Out in the Field

With my job here I have the opportunity to travel around the state of Maharashtra. In an official capacity these are monitoring visits to evaluate how the program is doing in the field and to implement a volunteer management database. I get to go way off the beaten track and stay in villages that are beyond the reach of the Indian railway system, a very extensive system that is the world’s largest employer. These villages have been several hours away so traveling requires leaving the night before, spending the night on the bus, and arriving early in the morning to start a full day of field visits. After two full days of going from village to village we spend another night on the bus to come home and leave to start all over again. I’m a pretty light, fickle sleeper so I’m usually exhausted before the work day even starts. However I’m grateful for the opportunity to see how people outside of the major cities live. It’s been an eye-opening experience to say the least. Language is more of a barrier since fewer people advance in education. Through some tireless translation I’ve learned several of the obstacles that people must overcome.

In one village I visited were campaigns addressing three main issues: violence against women, caste discrimination, and education. In my field visits I didn’t meet a single woman, all meeting participants were men. Women in civic and social participation is abysmal, and their absence was disheartening. However there is a small group of women raising awareness about violence against women. Caste discrimination is present in urban areas, but it is in full force in the rural areas I visited. One brave young man from a lower caste campaigned for an open position on his village council but was defeated due to opposition of his caste background. He continues to campaign for social awareness and now serves on three village committees (unelected positions.) Another issue is education, families move where the crops are so their children do not receive consistent schooling. The organization I was visiting has set up programs for education gaps so children can make up for lost school time.

However I had some great Indian food, I’m getting decent at eating with my hands now, although I haven’t quite mastered only using my right hand. Traditionally eating with your left hand was seen as unclean, although this is not prevalent anymore. Tearing roti with one hand is pretty challenging and I don’t think I’ll master single-handed eating before I leave. 

Most meals consist of wrapping roti around an assortment of vegetables, using your hand of course.

Community center where one of the field meetings was held. The smoky column in the back is a Hindu shrine.

Women right beside the meeting who didn't want to participate, but wanted me to take pictures of them!

On my last day of field visits I came back by myself. Getting home involved taking a bus to Mumbai and another bus to Navi Mumbai. I thought to myself, taking a bus to Navi Mumbai doesn’t make sense because I could take the train and I’m sure there will be gridlock traffic. As the bus entered Mumbai, it turns out there was gridlock traffic. The conductor yelled out if anyone wanted to get off at Kurla. I have only been in Mumbai once but I recognized the name as a stop on the rail line I could take directly into Navi Mumbai. I said I wanted to get off the bus, so I leaped over a three foot wide puddle to land on the muddy streets of Mumbai. At this point I had been on the bus for five hours, since seven that morning, and was exhausted from days and days of field visits and traveling. The bus driver pointed me the way to the railway station and off I went. The sheer amount of people on the street would have been overwhelming enough, but navigating the traffic and muddiness tested my resolve. When I decided I was just going to get my feet muddy I almost ran into a cow and its huge pile of “fertilizer.” I then realized that I don’t mind mud on my feet but I do mind stepping in piles of fresh cow dung. Unfortunately there is no way to distinguish regular street mud from cow mud so I picked my steps carefully toward the train station. I tried three times to get an auto rickshaw to take me but it was just too close to be profitable for them, yet just far enough for me to know I had to focus on my end goal. About 15 minutes into my trek I was able to get a tuk tuk and got dropped off at the train station, where I was confronted with a mass of people which apparently were eight separate lines for the tickets. These eight lines were spilling out onto the streets. Completely disheartened I decided to ask two gentlemen where I could get a bus to Navi Mumbai. They asked why I would ever want to take a bus as that would take 2-3 hours with traffic and a train is only half an hour. I pointed to the line and they understood. One of them handed me a coupon and said, we need to find more. I had no idea what he was talking about but followed their lead as they began asking people for more coupons. Apparently these coupons are prepaid, and stamping them in a little machine at the station with the correct amount for your ticket will act as your train ticket. They asked several people if they could please spare a 10 rupee coupon, a 5 rupee coupon. I didn’t think this would work, why would people willingly give up these golden coupons that let you get onto the train without having to stand in a 100-person line? But it did, it did work. People did give these men their coupons. In about three minutes we had enough for my train fare, in fact we had more than enough. The men stamped my coupons and I ran toward the platform. I made it onto the next train and decided not to sit, but stand near the open door and get some fresh air. I had been reading articles on how sitting is bad for you and after sitting on buses for several days I decided I could stand for half an hour. I got to home/work just before lunch.

After days of being in the field and being astonished at the resolve of these people trying to make a difference against all odds, I was completely blown away by the kindness of these two men and all the strangers they asked for coupons. I’m sure they had somewhere they could have been, but these men went out of their way to find coupons for me; they did something for me I’m sure they wouldn’t have normally done for themselves. And yes, several people said no when asked if they could give up coupons, but many people said yes and some people even volunteered their coupons. I was just blown away. Yes people in India and everywhere face harsh adversity, but they have kindness that I haven’t seen often. Yes India can sometimes be dirty, but it has a clean heart.

Cows blocking my path to the bus door.

This is what I mean when I stood and got some fresh air on the train.

Expats and the Monsoon

Before coming to India I told myself I would make an effort to make friends with locals and limit the number of American friends I had. After leaving France I wish I had spent more time with French people and made some French friends. Part of an international experience is making international friends and speaking the language right? Well in India I have found it a little harder to make local friends. Firstly, men and women don’t usually hang out together so that eliminates half the population. Because of this, I’ve found that their attitude and interaction toward me tends to feel awkward and uncomfortable. I’m thinking that if single men only associate with women for romantic reasons, then that’s the way they are accustomed to interacting with women. Also, I’ve found that our interests and preferred topics of conversation don’t usually align so that is another obstacle to overcome. Anyway so that leaves women. But walking around India you will notice there are very few women just walking around outside. Add to this the same difficulty with topics of conversation and language and there is a real difficulty in meeting people.

After spending the day working with locals, I’ve decided that it won’t be so bad to have some expat friends here. It’s not France where I would spend class time and free time with Americans, here I can spend work time with locals and free time with Americans. So I’ve found a great group of women, all who are here because their husbands are here for work. This is the main difference between us but it’s been great talking with people who are going through the lifestyle changes I am. One of them is an American who has opened a shelter for street children (www.tenderhands.org). The best part may be that she also runs an American bakery, the proceeds from which benefit the shelter. This bakery is amazing, I have been missing American desserts the whole time I’ve been here and now I get to treat myself to the cupcakes, pies, and cookies I’ve been missing. I get a taste of home and supporting a good cause. Can’t get much better.

Otherwise the legendary monsoon has arrived. I was told the first couple days would be worse than the heat because it would be combined with the rain, making you feel like you’re in a steam room. But, knock on wood, it is now very cool. The cloud cover provides a buffer for the heat and there is a very refreshing cool breeze that comes with the rain. The only down side to the rain is that all the streets are muddy and going anywhere will mean you get soaked. Oh well, so far I am enjoying the relief from the heat. Hopefully I won’t be discouraged to do my regular grocery shopping. My coworker told me which shoes to buy for the monsoon. When we think of footwear for the rain we think of rain boots and galoshes so that our feet and clothes stay dry. He told me I should buy sandals made out of either rubber or plastic that have straps both around my foot and heel. The sandals are so that your feet will dry more quickly once you get out of the rain, and the rubber and plastic is so your shoes will also dry. Most shoes here are sandals, and most of these sandals only have on strap going across the top of your foot. However it is important to have these two sets of straps because when you walk on the streets, the water and mud levels will rise, and you risk getting your shoes stuck at each step because of the mud. Thus, the two straps will secure the shoes to your feet, and your feet, shoes, and pants will dry with the mud caked on them. I love the approach. In the States we avoid getting wet at all, with galoshes that sometimes go up to our knees or higher, and making sure we tuck our pants in. In India, you know you’re going to get wet, avoiding the water is almost impossible so face the problem head on and make preparations to make the aftermath easier. It’s great, I just need to get used to being muddy sometimes.

My awesome monsoon-proof shoes.

The view outside the entrance of where I work/live.

Elephanta Island and A Night at the Movies

If you’ve somehow missed my distress at the humidity and heat in Mumbai, let me take a chance here to reiterate that it is very humid and hot in Mumbai. Right now we are in the hottest weeks of the year until the monsoon will bring some relief to the heat in about two weeks. The heat has discouraged me from venturing outside too much, since no transportation has A/C and a fair amount of walking would be required. I would chide myself because I need to go out and experience everything that India has to offer while I have the chance. I did happen to venture out on Saturday because one of the interns from the organization I work for offered to show my flatmate and me around Mumbai. After getting to the train station and an hour on the old-school trains, we were at the Gateway of India at around noon. We took our pictures in front of the monument and the nearby Taj Mahal hotel while waiting for our tour guide. Waiting outside in the sun with no shade at noon in May in Mumbai was probably not the best idea. After some train delays our friend showed up and said we would be going to Elephanta Island. Elephanta Island is an island in the Mumbai Harbor, and it is famous for its cave temples that all have been carved out of rock. I was excited since visiting Elephanta was on my wanderlist and we had an early start to the day. After an hour on the boat we had to walk about a half mile from the dock to the main part of the island. No big deal, I had already spent a few hours in the sun at this point and a half mile wasn’t going to kill me. However, at the end of port, we had to climb up a long set of stairs that are lined the entire way by vendors selling tourist souvenirs. At the top we were rewarded with the entrance to the first and main Elephanta cave. We were taking pictures in front of the magnificent sculptures, and all my pictures show my drenched shirt from the great workout we got getting to the caves. Then I thought I saw something familiar. After staring for what seemed like minutes, I yelled out “Jao?” The figure turned around, and I was right! Here in cave #1 on Elephanta Island in the Mumbai Harbor, India was an old classmate of mine from AP Chem from our sophomore year in high school. We didn’t talk much, or at all, after that very demanding class so it had been 10 years since we saw each other. His friends and I were amazed at the odds, just incredible! I felt like I had witnessed lightning striking the same place twice. After a quick catch-up, I enjoyed the rest of the caves while realizing what a small world it was. Our tour guide, Zuhleka, had more in mind for our day in Mumbai but after getting back to the mainland we were absolutely exhausted and decided to call it a day. The picture at the top of the page is a panorama of the Mumbai skyline on the boat back to the mainland. Though I'm glad I saw the caves and appreciated the culture, that day reminded me why I’ve decided not going out in the heat and crush of people is sometimes a good idea when I’m bored at home.

True to form I have been staying inside and I am happy with my laziness. In the US I was very much of the mindset that I didn’t want life to pass me by and I needed to go out and experience life (maybe part of the reason why I ended up in India.) I’m very grateful when that attitude has overcome my inertia to have experiences instead of lazing about at home. But these past few weeks I have been reading, journaling, reliving the glory of The West Wing and just spending time reading what I want to read. When I start to itch to get outside, I tell myself that I will have the entire post-monsoon to do anything I like outside. But for now I am content with catching up on current events and reading the books that I just never had time for.

I do think I will make an exception to go to the movies. As a fan of the first Hangover movie I was anticipating the sequel. For the record, I am completely in the dark about what American movies have been released or not. I know Bridesmaids came out because Kristen Wiig was on The Daily Show and I have been following that. But apparently there was a weed movie with Natalie Portman and James Franco? Yea, I had no idea. Anyway, I practically had May 26 (or 26 May as we do it here) circled on my calendar as the Indian release date for The Hangover II. Thankfully, there is a large multiplex near my house and I made a plan to go and watch The Hangover II this weekend. With a 4PM showing I got there exactly at 4PM, still in time for the movie since I would just miss the previews. To my dismay, there were four lines that each had about 50-75 people. I forgot I’m in a very densely populated country and city on a Saturday at a place that offered much needed A/C. There was a smaller group of people in a line because there was no teller in that line. These people bought their tickets online and simply waved their phones at the teller in the next line and one-by-one they each got their movie tickets. I decided to try my luck with the same teller, except waving my money through the little circle in the glass that lets you talk to the cashier. When he saw my cash he asked me very nicely to get in the other line since this was just for Internet sales. But I had a good feeling about this guy, he just gave me the nice-guy vibe while he gently had to crush my hopes of getting a ticket anytime soon. He wasn’t one of those cashiers who’s just rude and lords his ticket-giving/money-taking power over you and decides you won’t make it to the movie anytime soon because he can. I put on my best sweet-girl face and asked very nicely that if he could just do me this favor since the movie started 10 minutes ago. The woman next to me, who appeared to just be standing there for no reason other than getting in people’s way, informed me that he wouldn’t do it since the line was just for Internet sales. He looked at the time, took my money and gave me a ticket, without so much as a huff. I expressed my gratitude and rushed off to an A/C, comedy paradise. It turns out there aren’t previews for Indian movies, which is fine I just missed the first 10 minutes of the movie. I enjoyed the movie, but my experience was markedly different from an American movie theater. Firstly, nudity was blurred so those essential plot moments of Ken Jeong nude and the jokes with the transvestite were completely undermined. Secondly, there was an intermission! The intermission was in the middle of a scene, in the middle of a dialog. I guess they just took the halfway mark and decided that would be intermission. It was during the intermission that I saw the previews that I thought I had avoided. An intermission doesn’t make sense for an hour and a half movie. But then I forgot Bollywood movies are more like three and a half hours, and it makes sense to have an intermission. Well it was more time for me to enjoy the plush seating and the A/C blast. While I would usually lament my lost opportunity to spend a day enjoying Indian culture, I’ve decided this comfortable taste of home is what I need when I spend everyday in the hubbub of Indian life.

Mommy monkey with cute baby monkey. Baby monkey hangs on to mommy while she traverses around.

In front of one of the cave carvings, they are truly incredible. Notice the sweat marks, yea that's hot.

Monthiverssary in Mumbai

Alas, I have been in Navi Mumbai for a month, in India for two months and I’m starting to feel a little homesick. Specifically I miss meat and the suburbs. And I’m surprised at both of those. I’m not a huge meat eater by American standards, but I am a HUGE meat eater compared to any vegetarian standards. I realized I usually had meat for at least two meals a day, and I’ve been feeling the effects of going vegetarian. Firstly, I eat and eat but I’m always hungry. It’s like being on a diet but not losing weight. Especially considering my very protein-heavy eating pattern before leaving for India, my body is craving some amino acids. So now I am able to work either chicken or fish into my dinners, and having eggs in the morning has curbed most of my hunger. But I really miss beef. I miss tacos, steaks, and sushi. A lot. Thankfully, my dear Robert has shipped two boxes of beef jerky and tuna and protein shakes so I will get my protein fill for the next couple months. And yes I miss the suburbs. I’m not a huge fan of having to own a car and the need for driving to get anywhere. I’m a huge fan of good public transport, and being completely self-sufficient without a car. I might be eating my words now. We have to go grocery shopping at least twice a week because we can only buy how much we can carry home. And it’s not a lot. Walking home from the grocery store while dodging unpredictable traffic and cows, carrying about 7 pounds for a ½ mile in each hand can get a little heavy. Oh yea, and it’s been getting hotter. May is the hottest month in Mumbai, before we get hit with torrential rain starting in mid-June. I’ve been told that walking around in the monsoon is the equivalent of standing in the shower for a minute with all your clothes on. Not to complain, but I’m guessing grocery shopping will become a little more difficult. So I miss cars and huge supermarkets and Costco where you can stock up on food for a month. A nice air-conditioned ride from Costco with the trunk full of meat and eggs sounds pretty marvelous. I remember putting off running errands because it required so much energy. I really get a workout now getting my food for the next three days.

Other than that rant, I’ve started to settle into work here. Over the weekend I actually got to do some field work, in a tribal area about an hour from where I live. I took some great video of my transportation experience, but for some reason my computer garbled it. I’m actually pretty sad about that, this video was a true once in a lifetime experience. It was the most perilous car ride I have ever experienced. Until now, my experience of dangerous car rides includes throttling down unpaved hills in Mexico with a notoriously daring driver, and circling the Arc de Triomphe in Paris with a cab driver who was in a hurry during rush hour. I love roller coasters and thrilling experiences, but I actually felt fear for my safety with this driver. The road to our destination mainly consisted of a two lane highway. There was pretty heavy traffic, and we later found out there was an accident. You would think that would make us think to be more careful, but not really. Any time there was a break in the oncoming traffic, and I mean even for a second, he would swerve into the opposite lane to hopefully pass one or two cars before swerving back into the correct lane. This would consist of three opportunities for a horrible accident to happen. The first is when the driver pulls into the opposite lane, more than once he did this even if there was a curve or when the next car coming down the lane happened to be about three seconds behind the previous car. On the times it was safe to continue in this lane, he would wait until the absolute last possible fraction of a second to get back in the correct lane. With his hand out the window he would often graze his fingers against the car that we narrowly missed as it sped past us. This also meant that we would need to be able to fit back into the correct lane. This wasn’t always possible so the driver would simply squeeze in so there would be two cars, or possibly a truck and a car side-by-side where there should have only been one car. When I was filming my video, my boss in the seat next to me warned me to be very careful. We arrived safely and I had a great time talking to the volunteers with the organization.

Diversity and Inclusion

India is extremely diverse, an obvious point but a significant factor that affects every aspect of life. I had a great conversation today with one of the directors from the Mumbai office about the diversity of India and its future economic prospects. With such a large population and as a growing economic power, there are high expectations about the societal and economic future of India. With more than 18 official languages and many more unofficial languages, different ethnic groups, different religions, and the pressure of ‘modernization,’ India faces a truly daunting task. There are more than 30 bank holidays, because there is a bank holiday for every religious and national holiday in India. This means every Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Sikh, etc holiday is observed. How so very inclusive! Then there are the languages, sometimes mistakenly referred to as dialects. There is a distinct language in each of state India; it was one of the factors when dividing India into its present states. So school children learn subjects in their native language until first grade, and then start learning Hindi and English. However the unfortunate children who are uneducated often do not get a chance to learn Hindi and English. When you call Customer Service there are multiple language options. Then there are different ethnic groups. Often times this diversity is found within a state. So to have true unity and face the 21^st century, the people within each state must unify and the states must unify. Otherwise you have a very splintered country which lacks the focus in order to maximize on its vast potential.

Then there are differing views on the best path forward to economic growth. Mostly accepted now is the Western model of industrialization. Gandhi had advocated a republic of self-sufficient villages. A great illustration of the tension between tradition v. ‘modernization.’ In my research of state youth policies, there is an urgency in ensuring that traditional arts and culture are not forgotten. There is a sense of cultural pride that people have, and it has resulted in India painting its own version of modernization. I am curious to see how this will continue in the future. My theory is that since India has such a dominant popular culture of its own, with Bollywood and the accompanying music videos, that Western cultural influences will not be as significant. In other countries I've visited, American culture has been supremely dominant. In France American films were dubbed in French. The movie theaters here have Hindi movies, maybe one American movie. In other countries I hear about Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts. Here I hear about SRK, Kareena Kapoor, Aamir Khan, among others. Sometimes I would feel like American culture was encroaching on other countries' pop cultures, and sometimes I could feel an undercurrent of tension from the people. In India, popular culture is very independent and has acted as a great buffer to outside influences.

And then there’s China. There is much talk about China in the US, but I’ve never heard so much about China as I have here. I’ve seen posters that compare Indian and Chinese statistics on workforce, growth, and overall renown. As a fellow BRIC country, India is very aware of the comparisons being made between China and India and seems eager to prove their significance. They want to make sure India is on the map as China is. I have to agree that in my general conversations in the US, people would talk more about the influence that China is gaining. You would hear about the importance of learning Mandarin. I didn't hear as much about India or learning Hindi. However looking at the numbers, India has made huge strides in the past several years and can be the dark horse in this 'competition.' I think the realization of this potential will again lie in India’s ability to synthesize a wildly diverse country.

But India is a magical place. There really is no other place like it; it’s a different level of existence. A harmonious mix of contradictions. Frenetic sensory overload but life at a slower pace. Embracing Western models of growth but applying them to traditional industries. Then there are the cows and elephants that roam around the streets. That get fed from cars in parking lots.

India's Clean Heart

My roommate and I decided to brave the public buses for the first time last Saturday. By braving the buses, I mean that, for me, buses are the most intimidating form of public transportation. Subways and light rail have signs with clearly labeled directions and stops and maps. With buses, you have to be sure you're on the side of the road going in the right direction, you have to know where the bus stop is, and you have to be familiar with the destination area to know where to get off the bus. On top of it all, the buses in Mumbai have the route numbers in Hindi script (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_numerals) so you have to make sure your Hindi is good enough to know you're getting on the right bus. Once you've determined you're at the right bus stop going in the right direction, then there's the problem of actually getting onto the bus. Buses in India don't really stop, they slow down to a crawl while people exit from the front of the bus and people jump on at the back, and speed up again once everyone is physically on the bus. Not sitting, not even completely off the stairs getting onto the bus. Once all limbs and belongings are within the doorframe of the bus, it speeds up. I made sure my feet were planted right within the threshold of the bus, and got a good grip on the rail while my purse was still hanging out of the bus, it started on its way. I very much like this system, it is very efficient and shows there is no need for the bus to wait while all people exit and enter the bus from the same door and wait for all the passengers to pay. While waiting for my first bus ride, an older man started talking to me. I happened to wearing my "I'm not a tourist. I live here" shirt that's written in Hindi. He was asking about it and asked how I was liking India. Every Indian I've talked to has asked how I like India. Understandably, Indians have pride in their country. India is unlike any place I've been before and you can feel the whole country is on the brink of realizing its full potential in becoming a real power in the international arena. While standing on the unpaved side of the road, near the ubiquitous litter that lines the streets, in the midst of all the honking and the dust and pollution in the air, he looked at me and said "India is not clean, but our heart is clean." I knew exactly what he meant. And I know my attempt to explain it right now will be futile, but I will try.

Being in India is definitely sensory overload. There is so much noise, people, smells, and things happening that it's overwhelming. The crowdedness and business along with the pollution and litter can mix together that doesn't always give the impression of being clean. The crowdedness and lack of space lead to a different culture of lines and customer service. I'm used to standing at the counter and waiting for someone to help me promptly, and as soon as they're ready. Here, I've noticed that people think I'm just standing there, with so much space between myself and the counter, that they go up to the counter and ask for help directly. I didn't feel like someone just cut in front of me, I realized that customer service operates a little differently here and you have to make it clear that you are waiting for something or someone. Despite all of this, I've noticed that people love India and want you to love it too. They will speak English to you, but a few words of Hindi lights up their faces because they are so excited that a foreigner would try to learn some of their language. One man at a linen shop I was at would speak to me rapidly in Hindi for about a minute for each Hindi word I was able to communicate with him. When I demonstrated I didn't understand, he would stop talking but his excitement would set him off again at my next Hindi word. Even at the bus stop, one of the young women overheard our conversation with the man and helped us get onto the right bus and told us when to get off. Every person I've asked for help has gone out of his/her way to help me. People here love India, and want others to see its beauty and love it like they do. Isn't that the sign of a clean heart?

Bring on the humidity, Mumbai!

After my first Indian railway experience and an overnight train from Delhi, I have arrived in Mumbai! My first impression: it is HUMID! Delhi has a relative humidity of 34% and Mumbai has a relative humidity of 80% and you can really feel the difference. Add that to 34 degree weather (about 85F) and you just sweat instantly. Just standing outside makes you sweat and sticky. It's gross. My employer is actually based in Navi Mumbai, which is a suburban train ride from Mumbai. I live at the employer's complex and it is pretty nice, which means I don't really have to go outside or have a commute. It takes me about 2 minutes to get to work as I live about 50ft from the office. I share a flat with another volunteer and we're definitely putting some effort into making it homey for the next year. We have done a little exploring and really lucked out with our neighborhood. In one direction we have a 3 story mall with a supermarket (!!!) and McDonalds. In another direction we have roads full of stores of the more traditional Indian fare where we can get good bargains on everything from fruits and vegetables to clothes.

I've also started my role with my employer and right now I'm just familiarizing myself with the organization, its history and its current projects. I have to say I'm impressed with how much the organization has accomplished at the local, state, and national levels. I can't wait to be a part of the change they are already causing.

I know that's not much for now, but I've been taking it easy trying to settle in and make my flat a home. I've also been eaten alive by mosquitoes in the three days I've been here so I'm trying to find a solution for that. Wish me luck!