I feel like after this past weekend, I have officially visited India.
I've been working hard to finish up my work here, but at the same time im trying to see as much of this country as I can before I leave Saturday.
This post will center around two main events from the past few weeks, my visit to Kerala, and to a center that provides free tutoring services and financial aid to the poorest children in the city.
But first, some of the latest photos from my life here!
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| Goats on the doorstep |
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| Where else would you sell shower curtains from besides a motorcycle?!? |
People in India LOVE to have their picture taken! Here is a collection of a few of the friends I've made with my camera!
More Miscellaneous Photos....
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| Dry riverbed in early morning |
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| Portrait of a dog |
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| Curiosity |
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| Coconuts anyone? |
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| Just a camel... walking down the street |
Setting the Scene
Along with 8 other girls from 7 different countries, I traveled to the city Thekkady in the neighboring state of Kerala by bus to visit Perriyar wildlife reserve for the weekend.We were an international delegation, with representatives from Germany, Italy, France, Holland, England, Japan and America. The myriad of different accents proved to be both humorous and challenging at times! I tend to mirror the speech patterns of the people I am talking to, and by the end of the trip hardly any other foreigners we met believed I was American because my accent no longer "sounded like an American". I fear between this trip and my adaptations to "Indian English", no one is going to be able to understand me for awhile!
On the four hour bus ride I discovered that Macklemore is famous worldwide, Japanese people love karaoke, and that soda can be called pop, soda, fizzy drinks, coke, tonic, or seltzer depending on where you are from.
Kerala
Kerala has been called one of the "10 paradises of the world" by National Geographic and others. It's iconic rolling green hills, dense wild jungle, and pristine palm beaches have earned it the nickname "God's Own Country", as well as a spot as one of the world's most popular honeymoon destinations.
The air in parts of Kerala smell different, like a mixture of cardamom and black tea. Even in the heart of town you are surrounded by jungle at grows up around you on all sides.
The Bus
I arrived at the station to meet the other girls, but in the hustle and bustle of the outdoor station I couldn't see them! There were no signs or anything, the buses were just lined up in ques, depending on their destination and departure time. Luckily we stood out so much people instantly guessed who I was looking for and directed me towards the similarly confused looking group of foreigners at the other end of the station.
An elderly man popped up and began to help us, locating the last member of our group who was still wandering looking for us, locating our bus and relaying the answers to our questions in English. Of course at the end he wanted payment, I offered him 100 rupees (I felt it was more than generous considering the ride over to the station cost me the same amount) but he entreated me with "Madame I am an old, old man". So I gave him 200. What can I say, I'm a sucker.
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| No doors... |
So we boarded the bus, and set out (I was the only one who brought a carry-on suitcase, everyone else just brought a backpack for the weekend- typical). A man came around to collect ticket money- 80 rupees (about $1.28 for a 4 hour trip). The buses have no doors and the windows were all open, we sat three to a seat. The bus went at least 80 miles an hour the entire way, barreling down narrow dirt roads like a juggernaut, blasting the horn several times a minuet- size has the right of way here. Loud Hindi music was played the entire way. And for some unfathomable reason, the ticket collector kept blowing into a whistle periodically that he was wearing around his neck!
Something about that bus ride made me feel like I had finally been to India. Maybe it was being crammed between two other people on metal seats, sliding almost into each other's laps as the bus careens around corners, or feeling yourself go airborne as the bus flies over speed bumps and potholes without slowing in the slightest, the perhaps the other bus passengers craning curiously to catch a glimpse of this strange group of foreigners, and feeling certain that if the driver honks one more time or turns up the music any louder, you will finally go deaf. Whatever it was, I couldn't stop grinning, as I sat there listening to music with my headphones (more to protect my ears from the onslaught of honking, whistle blowing and singing than anything else)
We were staying in a homestay for the weekend, basically a large home that was renovated into 10 or so individual rooms. They fixed up two rooms for the eight of us, and the cost ended up being about 300 rupees per person per night (a little less than $5.00). There were lots of restaurants nearby that cater to foreigners, offering Chinese and Italian food as well as South Indian. Oddly enough each meal cost about as much as my room and board at the home stay... even after all this time the pricing of things here makes no sense to me.
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| My Indian "Pina Colada" AKA pineapple juice and vodka |
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| Breakfast- fresh orange juice, rice flakes, fresh coconut, banana slices and wild honey |
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| Our balcony |
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| The owner |
Saturday morning the homestay owners arranged a jeep for the day to take us around to various destinations of our choosing. Kerala is very hilly- I almost became ill during the first trip, as our driver barreled through the green hills of Kumily. I had to tie my hair up in my scarf, Doris Day style to keep it from turning into dreadlocks and hitting everyone in the face in the back of the open jeep!
Elephants
First stop- Elephant Junction! For a ride through the jungle, a feeding session, and a bath for the elephants!
Kerala is home to the largest population of domesticated elephants in India. They are both a cultural and religious icon for the people here, and the state's symbol!
It was incredible, their skin was so thick and rough, covered by a layer of hairs so thick they felt like wire bristles! The trunks were surprisingly heavy, and incredibly motile. When they exhaled through them it was like hot air from a vent! The ears were so heavy, yet the skin was so thin at the same time! Your whole body moves from side to side with each step they take. An elephant evokes simultaneously feelings of power and strength, but also a consciousness of one's own insignificance. You're covering an enormous amount of ground with each stride, but the leisurely pace give a false impression of not having traveled far at all.
After feeding them treats, we got to give an elephant a bath! We used brushes and rags
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| The elephant's trainer said I could climb up to wash it's face with a rag, after I sat down she decided to rest her GIGANTIC wet ear on my leg! |
Tea Factory
After heading back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes, we went to a tea factory! |
| Tea Plantation |
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| Men packaging tea into burlap sacks |
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| Path through the tea bushes |
Spice Garden
"Celebrated as the Spice Coast of India, ancient Kerala played host to travelers and traders from across the world including the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British." From about 3000 BCE to the 3rd century Kerala was THE spice destination of the world. Drawing adventurers like Marco Polo and Columbus with it's promise of exotic goods.
The state of Munnar is much more famous for it's endless spice plantations, filled with cardamom, pepper of every variety, vanilla, clove, cinnamon, coffee, rubber and more, but since we were limited to one weekend we decided to spend our time in Thekkady with the elephants and tour a model spice garden instead!
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| Pepper Plant |
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| Clove plant |
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| Our guide |
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| Cardamom plant |
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| Coffee plant |
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| Coffee beans fresh of the tree |
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| This plant is used to make an oil for pain relief |
The Town
The next morning, we walked through town. Filled with the usual shops selling clothing, gifts, religious items, but also tons and tons of spice shops!Each containing huge barrels or burlap sacks filled with different spices.
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| Black pepper |
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| Pepper and ginger |
So that was the trip to Kerala, the return journey was much like the first. We occupied ourselves by sharing music and teaching each other words and phrases in our native languages.
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| Having my hair braided- "Dutch style!" |
Seed Plan
Ever since I got food poisoning, I've been eating my meals at the hotel near the hospital. Each day at lunchtime I head over there, sit in the same both, and read my book while I eat. I'm determined to finish War and Peace before I leave Madurai! Anyway, there is an elderly gentleman who does the exact same thing. So last week I finally asked him what he was reading, and we ended up talking for a couple of hours! Turns out he has lived in Madurai for the past 15 years, he was originally from Oregon though!He runs a free after school program for children from the poorest slums of the city. And if they attend the program regularly and keep there grades up, he arranges way to pay for their schooling for as long as they want to continue (usually through private donations from sponsors in the US or from his own pension). In India school is only free through the 10th grade, and the government public schools have a very poor reputation. So this is an amazing opportunity for these kids.
When he started the program 14 years ago there was only one person in the slum that had made it to the 10th grade. Now he has over 150 graduates, 2 PhDs, and numerous masters and bachelors students! Incredible, especially when you consider that most of these kids parents can neither read nor write.
He invited me to visit their center, so my friend Felipe had I made arrangements to go on our day off. I am so glad we did because I can say without a doubt that it was one of the most moving experiences of my life.
The center was right in the heart of the slum, we didn't even realize we had arrived until we were stopped in front of it.
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| The Library |
The center's manager (a former student and a soon to be PhD social work graduate), Nikki, showed us some drawings the children had made. Each day during art time they are given a topic and allowed to let their imaginations run free. Today's topic was "a new world", and they expressed themselves using pencils, sand, broken jewelry and pieces of dried plants.
Nikki told us all about the center's mission; the government schools only emphasize memorization and getting good grades, at SEED they really try to foster learning and curiosity. Mr. Allen teaches them in English and a former student who has since graduated with her bachelors degree translates. That way the children hear it in both Tamil and English. Each day the children have "free reading time", then art time, then they have math, science,and English instruction. Lastly they watch movies in English with subtitles to help them learn the language. The lessons for math and science are taught by other former students who have now graduated and come back to SEED as volunteers. They also have clubs, like science club, music & dance club, film club, and sports club! The students elect their own representatives and are in charge of planning all the club activities.
After that we sat and talked with a small group of older students, they told us all about their studies and their hopes for the future! The first was a 19 year old Zoology student, and the recipient of a national science internship. She wants to peruse her Masters degree next! The most heartbreaking thing was to hear her talk about how hard she and Mr. Allen have had to work to stop her parents from making arrangements for her to be married (and effectively ending her education), she said to me "I really want to get my Masters degree in conservation biology! If I don't get married first". The next was a boy who is working on his bachelors in mathematics, he is only 17 but he runs the math program for the whole center. His parents wanted him to study engineering so he could get a good job, but he decided to study math instead so he can be a teacher. Another boy just received the highest marks on the national exam (like the SAT or ACT for us) in the center's history, 481/500! We talked about movies, their favorites were Harry Potter, Madagascar and Bambi.
After that some boys played a song for us on traditional drums, and then played some word games together! The children worked in groups to make anagrams out of words like "resuscitation". Followed by a scavenger hunt type game, where the children (again in small groups) used a dictionary, an encyclopedia, and an atlas to find the answers to the questions.
Then they gathered around so we could answer their questions. They wanted to know about Oregon, the Amazon jungle (Felipe is from Brazil), what we were studying, what we thought of India, where else we had traveled, what our favorite books were, and of course, when we were going to come back and visit them!
I learned that they only have the first 3 Harry Potter books in their library, so I'm going to try to find the other 4 books for them before I leave Madurai on Saturday!
We stayed until after nine talking with them, the children presented us with handmade cards and pictures thanking us for coming. I was nearly in tears, thanking them for the card. It was incredible, that these dedicated, bright, wonderful young people were thanking me for coming, like I did them a favor. When in reality they had no idea it was I, who was so honored to meet them. Even though I have seen more of the world in the last month than they have in their entire lives, they were the ones who gave me a new perspective on the world.
One thing is for certain, I will never forget those children. They young ones, with their curiosity, eagerness, and easy laughter, despite the poverty and desperation waiting for them outside those walls each evening. The older ones, who could easily leave the slum and never look back, but who chose to remain behind to help the next generation.
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| Felipe and I with some of the children and volunteers. Nikki, the center's manager is the one in the center. The story of how he married his wife was so touching. The two of them grew up in the center together as children, fell in love in college, and wanted to get married after they graduated. Her parents forbid it because he was of a lower caste, when she persisted they threw her out. But the two are happily married now, and its easy to see how much they love each other just by watching them. |
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| Group photo |
As we were leaving I saw a sweet little dog and I started to play with him, seeing how much I liked the dog, some children brought out this adorable, tiny, young puppy for me to hold! They tried to give him to me as a present... don't worry mom, you don't have a new dog! But they did insist I give him a name, and they promised me they would take very good care of him!
This is my Gecko,
His name is "Nandri", which means "thank you" in Tamil, its the first (and only) word I learned here. There are geckos all over the place here, on the walls and ceilings. I like them because they're cute and they eat mosquitoes!
I was so excited when one finally made its way into my room! Now we play a continuous game of hide and seek, every few days he pops up someplace unexpected in my room, behind the painting, under the sink, next to the desk... They make this sweet little chirping noise, so even if I cant find him, I know hes around somewhere :)
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| His best hiding spot yet! |
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| Behind the mirror |
Three Days and Counting...
Well, this is the home stretch! I have my presentation in front of the heads of the hospital tomorrow (no pressure or anything!) Ill be reporting my work to them and trying to make a case for continuing to run my study in the glaucoma department on patient compliance.
After that, all that's left is packing and saying goodbye!
Wish me luck!
