A Whole New World, A Whole New Me

The Change
It is hard to describe the changes that I feel,
the culmination of these experiences which were ever so real.
The laughter, talks, and companionship shared,
the way languages were overcome to show each other we cared.
What joy and what peace - they live a truly beautiful life,
but, a life also plagued with inconceivable strife.
This was the reason we came and we saw,
but one visit alone cannot change the corrupted law.
One internship to experience with just 8 wks. to give,
can never transform the evils in the world in which we live.
So instead I now look at things in a different light,
I have been spreading my wings and learning a new flight.
For no matter what one does - it can never be enough,
and there will always be simply more - more stuff.
More stuff that needs learning, doing, and saying,
More stuff that needs loving, healing, and praying.
This new flight acknowledges the truth in this land,
that life for all people will live on as God has planned.
However, all bad things will sadly continue as well,
as long as there is Heaven - there must be a Hell.
But life is a perspective - merely a state of mind.
What is this fellowship which we call mankind?
It is a single opportunity - and a fleeting one at that,
to step up to the plate and pick up the bat.
One chance we are given to swing and to run,
to enjoy one another in our days under the sun.
To fight the inequities which we can see,
to experience new cultures and break for tea.
To love - just love - the gift of life we have received,
to thank God each moment we have been conceived.
The true gifts of this life are not tangible items on earth,
they are love, companionship, joy and mirth.
They are not acclaims awarded or medals won,
they are not money accumulated or deals done.
The true gifts can be shared regardless of age, color, or class,
these true gifts are central to the most holy Mass.
It is not only an option to share in these intangible jewels,
but a duty to do so - breaking whatever social rules.
Whatever rules teach us we are different than the rest,
whatever rules inform that we are the best.
Whatever rules confine, restrict, and decrease our love,
to follow these rules is to be like a wingless dove.
The most valuable ingredients in life must be cherished and kept,
never covered by a bush or under a stairwell swept.
We cannot give into the rules of prejudice, anger and pride,
we must ask ourselves for what reason Jesus Christ died.
And ultimately, after this introspective time -
this deep and thorough internal mime -
a peace can be reached which has not been found before,
a peace that keeps you wanting more and more.
We must do what we can - while we can - where we are,
whether home or away - whether near or quite far.
We must find the way to fulfill our desires,
to refuel our tanks and fill our tires.
The mission for each person is never the same,
some may be destined to work with the lame.
Others inclined to help save an injured cow,
(yes, I picked this animal, don't ask me how!).
Whatever it is, pick up your mission and walk,
and do not forget to always remember to talk.
To talk to each other and to talk with God -
the only reason we are living on this earthly sod.
After my experiences in the villages this past week,
I have so much to say - it is just worthy words I seek.
Words worthy of communicating all the beauty around,
the beauty that within every person can be found.
I currently may look a bit disheveled, tired, and weak,
I may appear to be homely, worn down, and meek.
However, within I am radiant - beaming with joy,
my emotions are changing like a child's favorite toy.
I am overcome with the feelings of gratitude and praise,
for all things, including the grains of sorghum, wheat, and maize.
The person I am is not the same - not now,
something within me moved in those villages- I do not know how.
A beautiful experience I have had I will never forget,
the kids played with and the farmers met.
I cannot wait to tell you more about each day,
Each day I woke up, lived, and slept in a land far away.
First I must rest and settle back into my temporary home,
for just under four weeks - at which time I will again roam.
Roam about making another home for myself,
taking care of my passions, studies, and health.
A life ahead and so many interesting things to pursue,
so many ideas to think, see and do.
But sleep is essential and I best be headed off now,
Any last words? Yes, please. Just, "Wow."

The Scoop

So, I figure it is about time to let you know what I am up to! I am having an absolutely extraordinary time, but am on a borrowed computer and net connection. This means I am journaling every moment and picture snapping the others and I cannot wait to share. When I get unrestricted net access upon my return to ICRISAT (try 48 hrs. or so) I will begin to update. However, I will restrain myself and go in the proper order as I did on my long and hectic flights here.
Well, I am doing great! Fantastic, exhausted, and one hint: I love the kids!!! So, I will get you filled in as soon as humanely possible - after catching up on all my lost sleep of course!
More later!
Leah

So I am Off, Then!

Just thought I would let you know I am ready and raring to go. I woke up this morning at 4:40 a.m. (Thank God!) after a short night's rest. I will finish up with some last minute packing that I am working on here and then I will be off. We will head out at 7:00 a.m. from ICIRSAT west towards the land of Maharashtra and the village of Kinkheda. I am quite excited and ready for the long journey which will be a perfect time to sleep, rest, read, and relax.
Thank you to all for the prayers, love, and support. I will take a little of each of you with me as I meet with the rural farmers of the Maharashtra village.
If anyone is quick to reply, let me know any picture requests -- otherwise, I will use my best judgement!
Lots of love to all!
<3 XOXOXOXOXO <3:
Leah Marie Abigail Lucas

The Day my World Turned Upside Down. . . and GOT SUPER EXCITING!! :)

As you all know by now (or should) crazy things are going down here on the ICRISAT campus, Patancheru, India. Today I woke up - had my delectable b-fast of papaya, mmmm. delicious ripe mango, double mmmm. and even part of a banana/chapati roll-up. Wow. Big breakfast. I was very full. (It was like my subconscious mind knew I was stocking up before I even did!) I woke up extra early also so I was able to have nice long talk with Mom and Dad. (This all fits in perfectly to the plan later on. . . .)
I headed to work, wanting to be punctual, of course, with hopes to maybe meet my mentor today. I had to wait for the door to be opened for my office, but that was ok - I felt pleased I was there early. I began the day but barely got too far into any work (I was just working on final report) when my friend came into the room. She is great and doesn't mince any words. She says, "Hi. So, you are leaving for the village tomorrow morning from here and I am coming with." Of course, a mixture of emotions courses through ones veins at a time like this and I tried to find out the scoop. I had planned to leave next Monday and return late Saturday night, but this was all out the window now. (This was, like all things in life, both good and bad.) Now, thinking of it, I am so happy and I have no idea what I would have even done otherwise. It could not have worked out any better. This is precisely the time I said I wanted to go on my visit in the first place. I said, and I quote, "early to mid next week," in my last week report. Soooo, then I thought it wasn't going to happen and I resorted to a pushed back date. Now, I am right back on track. Pretty sweet, huh?!? Ok, so I must start at the beginning, this is quite the big day.

The man who lived in the village I am going to for 30 yrs. is currently on a trip. He works for ICRISAT now in the research field, but still maintains great connections with the village. He needs to go with me to get me in good with the people and ensure I get good results and data. He knows the people and village like the back of his hand. Once again, he is on a trip. I was told he would return from Delhi on Thursday and we would then plan my trip. (This is why I pushed back the date in the first place.) However, turns out, he was not planning to come back Thursday at all, but planning to leave from Delhi to a different destination he needs to go to. (He is on leave from work.)
If he would have done this though, I could not go next week with him either. Then I would be absolutely sunk without enough time whatsoever for me to analyze and prepare reports on the data I receive. So, at this point, my mentor comes into the picture. I met her today and she is wonderful. So kind, smart, and very good. I am so pleased to be working under her - I can learn a lot. She heads the whole Climate Change team. She went home on leave to visit family and while there, her father fell ill, then passed away and she - being the oldest child - was responsible for conducting all funeral service arrangements. What a shock she has had. She is still on leave from work, but came back early b/c of the things that need to be dealt with. (I am almost 50% completed with my internship, for example.) - And I am sure a lot of more important things also!

Anyway, so she was great and very helpful and told me there was one dimension she would like to add to my project. I was very interested and excited to hear b/c I liked her already. She wants me to have more of a forward approach and add in a futuristic element to my study. I was liking the sounds of this. She talked of how when her sons were in college (in U.S.) there were grant opportunities for international research and travel for the whole summer months. She said, so you could travel to a different country, maybe India, and if you returned to ICRISAT, continue with this project because a few weeks - a few months - is just enough to give you the basis of what the issues are with literature review. I agreed and was so happy and flattered she was saying this during our first meet.
So, what this futuristic theme or element/idea is actually something that ICRISAT is working on now - she said an issue of top priority. I will be conducting everything in my study as I have planned, all the while keeping in mind that there is a possibility for further growth. This growth is that in the future, let's say that ICRISAT will be approved to give a $10,000 grant to my village. (This is a loooot of money here and could create so many opportunities for a small village.) What I need to do now is preliminary work to see what institutions are best suited to handle money and a project of that magnitude. Would the local government be the best hands for the cash, or the self-help group, or the other formal/informal institutions? I need to find out what governance processes are working smoothly and efficiently and which have the trutst of the farmers. When giving such a large sum, you want to give support to an institution that the farmers know and trust.
After money is given, as my mentor said, there is no more shoulda, coulda, woulda's (She used other terminology of course!). The money is out of your hands and if given to a reputable organization, can and will be implemented properly and successfully, or obviously the opposite is also possible.
So, for my topic, a very important, sometimes touchy topic of governance, I need the man there with me who is on a trip now. So, my mentor called him and is having him fly home, which he was not planning to do, accompany me and introduce me to the village, which he wasn't going to do, and then fly out from here to his next destination. It is absolutely crazy that all of this has happened in the blink of an eye. So, in our meeting, she asked me if I would be ready or able to go on my village visit earlier than expected. By this time, I had already heard the plan, so I was prepared and said, "Yes." Then I heard the famous words again: tom-or-row!!! morning I would leave.
This afternoon was mad as I prepared what I thought I would have five days to prepare in just one. I got all of my materials - which is a long process b/c the security is so tight, every piece of property taken (owned by ICRISAT) must be checked in and out here. This was a long process, but I think I have all I need now. Cassette tapes, tape recorder, batteries (they call them "cells" in other countries more frequently), markers, and chart papers for my focus group discussions. I also needed to take care of all details with my money for food-purchasing out in the great abyss of India. I got all this taken care of and said some farewells to work friends.
I left half an hour early to get a start on the packing that desperately needs to be done! So, then this evening, it was going to be my last night with my friend Anubha. She leaves on Saturday and I will miss her going away pizza and mulit-cultural dance party! We hugged and hugged and said farewells after supper and I feel like I will see her again. We have a special connection, I was so happy to meet her and get to spend time with her. She is a truly beautiful and inspiring young woman. In two years she is planning to try to do a masters in the U.S. and Cornell University is one of her top picks, so that would not be too far from me at all. . . :)
Then, I continued to pack, pack, pack :) Claire and Christen came to my room and gave me some company as I packed and that was fun. I packed up allllll the food I am bringing - lots of bananas I brought from that lunchroom today, and lottttts of chapatis. It was a miracle - just today, they had chapatis for both lunch and supper. That. never. happens. EVER. Just the day before I am leaving for a trip and need it to happen. Supper was also wonderful. Delicious. Large. And great. I got some bottled water also and began to get into the mindset of "Go bottled, or go home!" when it comes to water anyway.
I am excited and a little in disbelief. I think the 12 hr. car ride will help me realize that, yes, this is a reality. We are not just riding 12 hrs. for kicks. This will be great - quite the experience. I will delete photos in my camera on the way. That will occupy some time. I will read books that I have not had a chance to. I will sleep - because I am not right now :) and I will prepare for my data collection and social and cultural exursion.
So anyway, I am going, the "traveling man" is coming to conduct all of our community meetings and introduce me to the village, my friend, Rupsha, is coming (kind of as a female companion and helper for me I think), and another friend in the office, Byjesh. (Byjesh and Rupsha were both at BbQ Nation that one night. . . .) Also, ICRISAT driver and SUV vehicle. So, that is the status update and it is now official - it is way past my bedtime! Lisa (a.k.a. international mom w/ the WFP) just told me in an email after I wrote back to her, to: "TO GO TO SLEEP YOUNG LADY!" So, I guess I better listen! Darn that world clock she keeps at her side!
Love, peace, and blessings to all, and to all a good night.
I will return to the blogging world upon my earliest availability.
(For sure, I should be back mid-next week.)
So long, my blog fans, so long.
Leah

Stop. Freak out. PREPARE!

News just in: I am headed to the village tomorrow. Tomorrow. To - mor - row!!!! I will be headed out of here at 7:00 a.m. and not returning until Tuesday night, the 20th. Wowee! How'd you like them apples?!? More on this roller coaster ride later - time to get to work finalizing my questionnaires!!

Lots Ahappening at ICRISAT

My friend had me try on her scarf, and then she took my picture! (Don't worry, we closed the door first!) I have decided, I just don't have the look down yet!
Chandrakala - my good friend and workmate. I made her pose for me so I could try to capture her beautiful outfit. The clothes here are so wonderful - creative, unique, and pretty! (I remember when I first met her and was told she was nice. The only thing I could think of was how I was never going to remember her name! Now, it is second nature to me!

This is a treat that was brought around today at work and shared.

My friend, Anubha's, cake at lunch. It was so beautiful, I had to take a picture! They always have the most beautiful and decadent deserts here - both Indian and Western!

This was a picture of a dish I tried at lunch. It was so weird - today was a really off day lunchwise. Everyone agreed. It was the first time pretty much ever. I said, well, an experience is an experience, so it qualifies as a picture-taking opportunity! Then I came back to my room and had some bananas and chapati! :)

Funny thing was, that at supper, there were tooooo many delectable dishes!! They definitely made up for it in the heart of my Western friends and me.

Today at work I worked on my proposal for my village visit - hopefully that will take place next week. It was an interesting day because I was trying to plan what I hope will be 6 jam-packed days away from this place that has been my home for the past 3.5 wks. It is like I am taking all that I know and tossing it out the window . . . and loving it! This place has clean water, it has nutritious and delicious food, and it has all of my friends I have bonded with since arriving. My ICRISAT home away from home. But frankly, I think I am ready. I want to experience the real India. To see more of what lies beyond the pristine walls of this estate. To truly meet and come to understand what the face of poverty is. What the lifestyle and culture is of a hard-working farm village that works their bodies into the ground to provide enough to live. Enough to eat. Enough to survive.

I come from a similar-sensed, hard-working farming community. However, the lifestyles that we live are usually not even comparable. Hard work is to be respected - no matter who is doing it. However, hard work to buy a new car and hard work to hopefully provide enough so your family can fulfill their dietary requirements are two different things. Can you imagine? Not knowing your future? Not knowing if you will get any rain to give you food to eat? I am very interested to learn the results of my study and to be able to generate my report on my research.

I am very interested to have this wild and new experience next week, hopefully. I was able to get here safely - through Dubai of course - and overcome a million unforseen obstacles through the grace of God, so I know that His providence will continue to provide, shelter, and protect me on my journey. I will keep you all posted after my meeting at work. (This afternoon, my boss returned, but I have yet to meet with her or to meet her at all!) It would be crazy to return back to work after so much time away - especially when you have such a giant job.

Here are some side notes:

-One of Claire's supervisors lives on our floor and she is the sweetest woman. She is like a mother to everyone. She feeds the cats milk, she has a pet bunny, she is always making our floor smell de-lic-ious with her cooking. Oh my, I wish I could stick that in an envelope and send it home. She is so nice and today gave me 2 mangoes - just because! Out of the kindness of her heart! And they are ripe also! I am so excited for my first ripe mangoes!!!

- The breeze feels so nice here. Today it did not rain and it seemed peculiar. I am accustomed to my daily sprinkles :)

- My friend, Anubha leaves this Saturday morning and my friend, Harshan also. It is so bittersweet - both. I am incredibly happy for them. They will be missed. True kind and beautiful spirits. Mom, I wish you could meat Anubha. You would just love her. She has a presence about her - full of joy and peace. Radiating contentness.

- Friday night is a pizza and dance party to celebrate her success here and our love for her!

- Ok, bed time! Good night - good night!!! More tomorrow, have a good day Iowa!

A Great Grand Splendid Day!

Parking spaces (and cars) are smaller here! Aren't they cute? Reminds me of the white Escort that so generously made the rounds in our family. (Originated with Billie and Paul!! Another thank you sent out for that one - man that was a good little trooper - aerodynamic too!)
This picture is weird and kind of corny, but it is of my fingernails. They are really long and strong and have no new white specks so I just had to show the fam. and anyone worrying about my health. Healthy nails = healthy girl, so I guess this travel thing isn't so hard on me after all!

I have sugar chunks in my hand. They are given out kind of like the prasad is (that is the stuff with the religious significance I wrote about earlier). It is believed to be more pure sugar and healthier because it is bigger I guess and not so finely granulated. . . . My friend gave these to me!

This is my building no. I work upstairs (in the air conditioning!) I used to be downstairs (with a fan!). Either way, the weather is nice now ;)

And this is my delectable snack. You must read on to find out more.

I have been having the most wonderful day today! I had a great time at work and got a lot of work done on my report. It is nice I have been working so hard because I have done a lot of the background work which is necessary. Of course it will be difficult to analyze the data and all, but I am just so excited for it because it will be so new and exciting. I mean, I am going to get to realllly reallyyyy go out there and see, experience, smell, and taste India. So I went to my supervisor today and met with him. I gave him some updated versions of my research proposal and told him what I have been thinking about my data analysis and stuff, and he seemed really great and flexible with everything! So that was so nice! It seemed like it would be ok for me to do whatever I need to do in the interests of time so I was quite pleased. We made 3 handy-dandy little manila folders with my info. in them I have been working on - one for me, one for him, and one for the big boss who. . . is baaaa-aack! Yay!

So, he also asked me about my weekend and how it was. He is so nice to me, on Friday before the weekend, he wrote down his no. for me again and told me to call him if I ever needed anything - not to hesitate. Personal or professional! I am pretty lucky I think. Now tomorrow I maybe will get to meet this boss that I have only heard of before now. I am beginning to believe she is just a name with an office that they talk about! Just kidding! But it will be really nice to meet her, and I am happy that I feel like I am settled in with a good head on my shoulders too for when I will meet her. I pretty much have a great idea of what I want to accomplish and what I am working on and she has been copied on all of my emails, so if she was vehemently opposed to anything I was working on I think she would have let me know before now!

So, I will be sure to wear a nice outfit for work tomorrow and hopefully my pillow will give me a good hairstyle tonight! (You never know what you will get now that my hair is thickening and growing out a bit, but a little water always does the trick if there are any big issues!) Anyway, so John, I think I have an answer for you!!! To fill everyone in, after my last post, John asked me about the reason why I only see boys in the village usually and why I did not see many girls out playing. So, I never really thought of this myself and was glad that he asked me. I asked my workmate today why this was so and she didn't quite get what I was saying! So I made it a little more clear and asked her about her childhood - because she is Indian. So when she was young she loved to play and play. They played all sorts of games - more than she could even name. The one she was telling me about sounded a lot like hopscotch and another involved some type of hand/eye coordination with a ball. She said they always played outside. This wasn't helping get to the bottom of my situation, so I then asked if she played with just girls or girls and boys. And, against what I had presumed, she played with both boys and girls!

So, John, I have just come up with my own gander about why I see more little boys. I am white, quite white indeed, and most people here would not be as used to seeing white people like me - off campus especially. So, I think the boys are just more adventurous and are closer to the fence to get a better look at my ghostly appearance or something! The girls must just play somewhere else on Sunday mornings - probably more in the village. The fence is against the edge of it, so yeah, those are the only answers I can come up with! Also, speaking of the village and my little boys, it reminds me, when I was walking past the village on Sunday, there was this huge thing going on. There was a really loud person talking into a microphone and maybe some singing also. It was a big affair. I don't know if it was at the Christian, now I know Catholic (from my friends!) Church or what, but it was really cool! I wanted to know Telagu so bad then (the native language of Andhra Pradesh.

I was very upbeat and happy all day at work today as I plugged away quite content on my computer. Then after work I came back to my room for about an hour or so before workout time. I talked to Mom for a minute before she left for work and also to Dad for a little longer before he left for school. (I forgot summer school was still going on for him!) Then I, after chatting with some people online, headed out to the gym so I could get out of there in time to go to supper at 7 and before the nastiest 'squitors came out. (I am talking with a lot of the other Borlaug-Ruan interns and getting close with them!) It is so cool - we are in all these different countries, having these tottttallly different experiences, yet we all have such a common bond! I am soooo excited for the Youth Institute and WFP Conference! It will be so fun and amazing and . . . yeah, indescribable. It sure was last year!

So at the gym I signed in the book with my room no. and signature as usual and the man came over to me. He kind of asked me some question, oh yeah, how long I was staying. I told him 2 mos. and he said ok. Well, he actually shook his head, but that means ok. It is just like nodding yes, except here it is more of a sideways nod - imagine touching your ear to your shoulder - not that drastic, but in that direction. It goes back and forth - the same as our yes, like how we bob up and down. It is funny though. You don't think of other countries having different yes and no symbols and non-verbal communications. It makes sense! Can you imagine how silly some people must think we look - well mainly me because I am the one here. Always bobbing my head up and down like a fish during every conversation! I have been a little more timid with the head nod, but I am just such a head bobbing type of person - I seem to nod yes a lot! I was actually going to challenge myself to get the Indian head nod down while I was here, but I didn't want people to think I was ever imitating them or anything. Claire thought they might think it is weird because I mean, they know I am Western - look at me! (We've been over the ghost thing!) So, I have resigned to sometimes a half-way my "yes" nod with a little of their "yes" nod! It works!

Lunch was good today and I am thrilled with this new snack I have come up with. I took a picture of it for you! It really may not look very good, but it is my favorite treat!

You see, I bring back bananas from the cafe all the time and keep a stash in the fridge - nothing like the black banana stash you all viewed earlier - I promise! I also have started to bring back a few other things because some people just always order their food to go, so that is fine also. Specifically, I bring some chapatis! I've talked about these before also, they are the whole grain tortilla-like thing eaten with Indian dishes. Well, there are other types of bread also so these are not at every meal. However, these are the ones that I like, so when they have them I bring home a little baggie with them in it! Then during tea break or when I want a snack my favorite thing to do is have a banana and chapati rollup!

Anyway, so back to the gym. They have just one working treadmill now, so you are only supposed to use it for 20 minutes a night to give everyone a chance! (Ha, ha! Tonight I had the place to myself, but of course I must follow rules, right!?!) Anyway, there is also this "emergency stop button on the treadmill in a very easy to hit place. So the first five minutes of a workout - at least for me - are never the most pleasant. I mean, you need to get into the running rhythm before it gets to be fun. So I had just gotten past those minutes and was really getting into the rhythm and having a good time when, "ACK!" I hit the stinking emergency stop button!! Oh, it always upsets me when I do that because 1) I have to start over and 2) it is terrible for your body to go from a good pace to a stopped pace! And did I mention I then need to start over? Ha!

Ok, so I started over and then I had a longer run and I was actually happy I got to be on there a little longer - it was fun to run again! Part of my brain is pessimistic, telling myself the joint pain will kick in soon, but hey, until then, I am a running woman! I had a nice workout and bit a few mosquitoes there. You see I have this new theory - bite or be bitten. So, I keep a daily tally and have gotten way too competitive. Yesterday I was down, so today I went out with a vengence and totally won - by over 5 pts! If I bite, it means I got them. If I am bitten, well you know what that means, then they get a point.
After this, I ran back to my room (oh, and by the way, found out earlier the gym is free b/c I am an intern - I guess if you are here longer you have to buy a membership. . .) and hopped in the shower. Now comes the time when I am going to talk about how grateful I am that Claire is here. So, if I wouldn't have Claire, I would put my sweaty clothes on and go back to my room to retrieve my towel when I realize I forgot it. However, I do have Claire, so she just got it out of my room for me! I took a lickety-split shower and then we headed to supper and I was hungry! Yippee! I mean I had a biiiig meal and then came back and had some more chapatis and 2 bananas, so I think I am getting my active appetite back again because of these daily workouts!
And the men are so nice at the cafe. They know I want my steamed vegetable bowl every meal and they have it sitting out for me - just for me! There are so many people that go through line, but they do that for, like I said, me. :) It is so sweet. And they also always just smile at me now, they know I have the card thing that says my meals are paid for. They don't care if I take food for later b/c I only eat half the amount of Rps. that my card pays for in a day anyway. Tonight the man said, "for breakfast?" when I was getting the extra chapatis. I said yes, and thought, and for snacks. . . because I usually just have fruit for breakfast, so he probably notices that!
Well, I am just in a great mood, but better get some sleep somehow. Hopefully I am not too full after my big appetite! At dinner I was in the best mood ever and I am just wired right now also, so I really think the endorphins are to thank. Ta, ta! Can't wait to tell you how tomorrow goes!!!!