I wrote this earlier - on day 3 of my trip to Nepal (so I can get a new Indian visa)
I'm sitting on the roof top of my hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal enjoying the view and warming up in the sunshine. The power has gone out again - same time everyday - yet it doesnt seem to slow anyone down.
I've been spending the week trying not to be too touristy - and to separate myself from all the trekkers - to no avail. It's practically impossible to do in Kathmandu where the main thing to do is wander down the winding streets and buy things. Sarah and I have spent some quality time in cafes drinking many pots of Nepali tea, eating incredible pastries (rare in india), and reading tons. I've gone through 2 books already and we're only halfway through the trip.
We spent a night in Nagarkot - a 2 hour drive into the Kathmandu Valley. It was a small, queit, gorgeous place. We spent an afternoon "sunbathing" in the garden with about 3 layers of clothing on. The problem with the incredible mountan views is that you're in the mountains! And that meant us being there on one of the coldest weeks of the year in Nepal. So needless to say we bundled up in 1/2 of our wardrobe and spent out days drinking tons of tea. The hotel had the best chai I've tasted in all my time in Asia...it was delicious!
We sat outside and revelled in the view of some very impressive looking mountains. From our room we had a panoramic view of the valley and mountains. Coming from Scarborough where the best view are the Scarborough bluffs it's been great to be in a place of such gorgeous landscapes. Even from up here on the roof I'm surrounded by mountains in the distance, other rooftop covered in laundry drying in the sun, and some old faded prayer flags.
It seems so wild to me to think that I left in May expecting to be in India for 4 months, and now I'm coming on 8! Twice as long as planned. And that I've been so lucky to have gone to Sri Lanka and now Nepal, its more than I ever imagined. It's been so interesting to see the different cultures - even if only for a week.
I'm getting excited to go back to India because my family comes in a week or so. It'll be great to show them where I live, and what I do, but more exciting to have them fall in love with the place I call home.
Things just see to keep looking up these days...
For those of you wondering if I'm ever coming home, I have booked a ticket for the end of April - but I don't know how I'm gonna pull myself away from here.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday, December 9, 2007
HIV/AIDS Seminar
This message started as an email to my best friend Jolene...and then I guess I just had so much spiraling around in my head that needed to get out and it turned into this. It started as a thank you to my friends for being so open and having the relationship that we have so I have people around to talk to about relationships and sex and all the rest...
I realised this week during our HIV/AIDS Seminar how lucky we all were to have each other. We've currently got 21 young women from 14 countries around the world and we're talking about sex, condoms, HIV/AIDS, etc. and I don't think I truly realized how unique our situation and open friendship with one another is. There are so many girls here who can't even talk to their sisters, best friends, or husbands about it. Not about birth control or condoms. I just don't know what life would have been like to not have you guys around. I swear we were not only educating each other but we basically acted as counsellors too!
It's been a great experience though, we started off just talking about sex and when and where people first learned about sex, about HIV/AIDS, about resources, etc. Then we talked about the programs available in our different countries. And it was really interesting for me to note even the massive difference between the Canadian system and US system...after being here so long I forget that our cultures can be so vastly different. And then today I got to lead the session on condoms!! We started by playing soccer (european football), and told them it was just an energizer to get the day started. And after they were done we discussed how the ball was HIV, and if anyone noticed who had the ball before they got it, and if they remembered who they passed it to (they rarely can remember more than one or two people). Then that started people thinking about how condoms can be one method to avoid the risk of transfering HIV/AIDS.
So we got everyone together, pulled out the male penises we have here. One incredibly unrealistic one from India (Darshana’s mom is a doctor and got it for us), and one from New York that was again unrealistic in its own ways but better than the basic one. And we started talking about condoms. We went through the steps of how to use both the male and female condom and then broke out into smaller discussion groups. We talked about a lot of things, many people shared stories and questions and it was great to hear their voices from around the world. Everyone got a chance to put the male condom on the penis and pass around and check out the female condom. Then we gave everyone both male and female condoms to use themselves or for education or trainings in their countries. And we left it with a request that sometime in the week everyone here tries on the female condom to see what its like. Because then they can be a role model and have the experience to explain to their peers.
And its been a great week because we've been partnering with Deep Griha's Integrated Services for HIV/AIDS (DISHA), which is this incredible project where they do such great work. Their coordinator for DISHA is this guy Hans who is a really incredible speaker, very charismatic, and passionate. He truely lives his work and that makes all the difference when talking to people. We had him visit Sangam and do his speech on the DISHA project (Deep Griha’s Integrated Services on HIV/AIDS). He was amazing and went an hour over time but we loved every minute of it! Then we visited his organization, met his team of amazing DISHA staff and volunteers, and walked about the slum neighbourhood with the team members.
The next morning we visited Sahara, an organization DISHA partners with. Sahara is a care home for people in the final stages of AIDS, and a rehab centre. They can hold up to 40 people, but currently have 34 with them at the site in outside of Pune. It was a really overwhelming experience for me – and I’m still trying to sort out exactly why…
The home was beautiful and spacious enough for their clients. In every room there were paintings on the walls, and all the people there were kind, and happy to meet us. Even if they were in bed with the covers up to their faces you could still see them looking on and watching us. What really affected me was how the centre is managed and run. The people who volunteer at the centre are mainly people who have gone through the system themselves. One of the care workers is 12 years sober, and has been working at the centre in Pune for 10 years. They make a lasting impact on their clients so that they will continue to come back and give all they can. The staff and volunteers live on site, sleeping in the office and space available. They are there 24 hours a day, and have to cope with more than I could ever imagine. Hans himself used to work there, and he spoke about a time when they would have 3 clients expire (die) in a day. He says that has now gone down to 3-4 in a good month. I stood there trying to grasp how one manages those emotions and that kind of weight. It takes a strong spirited person to live that life.
There were many times when Hans told me about the realities of the organization that my emotions got to me and I started to get tears in my eyes, but it wasn’t until Phuong (a participant from the USA) thanked the staff and volunteers as we were leaving that I was overwhelmed by it all. Hearing her words made me realize just how valuable these people were, and made me realize how valuable this past week has been to our participants. I felt really overwhelmed with the feeling that they “got it”. It was nice to see people who were apprehensive about sharing their thoughts on the subject of sex, condoms, and HIV/AIDS be able to speak so freely by the end of just 7 days. I’m lucky that I’ve always had that opportunity – with my best friends knowing anything and everything about me even when I’m so far away I still write them when I have that important news that only a best friend can appreciate.
I came home after that visit to Sahara and took a 30 minute break that afternoon and just lay in bed thinking. Like I said, it was an emotionally overwhelming day and I’m still processing exactly why…
I realised this week during our HIV/AIDS Seminar how lucky we all were to have each other. We've currently got 21 young women from 14 countries around the world and we're talking about sex, condoms, HIV/AIDS, etc. and I don't think I truly realized how unique our situation and open friendship with one another is. There are so many girls here who can't even talk to their sisters, best friends, or husbands about it. Not about birth control or condoms. I just don't know what life would have been like to not have you guys around. I swear we were not only educating each other but we basically acted as counsellors too!
It's been a great experience though, we started off just talking about sex and when and where people first learned about sex, about HIV/AIDS, about resources, etc. Then we talked about the programs available in our different countries. And it was really interesting for me to note even the massive difference between the Canadian system and US system...after being here so long I forget that our cultures can be so vastly different. And then today I got to lead the session on condoms!! We started by playing soccer (european football), and told them it was just an energizer to get the day started. And after they were done we discussed how the ball was HIV, and if anyone noticed who had the ball before they got it, and if they remembered who they passed it to (they rarely can remember more than one or two people). Then that started people thinking about how condoms can be one method to avoid the risk of transfering HIV/AIDS.
So we got everyone together, pulled out the male penises we have here. One incredibly unrealistic one from India (Darshana’s mom is a doctor and got it for us), and one from New York that was again unrealistic in its own ways but better than the basic one. And we started talking about condoms. We went through the steps of how to use both the male and female condom and then broke out into smaller discussion groups. We talked about a lot of things, many people shared stories and questions and it was great to hear their voices from around the world. Everyone got a chance to put the male condom on the penis and pass around and check out the female condom. Then we gave everyone both male and female condoms to use themselves or for education or trainings in their countries. And we left it with a request that sometime in the week everyone here tries on the female condom to see what its like. Because then they can be a role model and have the experience to explain to their peers.
And its been a great week because we've been partnering with Deep Griha's Integrated Services for HIV/AIDS (DISHA), which is this incredible project where they do such great work. Their coordinator for DISHA is this guy Hans who is a really incredible speaker, very charismatic, and passionate. He truely lives his work and that makes all the difference when talking to people. We had him visit Sangam and do his speech on the DISHA project (Deep Griha’s Integrated Services on HIV/AIDS). He was amazing and went an hour over time but we loved every minute of it! Then we visited his organization, met his team of amazing DISHA staff and volunteers, and walked about the slum neighbourhood with the team members.
The next morning we visited Sahara, an organization DISHA partners with. Sahara is a care home for people in the final stages of AIDS, and a rehab centre. They can hold up to 40 people, but currently have 34 with them at the site in outside of Pune. It was a really overwhelming experience for me – and I’m still trying to sort out exactly why…
The home was beautiful and spacious enough for their clients. In every room there were paintings on the walls, and all the people there were kind, and happy to meet us. Even if they were in bed with the covers up to their faces you could still see them looking on and watching us. What really affected me was how the centre is managed and run. The people who volunteer at the centre are mainly people who have gone through the system themselves. One of the care workers is 12 years sober, and has been working at the centre in Pune for 10 years. They make a lasting impact on their clients so that they will continue to come back and give all they can. The staff and volunteers live on site, sleeping in the office and space available. They are there 24 hours a day, and have to cope with more than I could ever imagine. Hans himself used to work there, and he spoke about a time when they would have 3 clients expire (die) in a day. He says that has now gone down to 3-4 in a good month. I stood there trying to grasp how one manages those emotions and that kind of weight. It takes a strong spirited person to live that life.
There were many times when Hans told me about the realities of the organization that my emotions got to me and I started to get tears in my eyes, but it wasn’t until Phuong (a participant from the USA) thanked the staff and volunteers as we were leaving that I was overwhelmed by it all. Hearing her words made me realize just how valuable these people were, and made me realize how valuable this past week has been to our participants. I felt really overwhelmed with the feeling that they “got it”. It was nice to see people who were apprehensive about sharing their thoughts on the subject of sex, condoms, and HIV/AIDS be able to speak so freely by the end of just 7 days. I’m lucky that I’ve always had that opportunity – with my best friends knowing anything and everything about me even when I’m so far away I still write them when I have that important news that only a best friend can appreciate.
I came home after that visit to Sahara and took a 30 minute break that afternoon and just lay in bed thinking. Like I said, it was an emotionally overwhelming day and I’m still processing exactly why…
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Ok, so again it's been too long!
But this time I have a good excuse...I've been the lead for planning and running the past event which was new and a lot of responsibility - and STRESS for me! My fellow Programme Manager was away in London for meetings for a week and I did the preparation and ran the event with the Programme Assistants for 4 or 5 days. So basically the progression from PA to APM to PM was a fast one! haha. But it was really good, and a great experience for me...like I said very very stressful for me as well but something I had to learn. Next time I will try to manage things more efficiently and not worry so much - because as I learned the stuff I'm worried about always works out with no problems, and its the things you can anticipate that get in the way. So no use wasting my energy stressing out.
Anyway, these past 10 days we had 26 people from USA, UK, Canada, Venezuela, and New Zealand for our "Healing Touch" event. It was good, and really interesting because we had a main focus on healthcare and medicine for the sessions. We got to go to a public hospital (which was a first for us and the hospital), a private hospital, the National Institute of Naturopathy, and we had a discussion panel with many people with medical backgrounds including alleopathy and homeopathy.
We also had 3 mornings of Community Action Projects at Deep Griha in their clinics, at YWCA teaching first aid to the girls in Indira Nagar, and at St. Mary's doing yoga and exercises with the ladies there and playing with the children! It was an action packed event and things managed to run pretty well aside from some basic glitches with planning in India.
It's been insanely chaotic with work, and I havent managed to have 2 days off in a row in 2 weeks now, but things need to be a little crazy just until after the HIV/AIDS Seminar Dec. 2-8th. Then a few days after that I am FREEEE!!
I'm very excited, I will have like 2 or 2 and a half weeks off and to myself. I'm heading to Goa around the 14-19, then back for CL's wedding on the 22nd. We'll actually be spending 2 nights out there so that will be nice to be away from it all and doing all the fun wedding prep stuff. Then back in Pune on the 23rd and then who knows! I may end up back in Goa for New Years. I just really want to get away from the cold of Pune! I know no one from home wants to hear me complain but it really IS super cold here.
I am currently at my desk wearing 2 shirts, a big hoodie, a scarf, and I have my blanket wrapped around me. It's craaazy cold. I could see my breath this morning. I have no idea how the women still walk around in saris like nothing is different, if I were them I'd have 3 of those things on and and extra sweater to cover up my stomach! But it's still supposed to get COLDER, so I'm pretttty worried. haha. Getting away to a hotter place will be a great trip away!
Ok enough from me, I need to go do some actual work...send me messages if you love me! :) haha xoxo
But this time I have a good excuse...I've been the lead for planning and running the past event which was new and a lot of responsibility - and STRESS for me! My fellow Programme Manager was away in London for meetings for a week and I did the preparation and ran the event with the Programme Assistants for 4 or 5 days. So basically the progression from PA to APM to PM was a fast one! haha. But it was really good, and a great experience for me...like I said very very stressful for me as well but something I had to learn. Next time I will try to manage things more efficiently and not worry so much - because as I learned the stuff I'm worried about always works out with no problems, and its the things you can anticipate that get in the way. So no use wasting my energy stressing out.
Anyway, these past 10 days we had 26 people from USA, UK, Canada, Venezuela, and New Zealand for our "Healing Touch" event. It was good, and really interesting because we had a main focus on healthcare and medicine for the sessions. We got to go to a public hospital (which was a first for us and the hospital), a private hospital, the National Institute of Naturopathy, and we had a discussion panel with many people with medical backgrounds including alleopathy and homeopathy.
We also had 3 mornings of Community Action Projects at Deep Griha in their clinics, at YWCA teaching first aid to the girls in Indira Nagar, and at St. Mary's doing yoga and exercises with the ladies there and playing with the children! It was an action packed event and things managed to run pretty well aside from some basic glitches with planning in India.
It's been insanely chaotic with work, and I havent managed to have 2 days off in a row in 2 weeks now, but things need to be a little crazy just until after the HIV/AIDS Seminar Dec. 2-8th. Then a few days after that I am FREEEE!!
I'm very excited, I will have like 2 or 2 and a half weeks off and to myself. I'm heading to Goa around the 14-19, then back for CL's wedding on the 22nd. We'll actually be spending 2 nights out there so that will be nice to be away from it all and doing all the fun wedding prep stuff. Then back in Pune on the 23rd and then who knows! I may end up back in Goa for New Years. I just really want to get away from the cold of Pune! I know no one from home wants to hear me complain but it really IS super cold here.
I am currently at my desk wearing 2 shirts, a big hoodie, a scarf, and I have my blanket wrapped around me. It's craaazy cold. I could see my breath this morning. I have no idea how the women still walk around in saris like nothing is different, if I were them I'd have 3 of those things on and and extra sweater to cover up my stomach! But it's still supposed to get COLDER, so I'm pretttty worried. haha. Getting away to a hotter place will be a great trip away!
Ok enough from me, I need to go do some actual work...send me messages if you love me! :) haha xoxo
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Sri Lanka: Day 5
Last night I went to stay with a former sangam volunteer Dimanthi, who lives with her family just outside the city limits. It was fun, but get this - they BOUGHT a bed for me! I showed up and they said I was gonna stay in the spare room, so I went in and it was a mess with nothing there, so I assumed I would be getting a fold out cot or something - no problem. Then they told me to go hang out in the living room, watch tv (they have american tv like one tree hill and gilmore girls!!), etc. then like an hour later the room was spotless and I saw these movers moving a bed into the room! They've been renovating the house so apparently it was coincidence that it was bought for me, but you can imagine how bad I felt :S
Anyway, its been a crazy week - today I was woken up at 5:45am (dear god) by Dimanthi's mom who brought me tea (wonderful woman knew how to butter me up haha), and had breakfast and left with the whole family getting dropped off along the way at work, school, and finally at the GG headquarters. There I chatted with some of the ladies who work in the office before heading out for me walk to the Indian High Commission.
The good news is that if you make a complete fool of yourself (by fighting, sitting around for 6 hours demanding to speak to officials, and then getting teary eyed) you get VIP treatment from the guards the next time you show up! Slightly embarrassing, but lucky me got in past the lineups, through security and right upstairs to drop off my visa this morning. I was in and out of the building in 5 minutes.
After walking to the IHC in the heat I stopped off next door at Barista and sat and enjoyed 2 iced coffees while reading my book. I think after about an hour they got sick of me sitting there and started loitering so I bailed out and took a stroll along the sea. As always I love being near the water, so I sat on a bench and watched the waves roll in. I think when I set up life for myself some place it’s going to have to involve the aspect of water nearby…its just so beautiful.
Now I’m in a shopping mall finishing up some shopping and enjoying my free time to myself.
Its too bad that my trip was too short to get to travel anywhere else in the country or stay longer, but I have managed to get to know the area I’m staying in by wandering around most afternoons. It’s been a little strange, I was very worried about coming here with the high security alerts, etc. But aside from the policemen at every corner, and the guys driving around in military jeeps with big guns pointed out at the street I haven’t been so worried. For some reason once those jeeps pass you forget about them and go on your way. During the day there’s no worries, but at night everything quiets down and the police set up these security check points. All the citizens in Sri Lanka have to carry ID cards, and if you’re stopped at the check points (which is very common) you have to show the police your ID, drivers license and sometimes allow them to search your car. It’s all very foreign and strange to me, but I guess that’s life here.
I’m just happy I was lucky enough to be born in Canada and not have to worry about ID cards, and bomb searches.
Wish me safe travels back to India tomorrow :)
Anyway, its been a crazy week - today I was woken up at 5:45am (dear god) by Dimanthi's mom who brought me tea (wonderful woman knew how to butter me up haha), and had breakfast and left with the whole family getting dropped off along the way at work, school, and finally at the GG headquarters. There I chatted with some of the ladies who work in the office before heading out for me walk to the Indian High Commission.
The good news is that if you make a complete fool of yourself (by fighting, sitting around for 6 hours demanding to speak to officials, and then getting teary eyed) you get VIP treatment from the guards the next time you show up! Slightly embarrassing, but lucky me got in past the lineups, through security and right upstairs to drop off my visa this morning. I was in and out of the building in 5 minutes.
After walking to the IHC in the heat I stopped off next door at Barista and sat and enjoyed 2 iced coffees while reading my book. I think after about an hour they got sick of me sitting there and started loitering so I bailed out and took a stroll along the sea. As always I love being near the water, so I sat on a bench and watched the waves roll in. I think when I set up life for myself some place it’s going to have to involve the aspect of water nearby…its just so beautiful.
Now I’m in a shopping mall finishing up some shopping and enjoying my free time to myself.
Its too bad that my trip was too short to get to travel anywhere else in the country or stay longer, but I have managed to get to know the area I’m staying in by wandering around most afternoons. It’s been a little strange, I was very worried about coming here with the high security alerts, etc. But aside from the policemen at every corner, and the guys driving around in military jeeps with big guns pointed out at the street I haven’t been so worried. For some reason once those jeeps pass you forget about them and go on your way. During the day there’s no worries, but at night everything quiets down and the police set up these security check points. All the citizens in Sri Lanka have to carry ID cards, and if you’re stopped at the check points (which is very common) you have to show the police your ID, drivers license and sometimes allow them to search your car. It’s all very foreign and strange to me, but I guess that’s life here.
I’m just happy I was lucky enough to be born in Canada and not have to worry about ID cards, and bomb searches.
Wish me safe travels back to India tomorrow :)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sri Lanka: Day 2
It's been one hell of a day!
Started out great: 8am breakfast complete with real sized bread, and actual butter! I was thrilled. Then at the Indian High Commission I acutally got *inside* the building. (The day before I spent 3 hours in line outside only to be told I would have to come again the next morning). So that made 2 lucky strikes, but by the third strike my luck had run out. After being blatantly ignored by one visa officer who refused to hear my appeals - and would only grant me a 3 month visa, I was sent along to the next officer. He also ignored my pleas - or rather heard them, relayed them (many, MANY times) but always came back with the same answer. So I asked again to have it reviewed and kindly asked that they actually *read* my letters included, and when it looked like they might actually listen to me I took a seat. After 6 and a half hours of waiting I was still told I would only receive a 3 month visa. My patience had run out, I got frustrated and teary eyed and gave in. I at least needed to get back into the country and stay for as long as I could.
So to calm myself and get a grip I walked over to the ocean side and sat near the sea for a few minutes watching the waves. Then I walked the 20 minutes back to Vinitha and Tenny's house. They had been quite worried about me when I didnt arrive back in time for lunch - but when they discovered I had spent ALL da yat the I.H.C. they shared my frustration.
Tenny and Vinitha are this wonderful older couple from Colombo, Sri Lanka. They have had hte pleasure of hosting many many international guests, and many Sangam volunteers needed new visas. They live in this incredible house (a real house with a dining room, living room, etc. very exciting for me) that they built on their own. It's architecturally stunning, and made of all Sri Lankan resources. Anyway, they're a really interesting couple with lots to share and I've had some great intellectual conversations with them about all kinds of cultural differences around the world. It's been great.
Aside from the I. H. C. nightmare, I have had a good time. It defenitely isn't the vacation I had imagined but its been great being in a country a little more liberal and similar to home. I can wander the streets with a few less stares, and I can wear clothing from Canada and fit in fine. The traffic here is like home, the stores are big and have hte same set up as home...oooh and they have supermarkets!! I didnt realise how much I miss grocery shopping...it's like my happy place, so it was fun to wander around the other day.
I'm spending the next two days with a Sri Lankan girl who worked at Sangam in 2004 so it should be a lot of fun. She also works at the GG headquarters in Colombo so I've been meeting lots of new people.
I pick up my visa on Friday so I will be crossing my fingers that things go smoothly so I can head back home to India on Saturday :)
Started out great: 8am breakfast complete with real sized bread, and actual butter! I was thrilled. Then at the Indian High Commission I acutally got *inside* the building. (The day before I spent 3 hours in line outside only to be told I would have to come again the next morning). So that made 2 lucky strikes, but by the third strike my luck had run out. After being blatantly ignored by one visa officer who refused to hear my appeals - and would only grant me a 3 month visa, I was sent along to the next officer. He also ignored my pleas - or rather heard them, relayed them (many, MANY times) but always came back with the same answer. So I asked again to have it reviewed and kindly asked that they actually *read* my letters included, and when it looked like they might actually listen to me I took a seat. After 6 and a half hours of waiting I was still told I would only receive a 3 month visa. My patience had run out, I got frustrated and teary eyed and gave in. I at least needed to get back into the country and stay for as long as I could.
So to calm myself and get a grip I walked over to the ocean side and sat near the sea for a few minutes watching the waves. Then I walked the 20 minutes back to Vinitha and Tenny's house. They had been quite worried about me when I didnt arrive back in time for lunch - but when they discovered I had spent ALL da yat the I.H.C. they shared my frustration.
Tenny and Vinitha are this wonderful older couple from Colombo, Sri Lanka. They have had hte pleasure of hosting many many international guests, and many Sangam volunteers needed new visas. They live in this incredible house (a real house with a dining room, living room, etc. very exciting for me) that they built on their own. It's architecturally stunning, and made of all Sri Lankan resources. Anyway, they're a really interesting couple with lots to share and I've had some great intellectual conversations with them about all kinds of cultural differences around the world. It's been great.
Aside from the I. H. C. nightmare, I have had a good time. It defenitely isn't the vacation I had imagined but its been great being in a country a little more liberal and similar to home. I can wander the streets with a few less stares, and I can wear clothing from Canada and fit in fine. The traffic here is like home, the stores are big and have hte same set up as home...oooh and they have supermarkets!! I didnt realise how much I miss grocery shopping...it's like my happy place, so it was fun to wander around the other day.
I'm spending the next two days with a Sri Lankan girl who worked at Sangam in 2004 so it should be a lot of fun. She also works at the GG headquarters in Colombo so I've been meeting lots of new people.
I pick up my visa on Friday so I will be crossing my fingers that things go smoothly so I can head back home to India on Saturday :)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Continued...
Mangesh came and told me it was time to go sit by the pool and celebrate, so I came out, grabbed a sweater and sat out in our courtyard. Today was the longest day of the year I think – when we “fall back” is as much as I can understand.
It was incredible, I walked out of my office, into the courtyard which was illuminated by the moon. I don’t mean it was just lit up by the moon, it was sparkling, and the tree tops were all shining, and there was no need for any lights in the area. In fact Mangesh had turned off all the surrounding lights except for Manik and Mathuras house. And I just lay out there by the pool staring up at this bright, beautiful, full moon. You could vaguely hear the music from outside still playing (not as loud as earlier), and I just sat there in the peace. Mary T came and joined me, and then Mangesh came and sat with us. We talked about how you could see the stars in the city (how had I not noticed them before?), and about the celebration and how families all over the city would be sitting in their gardens too and enjoying the moonlight. When we finally decided it was time to move Mangesh was so sweet and told us he enjoyed tonight, and that we will remember it forever. There’s just something so sweet and innocent about life here in India that I love. Life here is holistic; the earth, religion, and human life are all tied in together.
It was incredible, I walked out of my office, into the courtyard which was illuminated by the moon. I don’t mean it was just lit up by the moon, it was sparkling, and the tree tops were all shining, and there was no need for any lights in the area. In fact Mangesh had turned off all the surrounding lights except for Manik and Mathuras house. And I just lay out there by the pool staring up at this bright, beautiful, full moon. You could vaguely hear the music from outside still playing (not as loud as earlier), and I just sat there in the peace. Mary T came and joined me, and then Mangesh came and sat with us. We talked about how you could see the stars in the city (how had I not noticed them before?), and about the celebration and how families all over the city would be sitting in their gardens too and enjoying the moonlight. When we finally decided it was time to move Mangesh was so sweet and told us he enjoyed tonight, and that we will remember it forever. There’s just something so sweet and innocent about life here in India that I love. Life here is holistic; the earth, religion, and human life are all tied in together.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
It’s been way too long since I’ve sat down to catch my breath and update you all.
Things here are good, I think I’m starting to feel even more at home. I catch myself sometimes really genuinely being shocked by the fact that I am living in India. I think that’s just because it’s become life now, and it doesn’t seem very impressive. But I think it’ll be very strange to go home and tell people that I spent 10 months living in India – and recognize what an experience it's been.
My Dad came to visit me last week, and it was awesome! I had Christmas 2 months early : ) I got gifts from friends and family, things to get me through like food, music, movies, and reminders of life back home. It was great…and the gifts just keep on giving every time I use them and have a little taste of home with me.
Like I was saying, it was great to have him here, to actually see and understand what I do. It’s hard to explain it to people, and it’s really nice to know I’ll have someone who will understand rickshaws, temples, and what running a program really means for me here in India. We had some good chats, and it was fun to get to hear about things back home. Just hearing familiar street names was enough. I have moments with Sarah (a CVP here from Kitchener) where I’m just thankful that she has things and places in common that we can chat about. The simple reminders of home.
It was sad to see my dad go – but I’ll be back home in 6 months, and get to eat ALL the bbq he can make me! Haha.
Over the past month I’ve been up to lots of stuff! Getting settled into my new position here at Sangam, which has been really fun. It’s been nice to be in on the planning of events, and get to work with a new staff team (not that I don’t miss the old…xo).
A few weeks ago, before Christa left me to go back to the US we went on a Sangam team building camping trip in Panchgani (3 hrs from Pune). It’s away from the city in a nice lush green area. It was incredible! We went and participated in a bunch of outdoor activities. We did high ropes where we had to walk across a valley on a rope, a low ropes course that had to be cut short because of the rain, and repelling and rock climbing! I’ve never been rock climbing, not even in a gym at home, and I’m so glad my first experience was the real thing. It was a-mazing. I definitely want to get out and do that more, it’s challenging in a mind over matter kind of way.
It was so nice to be away from the city, I’m finding that the trips I enjoy most tend to be the fun outdoor adventure things out in nature. It’s a great contrast to the rickshaw polluted city here. I love taking road trips here because I find myself being a tourist again with eyes wide open staring out the window at everything we pass. I’ve always loved road trips, but there’s something about driving in a foreign country that makes it much more interesting. Coming back was sad though because it meant Christa was leaving for home. It was hard to see her go, and hard to accept that I wouldn’t be leaving for another 6 months.
Anyway, since then I’ve been working lots, as the lead for this event “birds, bees, flowers and trees”. We’ve been building a garden at Reshmi school 5 minutes down the road from Sangam. It’s been a great week despite the whole gardening thing, because Azoba our gardener has been coming with us and I’ve finally made friends with him! He’s been really funny, and I told him I’ll be his assistant gardener if he needs (his response was to laugh so hard he had a coughing fit – haha). But its been so nice, we took him with us on a day trip out near the UPS village where we went to see the Horticultural Training Centre. On the way we made a stop to climb a mountain and see the temple/caves at the top of it. It was a beautiful view, and the climb was really fun (again, more of the outdoor stuff I’m loving) and Chloe and I had adventured past the trail to the *very* top which involved scrambling around on rock, and when we had climbed down a bit Azoba had decided he wanted to go up where we had been and so we climbed it twice! He was hilarious, climbing around on the rock like a monkey taking no time to get up there…I felt like I was chasing him and he’s the grandfather! But since that he’s been calling out to me everytime I see him with a big hearty “Julie” or “Jui”, it’s great. It’s always fun to find out more about the staff here and feel more a part of it all.
In 2 days I head out to Sri Lanka to get a new visa (mine expires Nov. 2nd) and it better come through or else my life and stuff will all be left in India and I’ll be stuck in Sri Lanka! eek. It should be a good little vacation from life at Sangam, I will be staying with a woman from the Sri Lankan girl guides, and because of the state of the country – and the area around Colombo these days, I will also be well taken care of by the Sri Lankan Girl Guides. If I plan on doing any day trips anywhere I will get a nice escort to come with me – so I’m hoping for someone my age so I can find out more about the country and culture! If not, maybe I’ll be lucky and spend my mornings at the government offices, and afternoons at the beach : )
Oh, gotta go - Mangesh is gathering us for yet another celebration. It's something to do with the full moon, a pot of milk, and the neighbourhood having a huge sound system set up and dance party in the streets from 10pm-who knows when. We're meeting at midnight at the pool, turning of all the lights around Sangam and enjoying the moonlight. I think when I finally make it back home I'm going to seriously miss the celebrations and festivities of day to day life here.
Things here are good, I think I’m starting to feel even more at home. I catch myself sometimes really genuinely being shocked by the fact that I am living in India. I think that’s just because it’s become life now, and it doesn’t seem very impressive. But I think it’ll be very strange to go home and tell people that I spent 10 months living in India – and recognize what an experience it's been.
My Dad came to visit me last week, and it was awesome! I had Christmas 2 months early : ) I got gifts from friends and family, things to get me through like food, music, movies, and reminders of life back home. It was great…and the gifts just keep on giving every time I use them and have a little taste of home with me.
Like I was saying, it was great to have him here, to actually see and understand what I do. It’s hard to explain it to people, and it’s really nice to know I’ll have someone who will understand rickshaws, temples, and what running a program really means for me here in India. We had some good chats, and it was fun to get to hear about things back home. Just hearing familiar street names was enough. I have moments with Sarah (a CVP here from Kitchener) where I’m just thankful that she has things and places in common that we can chat about. The simple reminders of home.
It was sad to see my dad go – but I’ll be back home in 6 months, and get to eat ALL the bbq he can make me! Haha.
Over the past month I’ve been up to lots of stuff! Getting settled into my new position here at Sangam, which has been really fun. It’s been nice to be in on the planning of events, and get to work with a new staff team (not that I don’t miss the old…xo).
A few weeks ago, before Christa left me to go back to the US we went on a Sangam team building camping trip in Panchgani (3 hrs from Pune). It’s away from the city in a nice lush green area. It was incredible! We went and participated in a bunch of outdoor activities. We did high ropes where we had to walk across a valley on a rope, a low ropes course that had to be cut short because of the rain, and repelling and rock climbing! I’ve never been rock climbing, not even in a gym at home, and I’m so glad my first experience was the real thing. It was a-mazing. I definitely want to get out and do that more, it’s challenging in a mind over matter kind of way.
It was so nice to be away from the city, I’m finding that the trips I enjoy most tend to be the fun outdoor adventure things out in nature. It’s a great contrast to the rickshaw polluted city here. I love taking road trips here because I find myself being a tourist again with eyes wide open staring out the window at everything we pass. I’ve always loved road trips, but there’s something about driving in a foreign country that makes it much more interesting. Coming back was sad though because it meant Christa was leaving for home. It was hard to see her go, and hard to accept that I wouldn’t be leaving for another 6 months.
Anyway, since then I’ve been working lots, as the lead for this event “birds, bees, flowers and trees”. We’ve been building a garden at Reshmi school 5 minutes down the road from Sangam. It’s been a great week despite the whole gardening thing, because Azoba our gardener has been coming with us and I’ve finally made friends with him! He’s been really funny, and I told him I’ll be his assistant gardener if he needs (his response was to laugh so hard he had a coughing fit – haha). But its been so nice, we took him with us on a day trip out near the UPS village where we went to see the Horticultural Training Centre. On the way we made a stop to climb a mountain and see the temple/caves at the top of it. It was a beautiful view, and the climb was really fun (again, more of the outdoor stuff I’m loving) and Chloe and I had adventured past the trail to the *very* top which involved scrambling around on rock, and when we had climbed down a bit Azoba had decided he wanted to go up where we had been and so we climbed it twice! He was hilarious, climbing around on the rock like a monkey taking no time to get up there…I felt like I was chasing him and he’s the grandfather! But since that he’s been calling out to me everytime I see him with a big hearty “Julie” or “Jui”, it’s great. It’s always fun to find out more about the staff here and feel more a part of it all.
In 2 days I head out to Sri Lanka to get a new visa (mine expires Nov. 2nd) and it better come through or else my life and stuff will all be left in India and I’ll be stuck in Sri Lanka! eek. It should be a good little vacation from life at Sangam, I will be staying with a woman from the Sri Lankan girl guides, and because of the state of the country – and the area around Colombo these days, I will also be well taken care of by the Sri Lankan Girl Guides. If I plan on doing any day trips anywhere I will get a nice escort to come with me – so I’m hoping for someone my age so I can find out more about the country and culture! If not, maybe I’ll be lucky and spend my mornings at the government offices, and afternoons at the beach : )
Oh, gotta go - Mangesh is gathering us for yet another celebration. It's something to do with the full moon, a pot of milk, and the neighbourhood having a huge sound system set up and dance party in the streets from 10pm-who knows when. We're meeting at midnight at the pool, turning of all the lights around Sangam and enjoying the moonlight. I think when I finally make it back home I'm going to seriously miss the celebrations and festivities of day to day life here.
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