My Sunday: Mixed Emotions and Many Experiences

Where to begin? Sunday is my day to relax, pray, and come to terms with who I am, where I am, and who and where I want to be. Sunday is a wonderful day that allows me to remain grounded and seeing clearly throughout the entire week. On Sundays alone, I take the time to really reflect and think about my experiences, my emotions, and my life - both here and in the United States.
I woke up a little later than usual this morning, not going to bed as early as I would have liked. However, I had a rest-filled day yesterday, so I still got to sleep at an ok time. Christen, my friend, lent me a book called, The Way to Love. It is a compilation of the last meditations of Anthony De Mello, who was the director of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling in Poona, India actually. He was a Jesuit priest and authored many books, this one being his last. It is a very thought-provoking book as it speaks about letting go of all attachments we hold onto in our lives and truly learning to love. It provides a basis for some deep conversation among the other interns and me.
So, maybe a little of that reading sparked the introspection, but I had quite the soul-searching day. I woke up as I said, then had some papaya and a banana for breakfast, and was all dressed to trek to the church. However, it had rained through the night and some combination of feelings sent me back to my room. I then thought of the brilliant idea to have virtual Mass - don't ask me why I have yet to do this. I recall thinking about it before I left, but upon arriving here, I kind of forgot about that option. That was wonderful, and I was so happy because I even knew every song they sang except for the last one! Then I thought maybe that would be my church for the day and I wouldn't make the journey to the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel. I went to lunch and upon coming back from that, I knew I needed to make the journey.
So, I set off with my hat and no sunscreen or sun clothing because it was an overcast morning. I also had my rosary, The Way to Love book, and "The Twelve Year Prayers of St. Bridget on the Passion of Jesus." (That is really cool by the way, you should look it up!) One of the security guards passed me on his motorcycle and said hi. They are so nice and are always around campus, they remind me of my guardian angels or something!
I was burdened with many frustrations on the way to the church, as I tried to work through my feelings of "never being able to do enough or make a large enough impact." I continued to explore my purpose for life and how I am supposed to contribute for some time until I finally came to peace in the church. The church is just this beautiful sanctuary for me - it doesn't matter I am thousands of miles from home - in the St. Francis of Assisi's church I am right at home. After awhile I left the church and began the journey back, passing lakes and some wooded areas, while hearing peacocks calling. (I found out the peacock is India's bird and there are a lot on the campus at ICRISAT, but I have yet to see one.)
I then saw this huge herd of goats in a valley on the other side of the fence from campus. (Before ICRISAT began here, there was something like 10 villages, but now the villages are moved and one of them is pretty much right next to the edge of campus.) There were also a few boys sitting at the top of a cliff overlooking some murky collected rainfall in the valley. They ran to the fence as they saw me approach and said, "Hi! Hi!" I thought they may just know that word like the other small boys from the village did the other time, but I was wrong! We met each other and learned all about one another. There were 5 boys in all, the two oldest were 16 yrs. old and the younger ones were probably around 9, 10, and 11. They were so nice!
We began to talk and they asked me all sorts of questions like where I was from, what I was doing here, when I came, when I would go back, if I liked it here, why I wore a hat :), if I had a job, what I was doing, and other questions also. I told them how I go to the church on Sundays, and they were like, "Oh, Christian, Christian!" I said yes and pointed to my necklace. I found out they were Christians also and they were Catholic like me! Their parents do not farm, they work in the factory in the town instead. They wanted to know how much my hat cost and I wished I didn't have to tell them. I said a hat would cost maybe 10-12 dollars, and then one asked how many Rupees a dollar was. Another boy knew the answer before me, "Forty-seven." They were shocked at the high price. I felt bad and wanted to give them my hat! But they knew I wore it because the sun would burn my fair skin.
They also me about my age, my parents, my siblings, and if I was married. Typical question here :) I tried to explain I may not get married or I am too young, but I don't know if I explained that very clearly! They were curious about my rosary and the brochure with the 12 yr. prayers. on it. I showed them the rosary and then they knew what it was, they said they had some at home. I told them about miracle of Mary appearing to St. Bridget and why I have those prayers and they were so interested in it all. After a little while, the security guard came up on his motorcycle and I was interested to see what he would say about my friend-making! The boys said a little to him in Telagu, the common language for the state of Maharashtra, and he smiled, saying, "Carry on then," as he drove off.
I asked the boys what they said to him and told me they said hello. (I then tried to learn the Telagu word for hello, but that got too confusing because they use a different greeting depending on the age of the person, their marital status, and whether they are male or female.) I didn't bring my camera to the church today so I was unable to take their picture, but after thinking about it, I was happy I did not have it with me. I would rather die of shame than have to tell them how much my camera costs in the U.S. (not to mention electronics are inflated 200% from their price in the U.S. here!). They asked me if I ate breakfast and what I had, so I told them. Then I asked them and they had some chapati, one other type of bread, I think one also had some rice, and they had honey and jam with it.
It was so neat to meet with these boys, they go to school in English, that is why their language skills were so good. I complimented them and they asked if I spoke Telagu. I sadly shook my head no. "Hindi?" No again. "Just English?" I said, "Yes and Spanish too. But I am not very good at that - still learning." (This conversation alone was enough incentive to keep me learning other languages!) They like to play cricket for fun and live in the village next to ICRISAT - that is where their church is also. They told me ICRISAT is famous in India and that was neat to hear, it felt good to be working with them. One of the most talkative boys had a little stutter and I found him so inspiring. He was maybe 12 yrs. old, had a little harder time getting his thoughts out than the other boys, yet he was the one leading the conversation - in English! This encounter was exactly what I had been needing - to have some interaction with some of the "real India."

After awhile, one of the boys said they were headed off, so we said our goodbyes. The boy (about 12, leading the convo.) reached some of his fingers through the fence to shake my hand (sort of). It was simply the neatest experience. I said goodbye and walked a few steps when I heard them shouting something after me. I went back and he was saying, "Praise God! Praise God!" as a farewell greeting. I said, "Praise God!" back to him and asked if they would like a rosary. They took it and I was happy I could at least give them something. I told them to share - he! How can 5 boys share a rosary? I do not know! But, they said they would.
I felt so fulfilled after having this conversation, then the security guard passed again and he smiled at me, saying, "Hi." They are so wonderful, they know I go to the church on Sundays and always are around on the road checking up on me. I am still searching for something more I can do to reach out here, but it was so exciting to have that experience today. Then two other boys said hi and asked me my name and I told them. When I was nearing my room on campus, an adorable Indian little girl said hi to me and asked me my name and where I was from! (I was popular today! I felt a little bad saying the U.S. You see I was wearing my big hat, boy gym shorts (long) and a t-shirt!) I think I better start wearing a little nicer clothes like I usually do. . . anyway, she was adorable and then I asked her name also.
Finally I am back in my room now and am so happy with all of the day's activities. I will head to supper in about an hour and a half now and maybe finish tidying up my room before that. Talking with the boys today makes me excited to go on my village visit in a couple of weeks.
So long for now :) "Praise God!"

July 10th, A Satisfying Saturday

I thought I would show you some pictures from around campus, so these are some pretty palm trees outside one of the office buildings. It is so cool when I meet with my mentor at work to look out the window and see these majestic palm trees. They are so pretty and tall! Nature is so beautiful, no matter where you are. I cannot wait to see the woods of Bankston once again, but I love seeing all of these tropical trees as well. There are all of these trees on campus that have white or pink flowers in full blossom right now - they are so pretty.
This is another picture taken on my walk to the cafe. Up the stairs is the Western Canteen which I take all of my meals at. Look how clean the sidewalks are - you can see the shine off of them. People here are always sweeping the sidewalks - every morning - I am not sure what time they start, maybe 6:00 a.m. I stay in until 6:45 or 7:00 to avoid the early morning 'squitors, but the mosquitos don't like the natives as much as they like the foreigners, which overall is a good thing I guess!

I was walking out to the gate at the edge of campus here with some friends. This was when we were going to the market in town - if you see the water tower ahead - that is just for ICRISAT. I do not even want to know the amount of water this place uses, it would be upsetting. Some of it goes for field irrigation, some for living purposes, but also for a fountain and lawn sprinklers. . . . Although the fountain seems to be on usually after a rainfall, so maybe (hopefully) that is related.

They had the palm tree all lit up and a beautiful gathering this evening for some of the senior scientists at ICRISAT. There is always something big going on here, and whenever there is a conference, usually the first or second night they will have an exclusive gathering. So, on my way to supper, I could at least get a good picture since I was not one of the invitees.

Here is another shot of some of the palm trees as you exit campus. Once a year, when there is this big international conference, my friend was telling me how they put up the flags from each country along this driveway and how neat it looks. That would be cool to see, but not cool enough to miss college in September (or to miss seeing everyone back home!).

And this is a picture of the beautiful sky here one evening. We really lucked out with the wonderful weather we have. Everyone tells us how lucky we are to be here now in the rainy season because I guess it was pretty miserable and hot a little over a month back. Now, we just get these wonderful rains often. However, it is not like at home when it may be cloudy, downcast, and rainy the whole day - it is a little different here. That saying, "When it rains, it pours!" is very true here. Then, by morning or lunch break, it may be sunny again, and the cycle goes on. The rain feels so nice also when it does rain. I wish it would rain every day for the farmers' sake.

Speaking of farmers, I think I will be going to the village not this upcoming week, but the beginning of the next one. That will be an absolutely phenomenal experience - I am really very excited. Right now I am studying and working on things I am passionate about, but I can't believe I will actually get to meet the people now and conduct this actual research, gathering data and all. It is exciting!

Saturdays are a wonderful day for me. You can probably tell just by my positivity compared to the end of the week. Saturdays are a chance for me to recooperate and take some time alone. This is my favority Saturday activity. Today I woke up early actually - I really am a morning person, so I better get some morning classes in college, or I guess I could got to the library. . .

Anyway, I went to breakfast early this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see a friend, Anupa, there. She is a radiant and wonderful young woman from India. She is a very hard worker also and has a pretty demanding boss with many struggles at work, but never lets it get her down. You see, in India, at her college and with her degree (food engineering), the internship is a requirement. Many of my intern friends from India may still be in university and are here to fulfill a class type requirement. Therefore, their bosses always seem to be a little difficult to work with because the kids really need to be here and to receive the golden certificate at the end. Anupa, for example, has an absolutely crazy workload which I can hardly fathom. She now is nearing the end of internship and is beginning to comile her data into her report. She needs to complete 2 reports with separate formats - one for a journal with her school and another for ICRISAT in order to get a certificate. The one for ICRISAT needs to be a minimum of 60 pages! It is craziness - I am sending her all the positive energy I can! Yet, she is still just her chipper self, so it is rather inspiring to be with her.

We got talking about religions and spirituality as we often do. They have a wonderful belief here, that when you share a beautiful experience with another, it becomes more beautiful. I don't recall if I mentioned that before, but it really is so true. Oftentimes in our culture, we tend to keep things to ourselves, not wanting to brag or offend, but then, according to this theory, the story cannot become any more beautiful. She is always so open and willing to share about her faith and her spiritual experiences, so it is great to exchange our experiences. She is from a very religious Hindu family - her grandmother visits the temple each day. I have a little bit of teaching to do though about the Christian and Catholic faith and she is so willing to learn. All that she knows of the Christian faith - and really her only exposure - was from the book, The Davinci Code! What a nightmare, huh!? So, I am hoping to continue to share some more with her.

Through our talk this morning I learned more about the Hindu faith and found out about all of the gods they worship. The gods are very regional I guess, so because she is from northern India, she is not familiar with many common gods in southern India. The faith is an integral part of the culture and there are big cultural differences between the north and south. I also was unaware that the gods were, according to my understanding, actually all people who lived and that is why there are so many of them. They are thought to be great people who were brought into the world to restore the balance between good and evil. Their births often occurred during a large upheaval or bad occurrence and they somehow "fought for the good guys" or worked to restore justice.

I took a mini rest this morning and then had a lot of work to do. I finished up some pre-registration for college and took 2 Spanish placement exams also for the university. Ouch! It's been awhile! :) One of them was an auditory part and I had to listen to a dialogue snippet and then answer a question about each of them or something. That one took a little while to get working properly, but I am happy to have them complete. Now I just have the math placement exam, lots of 1st year reading, and some other things to do for Wesleyan. I am happy to have gotten so much done today in that regard.

Later this evening I went to the gym and had a nice workout with my friend, Anupa :) and Charlie, (the new blood from England) came also. It is fascinating to be around him and learn some of the British style of english. So, I will give you a lesson this evening from what I can remember. If something is really great, maybe tasty, or else just very nice, you can refer to it as "lush!" And one more good one that I can remember: this is just for fun! If you find yourself browsing the web rather aimlessly and after some time forget why you are even sitting in front of the computer in the first place, they consider that "WWHILFing"! And to spell it out for you, the acronym stands for What Was I Looking For!?!? I really like that one, so, my only advice for you all tonight is to do all in your power to avoid being a WWILFer today! And enjoy a beautiful Iowa Saturday in the summertime - it doesn't get better than that!

So long!

July 9th, the end of week three

I can't believe I sent off my third progress report this week, or that it was my third progress report, period. The fact that it is Friday also is crazy - the weeks just seem to fly by. I want to stretch my weekends, but then by the time the week comes, it is over! It is very interesting to be working on the same thing all day though - like a job, rather than school where you have many subjects. I enjoy the intensive study, but am happy I don't do school one class at a time or anything like that.
My proposal and questionnaire for the village visit are pretty much complete, and so much work has gone into them. One problem though. I would need to be in the village until August 18th if I wanted to collect all of the data my study requires! I have developed (with a trillion revisions) finally, something that would make a great study, however, a great study for a masters program or something - not a 2 month internship. My boss did make some hints also, looking wistfully at the computer screen after sharing his satisfaction with my proposal, if there was only more time. . . I think these subtle hints are finally sinking in. In an earlier convo. with my mom (that motherly wisdom), she started asking how many people I thought I needed to talk with, due to the length of the interviews.
So, I am exploring options of changing my methodology from millions of individual interviews (which provide statistical analysis opportunities) and focus group discussions (which back up the statistics obtained in individual interviews, hopefully) to something more focused on case studies, which would be deeper looks into chosen households, perhaps accompanied by either other personal interviews OR focus group discussions, but not both. So, I am going to do some thinking this weekend.
I also am going to pick my college classes - which has an approaching deadline. And if I am feeling really adventurous, I will take both placement exams needed for college also. -Another opportunity is to go to the mall with some friends, one of which is leaving.
Everyone seems to be leaving in shifts, so the numbers will be dwindling towards the end of the internship unless we get some quick replacements. That will be good for the focus while frantically writing my proposal I guess, but of course all of these holes will exist in our ICRISAT family!
I will take pictures of all my friends before they leave, so you can know just which ones are headed out at what time. Tonight after work, I met with my boss and left my door open with my laptop and stuff in the room. One of the senior scientists in our little wing closed the outside door off the hallway which locks, so I was locked out of my room! It was awful! I was supposed to meet my friend to go to the gym at like 5:30 but was waiting for security in my office until 6:00. Of course that provided some thinking time about my whole project and one of my work friends was working late and provided some of his opinions in on my situation. After finally getting in the guard had to take my name and all this stuff, I am pretty sure my department may get a fine for this - but I don't know. I think my boss felt pretty bad (because he was leaving - I think with a carpool), he told me I could wait in his office if I wanted, so I could use his internet! That was sweet, but I hardly felt comfortable doing that, so I just hung out with my work friend instead.

I also found out when I went to work out later than ever before that that working out late at night is equivalent to being a blood donor, so I have done my charitable deed for the day. Although, I did not save three lives. First of all, I smashed one against the mirror and then maybe helped one little guy out - but the other ones didn't get me. It was so funny. I had a shortened workout because I was like, ok, what do mosquitoes like? CO2 - breathing that out quickly. Warmth - heating up with the weight-lifting. Moisture - sweating from the exertion. And dark or bright clothing - and I was wearing either black or bright clothes! Check, check, and check!
Then I caught up with my friends at supper and went to Christen's room to talk over some of my research dilemma. I was sitting in my room thinking through everything when I was like, "Duh Leah! You just left a whole table full of intelligent minds at supper, and 2 minds are better than one!" - especially for bouncing off ideas, so I went to Christen's room and talked about some options for my project. I think I will turn in now and think some more tomorrow. This weekend came at a great time! Next week the head head boss comes back, so I will be able to have a clearer game plan after this weekend filled with much thought.
Alrighty then, good night, sleep tight. I won't let my pet mosquito bite :)

July 8th, A Busy Thursday

A delicious lunch at the Western Canteen, or the International Cafe, whatever term you like!
Today was a big day! I woke up this morning with my alarm, which was pretty early. I was going to let myself sleep some more if my body wanted it and I set an alarm for a half an hour, but that didn't work out, so up up up I was. I was able to talk to Mom this morning - and her night for a few minutes, so that was great. She told me about the little boy they are babysitting right now and it sounds so fun. Hearing about the green beans and broccoli from the garden is quite appetizing - I bet it is just so lush and beautiful. Man, one of the biggest things I am experiencing is pure gratitude, for all that I have been given. It is absolutely insane how blessed we all are.

Today at work I had a big big day, as I said earlier. So, this morning I met with my mentor and then needed to redo a page and a half of my single paged report - the background area. However, I needed to condense it and (really do it altogether over) which makes a lot of sense. It is much better now. I worked really really intensely on that this morning after getting his suggestions - when he helps me, I just sit there and watch his wheels turn, thinking, "Wow. He is so smart!" It is awesome to have such knowledgeable mentors and helpers - they have all had so much experience and have developed wonderful skill sets. I also had to change some other areas and I wanted to complete this by tea break in the afternoon so I could run back to my room and email it to him. I am working against the clock everyday I feel. So, I kept working during morning tea break, had a wonderful lunch break, another great meal - I had a little less today, but still too much. For some reason, this food is really filling. Not too much at the mealtime - but it just sticks with me forever. I am trying to get to the right amount so I can be hungry for supper! Anyway, at least I got a pic. for you today :)
So, I made the changes and got the paper sent out again. Now I am requesting to go on a field visit next week, but it seems like very late notice to me, so we will see tomorrow. I have 3 hypotheses to test, 3 objectives to fulfill for my study and a whole bucketful of questions which will turn into data after my village visit. So, it will be madness to get everything completed, analyzed, and a final report and presentation also. On top of that, everyone is just so nice, it is hard to get time to do my work (and of course have my good 'ol "Leah time" also!) I was thinking if I just became socially awkward, but then vetoed that idea as it did not sound very nice or fun! So, instead, I will just keep chugging and not let the deadlines get to me too much. I mean, it is only one time around you have - so you need to take in the work, the experience, the reports!!, but the fun, the friends, and the companionship also.
It is sad that my friends will actually start to slowly leave before me when their internships are up, but I guess that is life. It is strange because you are so happy for them, but also sad they are leaving, never to know if you will see each other again. This is a real coming and going type of place, so if you are here long at all, you must get used to that. I will also maybe have some more time to work on homework then! Everyone here just wants the best experience for me, they are all so kind and inviting. It is like, as I have said many times before, we are one big ICRISAT family ;) I am really happy to be here and tonight we had another workout night.
Although, it was even better because Claire and Anupa came with Christen and I also! It was fun, although I was too sluggish to get much done there! Anupa is adorable and Christen and I were teaching her some good workouts and resistance training exercises. It is not popular for girls to lift weights here too much I do not think - of course athletes and the younger crowd, but probably not the same as a YMCA or something. She is going to join us now nightly so I am excited for that.
I went to Kamanda's flatlet after supper, one of my friends from work, I think I gave him an alias name yesterday, he is with the U.N. program. Anyway, he showed me pictures of his family - his wife and his son - and they were so cute! It was neat to see the pictures and share some culture. This place is just one big culture sharing, it is such a neat experience. Everyone really appreciates where you come from. I oftentimes give the U.S. a pretty critical eye, but being here shows me that each country has its own problems and its own successes and it is unfair to be too harsh of a critic - even if it is about your own home. Our way of life in small town Iowa is simply foreign to many parts of the world - but in the very same way, when I visit the village of Kinkheda in the state of Maharashtra here, that will be entirely different for me also. The one uniting force is the people everywhere - so things never change. The love and the laughter, the tears and the pain.
I found out something I have been very interested to learn about recently. This was the wages of the people who work here on the cleaning/housekeeping staff. I have always been curious because I knew it could not be very much - and it is not. Somewhere around 2,000 Rps. a month may be an estimate for a housekeeper. To put that in perspective, sometimes at the cafe, a really good meal may cost about 70 Rps. and if you eat off campus, nice restaurants can cost 600 Rps. or you can get cheaper meals for 100-200. But that is, whatever way you look at it, not a lot! Can you imagine raising a family? Buying groceries - which were not cheap either - when I went to the market, someone I was with got just a little basket with some food items and it was a little over 500 Rps., so obviously the different ways of life are evident right there. And this is the inequity occurring right on the campus! Just step a foot outside to see worse, those who are not able to find even a job to pay 2,000 Rps. a month. The housekeeping does such a nice job too - everything is so clean, they sweep the sidewalks - every morning - when it rains, etc.
One cool thing about the culture that Claire pointed out to me is that the cleaning crew works the same type of hours as the workforce, which is really cool. I mean, each morning at work, the man will come with the broom and sometimes with a mop and just sweep out the room for us while we stand outside. It is neat because they can have nicer hours also, and who cares if the office is the same in the morning as you left it the night before? That only seems to make sense, huh?
Alright, better head to bed - I promised myself I would go early tonight. May wake up early and do some writing work, or sleep a good night's sleep - that would be good too. Also, maybe I will catch the 'rents when it is nightime for them! I am making an effort to call a little more frequently now because when I go to the field I will be gone from here for maybe six days or so, so I will have to journal and update - tons - a super lot - beyond belief - when I get back :)
Night.

July 7, 2010 - Leah's Wonderful, Fantastic, Altogether Productive Day!

Boy oh boy, do I have a lot to tell you! Today was just a wonderful day - I am simply estatic for some reason. Well, I guess for a lot of reasons. Where to begin? Morning. It is easier that way. So, this morning I woke up early - before my alarm - after my wide range of emotions last night that I kept to a minimum on the blog. (Nothing revolutionary, just the tourist frustrations and so on.) I went to breakfast a little early also due to the early wake-up time - actually - last night it rained a lot, so I think I might sleep lighter when that happens. But, I was charged up for today, very motivated, and not tired, so I do not know. (I am skipping ahead, but I took NO tea breaks today - I was working hard!) Anyway, they had these cute bananas this morning - a couple of mini ones, so that was fun. I finally was able to buy bananas at the cafe again - and eat them! Crazy idea, huh? Eat a banana. . .before it goes black!!! Anyway, oh, another great thing: this morning on the papaya slices, there were these decorative lime slices. Well, decorative for some people. I almost let them sit, but them decided to squeeze them all over the fruit like a true fearless payaya and lime eater would, and it was great! A little limey! Imagine that :)

Anyway, losing focus here, so then I came back to my room and finished getting things ready for work a little bit, and decided to try to call home. You see the phone has been out or something, so I have been unsuccessful in this regard for ages, something with the rain at home. But. . .today it worked! And it was great to talk to Mom and Dad, mostly about college technicalities I guess, but quite enjoyable nevertheless. That was a good morning so far, and then it was time to run off to work. So I power-walked as fast as these little legs could carry me and got things set up there. Fill water bottle, set up computer, etc. (I drink more water here, most everyone drinks a lot of water and most drink tea also. That is good - I am quite pleased with my higher hydration levels.) Ok, back to work.

So, last night I sent an email to some work people and my supervisors. This was to send a revised copy of my research proposal - I know what you people are thinking, "revised? again? are you ever going to actually do it?!?!" So, yes, I am, but I first need much revising time and this part of the experiment is crucial. If you do not properly set up your study with a strong base of support and an adequate amount of background work, no one will value your results or take them seriously. In the email, at the end I said something along the lines of "Dr. Supervisor, I look forward to speaking with you about your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for change this week if possible. I will stop in tomorrow morning to set up a time that works for you." So, sure enough, this morning I marched in there ready to set up our fancy dancy little time, and he was so nice and it was really funny.
So, when I approached his door, he was smirking and kind of laughing a little bit at his computer screen. (I knew then, he was reading what I sent him.) He invited me in and said he just received my email and then he said, "and why all of this?" He then read aloud the couple of sentences from my email, saying "blah, blah, set up a time that works for you. . ." He said, "Why all of this? You can come in anytime, no need to set up a time." So, that was really nice and I am so grateful he is willing to take so much time to help me. I mean, he has really important things to do and I am kind of just a pesky intern, but it is great when at least they don't make you feel like that. He also said that what I had sent looked good and he was . . . satisfied! Yay! So, those words were golden to me. I allowed him time to read through my proposal and we arranged to meet after lunch.
Also, a person at work is back from home leave. He is from Kenya and is really nice! Really, really nice, and very helpful to me (to the nth degree!). He works through the United Nations and is stationed at ICRISAT for 3 years. He was telling me all about his program and telling me to look into it. It sounds really cool! (Some on this trip want me to go into the foreign service - state department guy - others want me to work with U.N., and others want me to work with research institutes. . .I like these fun ideas!) Anyway, he went through my proposal and was so helpful and kind. He complimented it and asked what my education was again, so that was cool :) Also, he has the cutest story.
So, he has an adorable 3 year old son. His son moved so much in his first couple years of life, he started to learn just all of these different languages - around 5 or so! They were a little worried though because he wasn't talking in sentences yet when others his age were (a while ago) so his wife moved back home to Kenya with him. He is now babbling in that native tongue, and now he can begin to learn other languages soon, as soon as he gets one down first! The kid has been to more countries than me - and he is three! The father (who works at ICRISAT with U.N.) just got back from a home visit to Kenya for a month. It must have been so nice to see everyone again for him - I think it would be so sad to be away for such a time.
So, after my wonderfully helpful convo. with him, (I mean really helpful and great) - he was helping me with the whole editing my questions bit because he has experience with the village level studies, and . . . I don't! :), I went to meet with my supervisor, (this is after lunch).
Oh no! I totally forgot about lunch! How could I? Today was my favorite lunch/meal in general of the entire trip. I mean favorite! This was a big big deal. Also, I tried to take a picture because it was so terribly exciting, although it would never have been able to capture the true beauty, but my camera memory stick was in my laptop! Back at my desk in the office! And there was no way I was going to delay my delectable lunch to go get it. Sorry guys, I'll try again next time. So, just try to visualize for now.
Well, after our somewhat late arrival home last night, like 9 o'clock, the cafe was closed, and I wasn't too hungry at that time anyway. So I had a small supper from the fridge and went to bed shortly. Then, I had a good breakfast, but was still ready for a great lunch! So, here goes, I will try to remember it all. I had a vegetable curry dish (delicious!), an okra dish (cut up), two little dishes of freshly cut tomatoes, purple onions, and cucumbers, 3 chapatis (which are these little whole wheat tortilla-like flat breads (round and all - think tortilla), and a little dish of this cut up cabbage and apple mixed together. Oh yeah, I also got bananas to keep in the fridge also - they must have thought, "Wowee!" Anyway, what you do is rip off the chutney and use it to eat the curry (and I used it to eat some of the other vegetable dishes also). It was wonderful and a little too much I thought later when I was barely hungry for supper. (But of course I got a light supper, or the cycle would repeat!)
Anyway, a quick run home to brush teeth and then back to work. Now I am meeting with supervisor and he told me there was a lot to go through so he would take it home and go through it. Then the man from earlier (really helpful/Kenyan) walks in. It was funny because I literally just left the other man's office. We talked a little - I need to open my topic back up to formal institutions if I want to study the adaptation to climate change, which I do, so that will be a little more difficult, but I am up for the challenge. (Just a lot to do in a little time!) Anyway, then they just were talking a little, and I got to the point of -ok should I leave now? or would that be rude? - this happens often when you are learning other cultures :) I was just about to biff, when he then was going to show the pictures from his vacation he just went on (my supervisor). So, he told me to come to the other side of the desk to see them. Yay! Direction! I learned about his family and it was so nice - he has an adorable 5 yr. old boy and a beautiful wife. It was great to learn more about him. Also, he is technically a gov. employee also, so gets insane rates on accomodations in the country and was telling me how if I ever want to set up weekend trips or anything, I could get some great rates. So that was really kind of him also. (Everyone is just "really kind!") I didn't get into the whole tourist bit :)
So, then he was going to look over my proposal overnight and the other man already helped me with it. So (ok Bob is supervisor and Fred is with U.N.) So. . . Fred already helped me with it and I had changes to make which would make it stronger. I decided I wanted to try to make the changes before Bob would take it home to critique. So, I got to work like a madwoman - with the clock as my only opponent. My workmate left and I finally got to the point where I thought I could accomplish my task soon. I went and asked him how late he would stay and he told me - so I told him the plan, packed up my things, sprinted (in a fast walky sort of way home - to dorm) and then was able to get it sent with about 10 min. to spare. So, hopefully that all worked out. No time to worry now.
Then, I decided to head to the gym after my mountain of a lunch. I had a great workout and feel great - it was really funny though. So on my way to the workout, I was thinking how I just felt a little sluggish you know, not bad, but just a little subdued, maybe sleepy. This may seem normal, but of course when you are in another country you take care of yourself a little more, so I started going through things in my head, and then I finally diagnosed myself (thank you very much). You know, I felt the glands and the whole bit. I was suffering from the . . . brace yourself people, this may shock/horrify/frighten you. From the . . . pre-workout lazies. That is right, you know the time when you like to make excuses to postpone for another day? Anyway, I pushed through my range of symptoms and had a great workout and then felt great!
So, then after supper, and this longer than long can be blog, I think I am finally ready for bed! I have more to do for work - now I will have a lot to do for work, always! But you have to cut yourself some slack every now and then too. I will wake up early tomorrow if I am feeling well-rested. (Or if it rains hard!)
Ok, so now is the point where I add in all the things I forgot:
1) It was "sari day" at work today, so all the ladies in the office wore these beautiful saris - it was awesome - saris are what are worn for special occasions/weddings/ceremonies/etc. usually.
2) Also, every time my workmate would sneeze I would say, "God bless you!" Finally one day after she sneezed, she asked me what I always said to her! I told her and explained it a bit, and then one day, I sneezed. Twice. Loud. You guessed it. Each time she said, "God bless you" to me! Then today, she sneezed and I - of course - said, "God bless you!" My friend from Indonesia/then Singapore/etc - (the other intern, Andre) said, "what did you say?" Ha, ha! So this culture sharing never stops. It is the coolest thing ever. To have such mutual respect for one another's lifestyle/background/religion/culture/customs/etc.
Who knows, maybe this campus will be asking God for blessings whenever they hear someone sneeze before I check out of here!
Finally, (you can be the one to thank God), I am done for tonight. Sorry, no pics., no videos, just lovely Leah narrative.
This is Leah signing off. . . from the other side. Same sky, same humankind, just different things in between.
Good night!

Tuesday July 6th = Tourism

A closeup of some building structures.

A view from the top of the Golconda fort near Hyderabad.
Some of the architecture. (I'm in the picture too!)

Christen, Anupa, Claire, and I.

Tonight after work we went to the Golconda fort near Hyderabad. I left right away after work and then we waited in the guesthouse for our friend, the professor at a college in Cambridge and the ICRISAT driver. It was so kind of him to invite us along to the fort, which is 7 kilometers around, so we, of course, only saw some of it. Christen and I hiked up these huge stairs which were just big rock paths (a little jagged) to the top of the fort. The acoustics are magnificently designed so when you are at the very entrance of this place, if you clap, wwwayyy up at the top of the fort it can be heard. It was crazy. We also bought tickets to go to a lightshow at the fort, which began at 7:00 and went to about 7:55. The show was just more touristy stuff, it told some ancient tales about the history of the fort. (I was happy to have my electronic bible along - thanks Mom and Dad! That comes in handy when you want a quick read.)

It was so nice to arrive back at ICRISAT tonight. I think today was my first and last touristy adventure. I have decided I can maybe be a traveler, but I cannot be a tourist. Particularly in a nation like India. It is just too upsetting for me to be doing some tourist activity when so many are in such horrible conditions. To drive past someone peddling in traffic, only to go spend money at some flashy tourist place doesn't have the best effect on me. However, my friends were nice about my quietness at the ruins. So, I think I will do some more staying on campus, researching, and writing from now on. This is a nice place to be.

It is getting late tonight, so I am thinking I better get cleaned up and then head to bed. I will fill you in more tomorrow on all the latest happenings with my research and life!

Oh yeah, by the way, remember the banana picture? They are all gone now! I got a little help and polished off the last ones tonight, which means fresh bananas here I come! In a while anyway :)

Also, today I thought happy thoughts about Mom and Dad. Mom, I thought about shopping at the Health Market and Dad, I thought about playing euchre. (I have some companions interested in playing also, so we may have a euchre night sometime!) So, anyway, sending warm wishes back to the states, and Park Hollow :)

July 5, One Whirl of a Monday

Jackfruit and I meet! And by the way, next to that ancient dust-collector is my up-to-date laptop. And no, no one uses computers like that, it is just sitting here for now :)

Also, if you see my orange scarfy thing, I felt so cool today, I was like, "yeah, gonna throw in a little indian wear with a little western and mix it all up!" Feeling good that is, until one of my work friends asked me in the hall with a concerned look on her face, "Leah, are you cold today?" At first I didn't get it and I was just like, "No, not really." Then it hit me - the indian and western mix and match really was not working out for me. Oh well, I thought it was cute, even if it didn't classify as Indian. . . Better luck next time, ay?

So, getting to my day. . . today I ran around like a chicken - with my head cut off! (Those images were not quite as cute, so you can thank me later!)

At work, I went through one of those - "oh boy, am I sure this is the research project I want to commit to?" stages. So, what did I do? Spent the whole (most of) the day running around being sent from person to person in search of the data I would need for my new project. This project was not really a new idea, but just one I have definetely not fully expanded upon yet. I am very interested in the topic and can see a lot of interesting conclusions being drawn, but . . .well, I am getting ahead of myself - I better tell you what it is.

This research project would have investigated the linkage between Bt cotton, institutions of credit, and farmer suicides in one of the villages in the state of Maharashtra. Maharashtra is currently having a crisis with the rising number of farmer suicides: From 2006-2008, the state had 12,493 farmer suicides, which is 85% higher than the 6,745 suicides recorded from 1997-1999. (http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/feb/psa-suicides.htm) The Bt cotton crazy was pushed on the farmers, selling them fabrications of grand harvests and full pocketbooks. However, when push came to shove, the Bt cotton did not produce and they were left with huge debts from the expensive biotech seeds they purchased. The institutions of credit also are significant because if one borrows from a gov. bank/institution, if their crop fails, they can get helped out. On the contrary, if one borrows from a friend or money lender, there is no government assistance and the interest just keeps accumulating until eventually the forces of debt, climate change, Bt cotton failures, and pressures become too great and they commit suicide. (There are definetely other factors as well - those are just some large ones I would have focused on.)

So, this project would have been fascinating - like many - but also very sticky because having a suicide in the household is a huge disgrace. Many are unreported, and because the man is head of the household, the family is then left to fend for themselves with the same debt and a much harder life ahead of them. So, after much talking with people I did decide against this topic because it is not quite feasible for me right now.

First of all, there is no data collected by ICRISAT on farmer suicides - I would have had to first find out what households have histories of suicides before analyzing any data whatsoever. Also, the village I would choose for this is in the neighboring state, which means it is roughly 12 hrs. away! And to put the cherry on top, I have just one month and about a week to set up my project, visit the village, analyze my data, come up with a conclusion, and a final report!

Soooooo, anyway, it was a relieving end to a very hectic day. I had a great conference with one of my mentors who was so wonderful to me and helpful. At first it was hard for me to read him, but I think he likes me now because he is very kind. I think he also got a feel for my attitude and approach to life because he told me that I don't need to win a Nobel prize for my research here this summer - and I have my whole life to research all sorts of intricate - never been done before projects. So, that was - obviously true - but really nice to hear. I am extremely grateful for his suggestions, time, and assistance.

Also, another women is back who was on a trip to Poland. She did a lot with Lisa Fleming, from the World Food Prize, to get me here and she does a lot with all of the interns. It was wonderful to finally meet her - she was very kind also and really concerned that everything was going well for me.

So, briefly, (this is getting rather long-winded, sorry!) I am still going to go with my same idea for what to study but instead of the formal institutions (which is too broad!), I am going to focus in on the government ones. I am very happy about this and also am happy I guess it has been a difficult decision process. I am very interested by a million different aspects, so that is always good.

After work I had an intense workout in the weight-room on campus with Christen (that was great!) and then we jumped in the pool with Sarah and Claire. Then at supper was when things got exciting again. You see, it may seem to you like I am relatively new here at ICRISAT, but that is far from the truth. Tonight we met some new blood! And I, by the way, am now practically an ICRISAT tour guide. Not really at all actually because this campus is gi---nor-moussss - but you get the point. We scoped out the new intern faces the past couple of meals in the cafe, but didn't have a chance to do the formal introductions until today. There are tons of people here - you could never meet them all. His name is Charley and he is from Bristol, England. He is doing an internship before his PhD and after a few yrs. of work experience. Also, we met another newbie - Sean - well he really is not a newbie, he has been coming here for much longer than me, but he was new to us!

He is a professor at a university in Cambridge, and is here for a week with some things for work. He gets to travel all over the world to these institutes on work for a week and that sounds like an exciting job! He is really kind and reminded me of a fatherly figure, so it was nice to have supper with him. (Almost like supper in Bankston with the 'rents! Well, I guess not, but pretty good for being you know, over 10,000 miles from home!) Yikes :) Anyway, there is this great Mogul fort nearby here I guess, a historical tourist attraction, so I think tomorrow after work, we are going to check it out. He has an ICRISAT driver (and vehicle) all lined up, so that will be riding in style (and cheap and safe too!). It was very nice of him to invite us - he seems like a good professor. I think another intern and I for sure will go. Which means, I really need to get to bed now!

But so much more happened too! I tried jackfruit today for the first time ever! The picture is above :) It is a little like pineapple but definetely not. I really liked it!!! My wonderful workmate, Chandrakala, bought and brought it for me - I am so lucky to be stationed in her room! Also, I think I had the most enjoyable Indian meal at lunch thus far. I mean this food is really really growing on me. I am at the point where I am really going to miss the dishes when I return - didn't see that one coming! I can't believe I didn't even get a picture, but I was too into my great meal.

Below, you will see a little video of one of the intricate creatures roaming the Indian soil. Seriously, the craziest thing ever! The way this bug walked was out of this world. We are pretty sure it was a freshly-hatched dinosaur that is getting ready to take over the world with an inconspicious name like Fred. Anyway, that is all for now, enjoy the short film, and sorry, I kinda forgot I was really zoomed in on Fred when putting the camera on my friends or me!