To be updated with pics lata!
Hmmm 007...great year but totally unexpected. Loved it, would go back and do it all over again tomorrow. A few highlights...
After a fabu kick off to 007 in Raleigh I was offered volunteer placements with VSO in Chennai, India and Islamabad, Pakistan. Call me crazy but I thought India was a the safer option. Pakistan - I'll check you out another time.
February and March were spent getting poked all over each arm for every possible thing I could catch in India...finishing up work in NJ, attending one last VSO training in Ottawa, and moving out of Murrayhill. :(
03.17.07 Off to India: Most Irish people wouldn't dare to give up a day of drinking to spend it on a plane and I'm sure Savannah missed me but there is always next year. The whole "6 months in India" really sunk in when I stepped on the plane and realized that it would be the last time I was in the US for 6 whole months. A little scary until I fell asleep on the plane.
I will never forget my first day in India. After a few hours of sleep (I arrived at 2am), VSO brought me to the office for lunch and then sent me back to the guest house to get rest. The other volunteers had classes to attend and they suggested going to the market. My thoughts - The market, alone, hell no! Luckily I did venture out and learned that we were in one of the poshest areas of Delhi (Subway, McDonald's, Benetton, Nike, Levi's, who could ask for more?!?). I quickly learned how being white in India automatically means your famous which took a little time adjusting to but definitely left me with a lot of funny memories. #1 being the man who pulled his car over and made his wife shake my hand for good luck.
VSO's in country training lasted two weeks and then I headed down south on a 30+ unfortunately unforgettable hour train trip - If I EVER hear a person in the US complain about the cleanliness of public transport I might slap them.
My first few months in India included a few instances of food poisoning, a drop in lbs thanks to the 'India' diet (should have bottled that dirrty dirrty water and brought it home!!!), and a trip or two to the hospital thanks to my new found allergy to prawns (or maybe not?!?). Sickness, sweating and doctors aside I was loving the new culture, friends, travel, and everything else about India.
My placement as a Financial Advisor at the Positive Women's Network gave me a new view on so many things. It also included frustration at times, success at others, new friendships, and plenty of inspirational women who are fighting daily for their rights as well as the rights of their family members. India left me with wonderful new friends as well as a lot of new insight on life and the way I want to live mine. It's cliche but we can never forget that life is short and we have to live each day to it's fullest. Don't take anything for granted as it can be taken away from you tomorrow.
I was able to travel and see more of India than I ever imagined (Mahaballapuram, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Bombay, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Kodaikanal, Madurai, Ooty, Kerala - Ft Cochin, Kumily, Kolkata, Gujarat)...many thanks for Natisha and Debbie for exploring with me. Not to mention many nights I will never forget at Pasha, The Leather Bar, Dublin, etc. Thinking of Bollywood hits (and stars) each time I go out!
After finishing up my placement with the Positive Women's Network I headed to Thailand for what was supposed to be a 1.5 week trip...it quickly turned into "I want to stay here forever I will go into depression if you make me leave" and my flight was changed. :) Thailand was amazing! If you're reading this and thinking you might want to go, let me know and I will quit my job tomorrow.
I said my goodbyes to India on Oct 1 but still think about my friends, coworkers, and life there every day. Come visit me!
October was rough. As much as I missed things at home I missed India a lot more. I always new I was coming back to the US, but I don't know when I will make it back to India. I can understand why some of my volunteer friends decided to stay, and I'm jealous. It was hard to get re-adjusted, hardest to get back into paying crazy amounts for things that cost nothing to make...
Welcome home parties and Halloween came quickly. Carin visited. Three costumes in one year, I should win a prize.
At the end of October, I returned to work and travel to Princeton, NJ...which was okay because that meant crazy weekends in NYC w/ Pamela. Sadly that project is over and you can now find me in Charlotte/Chicago.
Christmas came and went along with New Years...great times with the family and a nice break from work.
I feel blessed to have been able to live the life I have. It's hard not to realize how fortunate we are after many months overseas. Everyone should try it!
Looking forward to an even more amazing 2008! Africa?!?! Don't make me wait until 2010.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Rachel in 007
Monday, December 3, 2007
World AIDS Day 2007
December 1st was World AIDS Day and considering that it has been 3 months (!!!!) since I last blogged I thought it was about time. I can honestly say I do not know where the time has gone. It feels like yesterday that I was sitting in the little finance room at PWN+ chatting with Padmaja and Geetha (while sweating and wishing for AC!).
In honor of World AIDS Day there have been a lot of articles published about Kousalya, the president of the organization I was volunteering with in Chennai. Working with Kousalya and the rest of the women at PWN+ was an eye opening experience and I learned so much from each of them. She is a great example of a leader and someone who is willing to put themselves out there to help others. A quote from one of the articles written by her (link is below):
Millions of Indian women have little or no control over their own lives. Major life decisions, from who to marry to when to have sex, are controlled by their husbands, fathers and brothers. We are expected to remain "pure" until marriage yet when HIV arrives in the marital bed it is we, the women, who are blamed, doubly condemned if we pass the virus to a boy child.
I formed the Positive Women's Network (PWN) in 1998 to end the discrimination faced by HIV positive women and to give us a voice. Most of the women we support have low literacy, live in poverty and only become aware of their HIV status after their husband's death. Women living with HIV face enormous discrimination from their family, community and society at large. They have been thrown out of their homes, denied their legal rights, are unable to access healthcare and treatment and are economically dispossessed."
You can read Kousalya's story (marriage, becoming infected, life afterwards and starting the network) in the articles below:
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/kousalya_periasamy/2007/12/an_equal_right_to_life.html
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120071130181635
One last thing from me on World AIDS Day: I think that it is extremely important that we all remember that silence on this crisis is the greatest tragedy of all. When I arrived at VSO India we had a training session on HIV/AIDS and we were asked when the first time we learned about HIV was. For me, the first time I remember learning about it was when Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive in 1991. People from the UK mentioned a big publicity campaign from the 80's but said they do not hear much about it these days. Do kids today learn about HIV in school? From friends? From family? Are they getting the right information? Do you know the facts on HIV/AIDS?
- An estimated 38.6 million people worldwide were living with the virus in 2005, which is about twice the number as in 1995.
- During 2005, an estimated 4.1 million people worldwide became newly infected with HIV.
- An estimated 2.8 million people worldwide lost their lives to AIDS in 2005.
EVERYONE needs to be educated!
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I have thought about posting a blog about a million times since returning home from India. Not sure what happens between the thinking and actually posting but it obviously hasn't come together! There are a few things I still want to share about living/working/traving in India, and a post on my vacation in Thailand is also required so both will be coming shortly!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Pictures from Dharavi
I mentioned my trip to Dharavi in another blog but wanted to post a few pictures. The was one of my top 5 interesting / favorite experiences I had while in India. I learned a lot and now have a completely different perspective on 'slums' and the people who live in them.
Our tour guide was really inspirational. He grew up in the slum and is now attending college. He took us too his home which was very small for the size of the family but they were all so happy and welcoming. He is hoping his job as a tour guide will help him pay for business school.
Facts
- Dharavi is the biggest slum in Asia
- 1 sq mile and over 1 million people
- Annual turnover within the slum is approximately $665 million US
- Businesses within the slum: recycling (plastic and tin), making of clay pots, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom making.
The "prime" location of the slum which is just north of Bombay has started to cause issues over land rights. The rich are trying to buy the land and developers are pushing the government to move slum dwellers out.
I dont know what you think of when you hear "slum" but the picture that I have now is much different than what I had thought previously. The area is considered a "slum" because of the lack of running water and bathroom facilities. There are also serious flooding issues each year during monsoon which contributes to the spread of disease. The walkways between homes are tiny and the homes themselves are tiny but then you look in and see a bigscreen tv and wonder what is going on.
No cameras are allowed while you walk around Dharavi but the non-profit does offer to send a few images after the trip. I have posted them below...
Clay Pot area
Leather making business - salting and tanning the hides.
Digging for clay.
Cooking oil is sold in these tins. When the tins are empty people working here collect the tins, clean, and knock the dents out making them look like new for re-sale.
Barrels. This one of the more dangerous areas of the slums because you never know what the barrels were filled with. The remnants of the tin is poured out into a drain which probably ends up in the river that lines the slum...left over fumes, oils, etc. sometimes cause fires or explosions. Tins are cleaned, dents removed and then they are re-painted to look like new.
View of Dharavi. I saw a man standing on one of these rooftops before the tour started and all I could think about was how dangerous that was. Ten minutes later I was also on a rooftop...yikes.
The bakery. Honestly one of the cleanest food establishments I saw in India. No flies!
Kids at school. We visited two schools within Dharavi...I think there are 3 or 4.
Recycling. People leave the slum daily to find plastic which is then recycled and sold for a profit. 
Kiddies with a goat!
Clay pots. The tour guides father was brought up making these pots. He now owns a store outside of the slum to sell them.
Narrow alley between houses or businesses.
Recycling. Every piece of plastic is separated by color, washed, dried on rooftops, crushed, melted, and made into small plastic chips which are then sold.
An article on Dharavi in National Geographic written back in May '07...and more pictures.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0705/feature3/index.htmlKerala
Last week I used up my VSO vacation days on a trip to the South Western state of Kerala. Time here is winding down...Only 3 days left at work!!!
Kerala is beautiful and I’m really glad I made the trip even if it was the end of the monsoon...
Some pictures are below, others are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/rachel.donnelly/KeralaAug26312007
We started off in Fort Cochin on Sunday and were very lucky to have a nice / clean homestay for 500 rupees. 500 (about $12) is actually mid-range which is crazy!!!
On Monday we walked around to a few of the sites before the public transportation fun began....
St Francis Church where Vasco De Gama was buried
Chinese fishing nets
Broken glass cemented onto a wall to keep intruders out...They have this at my place too, one of the reasons I like to get in before the gate is locked! 
Onam celebration flower decoration
Next up we had to find a bus (preferably a private bus) to Kumily. The homestay owners were very helpful in calling around to figure out the best way for us to get there – options included government bus from the bus stand, or private bus which may or may not be available because it’s Onam (a holiday we didn’t know about until we arrived). So we head to the boat jetty that we had seen earlier which would take us to place where we could catch an auto rickshaw to the private bus stand. Turns out that was the wrong boat jetty but we don’t realize this until after we arrive (on a island) and are walking down an empty street, with our luggage, looking for an auto to take us to the bus stand and someone says, “You will have better luck in Ernakulam”. Me “Ummm where are we now?” Ernakulam is where we thought the boat had taken us... Is this funny to anyone else (???) because I’m laughing as I type.
So we go back to the where the boat dropped us and someone tells where we can catch the boat to Ernakulam. Once again we head out to the street with our luggage. Turns out the next boat isn’t leaving for an hour, but we might be able to catch a bus from the other boat jetty. Once again we head back to the boat jetty. Eventually we catch a bus, then an auto to the private buses which are not running (it's now pouring down rain and we are soaked), we catch another auto to the government bus stand…yep – LONG DAY! Finally (4:20pm) we board the lovely and very safe looking government bus to Kumily. Quite a scary trip. I’m being completely truthful when I say there was a bar on the back of the seat in front of me which I was holding onto with both hands for 75% of the 7 hour trip. At times I was wondering if I was actually on a really long roller coaster.
Our lovely bus -
Kerala is marketed as "God's Own Country" even the water bottles let you know.
Have I mentioned that men in India wear skirts (lungi in Tamil)? In Kerala they were particularly festive about it. I saw a man with a purple skirt that had red and green chili peppers, and plenty of other men with flower patterns. Each time I was wondering who picks these patterns out, and why do the men not care that they are wearing a bright pink skirt with flowers on it? I've grown quite fond of the skirt, might miss it!
On Tuesday we made it to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary for the 7am tour…The earlier the tour the better luck you have seeing the animals. As we walked and walked I kind of got the feeling it was not happening for us so I took pictures of tiger and elephant prints instead. At one point our guide told us where we might be able to see a group of elephants but said it was dangerous because there is a baby and the elephants may charge if they think we are tigers. So we walk towards the area and the guide says he saw an elephant and its cub (not sure if elephant babies are called cubs?). He thought it saw him as well so he turns to us and starts yelling to run…so we run…then stop and he thinks he sees it again and yells at us to run and run faster…The whole time I’m thinking ‘I’m in the middle of the woods, if this elephant really wants to run us over I sure as hell can’t out run him.” I’m not sure I really believe there was an elephant, maybe the guide just thought he would make our jungle walk a little more interesting?!?! Aside from running from an elephant the next most interesting part of our trek were the millions of leaches begging to get inside of our shoes, pants, shirts, or where ever else they might get a little blood. For the first 20 minutes I was much more focused on getting these slimy things off my shoes than the tour, but after that I just accepted that I was going to have leaches climbing on me for the next few hours and unless I wanted to run back to the ticket office I had to deal with it. Two other girls on the walk had leaches get their arms, and Natisha found one in her jeans after we got back to the hotel. So glad I was spared from the nasty little bloodsuckers. Ick!!!
The bamboo raft that 6 of us took across the river before our jungle walk....with 6 people it goes under water so the feet were a little wet. Not to mention the balancing part. Scary!
These "leg warmers" are supposed to keep the leaches from your legs.
A leach on my sneaker
The spice plantation
A celebration on the street - I think it was the birthday of one of the Hindu gods...
After a day in the jungle and trips to spice / tea plantations we hired a car (no more government buses for us) to get to Alleppey where we were getting a houseboat for a night on the backwaters. It was really relaxing boat trip but unfortunately we didn’t have the best weather.
Our boat -
Me and the tender coconut - yum will def miss these
Captain Rachel
Lunch is served
Up next was a return to Cochin, a little more sightseeing and Kathakali dance performance. I've posted a quick video below...they don't speak during the performance, only hand signals and facial expressions are used.
Three more days of work and then I am off to Thailand for more traveling!!! Can't wait!!! I say this once in every post but I can’t believe how fast my time here has gone by. I’m really going to miss all of the friends I have made here and the excitement of being in country like India – at the same time there a lot of things I can’t wait to get back to and after all the bucket washing I had to do today a washing machine is close to the top of the list!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
8 days!
8 days left of work at PWN+! I will be working the rest of this week, using the last of my vacation days for a trip to Kerala next week and then returning to Chennai for my last week of work. I cannot believe how fast my time here has gone by. Definitely an experience I will never forget!
The last few days at PWN+ should be spent on training, but is anyone surprised when I say that the three main people I work with are out of the office this week? I heard this from someone else in the office the day before they left. Grrrrrrr. That leaves me with 4 days left to work with them. We'll see how that goes. Instead of training I'm reviewing all of the documentation and spreadsheets I've put together and making sure everything (the calculations) works as planned. Looking at my whole placement, I have helped PWN+ to get organized financially and helped them to understand their project budgets better but I had definitely hoped to do more. Guess that was just wishful thinking on the part of a person who had never done development work before?!?
Last weekend I went to Madurai and Kodaikanal w/ a friend who is here with Gap Guru. Madurai has a tiny airport and not many cabs / autos waiting around for customers. We asked an airline employee how much we should pay to get into town and she said 200 rs. The first guy offered us a ride at 450 - eventually going down to 350. Craziness. We walk over to two other drivers and they go down to 250 but mention that there is a bus for 3.5 rupees. Bad move on their part. Natisha and I are up for adventure and when we think about paying 250 vs. 3.5, we decide to try the bus. The taxi man realized that telling us about the bus was a bad move and tried to change his story saying that the bus wouldn't be coming for 3 hours, etc. but it showed up about 15 minutes later.
Looking at the bus you might think the thing didn't run anymore. It had a wooden floor and looked like it may have been from the 1920's but it did get us from point A to point B, for 3.5 rupees! As we drove toward town the bus became more and more full, and people eventually were on the steps to the door / hanging out the door - really glad we were on early and managed to get a seat! Just another adventure in India! After arriving in town we were going to look into taking the bus up to Kodai BUT we decided that the 30 minutes from the airport to Madurai was enough time on the bus and we would prefer to take a private car. Its a 3 hour trip, taking a bus up the mountain would be more like 6 hours, and once you see pictures the bus you'll understand!!
The trip up the mountain was great and luckily I was behind the driver so I didn't have to watch as he almost fell asleep. Natisha made him pull over and take a walk so we didn't drive off a cliff. Every time I go anywhere in India in car I swear I'm not going to do it again...but then I do...everything always works out but the entire ride is stress stress stress.
Kodai is a small town in the mountains, known as a great summer spot because of the cooler weather. The views are beautiful as well and you can find homemade chocolate at every roadside stall. Unfortunately the clouds were out on the day of our tour but it was still a great trip...Loved the weather and the quietness that comes with being so far from the city!
I would post pictures but I'm not on my computer so you can check them out here: http://picasaweb.google.com/rachel.donnelly. I've also added pics from my tour in Mahaballapuram, Bombay, and Indian Independence Day.
After a day in Kodai we headed back down the mountain to Madurai which is known for the Meenakshi Temple. The temple was beautiful and huge, but walking around any part of India (temple or not) without my shoes on (you are required to leave them at the temple entrance) is not on my list of "favorite things to do". It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I'm getting to see so much of India but at the same time I'm excited to be back in Chennai for a whole week with no travel!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
To make up for my lack of posting lately I've decided to post a few pictures...Should have time for a blog or two next week.
View of Bombay from the park across the street from the Hanging Gardens
The Five Rathas - I'll have to explain them all later. We had a tour guide and at the end of his story from each of them he would say "and it is in-complete". Maybe you had to be there but the tour of all of the stone carvings went on for 3 hours and all of it is "in-complete". Try to imagine it in an Indian - English accent, maybe then it will be funny?
Fisherman's boats, all on the beach bc of a cyclone in the Indian Ocean...
Natisha and me
The rest of the crew - From L Chris, Charlotte, Alison, Debbie, Me, JoAnn. All from the UK, here w/ Gap Guru.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Traffic Madam
I'm going to start this blog with a few notes about how much I'm going to miss auto-rickshaws. I think they are one of the most frustrating parts of India while being the most entertaining. Everyone needs to experience it. Anyone who's been to India, and traveled in a rickshaw, could probably sit around for hours telling stories about them. I find myself wanting to tip them when the fight for a fair price is entertaining. It's like I'll pay extra for the entertainment of a good bargain. A few of the best excuses I've heard for higher fares:
Traffic Madam - Yes I know there is traffic, we're in a city of 7 million, and you drive for a living. Deal with it.
It's raining Madam - I don't care. It rains every few days. You still have to drive if you want to make any money.
Night time Madam. - I hate this one because fares can double at night but I always give in here because I feel safer if I keep the auto driver happy with his payment.
Long ways madam - No it's not, I live here, I know how far it is, but good try!
So many more excuses, so little time! There is the look you get when they tell you to suggest a price and they think you will give more. Usually just a simple turn and step like you might walk away gets them to cave in. The worst part is when you get really into the back and forth of bargaining, end up walking away, and realize you are now walking 1km and sweating instead of paying the 10 rupees you were fighting for. 10 rupees is 25 cents, I can probably afford it! It's just hard because being a foreigner you're always being ripped off. My house is a 20 rupee ride to work, or a 15 minute walk. There are local auto drivers that know how much I will pay, but when there is a random driver and I tell him where I'm going they always try to start around 80 rups. Crazy!
Ok enough rickshaw talk - I'll share my other thousand stories with you over a beer!
Once again it's been forever since I've had time to update the blog - Sorry! Things have been very busy here and I've been traveling almost every week. Not a great excuse but it will have to do. Overall I'm having a great time in India and trying to take advantage of my last few months here with lots of travel and visits to see friends.
Let's see - updates since the last post...
Weekend trip to Pondicherry
Pondi was great, I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling South India, but I do not recommend the one day tour from Chennai. It's too much for one day especially when your tour guide won't let you look in the shops and cuts the tour 3 hours short. You would think a gov. tourism agency would want you to spend money but this guy was not about shopping - he already had our money so it was more of a "ok you saw it, take a picture, let's go back home" tour. Pictures are posted - http://picasaweb.google.com/rachel.donnelly
VSO Mainstreaming Conference - Kolkata
I was in Kolkata for a week to attend VSO Mainstreaming training sessions. It was great to see all of the volunteers again and we made the most of our time with trips to the city and clubs. Unfortunately that will be the last time I see a lot of them. Kolkata is a big city, a lot like Chennai, except for the number of people I saw living on the street. I'm sure there are areas in Chennai that are the same but even after being in India for 4 months the poverty still surprises me. On our way to the ATM one night we had to step over people sleeping on the streets. Made me think twice about using the ATM. A few pictures of the city and VSO vols are posted. More to come...
Aside from travel I've been busy at work and trying to get everything finished up. Most of the documentation and training is complete but each training brings up new things that could be done...which leads to more meetings, documentation and training.
Next week I'm headed to Gujarat to take a look at the financial systems of another statewide HIV/AIDS network. VSO tried to tell me I was taking a train 34+ hours one way and I was forced to tell them they were crazy. With a little more than one month left at work I really don't have time for a week away, and I definitely don't have 70+ hours to spend on a train. I want to meet the volunteer that says yes to things like this...maybe if I was here for 2 years, still probably not!
Next weekend I'm going on a bit of a rustic trip to Mahaballapuram. Last time I went we headed to the resort. This time we're going to a village affected by the tsunami and out on a fishing boat to catch our own lunch. Little bit different than my last trip! After lunch we will head to town for sightseeing and then Sunday we will go to another village that make different types of crafts to sell in the city. I'll let you know how it goes...like if I eat the fish and it doesn't kill me.
After that I'm in Chennai for the week and then headed to Bombay for the weekend - I can't wait. Shopping and partying and looking for Bollywood stars! A volunteer friend lives there so it will be nice to see her as well! :) Speaking of Bollywood - I've seen a few Hindi films now but went to the cinema to see one for the first time on Wednesday. I saw Partner which is Hitch (Will Smith) with Indian actors and a few dance scenes! If I hadn't seen Hitch I would have been lost, I still require subtitles!
After Bombay it's Chennai during the week, Madurai (great temples) and Kodaikanal (hill station) for the weekend, then Chennai during the week and off to Kerala for a week long trip...after that I need to figure out my visa and a few more travel plans (Thailand, Goa, and back to Delhi for my return flight!) My time is almost up...
I had a final review with VSO and PWN+ today and although it was supposed to be a review about 15 more things that I could help with came up. They were all good ideas but I'm not so sure I'll be able to get them done...I'll try my best!
Well it's about time to pack up - off to the gym and out to Distill for Ladies Night! Two free drinks! Have a good weekend!
