Hello,
Last night James randomly left, so Kumari had to do all of the cooking. I spent most of the evening in the kitchen with her, Durga, and Sasheela. She made a typical vegetable curry which consisted mostly of okra, and then she started to make something out of the leaves of the drumstick tree. We have a drumstick tree out front (they really are everywhere) but it hasn’t had any drumsticks since they had to cut it back for the power lines. I had tried the leaves before in a sambar, and they were pretty good though a little bitter. Kumari, even though I had tried some before, seemed convinced that they wouldn’t suit me and that it would give me “loose motion” and only let me have a little bit. She cooked it in oil with some spices, several chilies, and fresh coconut. It was amazing and I kept insisting she give me a normal serving. It was good at the time, but, like usual, Kumari was right and this morning was a little miserable.
After dinner we tried to get some work done on the computer since the power was off all day, but the internet was failing miserably, so we finally decided to make it an early night. When I woke up, James once again was not here, and I found Kumari angrily cooking. She is starting to get incredibly fed up with him just leaving whenever he feels like it. Hopefully they won’t need him for too much longer; he was only hired when Xavier got sick and Kumari had to take over what Xavier typically did. After breakfast I ran a couple errands on foot, and took Venky and Prithivi along with me. Prithivi is the biggest talker ever, and for the first twenty minutes or so I tried very hard to understand everything he was saying, but when he didn’t even stop to take a breath I slowly gave up. Poor Venky couldn’t get a word in even if he wanted to.
When we got back someone was holding a meeting in our main room and all the kids were playing quietly outside. It is some kind of get rich quick scheme that Kumari’s distant relative is involved in, and Kumari let them meet here. Thankfully Kumari and Xavier aren’t involved. The meeting set up camp right in front of my door, so I’ve been trying hard not to come in and out because they immediately stop what they are doing to stare; so for now I am kind of trapped in here. Hopefully it won’t last much longer.
The rest of this morning should be pretty quiet, but this evening after lunch we are taking the children to some park that is pretty far away. We have to take an auto there, which costs money, so the kids never go unless they have a visitor. I’m saving up my energy for what is sure to be an exhausting outing. I’m glad, though, that this is how I will be spending my last full day with the kids, since Monday and Tuesday they have school.
Peace,
Robby
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
New Glasses and Such...
Hello Family and Friends,
Yesterday afternoon was uneventful, just hanging out with the kids since everyone was home. Later I took a much needed bath. I don’t know why, maybe because they are so dry otherwise, but even washing my hands quickly makes the tips of my fingers turn white and prune up. After bathing, the latch in the bathroom was stuck and after pushing on it hard it finally slid open. My soft, pruned thumb was sliced open by the latch and immediately started bleeding. I tried to hide it while I left the bathroom, but Prince saw the blood coming down my hand and started freaking out getting Kumari’s attention, who also freaked out. It bled hard for several minutes, and when it finally slowed down it revealed the tiniest, shallowest cut I have ever seen in my life. I embarrassedly slapped a band-aide on the bloodiest paper cut ever.
A little before seven, Kumari, Priya, and I left for the optometrist. I was just tagging along because any trip outside always offers a new experience. When we got there Priya started looking at frames, and I asked how much they were. She was looking at 300 Rs. frames, the equivalent of a little more than six dollars. At that point I knew I would not be able to help myself, and started looking at the “specs” myself. I found two that I liked, one grandpa type pair that were big and tanish plastic, and another pair that were silver with no frame on the bottom half. This pair will be my professional pair, and I figured they would make my mom happy since a year later she is still getting used to my Ray-Bans. I had to get my eyes examined, which I was able to get done for free since the place was owned by a family friend. The exam was very archaic and different from other eye checkups I have had. First the doctor was able to look at my glasses and tell what my current prescription is. I was pretty impressed, I know my prescription from my contacts, and he was dead on. He then strapped strange things to my face and slowly discovered that my left eye had gotten .5 worse, while my right had stayed the same. The exam went fine and I was able to understand him pretty well, except for one part. He had just been shining a light in my eye for what seemed like forever, and then he strapped a large interchangeable pair of glasses on me with my new prescription in them. He wanted to make sure it was okay and asked me to read the smallest line on the screen. I could see fine, but the image of the light was burned into my eye and blocked anything that I was looking straight at. I tried explaining and I could tell I was making him a little angry. Just read the bottom line, he kept repeating, his voice getting louder and louder while I continued to try and explain. The light, I pleaded. Yes, he said, I am finished with the light, now you read the bottom line. I looked at Priya for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders. I sighed and told the doctor that I could see the bottom line very clearly, and in the end, that was that. For the lenses and the frames and the eye exam, the total was $32, for two pairs of glasses!
We returned home and the children had already eaten dinner. Sangeetha, the one who sometimes has episodes, had urinated during dinner while just sitting there and Kumari asked her if she had been taking her medicine. Sangeetha finally admitted that she had lost the key to her box. Kumari was very angry, she had put several people in charge of making sure Sangeetha was taking her medicine all of whom had been assuring her that she was, and when she finally broke the box open she could tell that Sangeetha hadn’t taken it in a while. I ate dinner with the family and then went to bed fairly late.
This morning I woke up sweating like you wouldn’t believe; the power had gone out and the fan was off. It is the third Saturday of the month, so the power was turned off all day, until just now (seven o’clock). I ate breakfast and then got to work taking the portraits of each child. I have been making a conscious effort today to take more pictures, I really haven’t taken that many so far. Whenever I pull out my camera it distracts the kids, and I always feel strange taking pictures out in public, because it causes me to draw even more attention to myself.
Kumari went to the market and when she returned we spent an hour or so sorting the large bags of random vegetables. When we finished it was time for lunch, and after lunch the children all rested. When they got up we played the coin-number game, which has always been my favorite. The game, though, has slowly involved more and more cheating by all parties. At first certain rules were secretly overlooked, and then openly overlooked. Today it was at its worse, people were trading coins openly (your coins are supposed to stay your coins) and the littler ones would look over your shoulder to see what you needed, and then search through the pile and secretly trade you for the coin that you needed. In the end, though, with everyone cheating, it was actually just as fun.
I sat with Kumari, who was cooking, until the power came on, and then I came to type this up. That has been my day.
Peace,
Robby
Me, Subala, and Gokila. Gokila is gorgeous, in case you couldn't tell.
Sorting through just one bag of vegetables. It is crazy to think how much food is needed for thirty children, plus the payment boys, plus the family, plus James and Sasheela.
Ranjeeth, Santhosh (one of two...), me, Prasad, and Kasthuri, all out on the back walkway / porch thingy.
Yesterday afternoon was uneventful, just hanging out with the kids since everyone was home. Later I took a much needed bath. I don’t know why, maybe because they are so dry otherwise, but even washing my hands quickly makes the tips of my fingers turn white and prune up. After bathing, the latch in the bathroom was stuck and after pushing on it hard it finally slid open. My soft, pruned thumb was sliced open by the latch and immediately started bleeding. I tried to hide it while I left the bathroom, but Prince saw the blood coming down my hand and started freaking out getting Kumari’s attention, who also freaked out. It bled hard for several minutes, and when it finally slowed down it revealed the tiniest, shallowest cut I have ever seen in my life. I embarrassedly slapped a band-aide on the bloodiest paper cut ever.
A little before seven, Kumari, Priya, and I left for the optometrist. I was just tagging along because any trip outside always offers a new experience. When we got there Priya started looking at frames, and I asked how much they were. She was looking at 300 Rs. frames, the equivalent of a little more than six dollars. At that point I knew I would not be able to help myself, and started looking at the “specs” myself. I found two that I liked, one grandpa type pair that were big and tanish plastic, and another pair that were silver with no frame on the bottom half. This pair will be my professional pair, and I figured they would make my mom happy since a year later she is still getting used to my Ray-Bans. I had to get my eyes examined, which I was able to get done for free since the place was owned by a family friend. The exam was very archaic and different from other eye checkups I have had. First the doctor was able to look at my glasses and tell what my current prescription is. I was pretty impressed, I know my prescription from my contacts, and he was dead on. He then strapped strange things to my face and slowly discovered that my left eye had gotten .5 worse, while my right had stayed the same. The exam went fine and I was able to understand him pretty well, except for one part. He had just been shining a light in my eye for what seemed like forever, and then he strapped a large interchangeable pair of glasses on me with my new prescription in them. He wanted to make sure it was okay and asked me to read the smallest line on the screen. I could see fine, but the image of the light was burned into my eye and blocked anything that I was looking straight at. I tried explaining and I could tell I was making him a little angry. Just read the bottom line, he kept repeating, his voice getting louder and louder while I continued to try and explain. The light, I pleaded. Yes, he said, I am finished with the light, now you read the bottom line. I looked at Priya for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders. I sighed and told the doctor that I could see the bottom line very clearly, and in the end, that was that. For the lenses and the frames and the eye exam, the total was $32, for two pairs of glasses!
We returned home and the children had already eaten dinner. Sangeetha, the one who sometimes has episodes, had urinated during dinner while just sitting there and Kumari asked her if she had been taking her medicine. Sangeetha finally admitted that she had lost the key to her box. Kumari was very angry, she had put several people in charge of making sure Sangeetha was taking her medicine all of whom had been assuring her that she was, and when she finally broke the box open she could tell that Sangeetha hadn’t taken it in a while. I ate dinner with the family and then went to bed fairly late.
This morning I woke up sweating like you wouldn’t believe; the power had gone out and the fan was off. It is the third Saturday of the month, so the power was turned off all day, until just now (seven o’clock). I ate breakfast and then got to work taking the portraits of each child. I have been making a conscious effort today to take more pictures, I really haven’t taken that many so far. Whenever I pull out my camera it distracts the kids, and I always feel strange taking pictures out in public, because it causes me to draw even more attention to myself.
Kumari went to the market and when she returned we spent an hour or so sorting the large bags of random vegetables. When we finished it was time for lunch, and after lunch the children all rested. When they got up we played the coin-number game, which has always been my favorite. The game, though, has slowly involved more and more cheating by all parties. At first certain rules were secretly overlooked, and then openly overlooked. Today it was at its worse, people were trading coins openly (your coins are supposed to stay your coins) and the littler ones would look over your shoulder to see what you needed, and then search through the pile and secretly trade you for the coin that you needed. In the end, though, with everyone cheating, it was actually just as fun.
I sat with Kumari, who was cooking, until the power came on, and then I came to type this up. That has been my day.
Peace,
Robby
Me, Subala, and Gokila. Gokila is gorgeous, in case you couldn't tell. 
Sorting through just one bag of vegetables. It is crazy to think how much food is needed for thirty children, plus the payment boys, plus the family, plus James and Sasheela.
Ranjeeth, Santhosh (one of two...), me, Prasad, and Kasthuri, all out on the back walkway / porch thingy.Friday, July 17, 2009
Lots of Errands
Hello,
Yesterday afternoon we ran some errands; it turned out the optometrist didn’t come in until 7, so we weren’t able to get Priya’s glasses. We got other things that we did need, though, so the auto ride wasn’t a waste. On the main street there was a white family looking lost and confused as ever. It looked as if the sky opened up and they were just dropped in the middle of India. I knew enough Tamil to tell that everyone around them was making fun of them. They spoke only German, which no one here knows; people here only speak Tamil and maybe a little English or Hindi. They were all inappropriately dressed; the woman had their shoulders showing and everyone was wearing shorts, two things you would never see here otherwise. I, honestly, was a little embarrassed to be associated with the group. Thankfully, though, I don’t think I stand out as much as I used to. My shirts all look grungy from being dried in the dusty wind, I’ve gotten tanner, my glasses, surprisingly, are very similar to the ones worn by most adults, and my lungis have gotten soft from wear. Everyone here brushes coconut oil into their hair, and with the amount I sweat and the infrequency of my bathing, my hair also has taken on a slightly greased look. Another thing that has helped me fit in a little better is that I am skinny. Two of the women in this family were larger. They certainly weren’t even close to the largest people I have seen, and in the west their weight would have gone without a second thought. Here, though, that is all people could notice. Even Kumari started laughing and commenting on how big they were. When she calmed down she turned to me and very seriously asked me if it was safe for them to be on a plane. “Did they have to be separated onto different planes to distribute the weight?” she asked me very sincerely. Then it was my turn to laugh.
Once we finished our errands we went straight to pick Baboolu up from school. We had to wait a while outside the gate, where, amongst all the parents, it certainly felt like I didn’t belong. The school was very large and clean and nice, and like everything else here, it was very open to the outdoors. There were fluorescent bulbs strapped to the trees. Fluorescent lights were one of the first thing I noticed here when I got off the plane. They are everywhere along the roads and in houses, and they are always bare. They stick out of the ground in front of every hut like glowing poles. I don’t know how it works, but it looks as if every hut is allotted one fluorescent bulb to be placed out front. The bulbs hang from trees, they are strapped on to random objects; they are everywhere. Outside my window there is one precariously hanging from the top of the electric pole. The one on the front porch hangs by two wires wrapped directly onto the glass.
After fifteen or so minutes of waiting we finally were let into the school. When Baboolu saw me he got really excited and ran to hold my hand. I met his teacher who seemed very nice. We walked back to the auto and I got several strange looks inquiring who this strange white man with a little Indian boy in hand was.
We got home and rested. The rest of the children got home fairly soon after. Naveen did not come home, and apparently Maha ended up leaving the school as well to look for him on her own. We called their grandfather, who seemed fairly convinced that they would either end up back at WIDE or at his house. This morning they still haven’t returned. The night was otherwise very quiet.
This morning I got up and was not really feeling all that well. Kumari, not knowing how I was feeling, made a special different kind of chutney to have with dosais. The chutney was fantastic, and I was upset that I wasn’t able to eat more of it. After an hour or so I felt a lot better, which was good because today is a festival day so the kids don’t have school. I took Ajith Kumar and Mukesh with me to the bank, which was a much farther walk than I thought it would be. The whole way I was harassed by auto drivers who I guess just assumed that as a westerner I am not capable of walking anywhere. They also all seemed to assume that I needed to go to the ashram. “Ramanashram, Ramanashram?” they would yell at me. Some drivers would even cut me off by stopping their autorickshaws right in my path in an effort to force a ride on me. When we got back I almost immediately left with Kumari and Durga to get office supplies. We walked to a shop that was fairly close, but everything was expensive, so we took an even farther walk to a main road to get an auto. We picked up what we needed and came home for lunch. Now I have the files and things needed to create and organize an office for Kumari, so I am going to get to work.
Peace,
Robby
Yesterday afternoon we ran some errands; it turned out the optometrist didn’t come in until 7, so we weren’t able to get Priya’s glasses. We got other things that we did need, though, so the auto ride wasn’t a waste. On the main street there was a white family looking lost and confused as ever. It looked as if the sky opened up and they were just dropped in the middle of India. I knew enough Tamil to tell that everyone around them was making fun of them. They spoke only German, which no one here knows; people here only speak Tamil and maybe a little English or Hindi. They were all inappropriately dressed; the woman had their shoulders showing and everyone was wearing shorts, two things you would never see here otherwise. I, honestly, was a little embarrassed to be associated with the group. Thankfully, though, I don’t think I stand out as much as I used to. My shirts all look grungy from being dried in the dusty wind, I’ve gotten tanner, my glasses, surprisingly, are very similar to the ones worn by most adults, and my lungis have gotten soft from wear. Everyone here brushes coconut oil into their hair, and with the amount I sweat and the infrequency of my bathing, my hair also has taken on a slightly greased look. Another thing that has helped me fit in a little better is that I am skinny. Two of the women in this family were larger. They certainly weren’t even close to the largest people I have seen, and in the west their weight would have gone without a second thought. Here, though, that is all people could notice. Even Kumari started laughing and commenting on how big they were. When she calmed down she turned to me and very seriously asked me if it was safe for them to be on a plane. “Did they have to be separated onto different planes to distribute the weight?” she asked me very sincerely. Then it was my turn to laugh.
Once we finished our errands we went straight to pick Baboolu up from school. We had to wait a while outside the gate, where, amongst all the parents, it certainly felt like I didn’t belong. The school was very large and clean and nice, and like everything else here, it was very open to the outdoors. There were fluorescent bulbs strapped to the trees. Fluorescent lights were one of the first thing I noticed here when I got off the plane. They are everywhere along the roads and in houses, and they are always bare. They stick out of the ground in front of every hut like glowing poles. I don’t know how it works, but it looks as if every hut is allotted one fluorescent bulb to be placed out front. The bulbs hang from trees, they are strapped on to random objects; they are everywhere. Outside my window there is one precariously hanging from the top of the electric pole. The one on the front porch hangs by two wires wrapped directly onto the glass.
After fifteen or so minutes of waiting we finally were let into the school. When Baboolu saw me he got really excited and ran to hold my hand. I met his teacher who seemed very nice. We walked back to the auto and I got several strange looks inquiring who this strange white man with a little Indian boy in hand was.
We got home and rested. The rest of the children got home fairly soon after. Naveen did not come home, and apparently Maha ended up leaving the school as well to look for him on her own. We called their grandfather, who seemed fairly convinced that they would either end up back at WIDE or at his house. This morning they still haven’t returned. The night was otherwise very quiet.
This morning I got up and was not really feeling all that well. Kumari, not knowing how I was feeling, made a special different kind of chutney to have with dosais. The chutney was fantastic, and I was upset that I wasn’t able to eat more of it. After an hour or so I felt a lot better, which was good because today is a festival day so the kids don’t have school. I took Ajith Kumar and Mukesh with me to the bank, which was a much farther walk than I thought it would be. The whole way I was harassed by auto drivers who I guess just assumed that as a westerner I am not capable of walking anywhere. They also all seemed to assume that I needed to go to the ashram. “Ramanashram, Ramanashram?” they would yell at me. Some drivers would even cut me off by stopping their autorickshaws right in my path in an effort to force a ride on me. When we got back I almost immediately left with Kumari and Durga to get office supplies. We walked to a shop that was fairly close, but everything was expensive, so we took an even farther walk to a main road to get an auto. We picked up what we needed and came home for lunch. Now I have the files and things needed to create and organize an office for Kumari, so I am going to get to work.
Peace,
Robby
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Naveen Trouble, and the Doctor
Hello Everyone,
Yesterday evening was pretty normal. We rested after picking Baboolu up from school. He is feeling a lot better about school now. Xavier had a talk with him about how since he is sick Baboolu is going to have to take care of him, and he can only do this if he is educated. Plus, the teacher praised him a lot yesterday, so he was feeling better about himself. We woke as the children started coming back from school. Naveen had a new toy with him, along with forty rupees. Priya had fifty rupees that just went missing, and Naveen’s story about how he got the money continued to change. He has a history of stealing; when he lived with his grandfather he would always steal. Kumari was very upset that he was taking from them when they already give everything the have to the kids. To make matters worse, Xavier was feeling better today and visited the schools; he used to talk to the teachers almost every day. It turns out that since Xavier has been too sick to do his regular checkups, Naveen has not attended school. Xavier came home to let us know that Naveen was not at school and hasn’t gone for the past couple weeks, right when Naveen’s grandfather called. Naveen went to his grandfather’s house and said that the school was asking for fifty rupees, the grandfather gave it to him and Naveen left. The school is not asking for any money. Kumari doesn’t know what to do, and I guess I will have to wait and see how this afternoon goes when Naveen comes home.
The other news that we got last night had to do with the wealthier orphanage in Tiru; high school aged children from that orphanage were picking up Chella by his neck and choking him. To add insult to injury, the teenagers then mocked all of our kids for coming from such a poor orphanage. Though this situation is maddening no matter what, the fact that they were beating up Chella, the youngest child at WIDE, of all the children really made me angry. In addition, one of their teachers is the director of this other orphanage and he called up Sathiya to question her about the white man that had come to visit WIDE. He wanted to know what I was doing and where I was staying. When he heard that I was staying with the children he laughed and poked fun at WIDE and Kumari for apparently not knowing how to treat a foreigner. I would just like to say that I have been treated better than I could have ever imagined, and that I am truly enjoying staying in the same home as the kids; I like being where all the action is. Kumari and everyone else have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable, and I am forever grateful.
After listening to the children’s stories we all bathed and got ready to go to the hospital. Xavier felt well enough to shave and comb his hair, and this is the first time I have really seen him cleaned up. At seven we got an auto and made our way to the hospital. We were appointment number eight, and it turned out we had missed our spot, so we had to wait several hours. It wasn’t too bad, though, because I enjoy people watching. The security guard at the hospital was rolling cotton onto sticks to make swabs, and several times I watched him sneeze or cough right into the cotton. People here don’t cover their mouths when they cough; instead they bang the top of their heads. The next time I have a cold I want to try this to see what, if any, effect banging your head has while coughing. There was a very sick woman who couldn’t even sit upright there with her sister; a very young fair skinned bride with her rough husband; a man that had something sticking out of his knee and blood flowing from his forehead; and an old woman who couldn’t take her eyes off of me and was there even longer than us. Everyone was very crammed together and all I could envision were all the strange and dangerous disease inducing microbes floating through the air towards me.
When we finally were seen, the doctor did the typical checkup and asked the typical questions, and then wrote out the prescription for another ten days. When he finished Kumari told him that I had some questions, which led to a little bit of awkwardness. At first I was a little nervous, but I soon got into the flow of the questions that I wanted answered. Over time I realized that I was actually making him nervous; he is not used to being questioned about any of his decisions. He started to warm up to me a little and then we discussed the final cost for the one year treatment. He was going over what different things cost, and he said that his fee is 75 Rs. per visit, but sometimes he waives the fee, depending on his mood. He thought his joke about charging based on his mood was hilarious and he burst out laughing, and his laughter was really contagious. When we finally left we weren’t charged anything, other than for the medications, so I’m guessing he was in a good mood.
We got home around 11 and I finally ate dinner, and quickly went to sleep. This morning I woke up very earlier, and was with the children for a couple hours before they had to leave for school. I then ate breakfast and got some work done, and am now about to go with Priya to get new glasses. Hers broke a month ago, and just now they have gathered enough money to get a new pair. School has been difficult for her since she hasn’t been able to see the board.
I hope all is well at home; I will be back in less than a week!
Peace,
Robby
Yesterday evening was pretty normal. We rested after picking Baboolu up from school. He is feeling a lot better about school now. Xavier had a talk with him about how since he is sick Baboolu is going to have to take care of him, and he can only do this if he is educated. Plus, the teacher praised him a lot yesterday, so he was feeling better about himself. We woke as the children started coming back from school. Naveen had a new toy with him, along with forty rupees. Priya had fifty rupees that just went missing, and Naveen’s story about how he got the money continued to change. He has a history of stealing; when he lived with his grandfather he would always steal. Kumari was very upset that he was taking from them when they already give everything the have to the kids. To make matters worse, Xavier was feeling better today and visited the schools; he used to talk to the teachers almost every day. It turns out that since Xavier has been too sick to do his regular checkups, Naveen has not attended school. Xavier came home to let us know that Naveen was not at school and hasn’t gone for the past couple weeks, right when Naveen’s grandfather called. Naveen went to his grandfather’s house and said that the school was asking for fifty rupees, the grandfather gave it to him and Naveen left. The school is not asking for any money. Kumari doesn’t know what to do, and I guess I will have to wait and see how this afternoon goes when Naveen comes home.
The other news that we got last night had to do with the wealthier orphanage in Tiru; high school aged children from that orphanage were picking up Chella by his neck and choking him. To add insult to injury, the teenagers then mocked all of our kids for coming from such a poor orphanage. Though this situation is maddening no matter what, the fact that they were beating up Chella, the youngest child at WIDE, of all the children really made me angry. In addition, one of their teachers is the director of this other orphanage and he called up Sathiya to question her about the white man that had come to visit WIDE. He wanted to know what I was doing and where I was staying. When he heard that I was staying with the children he laughed and poked fun at WIDE and Kumari for apparently not knowing how to treat a foreigner. I would just like to say that I have been treated better than I could have ever imagined, and that I am truly enjoying staying in the same home as the kids; I like being where all the action is. Kumari and everyone else have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable, and I am forever grateful.
After listening to the children’s stories we all bathed and got ready to go to the hospital. Xavier felt well enough to shave and comb his hair, and this is the first time I have really seen him cleaned up. At seven we got an auto and made our way to the hospital. We were appointment number eight, and it turned out we had missed our spot, so we had to wait several hours. It wasn’t too bad, though, because I enjoy people watching. The security guard at the hospital was rolling cotton onto sticks to make swabs, and several times I watched him sneeze or cough right into the cotton. People here don’t cover their mouths when they cough; instead they bang the top of their heads. The next time I have a cold I want to try this to see what, if any, effect banging your head has while coughing. There was a very sick woman who couldn’t even sit upright there with her sister; a very young fair skinned bride with her rough husband; a man that had something sticking out of his knee and blood flowing from his forehead; and an old woman who couldn’t take her eyes off of me and was there even longer than us. Everyone was very crammed together and all I could envision were all the strange and dangerous disease inducing microbes floating through the air towards me.
When we finally were seen, the doctor did the typical checkup and asked the typical questions, and then wrote out the prescription for another ten days. When he finished Kumari told him that I had some questions, which led to a little bit of awkwardness. At first I was a little nervous, but I soon got into the flow of the questions that I wanted answered. Over time I realized that I was actually making him nervous; he is not used to being questioned about any of his decisions. He started to warm up to me a little and then we discussed the final cost for the one year treatment. He was going over what different things cost, and he said that his fee is 75 Rs. per visit, but sometimes he waives the fee, depending on his mood. He thought his joke about charging based on his mood was hilarious and he burst out laughing, and his laughter was really contagious. When we finally left we weren’t charged anything, other than for the medications, so I’m guessing he was in a good mood.
We got home around 11 and I finally ate dinner, and quickly went to sleep. This morning I woke up very earlier, and was with the children for a couple hours before they had to leave for school. I then ate breakfast and got some work done, and am now about to go with Priya to get new glasses. Hers broke a month ago, and just now they have gathered enough money to get a new pair. School has been difficult for her since she hasn’t been able to see the board.
I hope all is well at home; I will be back in less than a week!
Peace,
Robby
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Water Walk and Marc Anthony
Hello Family and Friends,
There is nothing really new to report. Xavier was feeling better yesterday and now it is taking all of Kumari’s and my power to convince that he still needs to rest. Still, though, it is nice that he is able to move around and that the medicine isn’t making him nauseous anymore.
The children came home and did their homework. I got to meet Subala’s and Swetha’s mother. She is very young and pretty, and has a one and a half year old son. When she was four months pregnant with her son her husband, the children’s father, disappeared. She wasn’t able to take care of Swetha, Subala, and now a son, all by herself. She was able to get a death certificate for her husband, even though there is a chance he just ran off, and put Subala and Swetha here at WIDE. She also tried to give Kumari her son, but Kumari did not and does not have the means to take care of such a young child. She offered the mother a place to work here so she could make money, be fed, and stay with her daughters, but the woman didn’t want to leave her hut, which if left vacant for too long would be taken by the government. Each child has such a deep and personal background story; each history is different, but heartbreaking nonetheless.
After everyone was finished their homework I was flooded by children that wanted to sing songs for me. There is a singing contest at one of the schools, and many of the children have entered and now want to practice. Everyone was taking turns singing short tidbits, but when it was Subala’s turn she started sing the longest song I have ever sat through. Several minutes into it all the other children were getting restless, and even I was wondering when it would be over. Finally I said enough, and told her that it was the longest song I have ever heard in my life, which all the children thought was hilarious. For the rest of the night she would come up to me and start singing it all over again, and I would jokingly run away from her.
I realized this week that the way I’ve been interacting with the children the past couple days is much different than I have been in the past. Until now all of the kids have sort off walked on eggshells around me, timidly approaching me to play games, or shyly asking me to go over their homework. This week any reservations they had about me have disappeared. They are pulling on me, demanding my attention. They purposefully poke me just so I will chase them and catch them. Subala is the most aggressive, especially for being so tiny. She will purposefully copy my every move until I grab her and tickle her. She will climb under my chair and pull on my legs or bang the bottom of my seat in an effort to get some reaction out of me. Basically they are treating me like another kid, which I love.
This morning I was low on water so I decided to walk and get some on my own. The little place that I get my water isn’t that far away, and it seems silly to make someone else come and ride the motorbike with me. It was a nice quiet walk through different neighborhood streets. There is a lot of construction going on in several places on the way. It is so different, everything is done by hand. Women sift sand and then carry large bowls of it precariously balanced on their heads. The bowls of sand, along with buckets of water and stacks of bricks, also being carried on top of their heads, slowly make their way up the rickety rope and wood scaffolding. It is an intriguing process and very methodical. One time I was explaining to Kumari how my house is made mostly of wood, and then covered with aluminum siding and sand and tar shingles. She found the whole idea mind boggling, and after pondering it for several seconds she declared that such houses would not do in India, and that was that.
One funny side note, when I got my water I was approached by to young, who seemed pretty convinced that I was Marc Anthony. They were pretty disappointed to find out that, alas, I am only Robby Pagels. I thought it was pretty funny that I, a nineteen year old white boy, was mistaken for a famous forty year old Latin American man.
After that I did some paperwork with Kumari. With only a week left, there is still a lot that I want to get done here, including (but not limited to): creating and organizing a library, creating an office in the new house, finishing the paperwork needed for inspection, finish typing final drafts of the children’s bios, taking pictures of every child individually to go along with their information, and making sure that everything is worked out with Xavier’s health and the doctor before I leave, because their doctor does a poor job of explaining things in ways that non-medical people can understand. I think that may be all I have planned so far, but I’m sure more jobs will pop up.
Peace,
Robby
There is nothing really new to report. Xavier was feeling better yesterday and now it is taking all of Kumari’s and my power to convince that he still needs to rest. Still, though, it is nice that he is able to move around and that the medicine isn’t making him nauseous anymore.
The children came home and did their homework. I got to meet Subala’s and Swetha’s mother. She is very young and pretty, and has a one and a half year old son. When she was four months pregnant with her son her husband, the children’s father, disappeared. She wasn’t able to take care of Swetha, Subala, and now a son, all by herself. She was able to get a death certificate for her husband, even though there is a chance he just ran off, and put Subala and Swetha here at WIDE. She also tried to give Kumari her son, but Kumari did not and does not have the means to take care of such a young child. She offered the mother a place to work here so she could make money, be fed, and stay with her daughters, but the woman didn’t want to leave her hut, which if left vacant for too long would be taken by the government. Each child has such a deep and personal background story; each history is different, but heartbreaking nonetheless.
After everyone was finished their homework I was flooded by children that wanted to sing songs for me. There is a singing contest at one of the schools, and many of the children have entered and now want to practice. Everyone was taking turns singing short tidbits, but when it was Subala’s turn she started sing the longest song I have ever sat through. Several minutes into it all the other children were getting restless, and even I was wondering when it would be over. Finally I said enough, and told her that it was the longest song I have ever heard in my life, which all the children thought was hilarious. For the rest of the night she would come up to me and start singing it all over again, and I would jokingly run away from her.
I realized this week that the way I’ve been interacting with the children the past couple days is much different than I have been in the past. Until now all of the kids have sort off walked on eggshells around me, timidly approaching me to play games, or shyly asking me to go over their homework. This week any reservations they had about me have disappeared. They are pulling on me, demanding my attention. They purposefully poke me just so I will chase them and catch them. Subala is the most aggressive, especially for being so tiny. She will purposefully copy my every move until I grab her and tickle her. She will climb under my chair and pull on my legs or bang the bottom of my seat in an effort to get some reaction out of me. Basically they are treating me like another kid, which I love.
This morning I was low on water so I decided to walk and get some on my own. The little place that I get my water isn’t that far away, and it seems silly to make someone else come and ride the motorbike with me. It was a nice quiet walk through different neighborhood streets. There is a lot of construction going on in several places on the way. It is so different, everything is done by hand. Women sift sand and then carry large bowls of it precariously balanced on their heads. The bowls of sand, along with buckets of water and stacks of bricks, also being carried on top of their heads, slowly make their way up the rickety rope and wood scaffolding. It is an intriguing process and very methodical. One time I was explaining to Kumari how my house is made mostly of wood, and then covered with aluminum siding and sand and tar shingles. She found the whole idea mind boggling, and after pondering it for several seconds she declared that such houses would not do in India, and that was that.
One funny side note, when I got my water I was approached by to young, who seemed pretty convinced that I was Marc Anthony. They were pretty disappointed to find out that, alas, I am only Robby Pagels. I thought it was pretty funny that I, a nineteen year old white boy, was mistaken for a famous forty year old Latin American man.
After that I did some paperwork with Kumari. With only a week left, there is still a lot that I want to get done here, including (but not limited to): creating and organizing a library, creating an office in the new house, finishing the paperwork needed for inspection, finish typing final drafts of the children’s bios, taking pictures of every child individually to go along with their information, and making sure that everything is worked out with Xavier’s health and the doctor before I leave, because their doctor does a poor job of explaining things in ways that non-medical people can understand. I think that may be all I have planned so far, but I’m sure more jobs will pop up.
Peace,
Robby
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Baboolu goes to school, and we go shopping
Hello All,
Yesterday evening I didn’t get much rest, I wanted to be awake when Kumari and Xavier returned from the doctor’s. Five hours later they returned. The wait in the doctor’s office is terrible, and you can’t make appointments in advance; instead you have to make the appointment in person on that same day. Kumari thought it was very strange when I told her that I already had a doctor’s appointment set up for a couple weeks after I get home, and that the appointment was made before I even left for India. While waiting there was no place for Xavier to lie down and he ended up vomiting several times. The doctor said that his feelings were all side effects of the medicine, and that it was something he would have to deal with until his body got used to the drugs. He did, however, change the times that Xavier is supposed to take the meds. Before he took everything at once in the morning, but now it is split into the morning and the night. The doctor also suggested drinking a lot of fluids, specifically juices and buttermilk. Today Xavier is feeling better, and tomorrow he will have been taking the medication for five days, so we will go back to the doctor again.
It was a relatively relaxing evening, the kids all had a lot of work so there was little for me to do. Prithivi actually came back after school; this is the first time he has gone to school without running away. A couple days ago I talked to Kumari about making Prithivi feel like he is here for us, not that we are here for him. We worked out jobs to give him so that he will feel like he has a purpose and is needed here. Kumari also had a talk with him about how he is the oldest so he is in charge of all the other children. He seems to like this position of power and has been to be a little more upbeat.
This morning I woke up, for the second time in a row, to Baboolu screaming. His grandmother was holding him and he was shaking all over and completely freaking out. Tomorrow, tomorrow, he kept pleading. I told Kumari that if she let him stay home then I would carry him to school myself; everyday he stays here it is only going to be worse. I can’t believe that Kumari, who is so strict about studying with all of the other children, keeps letting her own son skip school. He doesn’t like school because he feels behind everyone else, but if he keeps staying home than he is going to be even more behind. Xavier was finally able to calm Prince down by bribing him, but I don’t think that was the best solution because now he will expect something every day he goes to school. Hopefully he will start feeling better about school soon.
When everyone left for school I ate and took a much needed bath. Kumari and I then took a short walk to pick up curd for Xavier, since the curd she made the other day still hasn’t finished condensing, and some eggs. It was a tiny shop and Kumari admitted that in the seven years she has lived in this house she has never been to this shop because it is so close that she can just send the children to pick things up when needed. On the way back we got completely sand blasted. The wind here keeps on picking up, and it has gotten terrible. Everything is covered in dust (my book, by the end of the day, usually has a substantial layer on it) and the wind whips the dust, dirt, and sand roughly against any bare skin. Walking down the street you have to keep your head bowed to protect your eyes, and you have to breathe through a handkerchief.
After running that mini errand we went into town. Once again I got to see Kumari’s fine haggling skills at work. The shopkeepers always point at me and say that we could easily pay the full price. She always respond with something along the lines of “who, him? He’s a student; he has no money at all!!! Why, he’s poorer than you are!” or “We are buying two things, so you can take at least thirty percent off the marked price. Otherwise we will only buy one thing… or maybe nothing at all.” She gets excited about every rupee she is able to mark down. If, in the end, the price ever comes out as a strange number she always rounds down to the nearest 10 or 50 rupees, even if the price has already been marked down a lot, and the shopkeepers just grumble and agree.
On the way back she got into a fight with the auto driver (again!). She always works out the price of a ride before we get in the auto, but still, when it comes time to pay, they try and charge more. I paid the driver the amount he had told us in the beginning, and while he was yelling for the extra ten rupees he was trying to charge us (aka, 20 cents) Kumari grabbed my hand and pulled me away. She looked very smug and never looked back while the man continued to yell and demand for us to come back.
We had lunch; Kumari made dal, pepper water, and rice. I’m not a big fan of pepper water, it is basically like tea made of peppercorns with some oil and a few other spices and herbs thrown in; there is no real substance to it. The dal was fantastic, though.
That is all for now,
Peace,
Robby
Yesterday evening I didn’t get much rest, I wanted to be awake when Kumari and Xavier returned from the doctor’s. Five hours later they returned. The wait in the doctor’s office is terrible, and you can’t make appointments in advance; instead you have to make the appointment in person on that same day. Kumari thought it was very strange when I told her that I already had a doctor’s appointment set up for a couple weeks after I get home, and that the appointment was made before I even left for India. While waiting there was no place for Xavier to lie down and he ended up vomiting several times. The doctor said that his feelings were all side effects of the medicine, and that it was something he would have to deal with until his body got used to the drugs. He did, however, change the times that Xavier is supposed to take the meds. Before he took everything at once in the morning, but now it is split into the morning and the night. The doctor also suggested drinking a lot of fluids, specifically juices and buttermilk. Today Xavier is feeling better, and tomorrow he will have been taking the medication for five days, so we will go back to the doctor again.
It was a relatively relaxing evening, the kids all had a lot of work so there was little for me to do. Prithivi actually came back after school; this is the first time he has gone to school without running away. A couple days ago I talked to Kumari about making Prithivi feel like he is here for us, not that we are here for him. We worked out jobs to give him so that he will feel like he has a purpose and is needed here. Kumari also had a talk with him about how he is the oldest so he is in charge of all the other children. He seems to like this position of power and has been to be a little more upbeat.
This morning I woke up, for the second time in a row, to Baboolu screaming. His grandmother was holding him and he was shaking all over and completely freaking out. Tomorrow, tomorrow, he kept pleading. I told Kumari that if she let him stay home then I would carry him to school myself; everyday he stays here it is only going to be worse. I can’t believe that Kumari, who is so strict about studying with all of the other children, keeps letting her own son skip school. He doesn’t like school because he feels behind everyone else, but if he keeps staying home than he is going to be even more behind. Xavier was finally able to calm Prince down by bribing him, but I don’t think that was the best solution because now he will expect something every day he goes to school. Hopefully he will start feeling better about school soon.
When everyone left for school I ate and took a much needed bath. Kumari and I then took a short walk to pick up curd for Xavier, since the curd she made the other day still hasn’t finished condensing, and some eggs. It was a tiny shop and Kumari admitted that in the seven years she has lived in this house she has never been to this shop because it is so close that she can just send the children to pick things up when needed. On the way back we got completely sand blasted. The wind here keeps on picking up, and it has gotten terrible. Everything is covered in dust (my book, by the end of the day, usually has a substantial layer on it) and the wind whips the dust, dirt, and sand roughly against any bare skin. Walking down the street you have to keep your head bowed to protect your eyes, and you have to breathe through a handkerchief.
After running that mini errand we went into town. Once again I got to see Kumari’s fine haggling skills at work. The shopkeepers always point at me and say that we could easily pay the full price. She always respond with something along the lines of “who, him? He’s a student; he has no money at all!!! Why, he’s poorer than you are!” or “We are buying two things, so you can take at least thirty percent off the marked price. Otherwise we will only buy one thing… or maybe nothing at all.” She gets excited about every rupee she is able to mark down. If, in the end, the price ever comes out as a strange number she always rounds down to the nearest 10 or 50 rupees, even if the price has already been marked down a lot, and the shopkeepers just grumble and agree.
On the way back she got into a fight with the auto driver (again!). She always works out the price of a ride before we get in the auto, but still, when it comes time to pay, they try and charge more. I paid the driver the amount he had told us in the beginning, and while he was yelling for the extra ten rupees he was trying to charge us (aka, 20 cents) Kumari grabbed my hand and pulled me away. She looked very smug and never looked back while the man continued to yell and demand for us to come back.
We had lunch; Kumari made dal, pepper water, and rice. I’m not a big fan of pepper water, it is basically like tea made of peppercorns with some oil and a few other spices and herbs thrown in; there is no real substance to it. The dal was fantastic, though.
That is all for now,
Peace,
Robby
Monday, July 13, 2009
Moving and Stuff
Hello Everyone,
Yesterday was the most tiring day I have had here yet. With waking up early and then the mountain climb and then moving, the activity never stopped. The movers helped with all the big things, but we carried everything else. We made dozens of trips by foot carrying large bundles of things wrapped and tied up in sheets. Going through all of their things you could tell that they used to have money. Kumari had piles and piles of high quality and finely made saris, but each was faded and obviously worn. Once we got everything to the new house that needed to be there we started unpacking. By this time it was pretty late, and I wasn’t that much help unpacking because Kumari needed to know exactly where everything was going. She ended up doing it mostly herself while Xavier looked on grimly, unable to help.
That night everyone migrated back to the old house and we ate dinner. It was a quiet night, and being the last day of the weekend I was a little sad that I wasn’t able to spend more of it with the kids. We all went to bed early; no one had rested at all that day. Kumari and Xavier, however, didn’t get any sleep. The medicine he is on has nausea as one of its side effects and the doctor prescribed another drug to counteract this nausea. Despite this second drug, Xavier could not sleep at all. He felt like he had diarrhea, needed to throw up, and that his bladder was about to explode with urine. Not once did he vomit, have a bowel movement, or urinate despite these feelings. When I woke up this morning, a tired looking Kumari was chasing a wet, naked, and screaming Prince around the house. After the weekend he refused to return to school. Xavier is the only one Prince will really listen to, but Xavier was unable to get the energy to be stern with Baboolu, and thus he stayed home. Xavier finally felt a little better and fell asleep around 9:30.
With everything settled down, Kumari and I sat and talked, something we haven’t really done in a few days. We talked a lot about Priya. Yesterday Priya and Vamil, the friend that went climbing with us, came to the house alone to eat. Priya’s grandmother was here too and got very angry with Priya, and Priya ended up making her cry. Kumari explained to me that Priya was a very free girl in comparison to most in India, and especially in a town like Tiru. Kumari asked if I had seen the girl next door. I admitted that I had not, and she explained that girls weren’t supposed to be out and about like Priya; they aren’t supposed to be seen. If a girl’s girlfriend come to visit, then the girl leaves the house and they talk on the porch for two or maybe three minutes, and then the girl must return inside. Her friends never enter the house, and she is never supposed to be visited by men. Priya has never been visited by a girl; the four or five friends of hers that I have met have all been boys. They always come inside, and they are always punching each other and having friendly fights. It is all innocent. Kumari went to a western school where it was okay to be friends with the opposite sex, and Priya spent her young childhood in Mumbai, a big city where the cultural rules are a little more relaxed. Kumari was always okay with Priya having friends that were boys, but now people in the town are talking about it and the family is worried that they won’t be able to find a good husband for her because no family will want their son to be associated with her. It is so different from America where guys and girls are free to mingle and be friendly. Priya, though, thinks the Indian rules are outdated and refuses to bide by them. In addition, Vamil, one of her closest friends, come from the lowest class. In her grandmother’s eyes, this added insult to injury, which is why they fought. Priya hopes some day to study in a university in Europe, where she will be able to do what she wants.
When Xavier woke up an hour later he had a fever and threw up. Kumari decided to take him back to the doctor to see what can be done, and I am left here with Prince and Durga, who also didn’t go to school. Hopefully I will hear from Kumari soon.
Peace,
Robby
Yesterday was the most tiring day I have had here yet. With waking up early and then the mountain climb and then moving, the activity never stopped. The movers helped with all the big things, but we carried everything else. We made dozens of trips by foot carrying large bundles of things wrapped and tied up in sheets. Going through all of their things you could tell that they used to have money. Kumari had piles and piles of high quality and finely made saris, but each was faded and obviously worn. Once we got everything to the new house that needed to be there we started unpacking. By this time it was pretty late, and I wasn’t that much help unpacking because Kumari needed to know exactly where everything was going. She ended up doing it mostly herself while Xavier looked on grimly, unable to help.
That night everyone migrated back to the old house and we ate dinner. It was a quiet night, and being the last day of the weekend I was a little sad that I wasn’t able to spend more of it with the kids. We all went to bed early; no one had rested at all that day. Kumari and Xavier, however, didn’t get any sleep. The medicine he is on has nausea as one of its side effects and the doctor prescribed another drug to counteract this nausea. Despite this second drug, Xavier could not sleep at all. He felt like he had diarrhea, needed to throw up, and that his bladder was about to explode with urine. Not once did he vomit, have a bowel movement, or urinate despite these feelings. When I woke up this morning, a tired looking Kumari was chasing a wet, naked, and screaming Prince around the house. After the weekend he refused to return to school. Xavier is the only one Prince will really listen to, but Xavier was unable to get the energy to be stern with Baboolu, and thus he stayed home. Xavier finally felt a little better and fell asleep around 9:30.
With everything settled down, Kumari and I sat and talked, something we haven’t really done in a few days. We talked a lot about Priya. Yesterday Priya and Vamil, the friend that went climbing with us, came to the house alone to eat. Priya’s grandmother was here too and got very angry with Priya, and Priya ended up making her cry. Kumari explained to me that Priya was a very free girl in comparison to most in India, and especially in a town like Tiru. Kumari asked if I had seen the girl next door. I admitted that I had not, and she explained that girls weren’t supposed to be out and about like Priya; they aren’t supposed to be seen. If a girl’s girlfriend come to visit, then the girl leaves the house and they talk on the porch for two or maybe three minutes, and then the girl must return inside. Her friends never enter the house, and she is never supposed to be visited by men. Priya has never been visited by a girl; the four or five friends of hers that I have met have all been boys. They always come inside, and they are always punching each other and having friendly fights. It is all innocent. Kumari went to a western school where it was okay to be friends with the opposite sex, and Priya spent her young childhood in Mumbai, a big city where the cultural rules are a little more relaxed. Kumari was always okay with Priya having friends that were boys, but now people in the town are talking about it and the family is worried that they won’t be able to find a good husband for her because no family will want their son to be associated with her. It is so different from America where guys and girls are free to mingle and be friendly. Priya, though, thinks the Indian rules are outdated and refuses to bide by them. In addition, Vamil, one of her closest friends, come from the lowest class. In her grandmother’s eyes, this added insult to injury, which is why they fought. Priya hopes some day to study in a university in Europe, where she will be able to do what she wants.
When Xavier woke up an hour later he had a fever and threw up. Kumari decided to take him back to the doctor to see what can be done, and I am left here with Prince and Durga, who also didn’t go to school. Hopefully I will hear from Kumari soon.
Peace,
Robby
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