So Far, So Good

Hey everybody, here I willl take a few minutes to tell you about where I am and what I'm doing right now. I am currently in Pune, India (the eighth largest city in the country - about 200 km southeast of Mumbai), where I have been for the past week and will be for the next few months. I am living and working with an incredibly impressive woman named Dr. Arundhati Sardesai, but she goes by Maya. My family and I met Maya when we were traveling two years ago. Maya is the president of an organization called Manavya, which translates to "humanity" in Marathi. Manavya is basically a shelter for abandoned children and destitute women with HIV (www.manavya.org). Their aim is to provide medication, education, healthy food, emotional support and a positive environment for these folks. While this may sound quite heavy, the atmosphere at Manavya is full of happiness and productivity. The women and children at Manavya are so fun and smart and normal that one would have no idea of their situation by just looking at them or being around them. I have spent the past week rolling with the mobile health clinic to rural villages and nearby slums, observing their work and absorbing information about the region and the organization. My official duties are to be determined, but will consist of anything from fundraising to teaching english and computers to picking weeds in the garden. 

India in general is a strikingly different place from the United States and most other places I have visited. Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra, and a wildly difficult one. I continuously use the few words and phrases I've memorized, such as "delicious," "how are you," "spicy," and "let's go." I can also count form one to ten now, which I often do unprovoked during conversation. I do this to show that I am making an effort to learn, sometimes to get a cheap laugh and break the ice. From that point they assume that I actually understand the language, and the conversation invariably shifts to them rattling off what is probably more Marathi. Silent awkwardness ensues, but at least it gets my foot in the door.

Another big difference is what happens on the roads here. It is lawless insanity out there. I approached this trip thinking I would ease myself into this aspect of Indian life, most likely sticking to a bicycle and the occasional rickshaw ride. Three days into it I find myself driving a damn motor scooter on the left side of the road, trying to avoid the endless cars and motorcycles whizzing by me. While simply terrified at first, I have started to get used to the chaos and now actually enjoy it. You really just have to sling yourself in there and hope for the best. And I do wear a helmet, mom.

Before I get to the pictures, I want to mention a few notable observations about the people here. Firstly, the "Indian wobble." This is the gesture that (I assume) every Indian person uses to express agreement, satisfaction, or just simple acknowledgment. It's one of the best and jolliest ways out there to say "ok" or "good deal," and it makes me giggle and melt inside every time I see it. Also, most people eat with their hands, specifically their right hand. I am left handed, so this requires some adjustment. Whenever I involuntarily revert to using my left hand, they are quick to correct me. At times this can be frustrating, but then I remind myself that these people have been doing this for hundreds, probably thousands of years. I just need to try harder. The food is outstanding by the way, and almost entirely vegetarian. Somehow my insides have managed to weather the stark change in diet - so far, so good.

Disclaimer: To those who are from India or more familiar with Indian people and culture, please disregard my ignorance. I am not entirely sure what I'm talking about.

Below are a few of the photos I have taken so far:

Couple of kids having a think (the city in the background is Pune)

Whispering to Ganesha, the elephant god of knowledge and wisdom

Happy old woman in Dorowali, a nearby village where Manavya's mobile clinic pays weekly visits (Manavya's emblem is the picture to the right of her head)

Wonderfully animated man playing the Tabla, the name of these traditional Indian drums. This guy was a treat to watch

Taking a break from the cricket game for a photo op

Though not a very crowded street, this is just a taste of the activity on the roads

Me and Maya

Apparently this boy's got jokes

Dogs are everywhere

Curious school children rush outside for one more look at the strange foreigner

Meet Sanjeevani, in-house care taker and funnywoman of Manavya

This is the orphanage. Downstairs are classrooms and offices, upstairs are dormitories, vocational training rooms and a computer lab

This cow's like "you couldn't eat me if you wanted to"

Trying to keep it together in the classroom

A few prominant villagers presenting me with a shawl and coconut, which I did absolutely nothing to earn

Typical farmhouse and corn

Families gathering water in a temporary village of laborers. They are in the process of constructing a huge apartment complex for a local real estate tycoon. Needless to say, the disparity of wealth here is absurd

Manavya children getting readay for lunch

Serious face

More Manavya kids cutting up (the kid on the right is a hoot, you'll be seeing more of him)

Thanks for taking a look, more to come!