We had a good wrap-up conference back in Chicago and now I am in Minnesota relaxing and preparing for the school year. I haven’t talked much about our actual project, so to summarize:
Our project was titled “Seeds of Knowledge: A Tree Planting Initiative at Rajpura Primary School.” We worked with in a small government school, grades 1 through 5, facilitating daily lessons focused on the environment. Speakers came from the community itself, like one woman who worked at a tree nursery, and also from our NGO, the Foundation for Ecological Security. Then each child got to plant a sapling in the school yard, one of four local species, and take one home to plant near their home. On our follow-up visit we found that all the families had planted the trees. The kids were proud to show us, and many of the family members also got really into it with sturdy thorn fences for protection.
During one of the education days the kids got to color a picture of their tree “all grown up” to motivate them to take care of their sapling so it turns into that large tree. It seemed that most of the kids had only drawn on their small chalkboards before, copying what the teacher had drawn on the board. So they may not have been used to drawing with color, and they certainly weren’t used to having freedom and creativity in their school assignments- most daily activities we observed involved the kids repeating what the teacher said or wrote. At first the kids only copied the tree previously drawn as an example, but as we allowed more time and encouraged them to add things to the drawings, the hesitation dissolved and we ended up with some rainbow-colored trees and full forests.
There’s an unused rainwater harvesting system at the school, so they were able to open that back up again to use for watering the trees. The program was deemed a success both by the school teachers and director, community leaders, and by our NGO, who may do similar programs in other schools. The larger impact of our project, however, lies in the relationships created. Rajpura lies on the border of the wildlife sanctuary that FES is trying to protect, so FES hopes to engage the Rajpura residents in the protection process. In addition to doing the tree project that built trust between FES and Rajpura, we spent four of the seven weeks doing an anthropological study of the lives of the Rajpura people. Both the project and the report we created from what we learned about Rajpura will serve as a basis for FES’s future work there.
Thank you for going along this journey with me! More pictures will be on facebook shortly. It’s been a summer full of learning- not only about community development like I expected but also about food and cooking, politics, religion, healthcare, etc. In our work we talked a lot about sustainability in development and tried to make the benefits of our project directly sustainable, but I think another long lasting thing about this summer will be the relationships I built- with my host family, two good friends from Udaipur, and some of the other interns I got to know.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Stories of Delhi and of trust
On our first day in Delhi all 14 of us rented a bus to hit the main sights. We got a an overview of famous buildings, but not a feel for the city- so the next day three of us went off on our own. After seeing the Lotus Temple and beautiful Lodi gardens, I got to wander around the theater and arts district. From there we went to see the large mosque, and that’s when it got more adventurous.
Our cycle rickshaw dropped us off a block away because the streets were so crowded. After missing the turn we should have taken, we ended up in the “thieves market”, where your shoes will end up if they get stolen while you are in a temple, among various other stolen goods. When we got re-routed towards the mosque we still had to go through a crowded street, where a gang of boys followed us, ready to snatch something from our bags the minute we became distracted by the goods being sold. So as we clutched our bags and made our way through the darkening market street, we saw people selling, yelling, quickly scrutinizing and buying, begging, living, eating, sewing, arguing, scheming, biking, and kids running.
After a glimpse at the mosque we bee-hived to the first well-lit shop we could find on the main street. At this point we were the only foreigners around; we always get stares and unwanted attention but now it was three-fold. As we stood in the entrance of this shoe store, various people would try to come near to talk, stare, beg, or take pictures of us- but the store owner shooed (no pun intended) them all away for us. He even cleared off the bench inside for us to sit on, which we declined because certainly we’d have to tip him. (People will often sweep first or hand you a newspaper first, then after the fact will demand payment.) But 20 minutes later, after we had gotten our bearings and decided on a restaurant and how best to get there, we tried to tip the store owner anyway because he had been so helpful. No matter how much we insisted, he wouldn’t accept it! In a country where my sense of “common courtesy” has little weight and where every rickshaw driver and store owner will try to charge us at least twice the actual price, this simple gesture of kindness to complete strangers meant a lot to us.
Alas, the next day reminded us that we should not expect this same courtesy from everyone. After our train to Agra was delayed two hours, our single day there was already shortened. So we spent two hours walking around the Taj Mahal and just sitting and enjoying the view. We then told our auto-rickshaw drivers, who we had hired for the day, that we had limited time and wanted to go to an inexpensive restaurant. They didn’t take us to the one we requested, but a different one. Even though we knew they’d probably get commission for taking us to their friend’s business we decided to give it a try; they had been very friendly and helpful to us. Unfortunately, after ordering it took two hours (in an empty restaurant) before we even received our lukewarm and tasteless food. Our time was up in Agra. We were bummed that we didn’t see anything other than the Taj and disappointed in our drivers who we had come to trust, but of course it was still well worth the trip to see the Taj. Can you imagine someone building all that splendor for one woman?
As anywhere, there are people to trust and those to be wary of; perhaps I’m just more aware of it here because I’m not familiar with the cultural codes and norms that dictate relationship. Our taxi driver yesterday got stopped and a little beat up by men from another car who thought that our driver was trying to race them and that he intentionally tried to block their way. Although it was at first terrifying to me, people who live here understood immediately why that would have happened and didn’t think it was a big deal. (I’ll now be more thankful for the cops who dot the US Highways…) But overall, I have met amazing people. A young woman I met on a bus and one I met in the Kathak dance classes I’ve been taking (I got to teach a little ballet and jazz to the students, too!) have both made me feel like a part of their entire family. The church here has been a family to me and of course my host family too. As I wrap up my time here I am excited to see family and friends back home, but it’s hard to realize that spending time with my friends and “family” here will no longer be possible.
Our cycle rickshaw dropped us off a block away because the streets were so crowded. After missing the turn we should have taken, we ended up in the “thieves market”, where your shoes will end up if they get stolen while you are in a temple, among various other stolen goods. When we got re-routed towards the mosque we still had to go through a crowded street, where a gang of boys followed us, ready to snatch something from our bags the minute we became distracted by the goods being sold. So as we clutched our bags and made our way through the darkening market street, we saw people selling, yelling, quickly scrutinizing and buying, begging, living, eating, sewing, arguing, scheming, biking, and kids running.
After a glimpse at the mosque we bee-hived to the first well-lit shop we could find on the main street. At this point we were the only foreigners around; we always get stares and unwanted attention but now it was three-fold. As we stood in the entrance of this shoe store, various people would try to come near to talk, stare, beg, or take pictures of us- but the store owner shooed (no pun intended) them all away for us. He even cleared off the bench inside for us to sit on, which we declined because certainly we’d have to tip him. (People will often sweep first or hand you a newspaper first, then after the fact will demand payment.) But 20 minutes later, after we had gotten our bearings and decided on a restaurant and how best to get there, we tried to tip the store owner anyway because he had been so helpful. No matter how much we insisted, he wouldn’t accept it! In a country where my sense of “common courtesy” has little weight and where every rickshaw driver and store owner will try to charge us at least twice the actual price, this simple gesture of kindness to complete strangers meant a lot to us.
Alas, the next day reminded us that we should not expect this same courtesy from everyone. After our train to Agra was delayed two hours, our single day there was already shortened. So we spent two hours walking around the Taj Mahal and just sitting and enjoying the view. We then told our auto-rickshaw drivers, who we had hired for the day, that we had limited time and wanted to go to an inexpensive restaurant. They didn’t take us to the one we requested, but a different one. Even though we knew they’d probably get commission for taking us to their friend’s business we decided to give it a try; they had been very friendly and helpful to us. Unfortunately, after ordering it took two hours (in an empty restaurant) before we even received our lukewarm and tasteless food. Our time was up in Agra. We were bummed that we didn’t see anything other than the Taj and disappointed in our drivers who we had come to trust, but of course it was still well worth the trip to see the Taj. Can you imagine someone building all that splendor for one woman?
As anywhere, there are people to trust and those to be wary of; perhaps I’m just more aware of it here because I’m not familiar with the cultural codes and norms that dictate relationship. Our taxi driver yesterday got stopped and a little beat up by men from another car who thought that our driver was trying to race them and that he intentionally tried to block their way. Although it was at first terrifying to me, people who live here understood immediately why that would have happened and didn’t think it was a big deal. (I’ll now be more thankful for the cops who dot the US Highways…) But overall, I have met amazing people. A young woman I met on a bus and one I met in the Kathak dance classes I’ve been taking (I got to teach a little ballet and jazz to the students, too!) have both made me feel like a part of their entire family. The church here has been a family to me and of course my host family too. As I wrap up my time here I am excited to see family and friends back home, but it’s hard to realize that spending time with my friends and “family” here will no longer be possible.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Expectations
A few more altered expectations:
-First I was surprised by the villager’s lack knowledge of the outside world, but then having made that conclusion I am surprised as we discover various people for whom that is not the case. One boy who attends school in the nearby town asked me in his beginner’s English if Obama is a good president, and how he compares to Bush.
-I thought I would hate bucket showers (you dip a cup into a bucket of water and then pour it over yourself) but in the India heat the cool water is kind of nice, and I can take my time but only use 3 or 4 gallons. To put this in perspective, some showerheads use 10 gal/min. Similarly, I’ve found that given the choice between a western toilet that is equally dirty as a nearby squat toilet, I actually prefer the squat one because there’s no contact required.
-While in the U.S. we were told that our host families are not guaranteed to have electricity or running water, so I expected to be roughing it. Contrarily, mine is an upper-caste and well-to-do family who sometimes uses a microwave to make chai, whose dad speaks a little Spanish, and who’s son wears his aviators to go to the gym in his red jeep. Even among such modernity there are things that surprise me: minimal interaction outside the house for women, prejudice towards Muslims and “backwards” people (a term I loathe, used for lower castes), and misconceptions about America like that all white people are Christian or that all Americans eat meat.
At one point my host family said that I could see the “real India,” implying that their lifestyle is not part of that reality. Yes, there is poverty; just outside our apartment a little boy, wearing only part of a burlap sack for clothes, comes in the morning to search through trash, hoping that it’s not too picked over by the resident family of pigs. There is extreme poverty, but on the same block there is wealth, and these are both part of the real India?
-First I was surprised by the villager’s lack knowledge of the outside world, but then having made that conclusion I am surprised as we discover various people for whom that is not the case. One boy who attends school in the nearby town asked me in his beginner’s English if Obama is a good president, and how he compares to Bush.
-I thought I would hate bucket showers (you dip a cup into a bucket of water and then pour it over yourself) but in the India heat the cool water is kind of nice, and I can take my time but only use 3 or 4 gallons. To put this in perspective, some showerheads use 10 gal/min. Similarly, I’ve found that given the choice between a western toilet that is equally dirty as a nearby squat toilet, I actually prefer the squat one because there’s no contact required.
-While in the U.S. we were told that our host families are not guaranteed to have electricity or running water, so I expected to be roughing it. Contrarily, mine is an upper-caste and well-to-do family who sometimes uses a microwave to make chai, whose dad speaks a little Spanish, and who’s son wears his aviators to go to the gym in his red jeep. Even among such modernity there are things that surprise me: minimal interaction outside the house for women, prejudice towards Muslims and “backwards” people (a term I loathe, used for lower castes), and misconceptions about America like that all white people are Christian or that all Americans eat meat.
At one point my host family said that I could see the “real India,” implying that their lifestyle is not part of that reality. Yes, there is poverty; just outside our apartment a little boy, wearing only part of a burlap sack for clothes, comes in the morning to search through trash, hoping that it’s not too picked over by the resident family of pigs. There is extreme poverty, but on the same block there is wealth, and these are both part of the real India?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Off to Delhi
Today we (14 of the interns) are leaving for two days in Delhi and one day in Agra. My group leaves, thank goodness, having our project finalized. We will are doing a combination of tree-planting and rainwater harvesting, at a school that has an unused rainwater system, a large schoolyard with not much shade, and 26 enthusiastic kids. In a community that has a multitude of uses for and knowledge of various tree species, we are really excited to involve many of them in this initiative where kids will get to actually plant their own trees!
At this halfway point of our trip, I've come to think about many of the expectations that have been created and also destroyed throughout:
-It turns out, Indian food is not just curry. I've actually only had something called "curry" once since being here! While I do miss the many food choices offered in the US, Indian food really does have an enormous variety.
-"Tribal villages" although the first time I heard about the Adivassi's/Tribals, as they are called here, it was in the context of a violence, I have well moved beyond that as my understanding. Thank goodness! When I looked into this more, the Adivassis are the original inhabitors of India who have shaped its culture, and violence is not at all representative of their existence throughout India.
And many more I will have to share when we get back from our trip!
At this halfway point of our trip, I've come to think about many of the expectations that have been created and also destroyed throughout:
-It turns out, Indian food is not just curry. I've actually only had something called "curry" once since being here! While I do miss the many food choices offered in the US, Indian food really does have an enormous variety.
-"Tribal villages" although the first time I heard about the Adivassi's/Tribals, as they are called here, it was in the context of a violence, I have well moved beyond that as my understanding. Thank goodness! When I looked into this more, the Adivassis are the original inhabitors of India who have shaped its culture, and violence is not at all representative of their existence throughout India.
And many more I will have to share when we get back from our trip!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Isolated Tradition
This week we spent three days in the village area where we will be working. How do I even describe so rich an experience? We sat in the dark of night on tarps and blankets laid on the ground, 30 men and women from the small town called Rajpura and 4 Americans, talking about our customs and cultures. I felt no judgment either way, only learning and sharing. As surprised as they were about our ability to divorce, the long time a man and a woman spend together before getting married, our white skin and long journey to India, they accepted us without a question. Their hospitality was strong; when we arrived they invited us into any nook of the village, and promptly milked a cow and started a fire to make chai for the visitors.
A few favorite moments from the gathering:
-At the start, the four of us introduced ourselves in Hindi. Later one of the men said they appreciated that we were trying to learn their language. Thiswas hugely encouraging, because to us it feels like the learning is going so slowly! The next step is to also learn a little Marvarti, the village’s main language.
-One of the village members wished to explain the different colored turbans. We learned (through translators, of course) that the white clothes and any color turban both serve to keep men cool, and that castes have different rules for what color a man wears in various life stages. While he goes out for the day into the farm fields or to take the animals to graze, if he can’t come back for lunch he may store chapati (flat wheat bread) in his turban!
-When we began discussing religion, one man proudly explained to the other community members that he already knew something about our religion. He put his arms out horizontally, tilted his head and closed his eyes, and said “I know, your God looks like this.” Actually, our group is quite diverse- Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and atheist, but as the meeting was drawing to a close and we decided explaining our diversity was best saved for another time. So for now our country is represented by a singular crucifix pose.
But the most striking moment came after one man stated, more or less, that
“This village has existed for a long time, and our families have held the same traditions for years and years and years.” I asked our translator if she could explain
“We understand our traditions must seem a little weird, but we haven’t come to impose western ideology or technology, only to work with you on a project if there is something you’d like to do.” Our translator replied to me,
“No, that will confuse them more. It’s not necessary; they don’t know what ‘western’ means. They know the word ‘Amrica’ but don’t really understand where the America is. To them it means ‘foreigner’- even someone from Japan or Kenya is called ‘Amrican.’”
I was completely baffled that they didn’t know about the US. I was also ashamed at being so baffled, because it shows my own ignorance in thinking that every corner of the world is focused on the US.
Yes, this community has a few cell phones and a store with snacks in plastic wrappers. They are not completely isolated from the outside world but the influence limited. Only one young man has ventured as far as the small city of Udaipur, only to be so scared by a train that he has never been back. When an airplane flies over Rajpura, they have a name for it that has nothing to do with its purpose. They have seen someone with white skin only once before.
There is something so beautiful and pure about this isolation- in one sense I feel like our presence will ruin it. At the same time, it was beautiful to be sitting and sharing our cultures. In Rajpura, they don’t know the typical stereotype that white skin= money, which is helpful as we set out to do a development project that is not about gifting money but about using the assets already present in the community. As long we are always sharing and never imposing one culture over another, I think we all will be better for having known these people who are different than us.
An Environmentalist Adventure
For our introduction to FES, we tagged along to check on various forest projects outside of Udaipur. This included tromping through a dry, prickly “ thorn forest” for hours checking on bird nesting boxes, then sitting for two hours quietly watching to see if any birds had nested yet. While I love spending time in nature, I felt like the city girl I am compared to our FES colleagues. With two PhD’s in biodiversity conservation and two masters students in environmental studies, this was an Indian wildlife safari with the best of experts.
Our team leaders, Justus and Himani, helped us find a Monitor Lizard (3 feet long), hundreds of frogs simultaneously doing an ear-pounding mating call, monkeys, wild buffalo bathing, blue-colored antelopes called “blue bulls,” many peacocks, and more!
It turns out that male lizards do push-ups against tree branches to show their masculinity before fighting over territory. This looks a lot like human wrestling match where the winner must get the other lizard in a solid hold for some time before the loser must slink away in defeat. I have a video of this show-down, so feel free to ask when I get back.
One of our projects will involve tracking Sloth Bears and surveying villages about any encounters, to learn how to minimize conflicts between the bears and humans. As we discovered fresh sloth bear footprints, droppings, and scratches on trees, Justus informed us that sloth bears are known to maul human’s faces. How comforting! Also, after we had been sitting on some rocks for 10 minutes to watch for nesting birds, he informed us that before sitting down we should check the area for scorpions or sit in a clear and flat area. We Americans are still not comfortable with all the pests and pervasive bugs, but have realized how many of our reactions are conditioned- like screaming about a lizard or harmless beetle. But when the dangers are real, there is no one I’d rather be hiking through a forest with than the FES employees, because they also can explain how to avoid or mitigate encounters.
The experience of being surrounded by animals is not unique to the forest. The city streets, temple steps, and dried lakes (Udaipur is “The City of Lakes” but with years of summer droughts is currently a City of Feilds) abound with cows, bulls, dogs and sometimes goats, sheep, and buffalo. Every driver will pass a person or motorcycle with only 3 inches to spare without slowing, but will slam on brakes for a cow. In India, “holy cow” takes on a whole new meaning.
Happy Birthday with a Three-Day Prayer
On Sunday while my USA family celebrated the 4th of July, we celebrated my host dad’s 50th birthday. As in a very religious family, the next year of his life should be properly blessed: by 11 Hindu priests doing an in-home Pooja (prayer) for 3 days.
The preparation began a day in advance: pounds upon pounds of vegetables and herbs from the market, cleaning the house and clearing the furniture so that the family and the priests could sit on the floor around two low tables. The priests are actually called Pundits, and are men from the Brahmin caste who have studied the Sanskrit texts and mantras in an Ashram.
The ritual began each day with a precise set-up: rice in patterns on top of the tablecloths. One of the patterns was the Indian Swastik, which did influence the German Swastika but here is the sign of holistic prosperity. In the center of each table was an idol of a Hindu god. During the pooja, the eldest pundit directed the sound, action, and the timing for tasting food and burning incense. He led the family members and other pundits in various hand gestures while he repeated various blessings, often joined by the host of pundits. The pooja was rife with placing food, money, and flower offerings in front of the gods, tossing rice towards the family members (the cooks and residents, too- myself included), warming the household’s hands and faces over fire, and sprinkling rose water. All the while, the deep resonating hum of spiritual songs surged, withdrew, and repeated.
In the midst of witnessing an unfamiliar religious ceremony, some things were still familiar: music as a way to connect with God, tossing rice as a blessing like some Americans do after weddings, and learning from spiritual leaders who have studied the sacred texts in depth. What a blessing it was to be invited to observe this solemn birthday celebration- new to me but familiar to the ages- and to have the chance to prepare and serve lunch to such respected Hindu gurus.
Typically representative of 21st century India, my 4th of July juxtaposed tradition with modernity. In the late afternoon Stephanie, my American roommate, our host brother, cousin and I went for a drive around Udaipur. Driving fast through winding streets, or standing up in the back of the open car- not simultaneously, don’t worry mom J- is a common experience among most who went through teen hood in a modern world. As we drove into the hotel owned by our extended host family, and later to our cousin’s home, I was confronted with luxury rarely surpassed even in the US. Still I have trouble reconciling extreme poverty with excessive wealth, especially in such proximity. But both are equally the “real India,” and I enjoyed both going through the villages and also jumping into the hotel’s pool and swimming in the monsoon rain surrounded by grand architecture and even more magnificent mountains.
Friday, July 2, 2010
It has begun
After 7 days of training in Chicago, 2 days of travelling and 3 days of training in India, we have finally begun our internships! I had my first day at the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) today, and am really excited to work with them for the next 6 weeks.
This program is called Global Engagement Summer Institute through Northwestern University, that trains students from all over the US and world in Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and matches us with organizations in four different countries to assist in development projects. I am working on a team with three other students (Adreinne, Kimberly, and Amanda) with FES, which is a non-profit that works in reforestation and other environmental areas.
Last night we (Stephanie and I) moved in with our host family, too! They are a more modern Indian family, and very kind. I'm really excited to get to know them more.
As the very first post I'll keep this short, but I have learned a TON so far about development and about India, and will share some of the highlights and an overview of the work we will be doing. Today the monsoon started! Many people were hoping it would come as soon as possible, as it's been a very dry couple of years. In fact, the City of Lakes (aka Udaipur) is actually a City of Feilds right now.
Thanks for your interest in my trip; talk to you later!
This program is called Global Engagement Summer Institute through Northwestern University, that trains students from all over the US and world in Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and matches us with organizations in four different countries to assist in development projects. I am working on a team with three other students (Adreinne, Kimberly, and Amanda) with FES, which is a non-profit that works in reforestation and other environmental areas.
Last night we (Stephanie and I) moved in with our host family, too! They are a more modern Indian family, and very kind. I'm really excited to get to know them more.
As the very first post I'll keep this short, but I have learned a TON so far about development and about India, and will share some of the highlights and an overview of the work we will be doing. Today the monsoon started! Many people were hoping it would come as soon as possible, as it's been a very dry couple of years. In fact, the City of Lakes (aka Udaipur) is actually a City of Feilds right now.
Thanks for your interest in my trip; talk to you later!
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