Goodbye India!

Sorry for the delayed post.  I left Chennai about two weeks ago and I am now on cruise with my grandmother.  As a gift for my college graduation, she decided to take me on a cruise from Dubai to Singapore with stops to India and Thailand in between.  Before I met her, Sharon and I spent a week in Dubai primarily shopping! Let me tell you, I had major culture shock with skyscrapers, organized freeways, cleanliness, and Taco Bell.  

Leaving India was more difficult than I thought it would be.  The teachers were so kind and planned a going away party for me.  I am really going to miss all of the teachers and students at Achiever.  I am of course planning to come back, but it will be different not living here for an extended period of time. September was a month of observing and asking many questions about the culture, the people, and the various religions.  During October, I was frustrated with the culture; the horrible amount of poverty and injustice in this country is unimaginable.  And November, I was able to accept culture, but I still do not understand a lot of it.  I have come to the conclusion that I cannot change India and the poverty, but I will learn from it and share my knowledge and experience with those of you back home so that you might get a glimpse of what is on the other side of the world. 

Well I will be home from the cruise just in time for Christmas.  So for now I am signing off my blog.  I want to thank you all for reading.  It definitely kept me accountable for journaling and I really loved sharing my experiences with you all who are so far away.  I am thinking I am going to have a presentation of photos in late January.  I will be getting a shipment of bags from Sparrows of Splendor if anyone is interested in purchasing one and supporting these widows.    I will let you know via my blog when I plan on having the presentation. Thank you again so much and I look forward to sharing my experiences in person!  Merry Christmas!

My Friend Sukanya

With only a week and a half left of my India adventure, I am trying to soak the Indian life all in.  I have been doing my last minute shopping and eating as much delicious Indian food as I can.  My time has flown by so quickly and I am in panic mode to make sure I cross off all the things I wanted to do while here.

In this past week, I have made a new friend. Sukanya is sixteen  whose parents forced her to leave their home to work as a maid.  Now I know this sounds harsh, so let me explain.  She comes from a family of eight who live in a poor village in a one room house.  Often, Sukanya would not be able to eat because her family could not afford to feed her and her siblings.  Unable to pass tenth grade, her parents made her work in the rice patty fields to make some money.  To avoid this back breaking work, they tried to find a family who would take her—and we found her!  When she came, I could not believe how young she was and wondered how this could even be allowed.  I still do not understand why this could happen, but I have accepted that this is normal in the Indian culture, after talking with Carol.  It is very common for families to have helpers like Sukanya.  Carol and Sharon make fun of me because I feel bad having her prep all the food for dinner or wash the dishes because she is sixteen!  I just keep thinking that she is the same age as Matthew—and cannot even imagine him leaving home—let alone doing someone else’s dishes!  I know that she is in a better living environment, is able to eat three full meals a day, and is protected from the violence in her village.   Still, it is a challenge for me to understand.  So Sukanya and I have become good friends.  We are unable to communicate, so both of us have resorted to facial expressions and hand gestures.  I am trying to teach her English and she is teaching me Tamil.  I have probably learned more Tamil in these past two weeks than I have learned these past three months.  She follows me around the house rattling off in Tamil like I know what she is talking about.  And she is always so proud to make me tea (chai), so at 6 am every morning she dutifully barges in my room chanting, “chai, chai?”  It is quite entertaining.

Now I have a very inspiring story—although I suspect many won’t believe its validity.  This is all truth and it is worthy of sharing.  As you know, Carol and I are leading a Bible study for the teachers at Achiever.  I wanted to give each individual their own Bible so Carol and I drove an hour to Chennai to buy them.  I went to a Christian book store and bought 9 Bibles for the teachers.   As we were leaving the store, the clerk realized we were missing a Bible and called to us back to put the ninth Bible in the bag.  While on the car ride home, I thought it odd that he hadn’t given us the right number of Bibles, so I counted to make sure I had nine – and yes, there were.   Once I got home I realized that I needed 10 Bibles, not 9.  To say the least, I was a little disappointed because we had gone all that way to pick up these Bibles for the next day’s Bible study.  Not having enough, I decided to not give one of the teachers a Bible and buy one the next time I was in Chennai.  My plan was to write a note to each teacher in the Bibles.  As I was writing the notes, I was about to grab the last Bible out of the bag, and I realized that there were two Bibles!  I was a little shocked so I counted the Bibles 5 or 6 times, and there were 10 Bibles!  I looked at my receipt and I was charged for 9 Bibles.  Carol and I both watched the clerk put 9 Bibles in the bag.  While we were in the car driving, home I wanted to double check that I had the 9 Bibles, and I counted 9.  The next day there was 10 Bibles in my bag!  So I am calling this the mystery Bible miracle!  The inspirational part of the story is not only the 10^th Bible, but the day before I wondered if I would ever witness a miracle. You hear of miracles happening, but I am the first to be skeptical, and this time it happened to me! 

Saturday we had a huge science fair at Achiever Academy.  The students’ parents came to see the exhibits and were so proud of their children, ages 2-10, and the school.  Achiever is truly making a difference in the community by beginning to properly educate those who would never get an opportunity otherwise. They take children from the poorest villages and teach them to be respectful, confident, and caring young men and women.  Without an education, it is so difficult to get out of the cycle of poverty and injustice.  Achiever is making a huge difference and I am really proud to be helping in a small way at a school like Achiever.

This week we are going to a wedding in Kerala, the neighboring state.  I am very excited because I have heard wonderful things about Indian weddings!  Although, I will be missing my family’s annual Thanksgiving in Tahoe.  We have planned to make our own Indian Thanksgiving this week.  I am hoping it turns out!  Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Adventures With Dad

These past few weeks have been full with adventures.  My dad arrived in Chennai a few weeks ago; he came to visit for two weeks.  This was his sixth time to India; fortunately he did not have too much culture shock!  He stayed with us in Mahabalipuram for a bit before we traveled all over India visiting friends.  We took him around to see all of the sites: Achiever Academy, Vayaloor (the widows center), and Sparrows of Splendor.  We also went into Chennai and acted as tourists, shopping, eating, and of course I took him to a movie!  After a few days, the Christians, my dad, and I flew to Goa.  Goa is like the Las Vegas of India; it is a party place with beautiful beaches.  We got a tour guide who showed us all around the historic side of Goa—which was once a Portuguese colony. 

From there we flew to Delhi.  Delhi is the capital, and might I add the cleanest city I have seen in India!  It could have been because the Commonwealth Games were held in October this year, but nevertheless I was impressed. We went to visit our good friends the Shews.  Delhi is also the shopping capital of India, so Sharon and I were able to do some bargaining!  One of the other reasons we were in Delhi was to see the Taj Mahal.  The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, about 3 hours away from Delhi by train.   We took the 7 am train to Agra; quite a long day, but so worth it.  A tour guide joined us in Agra and we headed straight to the Taj.  The Taj far exceeded my expectations.  I was more in awe with the enormous marble building than I thought I would be.  Pictures do the Taj Mahal no justice.  We were there for a few hours just admiring the inlaid marble, the gardens, and the grandeur of this massive building.  I highly, highly, highly recommend going to visit it!!  From there we had lunch at the tenth best hotel in the world; we had a spectacular view of the Taj from our restaurant. 

Sharon and I in front of the inlaid marble

Kids from the New Market project

  

New Market Slum

From Delhi we flew to Calcutta.  Now Calcutta is also unlike any city I have seen yet in India.  Poverty is rampant and the streets are so crowded, yet there is still a sense of hope. Calcutta is where I spent most of my time on my last trip two years ago.  Our good friends the Pavamani’s have an organization, Emmanuel Ministries, with wonderful projects all over Calcutta.  We were able to go and visit a few projects all over the city.  Some of these projects include schools, shelters for child drug addicts, non-formal education for street children, HIV/AIDS care and much more. They were so kind and welcomed us with a huge performance from all of the kids involved in the various projects.  There was dance, drama, song, and Bible passage recitation. 

The Dance Performance

I am always so touched by the stories I hear.  The amount of poverty and injustice that goes on here is unimaginable.  Children who live on the street are welcomed in, provided a shower and meals, and are taught about the love of God.  To hear these stories about eight-year-old boys who are alcoholics is just heartbreaking.  Yet, the work that is going on is amazing.  They help them through detox programs and provide them a home and a family.  Another project, Lakhermat, provides a safe place for children of commercial sex workers in a red light district.   New Market is another great project that is in one of the poorest slums.  Here, children are given the opportunity to receive an informal education and try and move out of the cycle of poverty.  Honestly I could go on and on about all of the wonderful ministries in Calcutta.  If you are interested in the work in Calcutta please visit their website http://emcalcutta.org/index.html. My heart was overwhelmed with the poverty and the injustice, but I know that God is working.   I can see hope in these dark places and a joy that only comes the Lord.  I feel so blessed to have seen this work first hand.

Out for my birthday!

We flew back to Chennai were my dad had a few more days to relax and shop!  We dropped him off at the airport last Friday.  Since then, we have been so busy!  It was my birthday on Monday so we had a few celebrations!  Sharon took me out with all of her friends Sunday night.  On my birthday they closed the schools because of a cyclone, so we just hung around the house and went to the city to go to dinner.  I found a fun Mexican food restaurant. Let’s just say it wasn’t the same, but we all had a good time!

Done With Dengue!!

The Mysore Palace at Night

I am so sorry for the delayed post; as some of you might know, I got sick with dengue fever.  Dengue fever is a result of being bitten by a mosquito with signs of extreme fatigue, a high fever, dizziness, and dehydration.  Needless to say, I have been in bed for the past two weeks.  It started two weeks ago when I was in Bangalore.  I traveled to Bangalore and Mysore with John and Carol for a fun weekend road trip.  Bangalore is known for shopping—cheap shopping.  I bought myself plenty of souvenirs while wandering the tiny allies of one of Bangalore’s shopping districts.  We only we stopped there for one day because Mysore was our final destination.  It took about six hours to Bangalore and another six hours to Mysore, because of the traffic.  Though, the scenery on the way was absolutely gorgeous.  It was a mix of tropical Hawaii and rocky Colorado- strange mix I know, but beautiful.  Mysore is a city known for its palace and kings.  They still have a king, but he no longer rules.  I was able to tour this elaborate palace; it looked like a palace in Aladdin (although Indian!!)  The palace was set high above the ground so that the king would arrive on an elephant and would just hop off; no need for the elephant to bend down!   There was also a huge festival of lights while we were there.  The whole city was lit up; and the palace at night was stunning.  Parades of elephants and camels wandered the streets; people from all around would travel to Mysore just to see these lights.

The Elephant Parade

While we were driving back to Mahabalipuram is when I began feeling sick; luckily I was able to sleep the whole drive home.  I had no idea why I was feeling so sick, I assumed it was dehydration.  Unfortunately, I was in bed for the rest of the week sleeping about 15 hours a day.  I finally went to the doctor last Thursday to see if they could diagnose what was wrong; they called me the next day saying that I need to come to the hospital.  Consequently, I was in the hospital for three days.  They diagnosed me with dengue fever and a really low white blood cell count; any lower and I was going to have to have a blood transfusion.  The hospital was quite interesting to say the least; I had some cockroaches sharing my room with me!  There is quite a different standard of sanitation here in India!  Other than that, I had air conditioning so I was a happy camper.  I was finally released Monday morning with my white blood cells exceptionally high, considering I was only there for three days—at least the doctor was impressed.

I have been home the rest of the week just resting.  I feel so much better, although still exhausted.  It is going to take me a while to be completely back to normal, but I am on the road to recovery.  It has been such a blessing recovering so quickly.  I want to thank you all who have been thinking and praying for me—I have totally felt all of your prayers!

The Gorgeous Sunset from our House in Mahabs

By Thursday I was feeling more myself again.  Carol and I started a Bible study with the teachers from Achiever meeting once a week.  A majority of them are Hindu so it has been so interesting spending time with them and hearing what they have to say.  We are reading through the book of Matthew.  And I am telling you, it has been as much as a challenge for me as it is for them!  This week they were a bit confused with the passage so I was able to read through it with them.  It is really helpful when I read out loud because they are able to hear and understand my pronunciation of certain words.  They all speak good English, but it is important that they continue to grow and learn more as they are teaching the children solely in English.  They questions and comments they have after reading a passage are fascinating because a lot of the questions challenge me in my thinking.  But God is so prevalent in our meetings; by His grace Carol and I have been able to answer their questions in a way that they understand.  They best part is we are able to break down walls and encourage friendship and fellowship among the teachers.  It has been so challenging, but so rewarding.  I am looking forward to continuing these weekly studies for the rest of the time I am here.

Sparrows of Splendor

Later this week I went to Chennai to look at some fabric for the Sparrows bags.  I found some great fabrics and am really excited to keep these sewing projects going.  Yesterday I spent some time with the widows while they were working on the bags.  I was able to take some pictures of the bags to put on their website.  This project is coming together!!

Sharon's Birthday Party

Last night we had a 21st birthday party for Sharon.  We meant to surprise her last Saturday, but because I was in the hospital, we postponed it.  A lot of her friends came and we had a great time playing games and dancing.  We had delicious chicken biryani (a rice dish) and I made chocolate cupcakes—which were a major hit!  I was quite impressed with them myself!! 

And tonight my dad comes to visit!!  He will be here for about two weeks.  We will be traveling to Goa (the Las Vegas of India), Delhi, Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located), and Calcutta.  We will be visiting some good friends of ours along the way.  I will keep you posted on those adventures as well.  Thanks again for reading!!

Clearly the Foreigner

This week was my first week teaching by myself in the classroom.  As of right now I am teaching art classes to all of the grades.  I am trying to be creative, since I have no teaching experience, and so far it has worked out.  My lesson usually includes reading a story out loud and then conducting some sort of art project.  The children usually get bored with the story, but when I bring out crayons they start cheering.  Every little line or addition to their drawing they run up to me yelling “Miss, Miss look”; I smile and celebrate their efforts.  I am finding it is not about the skill and technique in my “art classes” but about building self-confidence—the skill will come in time.  By stepping in, it gives the teacher a 40 minute break which I know is so needed.  I am still in the beginning stages of organizing projects and lessons and will soon teach about two classes every day (so if you have any art project ideas please, please, please let me know!)

This past week I have been also working with the Sparrows of Splendor (widow’s sewing ministry).  The main tailor and I work together to come up with new bag patterns and designs.  I am so excited because next week I will be going to fabric stores around Chennai to find fabric for the totes—the fabric here is beautiful!  For my Project Funway readers… the tailor was interested in the flower pins we made for our beach tote we made this summer.  It was so much fun because I was able to show him how to scallop the fabric, baste, gather, and secure a button.  He was quite excited about them!  The main tailor is very talented; he designs a lot of the patterns then teaches the widows how to make the totes.  They all do a beautiful job with the bags!

So the embarrassing story of the week…  The Commonwealth Games (which for people like me who don’t know what they are) are a miniature version of the Olympics for the Commonwealth countries (those which were once under British rule).  They occur every four years, and this year they are in Delhi.  Long story short, Delhi is not ready to host all of the players from around the world so they are organizing home-stays for all of the athletes.  Rumors are going around that the conditions in these home-stays are horrible (like cockroaches in beds etc.).  Many countries are refusing to attend.   So in a quick attempt to save India’s reputation, they wanted to film a public advertisement to show the hospitable nature of the Indian people.  I was asked by a friend of a friend to act in this commercial.  They needed foreigners to act as the athletes—which is funny because how athletically challenged I am.  But I agreed because they were desperate.  The shoot took about 12 hours!!  I was in a few different scenes where I was supposed to be one of the Ping-Pong competitors (yes, Ping-Pong is an Olympic-like sport). There were also scenes of a family welcoming me into their home and some ladies putting henna on my hand.  I felt like a complete fool, but I just smiled and went along with it.  Little did I know this ad is going to be on national television all over India.  Who knew that I could be the next Bollywood star J

I was able to explore Mahabalipuram the other day.  It is known as the Temple Bay; there are many temples from the ­­­­­­­­­­­­7^th century!  We went around the town and saw the gorgeous Hindu temples; the carvings are beautiful and so well preserved.  While we were visiting one temple, I was taking pictures I noticed this group of 15 people start walking towards me.  One lady asked if I would take a picture with their group; I could not believe that this was happening. My friends said that this group was probably from Northern India and more than likely had never seen a Westerner in real life.  They took like ten pictures, rotating people in and out and putting their hand on my shoulder. I do not understand why they would want to take a picture with me, but I guess it was flattering.

 

Yesterday we went into one of the nearby fishing villages.  This village was also destructed by the tsunami, but has slowly been built back up over these past five years.  We went to a fish auction, which was pretty interesting.  The fishermen bring in their fish, they have an auctioneer auction it off, and then ladies from the village buy it and sell in in the city—everyone benefits.  Rain was pouring down, but people just conducted life as normal.  John helped this village out a lot after the tsunami so that is why we were able to visit it.  Normally you do not go into villages where you do not know anyone.  We were welcomed us into their homes, which consist of four mud walls and a piece of tin for the roof.  They have nothing, yet went to the store to buy Pepsi for us and offered to make us breakfast, even if they would not eat themselves.  These people are the most joyful people I have ever met in my life, despite the fact that they have nothing.  It has been so refreshing to be around this joy and see that happiness does not come from the things of this world but from our relationships and faith.

PS- here is the link to the Commonwealth Ad if you are brave enought to check it out!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZKP2IJjPqQ

Spicy Food, Saris, and Sewing!

Oh the cows...

These past two weeks have been wonderful!  I still cannot believe that I am here in India; it seems like a dream two years ago when I decided to make this pilgrimage and take time off after graduation.  I am finally getting into the swing of things here, despite the major culture shock.  The heat has died down a bit because we are entering monsoon season.  The staring and the pointing at the “white girl” is becoming somewhat normal, I have never felt so out of place.  Little children especially come up to me and stare, while their parents try to avoid eye contact.  And the most common asked question is, “is the food too spicy?”  Even though it is quite spicy, I smile and pretend that it is not.  My goal by the end of this trip is to acquire a new spicy palate; I don’t think it will be a problem. 

Sharon and me in our Saris

Sharon was in finals all last week so this week we have explored the city.  Last Saturday, we went to a traditional wedding reception and I got to wear a Sari!  I must say that I have a lot of respect for the women who wear sari’s every day; they are very uncomfortable and extremely hot to wear.  There were a few hundred people at the reception, and supposedly that was small.  Everyone lined up to greet the newlyweds and offered their gift as they passed by- very traditional.   On Sunday we went to see a movie at a local movie theater, which was quite an event.  The movie theaters in India are probably the nicest theaters I have ever seen.  You must buy your ticket days in advance to see any movie and to reserve your seat, buying your ticket the day of is never an option.  And you can have your own personal server to deliver gourmet food throughout the movie.  This all for the price of $3!  I could certainly get used to this.

Auto-Rickshaw (aka death trap)

Driving here in India is probably one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life.  There are cars, scooters, auto-rickshaws (taxis), ox-driven rickshaws, and bicycles driving in every direction.  You will be on a two-lane road with four cars across and another car coming toward you driving on the wrong-side of the road; the police could care less.  I have probably seen my life flash before my eyes at least 10 times.  Needless to say, I am learning how to not be a backseat driver.

Outside of Achiever Academy

For these next three months I will be working on a number of different projects.  Primarily I will be working at Achiever Academy, a nationally recognized English Christian elementary school.  After visiting the destructed villages by the tsunami in 2005, John saw the need for education among the poorest of the poor.  Achiever Academy came out of John’s passion to give equal opportunity to the poor to receive a decent education.  They began with one Pre-Kindergarten class and have added a grade every year (it is now up to fourth grade).  The children that attend come from all different backgrounds, from the richest Anglo-Indian to the poorest fisherman’s son.  Of the 130 students, 40 need sponsorships.  For the past few years my mom and I have been working alongside of the Christians to find sponsors for these children.  What I believe to be the best part of this program is that each sponsored child’s family is obligated to pay a tuition of $5 a month (which is a huge sum in India).  This makes the program so valuable because the family has a great deal of pride and investment in their child’s education.  (So if you would be interested in sponsoring a child for $25 a month, let me know!)  I work at the school every day and work on various projects from helping as a classroom aid to teaching art classes.  It is very intimidating not having any real teaching experience, but it has been so wonderful.  The classes are taught in English, but the little Pre-K and Kindergarten classes still do not understand English.  The little ones always ask me questions in Tamil (the local language spoken) and I just smile back, having no clue what they ask.  I try and communicate that I only speak English, and they stare and me and continually ask the same question.  This language barrier is a bit frustrating so I am trying to learn a little bit of Tamil.

The Widow Safe Home (in process) 

Sparrows of Splendor is another project that I will be working on.   Up until 1987, whenever a husband would die, in the Hindu tradition, they would burn the widow alive with her dead husband’s body (an act called Sati).  The widow would be considered a disgrace and would consequently be put to death.  Despite the banning of this tradition, it still happens in rural villages in India.  Today, widows are still considered shameful in the eyes of their community.  They are often forced to live on the outskirts of town and are viewed as the “untouchables”.  Sparrows of Splendor provides jobs to widows and teaches them how to provide for their family.  These jobs include tailoring and making handbags and totes.  These bags are sold in the US, and the widows will make 100% of the profit.  I will probably be working with Sparrows to help create new sewing projects for the widows (thanks to my Project Funway background!).

Until next time, thanks again for reading!!

I Made It!

So after 25 hours of traveling, I finally made it to India!  As usual, I over packed

The Christian's Home

and had to pay extra fees, but figured it was all worth it to bring a three month supply of Wheat Thins, peanut butter pretzels, and of course a necessary staple -brownie mix.  I was fortunate enough to have three seats to myself on the first leg of the journey from San Francisco to Hong Kong; although, during the 13-hour flight I can claim only one hour of sleep.  There was a four-hour layover in Hong Kong which allowed me to enjoy my last iced almond latte from Starbucks and use of my cell phone before I boarded the plane for the final 5 hour flight. I arrived in Chennai International airport and my friends (the Christians) were there to greet me at 2:30 am in 86 degree weather.  I will be staying with the Christian family these next few months.  John and Carol Christian have been good friends with my parents for many years.  They have one daughter, Sharon, who is 21 and in her third year of engineering school in Chennai, and one son, Aaron, who is 16 and at a boarding school up in the mountains 10 hours away.  The Christian family used to live in San Jose and Sharon and I were great friends before their family moved back to India when I was nine.  We have remained great friends through these many years. They actually lived with our family this summer for two months while they were on sabbatical.  I am so happy to be staying with them because they are like my second family. 

The view from my window

Sleeping and unpacking have been my primary activities, as these past few days have been Hindu and Muslim holidays so everything is closed.  My body is getting used to a 12 ½ hour time difference – it will no doubt, take a bit of time.   The Christians live about an hour away from Chennai- in the tourist town Mahabalipuram.  Situated near the beach, “Mahabs” was greatly affected by the 2005 tsunami.  It is also a tourist beach spot that specializes in carving Hindu statues- which is quite a sight to see. 

India is unlike anything I have ever experienced in America.  Chaos can often be the best word to describe it- wandering cows/ goats/ bulls/ dogs in the middle of the road; two lane road with four cars coming at you in every direction; vibrant colored saris and brightly painted buildings; strong scents from locally grown produce sold on the curbside; the blaring Hindu temple music from parades and local shops; the unnerving blasts from loudly honking cars, the mounds of garbage thrown in streets; and the massive population becomes a vision overload.  I am still trying to take it all in, despite this being my third time to India; I wonder if all of this will “become normal” over the next 3 months.  Hard to believe that it can.

John, Carol, Sharon, and me!

Thank you all for reading my blog.  It is so important for me to share my experience here in India so that I may continue to stay connected with all of you! These next three months will be full of challenges, experiences, and blessings; I am so excited to share with you how God is working over here in India.  And you know me, I LOVE hearing from you and being so far away from all those that I love is going to be my biggest challenge- so keep in touch! Please keep checking back for more posts and pictures!

Love,

McKenna

Mahabalipuram