. We were informed the snakes had been de-poisoned, but it was still somewhat frightening to see. The other picture is of me at a temple festival in Alleppey. We went when it was not too crowded but at night it became packed with people. Our hosts, who were wonderful, joked that if you rubbed oil over you and stood near the entrance of the festival you would be effortlessly massaged and passed through the crowd, without having to actually walk. Haha. Well, this may be my last shot at updating my blog before Christmas. Please email me if you get the chance. As they say in India, "Happy Christmas!"

Malleppally

We sadly said good-bye to our host family (see picture--the little one is Traicy) and headed to another part of Pathanamthitta called Malleppally. We met our new host family and headed off to their home, about 15 km. from town. They have a beautiful home in a more rural area and they grow everything from bananas to coconuts to tapioca. Shortly after arriving in their home, we walked next door to the St. Philomina's Orphanage and School. It was heartbreaking to see where some of the children sleep (see picture) and how they only have one toilet for 350 students and 13 teachers. Of all the schools we have visited, this is the one that needs the most help. I'm hoping to base my service project on this school. Tomorrow we move on to Alleppey where we will stay for four nights with another host family.

Today was a lot of fun. We spent a great deal of time at a school unlike any I've ever seen. There are no set classes and children are seemingly running around without rules. Then we went to a place that seemed like hippie heaven. They offered Indian culture classes including martial arts, woodcarving and kathakali (a form of dance). In fact, this picture is of me pretending to be a kathakali dancer. They use their hands, eyes and facial gestures to convey meaning. My face here says, "this thing is heavy and I feel silly." I am sad that tomorrow I have to leave another host family, especially my friend, Traicy.

Pathanamthitta

Today we arrived in Pathanamthitta. The first thing we did was visit the Mary Matha Public School where we were greeted by smiling, singing children. We had a great discussion with them, then moved on to our host family's home. After lunch we visited the Konni Elephant Training Centre where we got up-close and personal with several elephants. They are such odd looking creatures! We had a lot of fun!

Tonight we joined our host family for dinner and had a great time. We laughed, sang and danced. I even made a new friend, Traicy! I'll post a picture of her next time. My host family seems wonderful!

The Half Way Point

Yesterday was a complete mess. We were promised a day of sightseeing, with no meetings. Instead, during a 12 hour span we spent maybe 20 minutes sightseeing and the rest was spent in "informal gatherings" (meetings). We have been so frustrated with the lack of school visits and the overwhelming number of Rotary Club meetings which seem to be nothing be photo opportunities. We are all hopeful the next district will be better, but I am skeptical. However, I don't want to dwell on the negative and instead focus on the pockets of great moments we've had.

I have tried so many different foods here, I can barely keep track. One is the custard apple, which looks like an artichoke. It's sweet and has tons of seeds, though fortunately, it's not as much work to eat as a pomegranate. I've also tried at least three different kinds of bananas (red and fat, small and yellow, big and green) and an Asian pear-like fruit called a chiku, which is delicious.

I've also noted major differences in the transportation system here or rather, the lack of. Most major roads are almost as wide as our two lane highways but everybody passes whenever they want--around bends and into oncoming traffic. I have seen large buses packed with people, neon-colored trucks carrying an overload of wood, oxes pulling ancient men, up to three people on a motorcycle including a small child (none with helmets), and auto rickshaws (see below)--all with complete disregard for rules and reason. Above is a picture of an accident we saw yesterday. Notice how it seems to be turning into an entire village affair. Here they just stand there and argue until something is worked out and apparently, if a two wheeler is involved in an accident, it is always the other person's fault. Can you imagine?!

I still can't help but hold my breath while riding in our van. Speaking of our van, our driver, Mr. Saban, is so wonderful, he's helped make this trip bearable. Here is a picture of him on top of one of the scenic views we had a moment to enjoy yesterday.

Today, we finally get to relax and truly enjoy ourselves without chaperones. As a treat to ourselves we went to All Spice (their version of fast food) for lunch and had pizza and french fries. I usually refrain from having "continental cuisine" while visiting another country, but it was a nice break from the same kinds of food. While I am excited to be here, I am also sad about leaving my host family, who has been so generous and kind to the whole team. I am going to miss them when we move on to the next district. Here is a picture of my lovely hosts. They really went above and beyond this week. I hope my new host is even half as nice as Usha and Sukumaran.

Happy Christmas!

Today we were able to visit three schools, but only one in-depth. Krissy finally got to see kindergartners and boy were they adorable. They even put on a Christmas pageant for us and wished us all a Happy Christmas! We also visited another school for the handicapped (briefly).

Since I am one of the fortunate few with internet access, I must include several pictures at Niki's request. The first is a group shot of the team wearing our beautiful sarees. The next is of Krissy and I on the boating expedition and the third is of Niki on my host's motorcycle. (Andy, she misses you terribly and this photo is for you.)

Day 11

Today we finally had another opportunity to visit and really interact with a school. Many of the older students are studying for exams, so today was focused on the little ones. It was really refreshing to be around kids again. It makes me really miss my students back home. The school we visited was called Navdeep Public School. The funny thing is...it's private. Here in India, private means public and public means private. Confusing!! This seemed like a really great school with good facilities. It is actually quite similar to my own school in its approach to learning.


Afterwards, we visited a school for students with special needs, sponsored by the YWCA. The school accepts students ages 5-35 and is completely free. However, they depend on government grants that they sometimes do not receive. Which means they then depend only a small number of private donations and the teachers do not get paid. Seeing the school really hit home with the team. We learned that for less than $20 (U.S.)/month covers the cost of one student. When we get home, we all plan to share more information with people to try and help them out. After students reach the age of 35, they are no longer able to attend the school. Many parents worry about what will happen to their child once they pass away, which is heartbreaking. The students learn dance, yoga and small skills--how to make coir (the rope I mentioned in my last blog) and candles--but many of the students do not learn marketable skills.


The highlight of the day was when we saw a parade of elephants. They were beautiful, though it was hard to see how poorly they must be treated. I can only hope they lead a better life than I imagine. They are such strange and fascinating creatures.

Doing the Saree Shuffle

This is a picture of part of our boat ride through the backwaters of Astamudi Lake and around Monroe Island. It was really quite beautiful once I got over the idea that I could easily fall in if somebody so much as sneezed. Along the way we saw a kingfisher (the bird) and other beautiful wildlife. We also tasted a grapefruit-like fruit called Bumblemess (cute, huh?).

Here is where I attempted to make a strand of coir, a rope made of dried coconut husk. To my credit, it's much harder to do than it looks--you need to feed the "hair" at a steady pace with one hand as you guide the rope with the other. I don't know how the cute little old ladies who make the coir do this job everyday.

Then the moment we had all been looking forward to...putting on our beautiful new sarees. Here is a picture of us all decked out with our host family in the middle. They have been so incredibly generous and kind. I already anticipate having a difficult time leaving them. Anyway, I think we looked pretty spiffy. I do have to admit though, it's incredible difficult to walk in and I found my self shuffling along like my knees were tied together. I now have a deep and profound respect for women who wore corsets and who wear sarees on a daily basis. They look beautiful, but I don't think I'll be making any major wardrobe changes any time soon. (Below: Posing with Sukumaran's motorcycle)

Going nuts in India!

Today we visited a cashew processing plant. They import the raw nuts from places like Ghana and a factory of about 600 people process them to be sold for consumption. This is a ridiculous picture of me and Niki wearing the required sanitary gear. Too bad they didn't let us keep them, eh? The visit was interesting, but it was really depressing to see so many people working so hard merely to be paid the equivalent of less than a couple U.S. dollars. :-(

Later we visited Quillon Lighthouse, which is over 100 years old. This is one of the amazing views from the top. On the other side you can see the very tip of India--amazing. Today was nice and relaxing. Tomorrow we'll be going for a boat ride along Kollam's famed backwaters and maybe even get to swim in a nearby lake. :-)

Week 2

Today we traveled to our second destination, Kollam, which is about 71 km. north of Trivandrum. Our new host family is incredibly nice and the gods must be smiling on us because they have internet too! They have a very nice home and they welcomed me with a beautiful gold and purple saree (Krissy's is green and gold). We plan to wear them this Wednesday.

I just noticed that my last blog did not contain both of the pictures I thought it did. Above is the picture of the Cotton Hill Girls' School in Trivandrum that I meant to include last time. The sight was truly awesome. Getting 6,000 girls to stand patiently in neat rows was quite a sight. To the left is a picture of the team at beach yesterday. We had a little time to spend swimming in the Arabian Sea.

Today we attempted to learn how to put on a saree. We're planning on wearing our gift sarees at the District Conference at the end of the month and we're going to need a lot of help. (When we wear our sarees we'll be wearing matching shirts and not the t-shirt I have on here.) The picture of me here was done by a member of Niki's host family. I can't wait to wear the entire outfit!

Unfortunately, we will only be able to see a few schools this week as most students are preparing to take exams before the Christmas break. Tomorrow we will be visiting a cashew processing unit, followed by a temple. Should be fun!

More of India

Things have slowed down a bit here. We still fit lots of things into
our day, but it's not as stressful as it was before. I think they
realized they were killing us with kindness. We had been go go go
since the moment we first stepped off the plane.

The pictures I attached are a few days old, but they cover a lot of
what I've been experiencing. The first is of me with another teammate,
Krissy, and I drinking coconut milk. It's not my drink of choice but
it was interesting. After drinking it, a man with a machete split it
in half so we could eat the coconut flesh inside. It was pretty tasty.

The second picture is of the greeting we received at one school. They
gave us flowers, coconuts and more flowers. The children treat us like
celebrities. Random people ask to take photos of us and everyone is so
friendly, they will walk right up to you and say hello.

Yesterday we went to the largest school in Asia. The Cotton Hill Girls' School has approx. 6,000 students! Can you imagine? Their classrooms had about 40-50 girls, all sitting on benches. It was incredible. We had a short Q and A with them and I was blown away by their maturity and scope of knowledge. They asked us pointed questions about Obama, our political and educational system. I think about how few of our students are so globally aware. They really impressed us. I think they too were fascinated by us, as are most people we meet. I must admit it's a bit disarming. Students and people on the street want to take our pictures like we're celebrities.

Well, I'm being kicked off on the Internet. Until next time...

Amazing

So far, I have had an amazing time here. The sights, the smells, the food, the people. Everything is so new! We have been running around like crazy, mostly visiting schools and eating. The traditional Kerala meal is served on a large banana leaf with several small dishes served on top. They range from extremely spicy to mild spicy. My tastebuds are on overload.
Nothing has been what I had imagined, including the amount of internet access available. This is the first time we've been able to contact the outside world. There is so much about home that I miss already including: readily available toilet paper, real coffee, and my cell phone. I didn't realize how much I use it until I didnt have the option to. I certainly never expected to go cold turkey. Despite all this, I have having the trip of a lifetime. The people are very generous and the culture is rich with tradition. I can't wait to come home and share all that I have learned. The days seem long only because we are constantly seeing new sights and meeting the challenges of a completely different culture.
I will write again when we have internet access again, but who knows when that may be. Just know that I am in great hands and am having a wonderful time.

No Worries

I'm sitting in the airport waiting to board the first of several flights on our way to India. I'm somewhat dreading the flight, but I'm getting excited about the destination! Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of concern and support. Not to worry, I will be far away from Mumbai the entire trip.  I will check in as often as I can though, I promise.  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to catching up with you after the new year. Yippee!

Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe I'll be taking off for India in less than four days! Everyone has been really supportive of this trip and I can't wait to share my adventures with you all. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, thanks to everyone who has helped with well wishes, finances and offers of assistance. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!