First off I found this video that was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. It is a short film on what the people of India, especially the young girls, are faced with.
My heart goes out to all those in the world who are faced with a bleak future due to their current circumstances. Why did I get to be so blessed??!! This question will hunt me forever I suppose.
Anyway here are some memorable moments from India!
Favorite moment of Indian culture
-being lost in BJR Nagar slum and being taken in by a generous family while we waited for Bindhu our guide to find us
- breaking it down on the dance floor at an Indian wedding with the bridesmaids while the groom in all his regalia watched from his white steed
Scariest moment
- being attacked by monkeys
(Thanks to Matt James & Richard Bruner for literally saving my life)
-driving up the Himalays, our driver was very good, and liked to go fast, especially around hairpin turns. Lots of tire squeeling..
Most nostalgic moments
-bathing Lakshmi (the elephant) in a river in Hampi
- hiking the Himalyas with pyma our guide
-watching the sun rise over the Taj Mahal
-charming a cobra (like a real one
-climbing onto an elephant via the trunk
- celebrating American Indepence day at the Delhi embassy
Most heart wrenching moment
- leaving 2 puppies behind knowing the hard life of starvation and abuse
- hearing of alcoholics and abuse and knowing there is not really anything I can do for them
Most frustrating
- seeing such a big issue with Sex Trafficing, & being told we can't talk about it. All we can say is 'don't talk to strangers and be careful'
- lack of translators (but to our few translators, we are so grateful!! Urmi was one of our partners and translators. Urmi is on the left of Abby-the white girl)
- working on Indian time ( very small percentage keep time, everything else runs at least an hour late)
-Seperate standards for men and women
Most confusing
-head bobble means ok, but looks like they are shaking their head... Not to worry we figured it out after a lil' bit
Most rewarding
-Going to slum near where we held summer camp, and some of the girls recognized us, ran over and sang 'baby shark' and showed us the macerana we had taught them
- Working at bridge camp with girls who are catching up in missed schooling due to child labor, child marriage, illness or sometimes just falling behind, and realizing the impact we are truly making
Most funny
-Watching all the Indian men 'hit on' Hudson
-at a meeting with one of our partners, they asked us to search out child labor for them, but to do it 'undercovers'
Most angry
- auto drivers thinking they can rip us off and get away with it because we are white and don't know better or that we owe it to them
Best meal
- definently home cooked ones. Porri with hard boiled egg.
-chicken kebabs are very delicious as well
-paneer shahi korma
Most laughable
-The time we were taking an auto to the bus in Jaipur and the kid driving wanted some of Matt's good smell (right then!) cause he was seeing his girlfriend after work.
-Watching two of our partners let down their proffesional side, and just laugh, joke and be women. Especially when it came to scolding Richard. Or when Lata, one of our translators laughed at Richard for butchering Indian phrases either with pronunciation or timing.
- "if I flew, I could fly off this mountain right now"
- "seat belts? You don't need those here"
Apparently India is safer then America
Most impressive
- going out and seeing people carry huge heavy bundles(like 30-50lb bags) uphill in Dahrgeeling
-crossing the street safely
-watching our partners dedicate everything (be it a lot or a little) to their cause
-despite the belief that India is a "dirty" country, they work hard to keep it clean. Multiple times each day I see women out on the streets and sidewalks sweeping the trash into a large pile
- how much rice people can eat here. We are all wimps compared to them
Most stressfully repetitive
-barely making our flights (or buses) on trips. Seriously a miracle we made all of those connections
-cramming into over packed busses
-figuring out what to have for lunch or dinner when I have 5 non-spicy dishes to choose from (same ones over the course of 3 months)
What I'll miss the most
- mango anything (fruit, lassi, milkshakes, ice cream)
-all the "Hello sister, how are you, bye sister"
-possibly bargaining with vendors
- the actual auto rides themselves
-the sense of 'community' in so many places
- seeing all the bright colored saree's and bangles
- creatively making food in a rice cooker (there is a lot more make options then you think)
-tea stands with boost
- people's generosity when ever we walk into a home
- taking your shoes off outside to enter homes, temples and some shops
- people watching out for us on buses and offering us their seat once they leave.
-fresh fruit and vegetable vendors
-fresh coconut milk, strait from the coconut
- so many options of juice, including but not limited to pineapple, mango, litchi, plum, fig, pomegranate..
-pista ice cream
- kulfi (delicious 'homemade' ice cream sold on the street)
- finding random people who come up to us and offer their NGO connections for our program
- Naan, Chapati, Gulab Jamoon and all carb related food
- all the kids imitating the Americans, the way we laugh, or say 'hello' or 'bye'
- security guards to every store
Random facts
- there is very little machinery for road work, most is still done by hand
Things I won't miss
-boiled veggies
-language barrier
- being charged foreign prices
- being in the limelight all the time
- soon as beggars see us, they target us for money until we leave
-spicy food
- haggling for auto rides
- keeping an eye out for any possible dangers and being on guard
-all the starving stray dogs
-trash everywhere
-avoiding any and all water outside... We assume it's water on the street
-not being able to just look at merchandise, there is some one always there 'showing' you more items. Even when you say you don't want them
*Photos were taken by various member of the HELP International 2014 India team. I cannot take credit for them all.
**After being back in America for 2 weeks, I realize even more how blessed we are, but that because of those blessings, we also miss out on some of the important things. Like putting family first, what "community" means and entails. Finding joy in each other's everyday presence. We do most of these but it's funny how in America, I feel this rush, this need to get things done at a fast pace. While as in India, even though it is so much crazier, I didn't feel the rush as often. Your train came when it came, if a restaurant was out of a meal, they simply said they were out, no matter how early in the day it was. My struggle is now to merge the best of both cultures and live life in the moment, but plan for the future.
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