Wednesday, December 29, 2004

The Tsunami

I want to let everyone know I am safe. My travelling schedule in the south of India got me out of a danger area a few days before Christmas. It is hard to remember right now that Christine and I were ever having a relaxing, fun time on our vacation.

After we spent a week in Kerala we went to Goa for Christmas, which boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The environment was very laid back and mellow, and we would sit around reading all day, on the beach and in beach-side cafes. It was a wonderful, but odd, way of spending Christmas.

On the 26th, we spent our day as normal. There were no indicators that on the other side of India a tsunami hit. I did notice that day while I was swimming that the tide seemed unusually high, but I thought it was a few random waves gone amuck, nothing to be too concerned about. Christine and I wandered in from the beach to the town to go to a restaurant around 6 p.m. and we first saw the coverage about the earthquake and tsunami then. We both freaked out and called our parents right away so they wouldn't be hysterical. Christine's parents had already heard, but it was early in WI and I think I woke my mom and dad both up to tell them that I was ok. Having seen the footage of the waves, I knew my mom would be hysterical if I didn't get ahold of her before she saw the news.

Christine and I went to dinner and then walked back to our hotel on the beach. As we were walking we noticed the tide was pretty high again. We had an early train the next morning and during our time in Palolem we destroyed our room, our stuff was everywhere. So we were going to pack before enjoying the evening. We were psyching each other out with our worries, so I called Rima (our academic advisor, angel on earth) to say if the news had anything about Goa. She said they were saying nothing about the west coast. Christine and I chatted away as we packed, and I had the door to our beachside room open to keep an eye on the water, just in case. A few minutes later, I heard people screaming and looked up to see the beach being swallowed by water. I yelled to Christime, "We need to go now!" and I grabbed by bag, stuffed my wallet, phone, and passport in it, and she and I took off running. It was dark, and there isn't any real path behind our hotel. I had to wade through a trench that was filling with water, and Christine ran into a barbed wire fence that pulverized the skirt she was wearing and caused her to lose a shoe.

When we got into town away from the beach a little, every person in sight was panicking. All the store owners were frantically ripping everything off the front of their stores and locking the doors. All the taxis, Qualis's and rickshaws were rapidly filling with people. Foreigners in just their swimsuits, so with no shoes, were running down the road. Christine saw a family in a car and yelled at them that we would pay them anything they wanted if they would just get us out of there. We hopped into their car and sped away from Palolem, past everyone running. We stopped at one point on a hill to rest and talk to other people about what was going on, and all the semi trucks going by were full of foreigners, along with motorbikes with 4 or 5 people on them, people hanging out of the trunks of cars.

Everyone fled to Margo for the night, we were all trying to figure out what had happened, was it a tsunami wave, an after effect, or just a high tide? Most of the local people laughed at all the foreigners running away from a wave, and maybe looking back on it we ALL did panick a bit. But we had seen the news. We saw how quick it happened and how quick it could get out of control, and none of us felt safe there, and none of us were ashamed we ran out of fear.

The next morning Christine and I got a taxi to go back to Palolem to get our stuff. Everything was there and dry, so the water never made it inside, although it did come right up to our room. We packed and left, it was our plan anyway. All the shops in Palolem were still closed and the beach was deserted. We went back to Margo and bought train tickets to leave, and then set off to find a hotel room. Everything was booked, its peak season. We couldn't find a room we could afford that wasn't absolutely shady for two women to stay alone in the DAYTIME let alone at night. We were both tired and tense, and Christine just lost it. She has always been the one that has been calm and collected, never endingly patient and understanding with all the frustrating situations that we encounter. But that day, she lost it. We had had barely 5 hours of sleep between us, it was after noon and we still hadn't eaten anything, we were crabby, tired and stressed. We finally found a hotel that had rooms, after about 4 or 5 booked/shady ones. Even though it was really pricey for us, they took credit cards and I told Christine I wanted to stop. We were both 5 minutes from having nervous breakdowns. As soon as we got settled into our room, be both broke down in tears.

After wiping them away, we ordered Domino's and then settled down to watch HBO movies in our air-conditioned room. It was a luxury we both needed, to get some rest and try to return to our normal selves. The next day we hopped a train to Mumbai, where we are now.

I think she and I are still feeling the after effects of the stress, and I think the two of us are wearing on each other a bit. It is just so sad to be here right now. In addition to getting BBC and CNN we also get numerous English and Hindi Indian news channels that just show devastating coverage. People weeping over their dead children, sitting in shock in what used to be their homes. What is even more sad is that all these people were poor BEFORE they lost everything they had in the tsunami.

People keep asking how this could happen, how could their be no warning system, how could so many people be dead? There are so many people dead because the population of Asia is so high, as for the warning system, it doesn't surprise me that this would happen. The people who live in India are the ones who take the brunt of it from the developing world. I have read so many stories and seen so many times the way that the U.S. and other developing nations have actively worked against embettering the lives of people here and instead continue to perpetuate their poverty to ensure the West's superiority. And now, when there is a huge disaster the Western world comes to the rescue like some kind of cruel joke. If the countries of this world worked together to embetter the lives of everyone on this planet there would have been far fewer deaths in this tradegy. Yes, it still would have happened and people still would have died. But think of how this tragedy would have been different if, instead of fragile huts they lived in Western style homes. If, instead of corrupt villages governments, they had up-to-date warning systems. What would have happened then?

Friday, December 17, 2004

Kerala Sweet Kerala

So, picture this if you will. An idyllic tropical destination, complete with palm trees and waves crashing on the shore. Perched above the beach is a cliff, with a small tourist town boasting everything a traveller would need (including fast internet access!). This is Varkala in Kerala, and it is where I am currently, on vacation.

My last few days in Jaipur were exceptionally weird. We were supposed to be there for finals, but there weren't really any FINALS. We just made internship presentations and Tim, Christine and I kept ourselves busy while the rest of the group went through de-briefing and talking about going home. It was so odd to say goodbye to them, especially when I have never been the one saying goodbye. I have always been the one to leave people behind. It is so strange to think of not seeing them in Jaipur when I come back, or that we may never ever get to see each other as a group again.

Earlier in the month I was pretty homesick, and I thought that seeing them go while I was staying would be hard for that reason, but it wasn't. I am so happy that I am able to stay here longer, and I really feel like my work is just starting here (which is good, because it is just starting). I hope they are all having a good time traveling in India, that their flights are safe, and that they are not too jet lagged to enjoy Christmas.

Early on the morning of the 16th (yesterday, I can't believe it!) Christine and I headed off on our much needed and anticipated vacation. It started off very unfortunately. We flew from Jaipur to Trivandrum in Kerala, and our flight left at 7 am. Anyone who has ever flown with me knows that I am very anal about getting to the airport in plenty of time, so I was really anxious for everything to go smoothly. Christine had a taxi pick her up at her home, then it got me and we went to the airport, about 13km outside of the city. We were standing in the line to check into our flight when I remembered that I hadn't put my wallet in my bag. I flipped out. It was 6 and our flight left in an hour! I looked at Christine thinking "Do I really need my wallet?" and she looked at me like I was an insane person and thought "Yes, Leslie, you REALLY need your wallet on a two week vacation". Calmly, Christine told me it was not a big deal, that I would just check in and then get a taxi to take me back to my house and back to the airport. She was convinced I would have enough time to catch the flight, and after all what choice did I really have anyway? I ran out of the airport like a madwoman screaming in English and Hindi for a taxi. I couldn't find anyone to help me for five minutes, and then some Jet Airways guys came over and ran to the chai stall to get a taxi driver to rush me there and back.

All I can say is thank God for no speed limits or radar guns. The taxi driver sailed to Raja Park, where I grabbed my wallet off my bed right where I knew it was and rushed me back to the airport. Christine called to say they were ushering people through security, so she said she was going through. I was praying and praying, and yelling at the driver "Bahut jaldi! Meri havaijahaj saat baje hai!" (Thank God for Hindi class!). As we pulled back into the airport (at 6:30) the taxi driver said "I drive very fast today." He sure did. I ran into the airport, standing impatiently in security, and got to the gate just as Christine was giving up all hope. I had my wallet, and we got our plane.

The flights to Kerala were wonderful. The service was incredible and it was relaxing, for the most part. A wonderful break from Indian trains and buses. I sat next to two different American couples, which is quite amazing since I rarely meet American tourists here. Its too far to come for a one or two week vacation, so someone REALLY has to set aside the time to come, whereas someone from Europe only has one flight and a 5 hour time change.

As we were landing in Trivandrum I looked out the window. Water! Palm Trees! Beaches! I was so excited.

Trivandrum was pretty boring, there wasn't much to do there except find a place to plan out some of our itinerary. We left right away this morning for Varkala. We took a rickshaw to the bus station to catch a bus, but the bus was a tad of an ordeal. There was a rickshaw stand, and the head guy (jokingly referred to as the "rickshaw pimp" because he negotiates all the prices for the drivers and the stands work as cooperatives to try to get the highest price possible) kept bugging Christine and I to take a rickshaw to Varkala, 54km away and Rs. 200 each. We wanted to take the bus, Rs. 25 each, but it was really frustrating. I never realized how much Hindi I use everyday until I am in Kerala and can't use it. In Kerala they speak Malayalam, which is not like Hindi at all and actually looks alot like Thai (I have felt like we were in Thailand alot in the past two days). At least in the North I can read the destinations on the buses and know where I am going, but at the bus station neither of us can read anything and no one was being particularly helpful, except one guy. We waited for nearly an hour and a half for the bus to Varkala, and this man kept checking all the buses that pulled into the station to see if it was the one we took. Christine and I just assumed that he worked at the station, but then when our bus came he got on it. So we thought, maybe he is going to Varkala. But then he got off at one of the stops in Trivandrum, and we realized he had waited for an hour with us to make sure we got on the right bus instead of just getting on the earlier ones, since they all had the same stops in Trivandrum.

We have had alot of experiences like that here. While there are men who really make life difficult here for all women (especially foreigners) it also seems like just as many other men want to make sure that we are ok and genuinely want to help us. This is just one example, I have numerous others.

So now, Varkala. Its beautiful, to me at least. I have never really been on a real beach, despite all my travels, and I have never really seen or swam in the ocean either, so its all very extraordinary to me. Wisconsin and Minnesota are landlocked, and have no real beaches. Lakes DO NOT COUNT! Christine tells me the beach is on par with some of the ones she has been to on the east coast, and are not that extraordinary. But you can't convince me of that. Watching the sunset over the ocean while sipping a Pina Colada, I am DEFINITELY on vacation.

I plan to spend all day tomorrow on the beach evening out my farmer's tan and trying to put some color on my white, white legs. It is so great to be able to wear a sleeveless shirt here, let alone the tank tops I brought and my swimsuit. I never in my life thought wearing a swimsuit would be liberating, but here for me it is. Then the day after that, its off to Kollam for more adventures. I got some pretty great emails recently that made me laugh, one of them from my mom about our Christmas tree. I hope you like it.

Subject: Christmas Dreams

I dreamed a dream.

I dreamed a dream of having my Christmas tree in the front window of my apartment.

Unfortunately, the window has a sill that the cats were using as a launching pad INTO the Christmas tree! They would jump on the table, to the window sill, into the tree (I put bells on the tree so we can hear when they are sneaking into it!)

My dream came crashing to the floor this morning at 2:45 am when my tree toppled to the floor in a dramatic flourish! Teddie (my grown-up boy) jumped from the window sill into the tree and his 12 lbs of manhood was enough to topple the tree with a bang! He was thoroughly traumatized and ran from the room and hid for several hours.

Clean-up involved:
-Undecorating the tree
-Picking up all the ornaments from the floor
-Picking up the pieces of the one broken ones
-Picking up all the hooks so no one dies from ingesting one
-Moving the furniture to create a new space for the tree
-Carrying the tree into the corner
-Reorganizing the lights so they aren't all bunched together at the bottom where they were after the tree fell (remember: its 2:45 a.m.)

The redecorating ceremony will commence tonight when I get home from music rehearsal.

I dreamed a dream, and for a brief moment (5 days), it lived.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Current Location: Pushkar

I left Chittor this morning after my first stint with Prayas. The semester is ending soon, so I have to go to Jaipur for finals and then its off to Kerala-Goa-Mumbai for my vacation.

I have spent so much time riding in jeeps with Pallavi to villages recently. Prayas has a driver they hire, so he drives the Prayas jeep around and we bounce along with it. Some of the roads to the villages are RIDICULOUS! They aren't even roads, really. Some have holes and gaps the size of small streams, and the driver just pushes ahead. I have always felt like the most unnecessary car for people to have in the U.S. is a Hummer, but I have never felt like I needed one until now. It would make the drive so much easier and smoother in a massive car like that. I have a feeling that some of the guys I know would love to have a chance to off-road a jeep in these conditions.

We have had some really cool meetings lately, one in particular. It was 6:30 PM but it was already as dark as midnight. All the stars were out and the moon was poking through the trees. Everyone was there when Pallavi and I got there, so we sat down on the ground and someone put candles in front of us so people could see our faces. We were talking to the villages young people about a health education workshop Prayas had held there. At first, Pallavi talked to the men in the village about what their needs were and how the new health policies were being used. Then, the men all left and the women came up to talk to us. They were very shy and nervous, so I thought I would break the ice by trying to talk to them in Hindi. Needless to say after many more giggles, they opened up a bit more. After the meeting was over, Pallavi went over to check some logs and I sat there. I have been wearing a toe-ring since I have been here, which means you are a married woman in India. I heard the girls whispering, trying to figure out if I was married or not. It made me smile.

I have been doing a lot of work at the office too. My Hindi is good enough that I can copy addresses and notes, and read logs, so I have been doing some menial clerical work for them. It has been nice to be in the office more, because then I can chat with Anjali and go out to lunch at the one nice restaurant Chittor has, called Vinayak.

I am looking forward to going back there after the break, but it is also nice to leave for awhile. I needed a break. Currently, Krista and I are in Pushkar. We left Chittor a few days early to catch a little vacation before meeting up with everyone else. Pushkar is a very cute little place. It is one of the holy cities of India, but also very touristy. It is nice to see so many other foreigners around (there are none in Chittor). It also means we are stared at and bothered a little less. Right before coming here we were sitting at the ghats at the edge of the holy lake, and an Indian guy named Maharaja Shiva came and sat next to us. He has a Pushkar Memory book which he gets the tourists to write in. It was really neat to sit there and look through it all at the people he has met over the last year or two (there was one person from Greenfield, WI, if you can believe it).

That's it from Pushkar. Until next time...

Saturday, December 04, 2004

Village Dais

Hello all! I hope all is well and that you had a good Thanksgiving, that you are enjoying Christmas shopping and all the joys of the Holiday season. Life is just the same here, so it seems like no time is passing at all (although I am sure everything is crazy and in full swing there). I can hardly believe its December. Time is flying by, but it still sometimes seems very slow.

I love the family I live with in Chittor. They are so sweet and kind. It is a joint family, with a father and mother, their son (Piyush)and his wife (Kavita), and their two kids, Shubhi (6 years) and Kush (1 year). There are also tenants who live upstairs, a young couple (I have gotten to know the wife Sapna really well) with their 3 year old daughter Moorvi. It is a striking contrast between my family in Jaipur, which was basically just Mrs. Singh. It was quiet, calm, and there was always a schedule. Here, it is always insane. There are visitors who come and go, the three kids run around screaming and playing, the T.V. is always on whether anyone is watching it or not. It's also very different to see the way Indians raise their kids differently than those in the U.S. Kavita is always saying that Kush is very naughty, but it seems like they don't discipline him EVER or say no to him EVER. It may also be because he is a boy, boy children in India are often coddled and can do whatever they want. I may also be biased, having seen two of the most adorable girls in the world grow up and the way their amazing parents are guiding them. It astonishes me everytime I visit those two in the U.S., so I may just be spoiled while I watch it here.

Prayas is going well. I have had some amazing experiences, so many I don't think I can name them all right now for lack of time, but hopefully I will post again soon. I have spent most of this week in the office, but last week was spent almost entirely in a Jeep going from village to village doing visits and checkups with our contacts there.

Prayas has alot of rural projects at once, and it seems like Pallavi is in charge of all of them. We have been doing more child sex ratio work, and they are starting a new HIV/AIDS project so in the future maybe I will do some work with that. The most interesting days have been going out with her to meet with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA's) or dais, who are the midwives in the villages. They have a very important role in rural life, since all women here are expected to have children, and have many children. These dais are responsible for delivering nearly all of the babies, sometimes over generations. Dais are village women, so often they are illiterate and uneducated. They don't have any medical training and can often engage in practices that are dangerous to the mother. Some of those are pushing on the woman's stomach as she goes into labor to aid the baby into the birth canal. This often lead to distress, makes more complications, and can cause a prolapsed uterus in a woman. Dais are also very unhygenic when it comes to births. Cow dung is considered to be a sterilizing agent here, so sometimes a dai will sterilize a razor with cow dung before she cuts the umbilical cord. Dais may also perpetuate superstitions and traditional beliefs in the village about nutrition and health that can be harmful to the mother and baby (like you shouldn't have milk because, you should not eat this because, etc).

Prayas tries to educate and equip these women so that deliveries will be safer and more sterile. They give dais "kits" which include one-time use products like rubber gloves, soap and a sterile blade (to be used once). They may also have contraceptives, iron pills, and other products. Pallavi and I went to a village to check on the dais and see how they use their training. We also examined their kits. One of the kits was in excellent condition. She was clearly using the products Prayas had given her, she barely had any left. Everything was in its original packaging, ready to be used anytime a mother went into labor. The other kit we examined was very bad. All the packages had been opened, so their was no sterile environment. The rubber mat they have for the woman to lay on while delivering was dirty. Her kit was also full to the brim, so who knows if she had been using it or not.

Its hard to teach the "one-time use only" method to people here because it seems like such a waste. Everyone in India uses everything until it cannot possibly be spared anymore. Especially in villages, where things can be so scarce, this a very hard habit to break.

I think that is all for now. My hands are tired from the typing! I will try to write again soon...