A taste of Rajasthan: Jodhpur and Jaisalamer

A palace in Jodhpur

Jodhpur - the Blue City

Jodhpur - the Fort

Jodhpur

Cosy Guest House

The old fort in Jaisalamer - sadly it is sinking and won't be around too much longer.

Sotla: the architecture in a small village

The Organization: EduCARE

So I haven't been the best about blogging regularly because I've been so busy! However, this weekend I'm taking today to relax, catch up on yet more work, and reflect on the organization I've been working with.

Upon arriving in India I was slightly disappointed with the organization. The housing situation in one of the cities was not ideal, the organization seemed disconnected and the man who led the entire operation (and only one of two full-time employees, both of whom are the only Indians in the organization) loved to hear himself speak and seemed ineffective as a leader. Almost the entire organization and their social programs are run by young international volunteers who stay anywhere from a year at a time to 6 weeks. There are three centers in three villages, the larger Adampur, the small Dosarka, and the very small Janauri where they speak Hindi instead of the traditional Punjabi. Currently there are 25 interns and generally each intern helps with 2-3 projects. EduCARE does work with sanitation, a Girls Club that is part of their Women Empowerment initiative, a form of Micro-Finance (ask my friend Martha for more info on this!), an organic farm, an alternative fuel and recycling program, a Migrant Empowerment, and an after school program for both middle-class Punjabis and migrant children. The organization also offers English classes that primarily address increasing global awareness.

So some things that work in this organization:
-Each intern is given a lot of freedom to do what ever they want. If I wanted to start a basketball team with the migrant children, and I had the drive and materials to do so, I could. I do not really want to do this but it is awesome that I have this level of freedom.
-There are many projects to help out with and there is never a lack of things to do (I am busy allll the time!)
-As an intern, you can see the personal development in the students and children you work with over a month time-span so the work can feel quite rewarding.
-The organization strives to be self-sustainable which it mostly reaches - it is neat that the organization does not want to rely on outside funds. Mr. B (the man who runs everything) constantly repeats the mantra, manpower, materials, money! In that order of importance!
-Finally, the organization stresses the importance of leading by example. The interns and our houses use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and we encourage the locals to reuse materials. We also have our bio-fuel plant (remember the time I spent all weekend scooping poo? it was for that plant...) and we realize how our own actions can influence the local population - both negatively and positively.

Things that do not work for the organization:
-There is too much freedom. Oftentimes interns arrive and they have no idea what they are doing or how to do it. There is often little instruction and not enough training upon arrival.
-Conflicts of interest and egos. While I respect most of the people in this organization, because so few people work here long term, I think that personal relationships and egos get in the way of being an effective organization.
-Typical organization woes: over planning, too many google documents, too many meetings and too little action taken, and an over-extension of resources and manpower.
-The main man, Mr. B, touts a goal of 40% efficiency. Wow, that is a large number to strive to attain... I could continue but let's not get too negative.

So I'm working on Girls Club and the Migrant Empowerment initiative. Mostly I do education with girls and migrant children. I also decided to help out the organization and teach English classes (something I had not intended to do nor something I feel very good about, it feels a little like linguistic imperialism).

My research through CSAS is focused on my observations of how globalization has affected education here in Punjab. More generally, the effect education has had within the empowerment of marginalized communities such as the women's empowerment and migrant empowerment programs through EduCARE.

Some quick general observations:
-Punjab is a relatively rich state of India with a high immigration rate abroad, the affects of globalization are seen in their farming techniques, school, and in the slow change of some aspects of their culture to a more Western influenced life style. Still, many of my English students maintain that they value their own traditional culture higher than Western culture. At the same time, people are extremely obsessed with trying to go abroad that they seem to try to immerse themselves in a more Western lifestyle. It goes both ways.
-Students are very interested in our organic farming techniques - which I found a little surprising - which shows how a current Western ideal has a far-reaching positive global effect
-Also surprising, I've been able to observe and research a lot from the English classes that are discussion based. The organization stresses teaching with a global focus so we discuss topics such as love marriage vs. arranged marriage, poverty, global warming, developing economies, etc. It is interesting to learn the student's perspectives as well as how they view different topics and themes based on their culture or home life.
-Some of the techniques we try to empower the girls in Girls Club do not work because of cultural differences. Sometimes it doesn't seem like we are accomplishing all that much either, but at the same time, it is a big deal just for these girls to have a space that is just for them. It is a big deal to be allowed to leave the house and hang out with other girls to learn and play games or sports.
-Finally, for the migrant children, the educational component with them is essential. We cannot establish trust within the migrant community without first reaching out to the children. This is easily done by teaching them English and math skills meanwhile playing games and singing songs with them. Once we have their trust we slowly gain their parents trust. Through this we can implement other social programs and involve the migrant communities - especially the trash picking communities - with our sanitation projects.

I'm hardly explaining these or getting into the meat of the issues but I thought I'd quick jot down my observations here to give others an idea of what I'm observing and researching.

Farming and Teaching!

Boys who are jealous of the Girls Club and just can't help joining in on the fun.

Cutting vegetables and learning about healthy cooking at Girls Club

Two wonderful girls in my Intermediate English Class

Going out to farm at our organic farm! Beautiful morning - normal 6 am. morning wake up.

I have been working with a lot of cow poo here. After originally thinking touching fresh poo in order to make a fuel efficient stove at a migrant camp was gross enough, I spent all weekend shoveling 4 day old poo into a bio gas fuel plant and my opinion quickly changed. Making stoves out of poo now seems like a tea party compared to the ridiculous labor I did this past weekend - I would prefer never to have to be that covered in cow dung ever again in my life.

Transportation in Rural India - The Buses

I initially hated riding buses in India. Because the NGO I'm working with is spread throughout three centers in Punjab, I ride a short bus ride daily and hour long bus rides several times a week. There were several (extremely valid) reasons I originally disliked (make that strongly disliked) riding the buses:

1. On one of my first long bus ride experiences, I sat at the very front of the bus where I was inline with the driver. I was privy to seeing his crazy driving antics whereas before I only felt the dangerous swerves he made in and out of traffic. I saw first hand how he dodged bicycles, pedestrians, motorbikes, trucks, other huge buses, cars, and cows on the narrow two lane Punjabi roads. His face remained unchanged as he blared that ridiculous horn all the way down the road.
2. My personal space bubble is constantly invaded by the five people pressed against me and sometimes on top of me. The buses can be so crammed people ride on the roof. If another passenger isn't pressed up against me, then it's the bus attendent who collects money. These attendants have a tendency to sit on me or run into me when the driver makes an especially daring move and must quickly brake. It usually results in some awkward contact.
3. Both the bumpy roads and the crammed buses make for a motion-sick Julia. And I'm not the only one as evidenced by the trials of vomit that can often be seen outside windows on the exterior of the bus.
4. The language barrier constantly terrifies me when I'm not totally sure where I'm going. I have had to do many transfers on local lines and I constantly repeat the name of the city where I'm headed in order to confirm and re-confirm (and usually re-confirm again) that I'm headed in the correct direction. Usually I just have to trust the bus attendant that he's not taking me to the wrong city and putting this kind of trust in one man terrifies me. Little seems more scary than being stranded in rural India at night with no idea where the heck I am and when the next bus will come.


However, I've had a recent change of heart. On a bus journey I take at least once a week, I admired the beautiful orchards, fields, and small towns that flew past outside. The window was open and a cool breeze offered me a relief from the heat. I sat surrounded by curious Indians who wanted to know more about myself and the other Westerners with me. Adorable babies with big beautiful eyes lined with kohl returned my smiles and would sometimes respond when I questioned, "tera naam hai?" It was beautiful. It was the one hour that day I had taken time to sit down and relax. I began to love the rhythm and energy of the buses here in Punjab.

I have also met some incredible people on the buses. The other day a woman about my age struck up a conversation with me. She had excellent English and she was eager to practice it. She wanted to know about my home, what I was doing in India, where I went to school, etc., etc. She was amazed that I was to travel to other countries alone and professed a desire to travel abroad some day, although she thought it was unlikely. I told her to stop by the center of the NGO I'm working with and she surprised me with a visit the other day. It turns out that she is a police officer in a large town about an hours bus from where I live. It was refreshing to meet a young person so dedicated to changing her state and country. I was also excited and relieved to get the contact information for a seemingly well-intentioned police officer - something of a rarity.

Even the garish decorations of the buses add to their charm and I find that I like these tin metal cans packed like sardines more and more. Although I prefer hitchhiking in the backs of trucks or riding motorbikes, the buses remain a favorite of mine despite their many draw backs. I guess this might have to do with the fact that the buses cannot give me a second degree burn on my calve as motorbikes have done. That and I don't have to be male in order to successfully flag down a bus as is the case with hitchhiking... Regardless, riding Indian buses is all a part of the experience and my time here would not be the same without them.

All in all, many aspects of India that I initially dislike or resist, have a way of surprising me by enriching this amazing experience for the better.

The view from outside my room!

The picture above is from Mcleod Ganj where I visited for a long weekend. It was lovely to escape the heat and noise of Punjab. Sadly I fell ill but I'll be back

]Masala Dosa!!! Yum, it's like a crepe stuffed with potatoes and masala spice with dipping sauces!