I ATE RAW FISH IN DELHI

No, I’m not joking.

Orientation was quite the broad mix of events. It included attending extravagant dinners hosted by AIF’s wealthy board members, meeting famous politicians, and touring India’s most famous art museum with the director after hours.

I also went on tours of Delhi led by street children, learned about the plight of waste-pickers in Delhi, and was bombarded by beggars on the street.

AIF arranged for us to learn about issues in India from activists working to change them. My favorites included Ashok Row Kavi, the first out gay man in India; a feminist activist, and a woman working to improve the lives of waste-pickers in Delhi. They were all quite inspiring.

On my free day I journeyed to Agra with five friends (my husbands for the day). Agra Fort and especially the Taj Mahal far surpassed my expectations. Both were stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately we only had an hour at the Taj and a portion of my time was spent avoiding people taking pictures of me. I could’ve spent all day sitting there staring at it.

Although I had some problems with orientation, I learned a lot. Interestingly, the sessions on microfinance and livelihoods added to my previous reservations about microfinance as a tool to end poverty. (As an aside, I was also reading Mohammed Yunus’ Banker to the Poor which really made me critique microfinance). I’m trying to withhold judgment until I dig into my work and get a very thorough perspective of the way it plays out on the ground.

And now I’m in Mhaswad.

To get here I flew from Delhi to Pune and then drove 3 ½ gorgeous hours out to the middle of nowhere. I was immediately dropped off at work and began reading a bunch of Mann Deshi’s literature. Everyone at work has been very kind and helpful.

I’m living with my mentor, Chetna Sinha. She’s the founder of the organization and has a really nice house. There are separate accommodations for guests which is great since I get my own space but also spend time with her family. To top it off, she lives on a beautiful farm and they get cobras and vipers a few times a month!! How awesome is that?? There are lots of animals and people wandering around, and we get fresh fruits (papaya and pomegranate right now) and vegetables from their farm.

Life is lovely :)

On Road India

Traffic here is a mystery to me. The road can be absolutely terrifying. Here (and throughout my stay) I will post scary things that I experience/witness on the road.

1. On the way back from Agra we had to hire a driver because all of the trains were booked. Halfway through the drive home we noticed that our driver was falling asleep. Turns out he hadn’t slept in three days. For the last half-hour of the trip he had to frequently stop to splash his face with cold water.

2. On our way back from an NGO visit in rural Rajasthan our bus driver decided that our side of the highway (2-3 lanes) had too much traffic. Solution? Drive over the median onto the other side of the road. We were driving on the wrong side of the road on a highway with trucks and cars coming directly at us!

3. Vehicles do not slow down for children. This morning I saw a little girl get hit by a motorcycle. She was completely fine (she didn’t even cry), but the driver’s response was to stop and yell at her.

No photos until I get a better internet connection :(