भारत से नमस्ते

If you couldn't read the above devanagari script (Hindi writing) it says "Namaste from India!"

** I’ve written a brief summary of my last 3 weeks, it’s a bit long but there are pictures at the bottom. If you don’t have time to read now, just scroll down so you can see them!

I can't believe I'm actually here! Yesterday marked exactly three weeks in India and means I have only 8 more. I don't know how I'm going to say goodbye to this country and it's incredible people. Just yesterday I was riding in a cycle rickshaw (don't worry, there are pictures below) and as I was looking around and Ithought "wow, I don't think this is real. I'm looking at these people, their homes, even this rickshaw and I feel like I'm in a 3D movie. It's hard to comprehend that I'm actually here."

(The photo is of the little boy of one of the people who took a micro loan. I LOVE THIS PICTURE! It's my favorite photo thus far. I printed it out and hung it on my wall and I made it the wallpaper on one of the work computers. So far it's been there 3 weeks and no one's changed it :) I want to take this little guy back to the US with me. Don't think his parents would like that...)

I left the US on Tuesday May 11th and arrived in India on Wednesday night. Santosh picked me up from the airport and brought me to his home. Santosh and Jolly Topo are two Christians in the church here and have 3 children, Sion (10), Cherry (13) and Daniel (15). Chelsea Hartline, who arrive a week after me, and I are living in a flat right across the street from them that was vacated by their niece. We spend pretty much all our waking hours not at work with the Topos. They are an endless supply of fun and I never knew that just two rooms could be enough space for so much entertainment. The Topos house consists of a living-room, SMALL kitchen and one bedroom. They have a tiny bathroom that is connected to the living room which has a sink, Indian toilet (a hole in the ground covered with a ceramic piece that has grooves so your feet don't slip when you squat), and a faucet lower to the ground that flows into a plastic bucket. To shower, you fill the bucket, take a small plastic pitcher, scoop out water and dump it on your self. Then you lather up, fill the pitcher, and dump again. It’s so hot here that a cold shower very refreshing and in the morning because it heated all the day before, it’s not very cold and is perfect. I think during the day, the coolest it’s been in Delhi was 38 C (100 F) and the hottest has been 46 C (115 F). At least it’s not humid here. The heat is dry heat…at least until you start sweating, which happens after about 30 seconds.

I spend my days in a slum outside of Delhi called Sonia Vihar. The slum is essentially illegal because the people never got permission to build there yet now there are 200,000 people living there. The government doesn’t oppose it and they help fund the work that HOPE is doing, in addition to other projects. In India, HOPE Worldwide (www.hopeww.org) is called “HOPE Foundation” (www.hopefoundation.org.in). In Sonia Vihar, in addition to a Maternal and Child Survival program, a Non-formal School has also been started for children who have discontinued their education due to various reasons; a Nursery for children between 3 to 4 age group and a Kindergarten. Vocational Training courses in sewing, beauty culture, and computers have also been started. The Maternal and Child Survival program involve teaching women in the community the necessity of good hygiene, proper nutrition and immunization for themselves and their children. These women are called CHTs, Community Heath Trainers. Once the CHPs understand the information they disseminate it throughout the community. There are 26 instructors Sonia Vihar and 780 CHTs. Many of the women here have little to do during the day other then watch TV so being a CHT gives them something to do, along with the opportunity to develop their community. The women vary in age from 22 to 50 and they are all very friendly and dedicated to their positions. CHTs are not paid and they do all their work on a volunteer basis. The HOPE staff trains them not only in good health practices but qualities of leadership as well. They work hard to make the CHTs feel excited and special. One way of doing so is a monthly birthday party for all the women whose birthday fell during that month. There are chips, samosas, and cake. For many of the women this is their fist time ever having cake! Cards are passed around for all the other CHTs to sign and people raise their hand to share about each of the birthday girls.

My project is working with micro-loans. There are 100 current loans in Sonia Vihar. Each loan is Rs. 6000, $129 and is given to one family member. If a family wants Rs. 12,000 then the husband and wife will each take out a loan. My role is to go to each home and ask them questions about their family, their business and how they feel like things are going. Then I take pictures and at the end I will make a report about the 100 loans. This is a big help to the HOPE staff in Sonia Vihar because writing stories about 100 people, and putting the report together is very time consuming and the whole project is wrapping up at the end of August along with a number of other things so there is plenty to be done. Not to mention my English is better, and therefore I can write the stories more quickly.

It’s so much fun going to each person’s house because I get to see how they live, meet their family and hear about their life. It took two weeks and many interviews for Sahu and I (the translator) to get on the same page with what needed to happen because is English is very limited. We have a system now though and we have all the questions written in English and Hindi so it’s easy for him to know what I’m asking. He is a really nice guy, very easy going and peaceful. These are good qualities to have when working with a foreigner over a language barrier and with the people. Often he has to explain the questions and then by the time the questions are done the chai is ready or our “cool drinks” have come from a near by store and we must sit and chat while we drink them and sometimes eat little snacks. The people are so wonderful! I know that in many ways the experience I have is unrealistic. Indian people view foreigners, especially western ones with great respect and Jolly Topo, who I call mammy, said that her neighbors ask her “how do you know these foreigners?” It’s considered an honor to have us with her. Also, in Indian culture in general guests are highly respected and treated with special care. That being said, there are still deep prejudices and a strong cast system. There are different cast levels and below all of them are the untouchables. Many people would not even eat food made by an untouchable.

When I’m walking around Sonia Vihar or Delhi everyone stares at me. Even with Chelsea. They look at both of us, but often just me or I’m the one they approach because I’m much taller then almost all Indian women and still a few inches taller than most Indian men. I’ve heard however, that the people in North India are taller and I saw a guy at the airport who must have been at least 6’ 7”, I really think he was like 7 feet. This guy was SO tall.

As far as emotions and other things on a more personal level, the first few days were fine during the work day/when I was with people. It was the nights that were challenging. Once I was home alone I felt so sad and missed everyone. When my parents called I cried. But it got so much better and now I'm fine. Before I left, my dear friend Katey gave me a folder with pictures of friends and family she had printed out and put on pretty colored paper. She gave me tape too so I could put it on the wall in my room. :) I was so encouraged and I love having them there and it helped with those first few nights. By the end of the 1st week Chelsea came and I was doing much better. We're staying together which is very beneficial for both of us, not to mention that how she ended up coming was totally God working and we have other random connections, but that's another story for another time. I'm sure that being together will make the trip more beneficial for both of us. It already has in so many ways. We talk a lot and fill each other in on what happened during the day. She is working at a different location, Asharan Orphanage which is on the other side of Delhi.

I LOVE all the people in the hope office in Sonia Vihar and all the people in the slum are fantastic and there's something about the nasty India water that makes the kids SO CUTE! I am always so amazed by the generosity and excitement of the people.

I think this time here is really good for me. Not only do I get to be in India and learn about the people but I am growing a lot. I see much of my sin very clearly. The first week I was able to have good time with God everyday but I traveled the 2^nd week and things have been more busy so I’ve been getting time but not nearly as much as I want. I will be nice to stay in Delhi and settle into some sort of pattern. I'm working on memorizing the book of James while I'm gone. I’m working on the 1^st half of the 2^nd chapter right now. James is so good for my heart. It speaks deeply on a number of my core issues. I am also grateful that Chelsea came here with me and that I had a week on my own because it forced me to duke it out with my emotions which was so healthy. During the day I would think "India is amazing I'm so glad I'm here!" and at night "what am I don't here, I'm going to die! I'm crazy!" But seeing the contrast of those two kinds of thoughts helped me to realize how irrational I was being and drove me to my bible and prayer so I was grateful. As James 1 says, "consider it pure joy when ever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." That's what I want to be, "mature and complete."

I notice myself struggling with critical thoughts often but in weird ways. Some times I have compassion and sometimes I think "ew that guy is gross." I hope that makes sense. I've been praying to have a soft heart and hopefully it will change. I feel the longer I’m here, the more my heart is softening and I’m starting to have more compassion for all people. I am really looking forward to spending time at the leprosy home.
I get insecure sometimes because EVERYONE stares at me. First I'm white which is huge in itself, second, I’m tall. When I wear a Salwar Kamis (the loose fitting pant and long shirt thing) I get fewer stares so I wear that often. I bought 2 I can wear during the week, one other long shirt I wear with jeans and one other outfit. Not a huge variety but it’s a start and I’m in India, it really doesn’t matter.

I went to the orphanage one day and the kids were really cute but it makes me grateful that I'm working in Sonia Vihar. I am not cut out to be a teacher at all. I don't mind babysitting and I can handle a bit of time with the kids but I prefer older people and being able to do more thinking kind of work. I feel kinda bad about that, like I'm this super selfish jerk and that's why I don't love kids. I do like them, just in smaller doses... I dono, I'm sure my selfishness is a part, but I think also my talents are in other areas. I guess that's okay, but its something I'm insecure about.

It’s so hard to talk about the culture because I just dont really know where to start but it's very different but I love it so much.When people drive they don't follow any rules. Honking the horn is like a language and all the cars talk A LOT :). It's hot but not unbearable. I'm actually surprised by how well my body is handling it. We'll see how I do in the coming months. The food is soooooo good and I eat rice with pretty much every meal. My gluten allergy is actually pretty manageable because there is very little hidden gluten and many things are rice and some kind of stewed vegetable or something so I'm a happy camper. I’ve been here now for 3 weeks and have not craved western food. Last night though, Chelsea and I were talking about how we were getting a refrigerator from someone who was moving and then we’ll be able to have cold water, cold fruit and soymilk for cereal. I got really excited and wanted some then.

In the US we do a lot more snacking in between meals and I guess people do here too but for some reason everyone eats A TON. The heap rice on their plates, then add dal and curd and veggies and eat all of it along with some prata (flat bread, thinner then naan and made on the stove not in an oven) then go back for seconds. Yet they’re still small. Dono how it works. I can’t eat that much and they always give me a hard time. Also here, food is considered what you eat during meals. Snacks are snacks, not “food”, if you don’t eat meals, there is something wrong. So if you want to skip a meal and just have fruit, it doesn’t go over very well. Also, because it’s hot, people don’t want to cook until later so we eat dinner around 10 then have to go to bed so we can get up early and be back at the Topos by 8. It kinda messes with my internal schedule and often I just want some fruit and to turn in for the night at 9 but I can’t. This takes some getting used too. Once we have a fridge though, maybe we’ll be able to just do some of our own breakfasts and I can just eat some fruit. That would be nice because the fruit here is SO GOOD! Mammy is teaching me how to cook so hopefully I’ll be pretty good by the time I come back to the US.

Last week Chelsea and I went down to Bangalore and Chennai. Chelsea was on HOPE Youth Corps in Bangalore in 2007 and really wanted to see her friends Ian and Joyce Carrea and their two amazing daughters Abby and Michelle. We hoped on a flight to Chennai, then another toBangalore and spent 3 days there. We both loved being with the Carreas (despite their name they are Indian by the way). I got to talk a lot with Ian who is taking over the HOPE Foundation because the Mark Templar is moving to Mumbai to become a diplomat. We stayed with them for a night and with another woman, her son and her mother the other night. Her name was Kala and her son was Karthik. They were all amazing and took such good care of us. During the day we went to the HOPE school in Bangalore to interview the kids so HOPE can put their profiles up on the website and people can sponsor them to pay for school. All tolled, we interviewed 161 children during the 3 days. At night we hung out with Karthik and once got to go to an event for the Teen group in the church in Bangalore. South Indian food is REALLY good and has some distinctly different flavors. I love it, of course.

Next we got on an overnight bus to go out to Chennai where one of our friends, Nick, was visiting his friend Rocky who moved to India a year ago to work with the orphans at an AIDs home outside Chennai. Our bus came in late and the poor guy who picked us up had been waiting from 4:30am to 6:30am when we finally arrived. We were taken to a hotel that was arranged for us because there had been some confusion about our needs. Actually there was a whole lot of confusion about pretty much every part of this journey but it was a great time despite all challenges.

We rested in our hotel for about an hour and then were picked up by a member of the HOPE staff. We joined two other volunteers from Singapore and all went to breakfast before going to visit the HOPE school in Bangalore. The children were all on summer break but the older ones came to get extra practice for their government exams in the fall and spring. We talked with the 8^th standard ones for about an hour and it was so much fun. They were so sweet. Unfortunately, because we were in the south, Chelsea and I couldn’t use any of our Hindi. Everyone there speaks Tamil. This school is in another slum, but this one is government created. There were many extremely poor people in Chennai so the government built housing outside the city for them to live in. There are more than 14,000 homes there and it looks similar to a apartment complex on a really large scale with much smaller homes.

We gathered our things from the hotel and paid our fee then Nick and Rocy came to meet us at the HOPE office. We rode out to the HOPE AIDs home with them and enjoyed a few hours of catching up. The orphans at the AIDs home outside Chennai are very different from those in Asharan. They are older for one which makes a HUGE difference, but also Rocky has worked with them tirelessly to create a family. There are about 45 children there between the ages of 5 and 18, both boys and girls. They are so loving and not in the intense pulling on you needy way of most orphans but more like outgoing loving children that want to play with you and show you their home. We had so much fun with them and loved that night and the next day.

After we put the kids to be the 2^nd night we went outside the home walls with Nick and the other two guys who were volunteering there for the summer. The 5 of us walked through the land until we found a large rock the guys knew about. The moon was full and bright and high in the sky and we could see the stars and it had finally cooled down a bit (Chennai was SUPER hot and SUPER humid. I can honestly say that I have absolutely never sweated so much in my entire life). We sat on the big rock and prayed and sang a whole bunch of songs. It was so awesome and sounded really good! Chelsea and I switched of between alto and soprano depending on who knew the part, Nick sang the melody/tenor, John sang base and Nathan would sing tenor or make up some other sweet harmony. I’m positive God was encouraged and we sure were!

We loved our time at the AIDs home and to my surprise; I had no trouble playing with the kids for hours. From hide-and-seek to dodge-ball, piggy-back-rides, slow motion fights…I loved every minute of it! These children are amazing and almost all of them are HIV positive. Those who are not, their parents are. Rocky has literally become father and brother to all of them. They love him so much and hang on him, hug him, kiss him. It’s amazing. The depth of his love for them and how much he pours himself out is certainly both inspiring and convicting. Though he is at the HOPE home all day everyday, Rocky is not paid by HOPE but is a full time volunteer. He lives in a little hut in the village nearby and eats the food at the orphanage. He supports himself thorough donations and selling his photographs. Of the donations almost nothing goes to him because his needs are so small. If you’re interested in learning more about his work, the orphanage or want to see some of his incredible photography, check out the website atwww.they-can.com. Also, he teaches at the village school for both the home kids and the village children. He wants to teach them computer skills but the power is very unreliable so it’s hard to conduct a whole class with desk tops. If you have a laptop that will hold a charge and is not being used the children would be so grateful! Just go to the website and contact Rocky.

The morning after our prayer time was Sunday and before church at the HOME Rocky drove us to the bus stop. Chelsea and I took a bus to the airport and it dropped us off a bit far away so we had to figure out how to get there. We caught our plane, got a taxi, then an auto rickshaw and got ourselves all the way back home without any help. We were so proud.

When we were in the taxi it stopped at a gas station and the driver opened the door for us and motioned. I was very firm that this was a prepaid taxi and I was not going to give him more money for gas. I was really proud of myself for holding my ground. Then they got someone to translate and the person said “he just needs you to get out of the car so he can pump the gas.” We felt SO stupid and everyone in the area, our driver and the attendant were smiling at us and you could tell they were pretty amused. I guess in India the gas is a pressure valve and sometimes it combusts so everyone has to get out of the car. I don’t really understand the whole thing but it was a really amusing situation.

Another funny happening was during my 2^nd week. I have been drinking tons of water but because it’s so hot and you sweat a lot I was able to just go to the bathroom in the morning and then again when I got back from work. I really didn’t want to use the one at the office because I thought “I’m in a slum, who knows what it will look like.” Then one day I had to go so bad I decided to brave it and what did I find? Not only was the bathroom really clean, but it was a western toilet complete with toilet paper! Waaay better then what I have at home. I started laughing right there in the bathroom! It was so funny!

There have been so many situations like the ones above. Chelsea and I have both been having a great time and are learning a lot. We were amazed when we were in Bangalore because it’s a much cooler, more lush place then Delhi, but for some reason we really missed the city! I don’t know why! I missed work, the Topos, Sonia Vihar, the people there, my awesome coworkers who crack me up all the time, the business of the roads…many things. I’m back in Delhi now and will be here mostly for the next 2 months. We’ll do some day trips to go sight seeing in oldDelhiand to see the wealthy business parts so we can have a well rounded view of the city. I am also hoping to go to Mumbai because I really want to and Ian’s brother and his wife and son came toBangalore when we were there (that’s why we went to Kala’s) and they live in Mumbai and invited us to come. We’ll see!

I’ve been writing everyday. I brought a small 40 sheet notebook with me and the pages were about 4in by 6in and I filled up the entire thing, front and back with my tiny double line writing in the 1^st two weeks. I purposely brought a small one so I could write in notebooks I bought here so I got another one when I finished the 1^st one and I started it 11 days ago and have already written front and back on 17 pages. This one is a normal notebook size.

I tried to be brief but I typed this in word and it’s over 6 pages long in Times New Roman 12pt! Ekk! I hope everyone is doing well. I do miss everyone at home and can’t wait to hear how you’re doing. Please post a comment, write on facebook or send me an emaillianawild@gmail.com and let me know how you’re doing. I’ll stop writing now and will let you see the pictures. J

Dancing Topos! Daniel, Cherry and Sion making a video on Chelsea's laptop.

Cherry and Sion while we were playing cards.

Mammy Topo (Jolly)

Chelsea, Papa (Santosh) and Me on a cycle rickshaw. They hold 4 people, two in the front and two in the back facing backwards.

The view from the place where Mammy and I wait for the van that picks us up and brings us to Sonia Vihar every morning.

Trash on the streets of Delhi. Piles like this are everywhere.

Some of the houses along the road near where I live.

A whole army of cycle rickshaws.

One of the streets in Sonia Vihar.

Muna, one of my coworkers and one of the sweetest people ever. I love this girl.

Satya, Prashant and Deepak. All three are very goofy but Deepak is often gone. Satya and Prashant are always teasing everyone and the three of us joke around quite a bit. They are helping me learn Hindi. Satya calls me big L for lier and he is little L. Long story... He also calls me Lianadavinsky and I have no idea where that came from. Prashant says he's a genious and I am now under his tutelage. Deepak's father is a very famous classical Hindi musician.

On my way to Sonia Vihar on the very first day! The other woman is a teacher in the beauty school.

The fellow in green took out a loan to grow his small general store. He supports his family. The rest are his friends and my new friends too :). The girl behind me invited me to her wedding. We'll see if I can go. The one next to me in orange speaks very little English but calls me sometimes and we talk for a few moments with my terrible Hindi and her poor English. Really funny. There were all so much fun!

The woman with the red and white sari took out a loan. The rest are her children and her mother. The are on the front stoop of their house and we were sitting on plastic chairs in the street talking to them and I remember as the sweat rolled down my back thinking "I am completely and utterly happy right now. I love this, sitting here talking to these people about their lives, their money and how we can help and just watching the family. This moment is beautiful."

Another woman who took a loan. Her son is a computer engineer.

Women standing in line with their children waiting for them to get their free immunizations from the HOPE nurses.

The 1st day I was in the field doing interviews we went to the home of a woman who owns a beauty shop and took out a loan so she could buy a salon chair. Her shop is in her home and after she had served us mango juice and cookies she wanted to do mahindi (henna) for me. This was my 2nd full day in India.

This photo was taken yesterday. This family was so sweet! I had just stopped and purchased this candy for Chelsea that Cherry had given me the other day and then Sahu walked into the house connected to the store. Turns out their family had taken out a loan. They took it out not for the shop but for the mother to be able to buy a sewing machine to use on the bags she was currently making by hand. They wanted to give me Chai, I said no I was full but they insisted then brought out chai, Kurkuri (pretty much Indian cheetos but not cheesy, more spicy and tomatoy), and toasted chickpeas). Then they brought me candy and little Rs.1 bags of the kurkuri and other snacks from the store I said "nehi, nehi!" (no, no) but they kept giving me stuff. Then they asked if I wanted mahindi and I couldn't decline. So we sat and the daughter (on the left) did it. She did such a great job and it's on the top of my hand too. They told me to come back and to come to her wedding in October but I won't be here then :(. I do however plan on visiting again before I leave. I'll make sure I have no bag so they can't try to fill it with food again.

Kala's mom in Bangalore. She can cook like nobody's business. So delicious. She used to be Hindu but became a Christian. Kala also converted and gets a lot of persecution from her family.

The view from the roof of the HOPE office in Bangalore.

Kala's house in Bangalore where we stayed. Actually her place is on the 3rd floor. You can see her mom very small up on the 2nd floor. The 3rd is cut off. I took this picture just pointing backwards as the auto rickshaw drove off.

The tree of life. This tree is in the courtyard in front of the HOPE school in Bangalore. It is so beautiful.

Kala and Chelsea walking toward the HOPE school in Bangalore.

Two village girls in Bangalore who had come to register for school with their mother. They spoke English pretty well and were very sweet. Chelsea looks amazing in this picture too! :)

The woman from HOPE that picked us up and took us to breakfast the morning we arrived in Chennai. She works extremely hard fundraising for the AIDs home and the Chennai HOPE school

4 of the boys in the Chennai HOPE school. I spoke mostly with the two on the left and they were amazing. They spoke English very well and were cracking up at my attempts at the Tamil they were trying to teach me. The little boy on the far left wrote my name for me in Tamil and was using this cool fountain pen. I told him I loved those kinds of pens so he gave it to me! I said no and he said "but you like it." So I have him my pen. It was a trade.

Chelsea, Nathan, Nick and John in the woods by the AIDs home outside Chennai. The thorns in these woods were no joke and my flip-flops were worn down very thin so I had a few surprises. The woods were really cool though. Trees like this came more in clumps rather than there being just tons of woods.