The Indian Adventure you do not want to have

Oct. 26th,2009

Hello, hello

 

It has been awhile since I wrote….I’ve been held up with many things, one being the adventure you do NOT want to have in India (but most do have here, mine just ended up in the emergency center, New Delhi!!)  7 days of the the most violent and painful illness I’ve had and hope to never experience again. My gut should be tough after this one!

   

To back track, I had arrived 2-1/2 weeks ago at Ramana’s Garden with not much happening here. Praba (the director and lady behind all this program… The Mama) and most of the children were up at their mountain school, 3 hours away where the organic garden and most of the animals are for the summer to get away from the heat.  I sat around for 5 days, wonderingt what to do around the school but unable to leave.  Our commitment is to be available most of the day, “on call”.

 

When they arrived (so sweet and full of LOTS of energy) there was also 12 other college interns here teaching, that the kids had attached to.  At first I wondered if they really needed me…and geez, I had traveled all this way, and now what should I do!!?? In that week I just assisted with medications, just smiled at everyone and gave hugs to the kids, but there was not much communication from the boss!  Also in that week, I contracted pink eye, lice (twice) got a ‘little’ sick for 3 days, fell off the mountain trail at midnight (the night before Diwali we were shooting off fireworks with the kids at the Ganga River and sang Hindi prayers and chants around candles…so special…and on the way back, on a narrow path that they all know by heart, I slid down about 30 yards- a tree caught me-and the kids had to pull me up, all scraped up!! I tried to laugh and act as if nothing was wrong around them…..But I was in so much pain).  Then the next day I was attached by a monkey…they are all over the trees, school and streets….I thought, “oh how cute” and went to take a picture of one (the size of a small baboon), he knarled his teeth and chased me, grabbed my legs… luckily my heavy water bottle fell on his head or he might of climbed up me and ….who knows what!! Now when I see one, I look the other way and avoid them…not cute!!!  There are also snakes around the school everywhere, black spiders the size of your hand and a leopard at night who ate one one the dogs…..YIKES! AND to add to all this, I was eaten alive every night by mosquitos (with bug spray on) and bed bugs that kept me up most nights itching and crying (this American girl was trying NOT to complain or worry). In one of those nights, I noticed the fabric above me billowing alot with screeching noises…then a big rat (size of a small cat) almost fell on me…this went on for 2 more nights while I was so anxious about going  into my room and was not sleeping…I HATED it here….I have to admit. I was trying so hard to be happy……So, I decided I had “had it”, and was going to head back to Delhi for 3 days to see the friends I had met before and be with them over the Diwali holiday while this kids were not in school and the college students were still here (about to leave soon). 

7 hours later I arrived by train with a high pitched fever, and Shabir was kind enough to put me up in a 4 * Hotel, where I sat hugging a toilet (yes, very clean, thank goodness…where back at Ramana’s I would have been on the dirt floor staring at a pit hole of stinky ooze….!- with no running water). but the comfort did not help the fever, violent vommiting and diahrea that went on straight for 2 days. Shabir, who had not heard from me, came in to find me collasped….they took me to emergncy (via bicycle rickshaw in chaos, dirt and traffic, but bikes are fastest way to get there…I was miserable on this ride). I was hooked to IV’s because of dehydration (I had not peed in 2 days) and layed there that day not caring about anything, so weak, delirious and wanted to die….The bad thing was, I had a train that night I had to take to get back to school (Praba would not be happy if I did not get back)…so off I went to travel weak and still vomitting and diahree-ing (in front of everyone on the train…it was soooo bad…I spent most of my 7 hours in the filthy train toilet, soiled thru everything… so embarassed and  weak. Did you know that for these train toilets, there is just a hole that drops everyting onto the tracks!!  Yes, and that is how I spent my time…and crying alot!). I took a hour taxi to Rishikesh (stopping twice on the roadside to squat, etc…and vomit, etc….so humiliating)…!  I arrived at 11pm after climbing up the moutain path to find the gate locked….I climbed over (fell over) and got the gate keeper to let my stuff in…only for the non-stop vomiting, etc. to go on all night and for the next 3 days! Now, That’s the Indian adventure!!!!  I heard the college kids had some illenss on a 30 hour bus ride and mt trek too….But I seemed to get it the worse…it was later we found out  it was ‘bad’ cheese we ate for Diwali night that the kids made a fiest for us!!!! Oh geez……

 

But now, let’s get to the good stuff of this place.  Some days you LOVE this place (the sweet, loving and helpful people, the landscape, the food, etc)….and other days you just hate it (the dirt, dust, traffic, noise, heat, pollution, sewage and s–t everywhere, the harsh conditions, etc.)!! They say you die and are reborn in India. Well, I think they mean spiritually… and mine has only been physically so far!!!  (Although, I sure did pray alot all those hours just to have strength and to make it thru…!)

 

Now that I am back, there are 3 other wonderful volunteers now, an American woman who lives in Thailand, and English girl, Carlee, 25, and my roommate (in the best room now with NO bugs, rats, etc…..just big spiders…you should see us at night when we first come into the room…we both are so affraid of spiders….). She lives in Napoli, Italy and travels around volunteering when she can…and there is sweet, quiet Annie from Montreal Canada….all great to be with…finally!!!  To ‘volunteer’ is basically to babysit and be on call for the kids, to bathe, give meds, come into our room for hugs (or we go into theirs) and be their loving caretakers. They have an excellent system and school here, that the help just hangs on the ‘outside’ to assist when needed (if a Hindi Indian teacher is out sick, etc. We teach only in English, they teach in Hindi and English.)  The kids learn by rote memory only, not a great system, but that is how they do it here.  In K., when I taught one day by myself (they knew very little english)…..I would do numbers, colors, days of the week. months, etc by saying “one’, and they echo “one”. ”two”-”two”, Monday”-  Monday” ,etc…It drove me nuts (them too…they are like wild, happy monkeys here….!) So I made up songs the whole time…that helped! Luckliy I am on ‘job’ here, not a volunteer, so I will work 4-5 hours day. I teach music and movement to Lower K, Upper K, Class 1 and Class 2, about 50 or the 150 kids.  Lately because of the illenss, I wish I was just a volunteer!  Today was my first full day and I am soooo tired…and we had no electricity, so I had to sing all the songs! And they just stared at me…finally,  I had them try to echo back ( they have very poor pitch for our type of songs!). Each time I speak, someone has to translate first…..all very taxing….ugh!!!  Usually I will have great music (American folk, jazz, bluegrass, etc.) to break it up so we can dance, move and play instruments!

 

I am ending to describe to you these children: 68 at the Home (plus about 100 very poor children from the village for school). At first it took some getting use to.  Strong, ‘pushy’, loud, HAPPY, confident and straight forward. If you saw Slum Dog Millionaire, that is all these kids (but of course, with their own characteristics, etc) They get what they want, or try!!!  They may not listen well, and are very physical with each other…pushing alot (but also always hugging…all ages, 17 and under…  ). But is it normal for them, there is no maliciousness or aggession here (you do not see or hear about “guns”, good/bad guys or war-like/karate play…just playful, pushy, physical and happy…really like monkeys!). Just imagine what they have been thru to be here (I will tell their stories in the next email)….

 

It’s been good today down on the farm….right before I left to come email, a baby calf was born and I assisted!  I held the mother cow’s head and stroked her. She was having a hard time birthing with a breach birth. As she strained, I had flashback and ‘pains in my gut’ , because I, too, had had a breach birth,  Heather, my first at 19 yrs old!!, with one foot coming out first…..very, very painful!.  It took a half hour before the vet could get the other leg, he then tied then both legs to a rope and we (me!) all pulled the calf out togethter!!!  The children were silent as they watched on! (and mother cow too!! do they have pain??? I wonder….). I cried with joy…I was the only one crying…but then,  I was the only mother there!  Karina’s birth (23 yrs. ago) was just 2 days ago…which I thought alot about when I was layed up with illenss…the sweet memories kept me going, as well as many good thoughts of YOU and MY FAMILY, that bring me so much happiness! 

 

LOVE you guys….ALL of  you have blessed me so much!!!

 

Kathy

 

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