The gender struggle in India - The Cafe - Al Jazeera English

This video explains some of the challenges that women are facing in India. This really hit home with all the work I am do at the Kedi Residential School for Tribal Girls - what future will their "modernized" India give them? When will women really be seen as equals in this complex culture? Really fascinating insights...

The gender struggle in India - The Cafe - Al Jazeera English

Reflections from Kedi

08.26.11

I can hardly believe it’s been already a week, as I sit here in my barely-mattressed bed listening to the monsoon rains and a high-pitched older woman singing in what I assume to be Hindi on the radio. This is the place I am calling home…for right now.

I have to admit that this practicum has been more of a challenge than I originally imagined. It has been rewarding, without question – but every day I face a new personal demon, as I am so lovingly calling them (::insert sarcastic smile::)

This is the first place in my entire India journey that I have been faced with homesickness. Now take one dose of that and mix it with the unjust reality of tribal life in India and you have a recipe for really complicated emotions. The girls at this school are amazing and this facility and the services it provides are truly life-changing. But the hardships that these girls have faced and will face break my heart every day. This is why it’s been so hard to type a reflection for you – and for the poor souls that keep asking me “don’t you just love India,” now is not the time.

Sure I could paint for you the picture of the ethereal lush green landscape that surrounds the school, the sweet sweet smiles of the girls, the taste of the greatest chai I’ve ever had, or the feeling of serenity that flows in with the afternoon breeze. But that would only be one side of the story – one side that I feel like I am suppose to tell.

The other side of the story is cruel. These girls come from families who, more often then not, did not want them. In India, especially rural India, boys are valued more than girls. Therefore, when a parent has to make a decision on which of their children will receive education, the boy wins by default. The same is true even with meals – gender predetermines who will eat first in the household and who will be left with the table scrapes.

These girls that are at the Kedi School arrive here severely anemic, malnourished, sick, and horrified of anything that is not their “norm.” The daily diet of the tribal population in Gujarat, the state I am in in India, is very very very basic: rice and dhal (pureed lentils). When mangoes are in season apparently they are consumed with gusto, but that season is pretty short and to my great despair has already passed.

Aparna Kadikar, the woman who started this school and my new personal hero, sat with Rashi and I the other day to talk about what reality these tribal girls are really facing here in India. And it’s a mortifyingly unfair world. I heard story after story of neglected, beaten, raped, and even killed girls in the local tribal community that the Kedi School is trying to impact. Aparna told us of one student, who is one of my favorites and definitely stands out as one of the brightest, who has suffered from extensive “familiar rape,” a sickeningly common abuse in tribal communities. This young girl, barely 15 (the tinniest 15 year old you’ve ever seen), use to be sexually abused by her brother-in-law. She has no parents and was being raised by her sister. Even if she told her sister about it, what could her sister do? In a rural community where the women are uneducated and unemployed, they depend on their husbands for food and shelter. From what I have gathered, I doubt this little girl’s sister would stand up against her husband, let alone fight for her. When you’re fighting for survival, it seems you’re able to endure more than humanly possible.

Aparna told us of another girl who use to work for her, before the school was started (it’s one been about 5 years running), who can an insatiable sweet tooth. I know we love to joke about our monstrous sweet cravings back stateside, but it becomes a whole other beast when you’re also facing severe malnourishment. Apparently this girl could not stop her cravings, she was always consuming sweets. Aparna knew that the girl had become diabetic from her sweets addiction and saw that her eyes were starting to turn yellow, a sign of kidney failure. No matter how much she pleaded with the girl and offered medicine/hospital/doctor support, the girl refused Aparna’s help. That’s the thing that I am learning: there are a lot of misconceptions regarding health and health services in the tribal community. A reason that government-issued iron and vitamin A supplementation is not incredibly successful in tribal communities is because of myths and misconceptions – someone started a rumor that the supplements were actual birth control and that the government was trying to sterilize the tribal populations. You cannot wipe that rumor completely clean no matter how hard you try, so now severely anemic girls are not taking lifesaving supplements because of false information. It makes me ill. The same goes for the tribal girl with the sweet tooth, who was raised to be hesitant of modern medicine and because of such misconceptions, refused any services. She, unfortunately, passed away due to kidney failure at the age of 25. That’s my age; that hits home.

Here’s one more story to paint the true picture of hardships for these tribal girls. Two years ago one of the Kedi School girls started getting really sick and became bed-ridden. Aparna came to discover that the girl had been suffering from cancer for the last year and a half. Aparna, the passionately loving woman she is, went to the girl’s father and implored why he hadn’t sought treatment for the girl. He claimed money was the issue. Then Aparna offered to pay for all the medical services, all the treatments and facility costs as long as the father agreed to send his daughter and one of his other children to keep watch over her in the hospital. The father’s sobering response was, “Ma’am, I have 10 children. If one of them dies, it’s no real difference to me.” The young girl passed away, she was 15. I asked Aparna if the young girl had been male, would things have been different in her father’s eyes. She said, “Without a doubt. He would have invested everything to take care of a boy.”

I feel like I have just been bitch-slapped by reality, to be so blunt. Here I come traipsing into Valsad, India thinking this is going to be some sweet and easy practicum experience where I will get to know these girls, love the school, love life, and be able to walk away with a big grin and a sense of satisfaction. However, this experience has and is still continuing to change me. I know I will not be the same after this experience, but I am struggling to figure out how I have changed; what has changed?

And I am struggling to process it all, all the information around me, all the faces, all their realities, all their struggles, all the unjust cruelty they face because they were born female. It almost seems mocking all of my words to them about taking pride in their femininity and to strive to be strong, educated, independent women. Those words barely have value here. I mean the justification for even developing the Kedi School stems from the realization that girls were being ignored in the tribal communities. In India, there is a right to education act that requires all children of all genders to receive free schooling until grade 8, after which the costs for further schooling is the parents’ responsibility. Well, the families were sending their sons to school, of course. But what about the girls? It was and still remains very common for girls to be married off after their required schooling is complete because they are seen as one more mouth to feed, one serious financial burden to bear.

Yes, these girls are married off at ages 14 and up.

Despite all of these heartaches and struggles, these girls still manage to smile; all the time. It astounds me the resilience of a child. We had talked about this in my child development class fall 2010 – in regards to abused and neglected children – but I don’t think it fully resonated till I came here. How can these girls who have suffered so much still find so much joy in their life? It makes my problems and heartaches seem so miniscule. Moot.

I am not trying to have some profound Oprah moment here, saying our problems are zilch in comparison. I am just trying to offer some perspective, mostly perspective for myself. This has been a challenging trip to make, overall. Yes, India still continues to amaze me and leave me in awe. But I would be lying if I didn’t say it’s also been a serious trial as well. Year 25 started very rough for me. Debilitating rough. But I was always surrounded by friends and family whose love and support kept me afloat, helped me to survive, and are now helping me to thrive. It is a bittersweet realization of the strength that loved ones can offer because as I sit here on this cool concrete floor (I’ve now moved into the common area of the school), I realize these girls most likely do not have that same familiar support. They really only have each other. And thus resounds for me the importance of such a school.

These girls are being given a second chance, a chance to rise above the statistics, to not just be another number in the percentage of the malnourished, too-early married, uneducated girls that make up the tribal populations in India. All I can do right now is dawn a smile through the tears my heart floods for their life – pleading that fate will be kind to them and let them finish their schooling before they get married and are restricted to the house. I have asked the girls to pinky-swear with me that they will work hard in school and go on to college. I keep stressing the importance of an education for girls and how that education can change their lives. “Look at Rashi and I, for example. We are able to come here and be with you and teach you because we worked hard in school and went to college. Think about going to college and coming back and helping out girls just like yourself. We have to help each other, have to take care of each other.” I keep repeating these words again and again, praying that something sticks with them. I am afraid for them, I am afraid that this gift of education will be in vain.

But that’s when Aparna reminds me that even if after school they get married and have children, they will be educated mothers and wives and so will begin a new change for the community – the goal is generational change. Maybe they will see the value in education and be willing to make such investments in their own daughters, pushing them through school and maybe on to college. Change takes time, more time than my stomach can bear.

But this is the reality of the work I want to do – public health. Our professors keep stressing that behavioral change takes time, a lot of time. Of course in the sheltered, classroom setting this makes absolutely no sense to us students. When we devise interventions for course work, we just assume all the information we share will make sense, all the behavioral changes we are advocating for will stick immediately, that we will make a difference within a matter of a few meetings. After all, we all want to change the world so of course we’d imagine our work would have such an impact. But what we don’t realize in our controlled classroom environment is that behavior change is hard and in the field you have to face misconceptions, misinformation, distrust, and general apathy.

No, they don’t really prepare you for that in graduate school. You have to learn that on your own, see it through your own eyes, make connections with people who you only seek to service while they continually reject your services. Like the struggles that the Kedi School is having with implementing iron and vitamin A supplement tablets. The girls just aren’t taking them, no matter how much the teachers stress the importance of these nutrients for their health. Ha! – health. A word that is only a word for these girls, nothing more.

This is such a challenge. This is not as easy as I imagined. What a learning experience.

How is it possible to find so much joy and sorrow in the same work?

Class just got out for the girls, so I’m going to go grab my plate and enjoy some rice and dhal with them. Every day I am learning something new, whether it be about their lives, about myself, or about public health in the field. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I think with more time and reflection I will be able to process all that is happening right in front of my own two eyes.

For now I just need to keep smiling and hugging these girls, letting them know, through our difficult language barrier, that they ARE loved, by someone.

Photos of my life:

(1) Me showing the girls my skydiving video - they've seen it three times now..

(2) Rashi and my first lecture on health and what it means to be healthy. What a rush!

(3) The Kedi School in its lovely yellow glory

(4) The girls taught us how to sift grains and get all the bugs out

oh yes, the girls also taught me how to milk a cow...

This ain’t no Michael Jackson video

Thursday 08.11.11

You won’t see these street kids dawning leather jackets, slicked back hair, and waving around shinny pocket blades while perfectly dancing in sync to MJ’s “Bad” song. Street kids in Delhi, India are nothing the way Hollywood would like to betray it.

These children are smart, crafty, strong, and persistent – findingways to survive in a world that has been sounfairly cruel to them. On Thursday, our last full day in Delhi and with our Social Entrepreneurship class, we had an incredible culminating experience. The class piled out of our huge spectacle-mobile (as I lovingly call it) onto some side road near the New Delhi train station. We then took what felt like 50 different rickshaws to a small alleyway where we were split into two groups and told to follow some Indian high schooler around. I had no freaking clue what was going on.

And then I met Iqbal. This 19 year old boy (young man) with an illuminating smile and a very calm disposition is a shining example of the perseverance of the human spirit and what difference one organization can truly make. We didn’t hear his story till later on, but Iqbal didn’t grow up like me. Iqbal was abandoned at age 5 in a marketplace near his home after going to buy fruit with his father. His dad just left him there. This five year old kid scavenged for food, living on the streets till a wealthy couple picked him up and took him in their house as a servant boy. They beat him continuously until he ran away from the house, forced to live once more on the streets. Iqbal eventually ended up in Delhi, led by the desire for easy money (through pickpocketing) and the hopes of becoming a Bollywood star. Eventually Iqbal was found by a Salaam Baalak Trust volunteer who led him to one of their many city-wide centers where he was given a second chance at having a healthy childhood.

Pretty incredible stuff: this 19 year old seems to have it more together than many twenty-something’s and older people I know. Salaam Baalak Trust is one organization that is making a real, tangible difference in India. It doesn’t matter if the data is collected and analyzed extensively to prove the effects of SBT’s work – you can see their success in the faces of the thousands of children they have helped over the last 20 years. SBT is an organization that provides everything from basic services such as medical attention and a meal to shelter housing and education for runaway and homeless children, many of whom come to Delhi via the train system. SBT services are crucial when considering that many of the male street children have the potential to end up drug addicts and the female street children are quickly pushed into prostitution (currently there are over 3500 girls forced into sex trafficking in Delhi – nauseating stuff). SBT has volunteers at the train station in Delhi as well as a collaborative with the local police to lead street children towards one of 15 of SBT’s centers in India versus leaving the children to fight for survival on the streets.

Some children want the help, others do not. That was what was so sobering about this site visit. No matter the persistence of SBT and the police, in the end, the decision belonged to the child on whether or not they accessed SBT’s services and shelters or stayed on the streets. Iqbal, a former street kid himself, lead us through the tiny, dirty alleyways near the Delhi train station to show aspects of the daily life of a street kid. Our group visited one of the centers for SBT, a preliminary facility for street children just arriving off of the trains or the streets, looking for medical aid and some food before going back on the street. It took me a while to realize that some of the children sitting in front me, who couldn’t have been more than 15 years old, were on drugs. This center was a facility to provide basic services to the kids who didn’t want to get off the streets; who preferred a life of quick money, haggling, drugs, and alcohol over the strict sobriety requirements of the SBT shelters.

What I appreciate about this organization is that it remains very realistic – they recognize that changing one kid’s life is still a measurable impact and that this change can be as miniscule as a free meal. This program has the means of a sustainable difference through their City Walkprogram, which charges a small fee to have some of the graduated street children lead small tours around the Delhi train station to show the different centers and facilities that SBT has – as we saw on Thursday. This organization also sells postcards made from photos taken by some of the children going through the various arts programs hosted by SBT – in particular the photography course (which you can donate old digital cameras to). I purchased some of the postcards, moved by the captured worldview of these children; one of the photos was actually by Iqbal! I also made sure to make a small donation to this organization, knowing the importance of unrestricted funds for nonprofits (keep that in mind next time you want to help out an organization J).

I was really moved by this organization and really impressed by the palpable impact in their target population. Salaam Baalak Trust has a well-established network and services that brought together all the elements of the social entrepreneurship course from the last two weeks. Even though the organization was not functioning solely on independent profits, they definitely had a social entrepreneurial element to them: focused on giving back to the community they serve in every possible way. By hosting City Walks lead by former street children, having annual reunion events that bring in successful former street children who were once part of the SBT program (there are Bollywood actors, fashion designers, photographers, and choreographers galore), and developing unique products to sell that share the message of renewed opportunity, Salaam Baalak Trust is a great example of how an organization can invest extensively in a community; perpetuating a cycle of investment by that very community to ensure its continued success for many many many years to come.

Reproductive health is everyone's health

Wednesday, 08.10.11

Today we met an organization that focused on the population and issues that get me fired up. I mean REALLY get me fired up.

I spent two years in undergrad marching down Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia towards the State Capitol with one hand holding a Planned Parenthood poster and the other hand raised high and clinched tightly like the Che Guavara spirit I was channeling. I was a revolutionary for family planning – or really for reproductive choice. I was loud, I demanded to be heard, and I wasn’t going to listen to any prolife stance. Damnit, I was right!

circa 2008

Over the next 3 years I have been earnestly trying to find a way to channel that energy and passion into a tangible impact. Activism is great and definitely serves its purpose of letting an issue ring in everyone’s ears. For me, however, I knew the real change I wanted to make would be individualized; helping men and women at the grassroots level one person at a time. I focused my senior thesis around reproductive health in Latin America, organically leading the topic of my thesis to be centered on family planning initiatives by President Alberto Fujimori in Peru in the 1990s – showing that investing in family planning and women’s health can lead to significant economic, social, and political impacts. There were some issues with Fujimori’s approach to nationalized family planning programs, so invite me over for some tea and I can tell you all about it. For now, though, we’ll stay on topic.

My senior thesis is what helped mature my desire to be in public health, particularly women’s health and family planning. I was finally able to see a very powerful link between investing in women and developing a nation; my background in political science was finally paying off! After graduation, I worked at the American Cancer Society to get my foot in the door of the public health arena and be sure this was the path I wanted to pursue. It was and still is. After having worked in a very conservative, professional environment, having many conservative friends, and having had my foot shoved into my mouth a few times, I am learning how to explore family planning from all perspectives. My goal has been and continues to be focused on having a respectful and calm dialogue regarding family planning that promotes dignity, respect, empowerment, and development for all parties involved. Graduate school has aided in this much needed perspective, directing me towards facts and figures to back up my side of the argument. No longer am I just some fiery twenty-something belting prochoice mantras into a megaphone, attempting to lead my reproductive revolution. It’s befitting to say that I can now carry a calm conversation (well, sometimes) that is centered on helping women help themselves through reproductive health. You’ve definitely come a long way, baby!

All of this brings me to my reflection on my time with PSI (Population Service International) and what information I want to share with you. I appreciate the work that PSI is doing and the vast communities that they serve. They are really making a difference even if it is still too soon to measure statistical significance (all you biostat people). Their service in Delhi is focused on family planning through IUDs (intra-uterine device) and medical abortion (MA) kits. Given the very conservative community that PSI is serving, there are definitely many barriers that this organization faces by introducing these forms of family planning methods. One of the female doctors from the local hospital shared with us how many women have to seek out the IUD secretly because they cannot get their husbands approval. Most of the women asking about the IUD are married women who have already had three or more children. The community that we visited in Delhi was predominantly Muslim and contraceptives are not allowed by the conservative sect of this religion. So what’s a woman to do? She lives in a developing nation where there are high maternal and infant mortality rates, mediocre health care, and lack of access (and rights) to pregnancy-preventing contraceptives. Well, in this case study, women go to their local physician and have an IUD inserted.

Here’s a commercial produced by PSI India that plays on local TV stations addressing the importance of family planning and IUDs for married couples: Lock and Key

Here is my stance, one that has taken some time to mature and understand completely -

Overall understanding of the importance of family planning:

*When a woman has control over her fertility (through contraceptives, family planning, sterilization, or abstinence), she has the ability to finish her education (versus adolescent marriage and/or adolescent motherhood) and pursue a career all her own and become a contributing member of society. The developing world is not investing in half of their population and the well-being of those nations is definitely suffering from this investment slack.

[Quickly let me add that stay-at-home moms are great, especially if they choose to stay at home. However, a mother/woman being tied to the house because she keeps getting pregnant and has no choice in the pregnancy and/or is forced to quit school because of pregnancy/marriage without her choosing is not okay by me]

• Women have the RIGHT to have full authority over their body and decisions regarding their body
• Women have the right to choose what family planning measure works for them
• Women should be allowed to access all contraceptive measures available
• Women have a right to an equal education
• Women have a right to equal job opportunities
• Women should be allowed to have control over their fertility and the amount of children they have
• Women have a right to quality and affordable health care
• Women are amazing J

Given my stance, let me say that access to IUDs and medial abortion kits are crucial in my book. I uphold that your political/social/religious opinions are moot when it comes to contraceptives access. You do not have to use the contraceptives, you do not have to condone the contraceptives, but they should ALWAYS be readily available and the right of women (and men) to access them should ALWAYS be there.

There should always be quality and affordable healthcare available to all people and contraceptives should be in ample supply and nearly free of cost to all communities. When a nation invests in their family planning programs and services they are investing in the well-being and future success of their nation. Take Peru for example, via my senior thesis escapade. When Peru invested in nationwide family planning programs and services, they experienced monumental economic and social growth – finally they were investing in the other half of the population! (Read “Half the Sky” to get the full picture of my point).

Family planning = growth, prosperity, and an end to the cycle of poverty (poor people making more poor people making more poor people). Brilliant!

Now, I know the whole idea of the medical abortion kits might turn many readers’ stomachs. Unfortunately, family planning’s red-headed step child is definitely abortion. However, abortion is not a preferred family planning measure, so rest assured that MA kits will rarely be chosen over continuous, effective birth control methods. Abortion is used mostly in dire situations, where other measures have failed. (I have oodles of statistics on abortions in the US that I can share sometime…)

When a community invest in family planning and respects the female and her decisions with her body, abortion rates significantly decrease. Abortion would rarely, if ever, be needed if reproductive health was given the same focus and investment as cosmological surgery and consumer product purchasing in the US. However, in some settings, in some situations, another child is too much. Especially in developing countries, in impoverished communities, another mouth to feed is damn near unfathomable when a family is subsisting off of less than $2 USD per day. That’s when the PSI medical abortion kits come into play. Whether a pregnancy is intended or unintended, safe medical services are vitally needed. Too many maternal deaths and morbidity occur from illegal, unsafe abortions. What PSI is doing is providing a safer means for a very discrete and difficult decision to end the possibility of a pregnancy. Whether we agree with abortions or not is beyond the point right now – what is so incredibly important is that there are services out there for women and families and that the option of a safe, affordable (nearly free) emergency measure is readily available. According to the pharmacist we interviewed in the Muslim community in Delhi, 4 to 5 medical abortion kits are sold daily. Let me repeat that: daily. Obviously, there is a need for serious family planning services in this community. Until that investment can be made by the government, the community, and the individuals themselves, emergency contraception is going to have to remain part of the equation.

What I am hoping is that a community like the one I visited in Delhi will begin to embrace the use of contraceptives and family planning services, such as IUDs, so that medical abortion kits will not be needed as much. But things happen, life happens, accidents happen, mistakes happen, terrible things can happen so medial abortion kits should always remain readily available.

I was so impressed by the services and information provided by PSI. Bravo for them for tackling a VERY testy subject that manages to impassion just about everyone (in one direction or the other). There is definitely room for growth, development, and data evaluation in their services to know what sorts of differences are being made within the specific communities. However, their services are just the start – just the beginning of the conversation surrounding family planning in this community. As I mentioned, your opinion on contraceptives and abortion is moot in the grander cry for access to all forms of family planning methods. When a woman/family/couple has a choice over fertility and family size, so begins the conversation on gender equality, respect, and overall well-being of the community as a whole.

Family planning is the answer. Access, quality, and affordability are nonnegotiable terms to a healthy future for any community.

A quick glimpse at my travels thus far...

I know I have not been the best about keeping this blog updated. Amiss visiting NGOs and travelling, I haven't had much "down" time to update this blog for you wonderful followers. So in the mean time, as you wait for my many ponderings, I am going o post some photos from my last week. Just some images that begin to describe my many adventures in India!

Saturday 08.06.11

- First auto rickshaw ride in India - CRAZY experience! The auto rickshaws swerve in and out of traffic...and onto sidewalks...and in between large trucks. Glad we survived :)

- Brunch with Jenn Queen's exended family from Boston/Israel. Discussed universal health care and living abroad. Thanks for a great meal Dan and Etti!

- Went for a quick bit of shopping in Coloba in South Mumbai.

- Got dolled up (the best that my limited clothing options would allow) and partied till 4 am in South Mumbai at WTF! Bar (we were the only white people, aka "gorias") It was just like South America: the men loved us, the women loathed us - even though there were only like 5 Indian women in the entire bar. And, this will make my mother proud, of course I danced on top of a table and started a dance revolution. And everyone called me "Lady GaGa" all night.

Sunday 08.07.11

- Kathak dance performance at the Bharata College of Fine Arts and Culture

Might I say, to all my tabla loving friends: "da da diggi diggi da da ta di da ti na ti naaaah"

- Exploring the Gate of India in South Mumbai

- 1 hour boat ride out to Elephanta Island

- Climbed 120 stairs to get to the Elephanta Caves and the 2000 year old Hindu statues!

- Hung out with some pretty mean monkeys (they wanted to steal my camera and water bottle)

- 1 hour boat ride back to Mumbai (got terribly sea sick....reminds me of our mother-daughter cruise to the Bahamas - I'm pretty sure I was turning green)

Monday 08.08.11

- Chaotic experience with FedEx to mail things home

- Met with UnLtd India and Acumen Fund (see previous blog post)

Our awesome guest speaker: Pooja Warrier, from UnLtd India (far left side) - my hero :)

- Went out for a fancy dinner at JW Marriot in Bombay – managed to spend $44 on 2 glasses of wine (the taxes on food and beverages is RIDICULOUS!)

Tuesday 08.09.11

Goodbye Mumbai, Hello Delhi!

Pretty much the first part of the day consisted of on last yoga class, packing up my possessions and checking out of our swanky Mumbai abode. The second half of the day Spice Jet to Delhi, grabbed a very overpriced snack at the tourist-loved "Essesx" store (I might have splurged on French sparkling pink lemon aid), followed by a lovely (but super late) meal at the Olive Bar restaurant in Delhi.

fancy meals please - greatest bread ever!

Wednesday 08.10.11

- Exploring another Indian hotel breakfast bar = more fried foods and upset stomach...

- Met with PSI India - Population Services International. Pretty much one of my DREAM organizations! We talked to some of their family planning program directors about their IUD consultation (centered on married women who are ready to no longer have any more children) and their Medical Abortion (MA) kits. I know this is a testy subject but I have a lot I want to share about the organization, their work, and my pro-family planning stance. (see blog post below!)

- Explored the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple! (we weren't allowed to take our won pictures, so please enjoy some stock photos on their website)

- Ate at McDonalds for the first time in over 13 years! We were with the whole class and everyone was hungry and we needed fast food...so we pile into a McDonalds at some mall near the temple and chowed down. I ordered a veggie burger and fries - I have to admit, it wasn't too shabby!

- Went to the "Delhi Hut" area for some souvenior shopping...well, we found out that we were actually across the street from Delhi Hut. Woopsie...

- Had a splendid "free time" dinner with my friends Jenn Queen and Kelly Healy. We sucked down our own King Fisher strong beer, shared some Indo-Chinese chicken, and blissfully staggered our way back to the hotel and passed out. Night night!

Thursday 08.11.11

- Bright and early day again! (mixed with a mediocre Indian breakfast)

- Traveled to the New Delhi train station and met up with Iqbal, a 19 year old former street kid working for the Salaam Baalak Trust in Delhi (blog post below!)

Our wonderful guide Iqbal at the SBT's street children shelter

- Grabbed a BIG group lunch at a Indo-Chinese-Thai restaurant. So yummy! Hello green curry!

- Completed the day with some fun touristy adventures:
-->Traveled to the Lotus Temple, one of the Baha'i Church's huge international temples

-->Saw the India Gate in Delhi
- We headed back to the hotel, showered up and had one last, great South Indian meal together at Punjabi By Nature. We went around the table showing off our learned Indian "head bob" (which legitimately exist everywhere in India - I find myself doing it too!) as well s shared some of our favorite Indian sayings/phrases. Mine was "yes yes miss, yes yes." All the foreign women are addressed as “madame” or “miss,” and the people selling the random goods or driving the taxis/rickshaws are obnoxiously persistent – yes I am walking towards the temple, no I do not need a ride, yes I want to walk, no I do not want to buy a your marble elephant…oh India!

Friday 08.12.11

- Last day as a big group (::cue angelic voices from above::)

- Had a "wrap-up" class meeting where we discussed some of our challenges and overall sentiments from the course. Were we able to walk away with a new perspective? New direction New anything? When then discussed some of our ideas for a business plan - one of the course requirements is to develop an outline of a business plan, taking into consideration all the organizations we met with over the last 2 weeks...when I have even the faintest idea of my business plan, I'll be sure to let you know!

- The class parted ways, and said our goodbyes. It was a great two weeks but it was time everyone did their own thing, not as some 20+ person spectacle-mobiletraipsing through India in a big AC bus. hahaha - just saying.

- Met our hired driver**, Kishan, to venture the "Golden Triangle:" Delhi -->Jaipur --> Agra --> Delhi. A very nice man of 30 years from right outside Jaipur. He barely knows English and, of course, we don't know Hindi. But somehow we've made communication work.

- We spend the next 8+ hours on the road towards Jaipur. The trip was supposed to take around 4 hours but traffic, construction, bathroom breaks, and random India-esk delays kept pushing the time of arrival back. We finally pulled into Jaipur around 11:30 pm and hit the pillow of our $12 a night hotel FAST!

**hired driver: yes, in the US a hired driver would be something the super wealthy, oh so fabulous can afford. However, having a hired driver is pretty much the norm of the middle class families and up. Given that it was a big Holiday weekend (Independence Day was Monday, 08.15.11), all train tickets were booked and having a driver's cost split 4 ways just made sense. For around $500USD we have had a 24 hour driver/ bodyguard for 8 days. This cost includes all tolls, state taxes, his food and lodging. Not too shabby, eh?

Saturday 08.13.11

- First full day in Jaipur, India (Rajastan State) and don’t really know what we’re doing…
- We have the complimentary breakfast which, though great language barriers, equaled a piece of soft white bread with an egg literally coked around it. This is “egg bread” supposedly. Thank god “black tea” is universal!
- We finally get to see life outside BIG cities! And there are even elephants!

- We explored to Amber Fort, a spectacular red sandstone fort right outside of Old City Jaipur.

- Quite famished, we headed to the “posh” side of town – where we ate a late lunch (becoming our norm) at Little Italy. We had a GREAT brick oven pizza and I got to try my first cappuccino…in India!

- We obviously are not broke enough as graduate students, so we wanted to spend more money and Kishan the driver suggested a place that is great for precious and semi-precious gems (something Rajastan is famous for). We were given a quick introduction to the stone carving, shaping, and polishing process and then entered into of course – a huge show room made to the impeccable tastes of the tourists. I wasn’t planning on buying anything, considering I tend to lose everything – however I splurged a little and treated myself to a beautiful s92.5% silver cuff, my new favorite accessory!

- After some money burning, we were famished…again….so we headed to Thali House, a place our Lonely Planet guide recommended for yummy, super cheap eats. “Thali” (pronounced: tal-ie) is particular to the Rajastan area – it consists of a huge platter with a bunch of little dishes, sauces, and veggies served in individualized bowls; accompanied by my latest obsession: chapatti (if naan and thick corn tortillas had a baby, it’s be chapatti) It was DELISH!

me and my thali

- After dinner, we found an internet café, sent some emails then went back to the hotel to call it a night!

….these activities quick blurbs are getting rather lengthy…

Sunday 08.14.11

- We ended up skipping breakfast, wishing to steer clear of another “egg toast” situation

- We checked out of the hotel and went straight to Galta Pol, the “Monkey Temple” for the Sun God (I’m a little flustered about this journey because we didn’t find out till later that we were actually visiting only one side of the mountain that hosts the Monkey Temple – the other side, the more famous and beautiful one, was not mentioned to us by the driver nor the little 14 year old boys who gave us a tour…::le sigh:: next time…

Great view from the temple: all of Jaipur and a photo with our little tour guides

- In order to not waste the day, and because the heat was rising fast, we decided to bypass finding another hotel till later in the day and went on to see some more tourist attractions:

à Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory

Something that seems straight out of a Tim Burton film, it is one of the first astronomical observatories and is now a World Heritage Site. I would attempt to explain the devices and their purposed to you but I have no idea what they are. The explanations might as well have been pure gibberish. But they were definitely cool looking structures!

à Jal Mahal

One of the many GORGEOUS palaces in Jaipur!

à City Palace (cost extra to enter so I just admired it from the outside)

à The Pink City (Old Jaipur City)

According to Lonely Planet, the city of Jaipur was painted the color pink in 1853 to welcome the Prince o0f Wales to Jaipur. Quite the welcome gift!

- During part of our adventures we met a charismatic and feisty Israeli woman who was taking a year off (just out of the army) to travel through Asia. She is an incredible woman who was a great travel companion for the Jaipur stint of our trip!

- For lunch, we grabbed a very delicious thali meal with some friends of a friend of Kelly's from the UK. They had just moved to Delhi with the prospect of staying in India for at least 5 years - the woman, Katherine, works in NGO sustainability projects. Her and I had a wonderful conversation about all the organizations I visited over the last 2 weeks and the importance of sustainability and strong business models for all NGOs.

- After lunch we strolled the main Jaipur street- Amber Road - until it was time to take Kelly to the train station to venture back to Delhi to meet up with her husband. We said out goodbyes but knew we'd meet up again in Agra

- After dropping Kelly off, we headed back into the outskirts of Jaipur (New Jaipur) and found a new hotel to stay at. Though relatively cheaper (now only ~$7USD, 300 rupees) it still did not have the internet access we needed to finish our school work. I also sent a text to Dana, our new Israeli friend, about the hotel since she was in the market for new sleeping arrangements. After some arguing mixed with negotiation**, Dana was able to obtain a room that I shared with her in order to drop the costs.

** Apparently hired drives/ taxi drivers/ rickshaw drivers get commission for wherever they take the naive tourists. I admit I was a little naive about the situation with Kishan. He is a really sweet guy and was son incredibly helpful. However, it took a second to see that he had been steering us towards restaurants and hotels that he'd get a cut of the profit. After we figured this out, we desired to be nice but firm with our driver - it's an entirely different world here in India. I am learning to not be passive aggressive and sugar-coat everything; instead I am being nice but firm. After we started being firm there was definitely a change of power between us and Kishan but it was for the best. We were open to his suggestions and sometimes push-backs for going to places but we remained firm about not being taken advantage of. This was a small but powerful travel learning experience for me. And something for anyone traveling in India to be aware of..

- We cleaned up and Kishan takes us to a textile showroom - well we're done with the whole screw the tourist game, not to mention we just don't like any of the fabrics, so we please exhaustion and head out. No gain for anyone.

- After some deliberation and being firm with Kishan, we head about 6 km outside of the main part of the Old City to a rooftop restaurant/bar, The Peacock Palace, that supposedly has a great view of Jaipur and a Westerner traveler vibe. This is usually not my thing when I travel, to seek out other travelers but I was kind of having a love-hate relationship with India at this moment and some familiar languages, foods, and personalities were needed. We were definitely the only Americans but I loved sipping beer and listening to my heart's content all the French, German, Italian, and Spanish that flowed through the cool summer air. On our way out we asked about rooms, since the restaurant was on top of the Pearl Palace Hostel. Found out that a dorm room would be opening up the next morning....and internet was available...so we figured we'd call back in the morning. We headed back to our hotel and called it a night!

Monday 08.15.11

- We discussed the rest of our travel plans and the misfortunes of working-for-commission approach to tourism over some boiled eggs, chapati, and black tea (my new favorite breakfast combination)

- After packing up and checking out we headed towards the Water Palace to get a few quick memory pictures of the gorgeous palace floating in the calm waters right outside of the Amber Palace

- Afterwards, we were in need of some of the infamous textiles that are Jaipur - so we headed to the nationwide store FabIndia, my latest women's cooperative company. FabIndia started by developing a cooperative among tribal women to develop, manufacture, and sale handmade/ hand printed textiles. The profits were then reinvested back into the communities and families. The store has managed to grow quite a bit from its humble beginnings but still remains focused on giving back to the community that works for them. And did I mention that my new tunics are absolutely divine?!!?! I love them all!

- On the drive back in Old City (Pink City) Jaipur, we hit some torrential monsoon rain, the worse I've seen thus far. But this didn't stop life, everyone just keep on with their business...

- We grabbed some more thali for lunch (we just couldn't get enough) and did some last bits of shopping before heading to our new hostel for the nigh: the Pearl Palace. We were able to share a sweet dorm room for 175 rupees each, a meager $4.00 USD :)

- It was a relaxing evening complete with a very long hot shower, some blog writing for class, some international travelers mingling, and crepes with banana and nutella for dinner. A great last night in Jaipur.

Tuesday 08.16.11

- After a yummy and semi-conscious breakfast on the rooftop, we packed up and checked out of the hostel. On to Agra! We said our loving good-byes to Dana, and I promised her to visit her in Israel soon. I am already looking into plane tickets ;)

- The drive from Jaipur to Agra took about 5-6 hours in which I had time to stare out the window, sleep, stare some more, write in my journal, have broken English conversations with Kishan, and stare some more. The countryside of India is breathtaking, gorgeous shades of rich green and with the heavy monsoon clouds hanging overhead, it was my picturesque Southeast Asia.

- Driving in India is quite an experience, though. You have to battle not only monsoon rains, but also dogs, goats, cows, water buffalo, elephants, camels, horses, pigs, pedestrians, auto rickshaws, bicycles, pedicabs, taxicabs, other cars, buses, tractors, trucks, and the occasional cart full of hay. It's a roller coaster every second of the way...

- We arrive to Agra, battling monsoon rains to get to our hostel which is plastered with images of an Indian Bob Ross guy, endearingly called Sai Baba by the hostel owner. He was supposedly a divine messenger of God while living on Earth.

- We sought out a cafe with food and internet to plan out of next day Taj Mahal trip as well as work on our class work. Agra is quite the bustling town!

And it just so happens that from the rooftop of our cafe, we could see the top of the Taj Mahal!

- The rest of the day was spent working and sleeping, we had a very early morning ahead of us!

Wednesday 08.17.11

-5:30am I wake up and prepare for a moment I have been waiting for as long as I can remember - to walk through the glorious adorned gates and see with my very own eyes the Taj Mahal, one of the 7 wonders of the world.

And there it was, gently waking up with the rest of the travelers that early morning - coming to explore all of its beauty...

It still manages to absolutely blow my mind, was I REALLY there? Did I really see it and touch it and experience its immense beautiful??? It is as amazing as people say and so much more. It is quite literally beyond words. I haven't been this speechless since I sat on the hills of Machu Picchu. This will probably takes me weeks to process...

And of course I had to take all the fun touristy pictures too..

- After our sunrise service exploration of the Taj Mahal - totaling nearly 3 hours (it's just THAT amazing) we grabbed a super delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, bananas and tea costing us a mere 50 cents (~25 rupees). Gotta love India!

- We headed back to the hostel for a much needed shower, nap, and quite time. It was glorious!

- We then packed up the bags again and headed towards the Agra Fort, built by the same Shah who built the Taj, it started as a palace but was turned into a prison by the Shah's son who dethroned him. It was around a 3 km walk, much appreciated after weeks of sitting on a bus. Despite the suffocating humidity, we made it to the Agra Fort alive and well. We met up with Kelly and her husband Mike for a quick sec and then said goodbye as they were leaving to head back to Delhi and then off to Thailand for a week (lucky folks). We explored the Agra Fort around sunset and finally had some peace and quiet - a rarity int he bustling chaos that is India.

- Exhausted but serene, we headed back to the hostel to grab dinner at the same great Taj Cafe with the rooftop view of the Taj Mahal. We said our goodbyes to the beautiful monument over veg burgers and a Thumbs Up (India's version of coke).

- That night we packed up and prepared for the end of our week-long adventure through Rajastan and Uttar Pradesh in India. The next set of adventures would be our own; mine in Valsad and both of the Jenn's in Varanasi in Northern India. What an amazing experience I have had thus far and what an extremely lucky woman I am.

I plan to reflect more on my journeys from the last week and write some of my thoughts on this blog. I just wanted to be able to put up a quick bit about my stories, travels and photos to share with you. Hopefully you will take the time to read the rest of the my blogs posted below on my final experiences with social entrepreneurial organizations in India.

I am now relaxing (for the first time in 3 weeks) at the house of some relatives of my friend Rashi, who is accompanying me to Valsad for my practicum. Tonight we're heading to the last wedding ceremony of a friend of her's from back home - I'll be sure to tell you all about it soon. And then off to bed to rise at 3:30am to be out the door by 4am to make our 6 am flight to Mumbai. Once we get to Mumbai we have to sleepily venture to the Mumbai Train Station to catch a 13:40pm train to Valsad, in the state of Gujrat, India. And so will begin my practicum at the Kedi School for Tribal Girls.

I am not sure what the internet situation will be there but I will be keeping my digital (microsoft word) and personal journal updated and will hopefully be able to share them with you as soon as the monsoon rains permit.

I am so incredibly excited and a wee bit nervous too. This will definitely be an entirely new experience for me in a very different environment than what I have seen over the last 3 weeks. I am ready for this new adventure and I cannot wait to see what more surprises India has in store for me. Better yet, I cannot wait to learn and grow with these incredible young women attending the Kedi School.

I love you all and please keep me posted on your lives. I love to hear from you!

Take care and we'll chat soon!

Love, Char

My new norm: bottled water