Blogs from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, Asia - page 9

This is my last day at Sambhali, and it feels like time to recollect all I’ve gained and contributed during my two months here. There have been many challenging and heartbreaking moments, and I will never forget these lessons. The harsher memories are softened by neighboring images of determination, of sacrifice, of respect, and of love from the strong community of Sambhali Trust. Once immersed in the swift flow of the NGO, I marveled at the smoothness and speed in which things were accomplished. Walls and completely new rooms were built in mere days at the office; the Sambhali store was opened with only a few delays (shocking for Jodhpur); meetings were conducted bimonthly without fail, successfully bring the entire team together to share our work and thoughts. I learned a lot about what a ... read more

Hello Dearies! Hope all is well wherever you are. I'm grateful that you have the desire, and time, to read my various entries :) I myself am finding it difficult to relax. Each morning I spent at least thirty minutes drinking chai and waiting for breakfast. I almost always read the paper, or a book. Sometimes, if I’m too tired or I’ve read everything in my possession, I sit in the morning sun and only sip, and feel unproductive. My host mom, Chancha, never reads. When she has chai and cookies in the morning or afternoon, she only sits. She listens to the birds nesting in the backyard, or watches people pass by on the street. She can read and write, but instead she chooses to just…be. It’s a state I’ve lost touch with, or never ... read more

A warning to my dear friends, If you see a boy run into the street at night amidst an Indian wedding party, place something on the concrete, light it, and run, then it will probably explode in your face. In a terrifying moment, I was momentarily deafened and blinded. Amidst the singing and music accompanying the mounted bridegroom, a flash of light filled my vision, quickly replaced with pitch blackness; my hearing was assaulted by a roar, and then an eerie silence of aftershock. This slowly faded into a harsh ringing as my eyes slowly regained their sight, but my heart continued pounding. It only lasted a few seconds, and my fear was so great that I couldn’t process what I was afraid of (blindness? Death?) until I’d already begun to recover. The following explosions were ... read more

Here is a piece I wrote for Sambhali Trust's website: Change comes from within. Within each person, certainly, but also within a community, from the web of minds that shape a household, a village, a culture. Change often sprouts up, struggling, between cracks in the pavement, fueled by internal unrest. Sambhali Trust has planted this change in a fertile bed, where a garden of women to unfold their brilliant, resilient petals. The potential of Sambhali Trust runs deep within the experiences and beliefs of its beneficiaries. Each smiling woman and girl has a story, hardships and roadblocks they’ve faced and continue to tackle. When I arrived at Sambhali Trust, I was welcomed by a graceful group of women, adorned in vibrant clothes, jewelry and a thirst for knowledge. I swelled with admiration, and anticipation of working ... read more

Namaste, Today I had an exciting meeting with Govind and the interns at Sambhali Trust. Megan has just arrived, and the four of us discussed our projects and were assigned some further work by Govind. I will be writing a report/proposal for the Sheerni Micro Credit Project with our three Self Help Groups in Setrawa. Of course I have not forgotten that this is where the Emory graduate (tear) Surbhi worked last summer. I’m currently working on getting translations for past reports and financial books, and looking over Sambhali’s past work and relations concerning the project. I’ll be evaluating how the SHGs have progressed in the past 6 months since they were formed and what needs and potential there is for the future groups. Sambhali Trust also has 10 SHGs that the government has assembled and ... read more

Namaste! Ap kesay hum? It’s hard to keep my journals updated with all I’ve been doing, and post them on the internet regularly. Here are a few compiled entries about my Non-Government Organization, Sambhali Trust: My first meeting with Govind, the center’s director, was with two other interns and all of the teachers at Sambhali Trust. The meeting was thoughtfully planned so that it began about 10 minutes after I walked into Sambhali Trust for the first time. The benches were lined with women in the colorful Rajasthani dress, each with a golden nose piercing and decorative jewelry. Most of them wear a sticker dot on their forehead between the eyes, with a painted scarlet streak in their hair part to signify marriage. The attire was a korti or camese, a sleeved shirt, which reaches to ... read more

Namaste Dear family and friends! I just opened my computer, which I had stuck in my bag, to find that it is infested with ants. And I don’t mean an ant here or there - 50 ants poured out from under the keys, swarming over letters and onto the screen. How did this happen overnight? I think this must be a very bad sign for my bag…I’m scared to look. OK I looked - it’s not that bad, ants prefer the internals workings of a laptop to nesting in clothing. Or maybe they are just exited by something new. Even as I type, they still haven’t left the keys: reduced in number, they frantically dart in and out of letters, searching for their fellow ant comrades. Or maybe they are trying to spell something…shift…z…3…x…sunshine symbol…tab. Yeah, ... read more

May 30th (I wrote this a few days ago, but this is the first day I've gotten internet! I hope to write a new entry soon as so much has happened since sunday :) Namaste! I know I arrived here yesterday, but it already feels like so long! I’ve met my fellow interns and they are all awesome. Everyone has some story or crazy experience, and is really friendly and ready to learn about Jodhpur. Our orientation has consisted of shopping, eating, learning Hindi, drinking, dancing, swimming (in the only pool in Jodhpur, the existence of which Gabriel considers a crime in the desert) and discussing about our expectations about the program. Last night at a club/bar (one of two in all of Jodhpur) I met my director and host at Sambhali Trust. Apparently, the NGO ... read more

Hello and welcome to the beginning of my journey to India! As you know, I was lucky enough to receive the Emory UPGRADE scholarship with helps fund an internship with the international organization 'Foundation for Sustainable Development.' They have partnered me with a Local Non-Government Organization to work on Women's Empowerment. I am full of exciting preparations for my departure. Luckily, I have all the necessary vaccines from my trip to Tanzania, save one. I also have a lot of travel supplies left over from the past summer, so my expenses, though substantial, are not over burdensome. My plans to travel with my dear friend Noor Najafi have been foiled by the strict VISA people in India. Because of his name they have not granted him a VISA which totally sucks because Noor is really someone ... read more

Jodhpur lies 300km west of Jaipur, on the edge of rajasthan's Thar Desert. It is famous for a few things. Jodhpurs - the horse riding breeches -, being completely blue and the Meharangard Fort, a colossal and as yet impeneterable citadel which towers 400m above the "blue city". Infact the blue is so intense theat the sky permanantly looks grey from the city streets )its not, there are no clouds in Jodhpur). We certainly have had no reason to feel blue, since Jodhpur has a certain charm about it to keep one amused for a few days - the narrow streets lined with blue houses and a certain bustle to name a few. It also has no end of tasty sweet shops! Jodhpur is in the desert, and therefore as a city of 1 million is ... read more