2045

Hi all,
I am writing you from the business class airport lounge in Hong Kong where we wrote our first post from. I am almost home. Our blog received 2045 hits while we were in India. That also happens to be the next time I will go to India. Januray 2045. Just kidding but I did meet up with Jeff during my time in HK and we talked about how life was different when not in India. Anyways, I also wanted to share with you some media exposure we have gotten: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/23/usc.india/index.html yep! we're on CNN. We all wrote 2-4 posts which they should put up soon too. Instead of blogging we were writing professional blog posts for CNN so I guess thats the real reason we stopped posting on the blog. I am sure this blog will kind of die once we stop posting so there a good chance this will be the last entry until the USC team from next year goes back to Hubli. For now take care and thanks for reading about us!

The last day...

Sorry for the lack of posts recently but the past 2 weeks have been extremely hectic. As we have mentioned before we got all of our materials printed a few weeks ago and since then we have given our presentation to one or two schools a day, analyzed our data, dropped off pamphlets at clinics, and have been in meetings during the rest of time here. Overall the past 6 weeks has been an exciting and exhausting process. We have been featured in more newspapers and have been getting a great response from students as well as the local community. As the title of the post implies, this is my last day here. I am looking forward to an awesome meal tonight at my favorite restaurant. I am very thankful for the opportunities that the Desphande Foundation and USC Stevens has given me. I am leaving with countless memories and my hope is that our program has impacted as many lives as possible. Below are some pictures from the past few weeks for your viewing pleasure.

The last days in Hubli

Hi all,
SO we have been busy on the ground here and have not really had a chance to keep our readers updated. We just finished our last school yesterday and in total interacted with 1200 local students throughout our time here. We also got our pamphlets for healthcare professionals and patients and will be distributing them in our last few days here. We also found out we are in two newspapers: a local language paper and the Times of India. We also had a press conference yesterday with two other newspapers. Finally, we wrote up our story for CNN and are hoping that perhaps they will publish our stories. If we can post a link for that we will. It has been a great experience but all of us can't wait to get home to the good ol USA. Sorry for the lack of updates but we promise better things from us soon!
-Sagar

On the trails of the Anti-Gutka Campaign

As Crystal manifested below we had our second education session. This time it was in a government Kannada language high school. The littered gutka wrappers forming a pile at the base of the worn building provided grimacing evidence of this. While a high school, children of all ages walked around a dusty playground. The students however were very enthusiastic and excited to have visitors. They seemed to prize the educational game boards we gave them as many tried to scam us into giving them more. It was clear we were making an impact. I am sure many of you are asking why I came to India and what is this gutka thing I am talking about. Well here is a short write-up that will explain that:
India. A fourth trip. One like never before. A trip where I come to give and not just get. A trip where I am "prepared" for what lies ahead. It is my motherland and the combination of my cultural awareness and education give me the tools to initiate a change. I am a medical student. I understand work ethic and I can and will continue the arduous battle towards perfection. But wait, there’s so much personal sacrifice. Isn’t being a doctor and devoting my life to helping others enough? This is my last summer. Ever. I can choose to do anything, why would I ever choose to give up my amenities and lavish lifestyle in sunny Los Angeles? Gutka.
Gutka is a sweet tobacco product designed in India. It is a white granular substance and when placed in the mouth, morphs into a vermilion red liquid that is spat out. It is more addictive than cigarettes and more dangerous than dip. It comes in a dynamic array of flavors ranging from chocolate to fresh mint but is most popular in a flavor that brings together many spices used in Indian desserts. It was marketed as a fast option to paan, a similar tobacco product rolled in a fresh leaf and eaten as a mouth refresher after meals throughout India. Paan, while dangerous, has been around for centuries. It wasn’t until the late nineties that the gutka market emerged. Much like the overflow of crack into the streets of urban and ethnic neighborhoods in the late 80’s, gutka has torn through the lower socioeconomic classes all over India. It is highly addictive, fairly innocuous (during early use), and marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes. While gutka is certainly known to be harmful, the extent of its dangers have not been conveyed to most of India. The creators, in search for a successful tobacco product seemed to mimic the recipe used by the discoverers of crack: they mixed every addictive substance they could find, every carcinogen, some glamor, but this time they added taste. It was a recipe for disaster. Some products have been found to cause oral cancer in less than 6 months. Oral cancer is not in the top ten amongst cancer incidence in the United States. In India, it is the most incident cancer amongst males. The trends are alarming in that the problem is getting worse. The scariest thing as that apart from a few large studies and localized action from individual states, there have not been major steps to create awareness of this problem. With a population of a billion, any problem that affects India on such a large scale automatically becomes a problem of the world. I know my impact may be small but with sustainability being my goal and molding our project around the idea that it can be replicable, I know we can begin something. With that in mind, the sacrifice of the last summer of my life and the challenge and excitement of being in my motherland don’t seem so daunting. I’m ready to give and to get.

KIMS Med Student Superstars

We had a slight scare last week, when we thought we wouldn't have medical students from Karnatika Institute of Medical Sciences, and after today's performance, the full implication of that would-have-been loss is clear. The three Indian medical students really shone today, translating and instructing as we did our education program in a Kanada medium school for the first time. We had all our materials pre-translated, but it would have been impossible to explain what we wanted the kids to do with them, since they spoke only a smattering of English. In addition, the students helped us by imparting additional knowledge about oral cancer to the kids--in our 9th standard class, they were eager to learn more! At the end, they led the kids in a cheer, a rousing "say no way to Gutka" hoorah. I felt that the program today, despite bumps we will iron out with experience, was a resounding success. The headmistress thought so, too, and invited the "big wigs" from the school board to meet us and thank us for running the program. Undoubtedly, it could not have turned out so well without the contribution of the students at KIMS, and our NGO partner Ravindra. Later in the week, there will be two nursing students joining us as well. A full onslaught of soon-to-be medical professionals reaching out to the Kanada-medium government schools where the gutka problem is significant. I only hope the juggernaut of help that we seem to have now can keep rolling forward---I imagine there will need to be some more added momentum, somewhere, or the darn thing is liable to succumb to friction and stop.

Our First Session: Chaos in Hubli

Today we conducted our first education session for our anti-gutka campaign. We worked at the Rotary High School which is an English school and one of the nicer schools in Hubli. We received permission from their school oard thanks to Dr. BR Patil who is a surgeon with a hospital and a cancer center in Hubli. It was him who allowed us to watch the fibula free flap repair and mandible resection. Details aside, we were given this great opportunity. I woke up early in the morning to go to downtown Hubli to search for something we could use as game pieces. It was hard finding a silver shoe, thimble, or car, so instead of basing our game on Monopoly, I decided to use buttons. When I returned, Crystal and I began to video tape students around school. Our plan was to leave to the school at one and in typical Indian fashion we didn’t get our printing until 12 and that was only part of the job. The other part would be dropped off to the school while we were on our way there.
When we got to the school we decided to split the 8th and 9th grade apart so that we could educate them separately. Thank god for that. The students arrived in the auditorium queit, in single file, with an excited glow about them. Jeff introduced the group (in a flashy Indian accent nonetheless) and we took questions from the students about life in the US. They did not ask us about Hollywood, music, or Disneyland. Nope. These 8th graders aare different. They asked us about career choice, attaining a green card and/or a visa, and about the process of opening a business as an immigrant. Interesting…Nonetheless, gifted them the comic which they all enjoyed. We then began to play the game, but at that point, due to a wave of excitement flowing through the hall, we lost all control of the students. No words from the students or us would calm them down. In fact no beating would calm them down. We saw kids getting ears pulled, getting slapped on the back of the head and getting whacked with a coarse rob of bamboo. It was fairly eye-opening. When we gave them surveys and accepted their individual thanks we we exhausted but awaited the 9th graders. None came. We had taken so long in teaching the 8th graders that school was almost over for the day. We will go back to the school another day. It was an exhilarating day in Hubli and there is at least another week of this. For now, we will talk to you guys later.Below is a video of a few kids playing our game.
-Sagar

Online Videos by Veoh.com

5 surgical interns...

We working harder and longer these days, as our deadline nears and still so much to do. I went to the famous "glass house" yesterday, to the Augustia science center, to get contacts for rural Kanada schools. It was interesting to see the science center and learn about what they teach the kids who come there. They are all about inspiring creativity and love of learning in their students, which is something lacking in the standard Indian education system (and I think many would admit, in the standard US public school system as well). I found the visit refreshing, but I was surprised they could show young children real jarred fetuses, and the live crab in a jar too small for it was a little sad. At any rate, I am looking forward to putting our project forward in rural schools, where the kids are most at risk for a gutka addiction, and likely know the least about it. I am a proponent of us having as much contact with rural schools as our time and printing budget allows, because I think we will have a large impact there.

Yesterday, the group met with Dr. Desari, the head of the Karnatika Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS). It was amazing to meet with him in and of itself--can you imagine telephoning the dean of a US medical school, and meeting him or her face to face half an hour later, just on the pretext that you want to see him, with no prior introduction? He set up another meeting that Marin and I went to this morning, with a head of a department, and now we have 5 surgical interns who will be coming with us to the Kanada schools. They will translate and help educate the students on oral cancer. I'm so excited that they have agreed to help us, because this will add credibility to our program, the students will learn well from the native Kanada speakers, and they may be inspired more by peers who have made it in the medical field than by "foreigners". I also hope that this contact will help us increase the sustainability of our project, a goal we always have foremost in our minds. I don't dare to hope too much, but we will introduce the students to Ravindra (whose NGO we are working with) and perhaps something will come of it. If nothing else, we have a valuable contact for future USC students who might work on this project. I also went to the nursing school yesterday, but so far they have not gotten back to me about getting their students involved.

Math and Numbers

Hey guys,
So our project is getting along well. We have done some preliminary survey's in an English school and have processed the data. A high percentage of these kids know what gutka is, and they know its bad for you. Most learned about gutka from stores and most learned at the age of 11-12.
Anyways, we have also been looking into using our educational program in rural schools. Apparently 70% of the population in India is rural and while 42% of the total population uses tobacco, that number is much higher in rural areas. Hopefully we can set this up.

Finally, I am trying to embed a video of Jeff's pretty cast. Although the orthopedic surgeon told us he only had one type of fiberglass cast and that it was slightly pink, I was not expecting this. Hopefully the video works.

Also we saw that there is schools for low IQ kids in India. I'm glad to see that people recognize disability as more than something like, "you should study more!" The school's sign was in English and it was called a school for, "SLOW learners...don't laugh at us, laugh with us!"


Online Videos by Veoh.com

Showering with a bucket and a slight foot fracture

So as Taj mentioned before, I found out yesterday that I have an avulsion fracture of my 5th metatarsal in my right foot. In order to let it heal properly, I had to get a cast on my foot and I will get it off just before I leave here in a few weeks. The only color they had in fiberglass was pink. Cool.

Despite the cast, we all went to the pre-wedding bash for Mr. Desphande's son. Needless to say this was an awesome cultural experience. From eating off banana leafs to a ridiculous firework's show, this was a night to remember.

To give an update on our project, we submitted our materials to the printer so hopefully we will receive them in a few days.


Banana leaves


Enjoying the food


Pretty awesome outfits for the servers

Move over Diwali....it's July 4th in India

Last night we decided to go out and get some good ol' fashioned Indian fireworks.  Mind you most of these fireworks would be highly illegal in the US.  We got a couple of bottle rockets, the Indian version of M-80s which are aptly called "bombs," and a shell...yup that's right: the type of shell that fires straight into the air and blows up.

We approached our the track in front of the boy's hostel to light the fireworks when we started getting whistled at by the security guards.  I explained to them in Hindi that we wanted to light fireworks and they were amenable to the idea. Actually they were much more than amenable. They ended up following us, having a jolly good time watching AND helping us light the fireworks instead of reprimanding us.  

On another note, we have an update of Jeff's condition.  He has a hairline fracture of the 5th metatarsal in his foot. I have to admit that I was pretty proud of myself because I was able to diagnose him before he got an x-ray.  I may have to move ortho up on my list now. Even better, Jeff will be sporting a pink cast on his foot.  Hopefully Jeff will be able to move around easier with a cast now.  If not, I volunteer to put him under my knife in India, which he hasn't agreed to yet.

We have a video of the fireworks, but I'm having trouble loading it right now.  I'll try again later. 

-Taj

Some of our materials that we have prepared...

As we finish translating all of our documents into the local language here, I thought it would be nice to post some samples of the materials we have produced so far.





This is the gameboard we will be handing out to kids.

Facial Hair: A Chronicle

So due to popular demand, here is a timeline of my facial hair for the first few weeks of being here. For those of you that don't know, I am half chinese and half Irish. Clearly I inherited the Asian genes when it comes to facial hair so I figured that being in India for 5 weeks would be the best way to see how ridiculous it can get. The first picture is taken right around when I got here and the last picture was taken yesterday while recovering from my ankle injury.



As I mentioned before, we spent our one day off in the operating room at a local cancer hospital. Below are some pictures from the surgery...some pictures may be graphic for some...

Some words of wisdom outside the hospital


Tajdip stoked before going in...



That's the patient's jugular vein...holy sh*t. See folks, this is what happens when you chew gutka, or for those in the states, those who dip. Foul.

Dharwad Pedha and Bandh

Our work has slowed right now because we're waiting to hear back from printers and translators, so the past two days have been pretty relaxed. It was really nice to run around and do personal errands. Doing laundry by hand can actually be calming.

Deshpande's son is getting married this weekend in Hubli, and they have graciously invited our whole team to the wedding. So I had an excuse to go clothes shopping. We had some Dharwad pedha from a local bakery. This is a type of sweet that's unique to Karnataka apparently. It's truly amazing. It has a texture that really melts in your mouth. It's sweet and has a thick milky taste. So good!!! And it'd be really hard to find in the US, even at Indian stores, so I'm gonna make sure I get one every time we're in the city.

There was a nation wide 'bandh' today, because of land revocation at a temple. It's essentially a strike. Things shut down and there are riots. But locally, we also had a truckers strike, so everything really was shut down today. We saw a small mob forming, and people waving flags. Hopefully the restaurants will open so we can eat dinner….

Chew gutka? NO WAY!!!

Chewing gutka could kill you. Tell your friends to say "no" to gutka!

--an example of some characters we are using for the anti-gutka campaign for kids

running with the indians

When we scheduled our time in India we set aside 2-3 days each for sickness. I felt this was very insightful of us to realize that we need to schedule around illness. What we did not schedule around was the strike taking place in India. We have been told to stay in our hostels because at times these strikes can become riots. Exhibit A (the picture on the right) is from the last strike due to fertilizer shortages. That peaceful protest turned into the next picture (right). This happened no more than a week before we arrived. The strike this time is for public transportation. Despite the warning not to, I think Taj and I want to go see what this "riot" is all about. If it gets to crazy it will be like we are in Spain running with the bulls...except we will be in India running with the Indians. Jeff can't come because of his ankle
Also jeff's cute mustache is beginning to bother him. Please comment on this post with encouragement of how cool it is so he doesn't shave it for the wedding this weekend.
In other news the other group from USC arrives today. Let's hope the strike doesn't affect them getting picked up at the airport. Stay tuned!

Attack of the oil-soaked Pav Bahji

I just finished reading the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The book is extremely well-written and entertains while educating readers about the Central Asia Institute and Mortenson’s efforts to build schools for children (especially girls) in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in humanitarian efforts (it is reminiscent of Mountains Beyond Mountains). It seems especially poignant reading it here—it encourages me to laugh at the small inconveniences I may face, because they pale in comparison to all the sacrifices Mortenson made. I can only hope to live up to his accomplishments in the name of peace and generosity with my own life and career.

On an entirely different note, Marin and I had the best masala dosa I have ever tasted today. It was at a street restaurant, Ghurudatta Bavin. The sambar was so delicious, the dosa was not too greasy, and the masala had just the right flavor. We are both still talking about how good it was. Even the cha was excellent and piping hot. And the best thing? Only 15 rupees a piece! And we were stuffed. This is all in contrast to the horribly greasy pav bahji I ate with Sagar, Taj and Jeff yesterday. These Indian-style “sloppy joes” (no meat, just veggie tomato curry and buns) were good, but each bun was baptized in a river of butter, and the curry itself was no weakling in the oil department. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack as soon as the meal was through.

On that note, I bought 1 kilo of oranges and decided to have one each day for breakfast, maybe with some cha, just to avoid grease for at least one meal per day. That, combined with morning running, may just save my arteries. I long to sample real Indian homecooking, because everyone says it is much different than all this restaurant fare. I don’t dare to eat at anyone’s house here, though, for my stomach is finally adjusting and feeling good.

A Wedding

Hi all,
Our project in Hubli has come to a stand still. As we diligently completed all of our materials in two days, we have been waiting much more than that in just trying to get our materials translated and printed. We have found multiple people who speak English and can translate it to the local language Kannada, multiple people who can type in Kannada, but have yet to find someone who can do both. Until we get that done our project will be at a hold and we will try to hold back our frustrations.
-Also yesterday we met with Desh Deshpande (the philanthropist giving us the money to come here) and his family. His son, who happens to be friends with my high school buddy Duncan Ma, is getting married on Sunday and we have all been invited. We have to go get some dress shirts but hopefully its open bar, we don't embarrass ourselves, and we enjoy the wedding.
Jeff is having a pretty bad string of luck. He is now peeing into bottles and aims to use our shower bucket if he doesn't get better any soon. Please pray for his ankle for his sake and for that of Taj and I. Jeff and I also witnessed a child casually defecating on the side of the street. Jeff has seriously become a different person since we saw that.
-So far I would guess I have gained around 10 pounds...who would've thought.
-We are trying to work with Apollo Hospitals (the largest private hospital in Asia) to set up a screening program in Hubli. This endeavor would bring together the public and private health sector and be a landmark event. We will update you on this possibility in the future as the event unfolds more.
I'll leave you guys with that for now. take care and please write comments on our posts.
-sagar

An interesting few days here in Hubli

So as you may have known one of our partners in crime, Mairin, had been sick for a few days. After posting up in a hotel across the street from the engineering college and having a steady diet of ice cream for breakfast and Bollywood music videos, she is now back to health and is as sassy and demanding ever. She also claimed that since she had fallen ill, the rest of us would be fine, having taking the fall for everyone. Unfortunately, two days ago I took a literal fall of my own and sprained my ankle pretty badly. So right now I am speaking to you from my bed which I dont plan on leaving for a couple days. Since I have 3 weeks left here and a week in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong with my family I need to make sure that my ankle heals properly.

Just before spraining my ankle, three of us were awoken at 630 am by one of the surgeons here that we are working with to observe a surgery to treat a patient's oral cancer. 13 hours later (that's how long the surgery was), we were all in shock. It was like nothing we had ever seen before in the states. The surgeons were all extremely talented but there definitely is a huge difference between how surgery is performed here and in the States. (for one, everyone in the OR was required to flip flops...) It was also a great anti-tobacco chewing slogan in of itself. The girls in our group will have the privilege of watching a similar surgery shortly and I am sure they will share their impressions about it as well.

Lastly, I just want to point out that Indian food despite being delicious is basically covered in butter. Everything. Thankfully I have stored enough fat over the past few weeks so that I can hibernate here in my room while my ankle recooperates.

And just to keep everyone updated, we now successfully fit 7 people in a rickshaw.

Stay tuned for more commentary

Viral Trials

You haven't heard from me for the past few days because I've been sick.

Yep. For better or for worse, mine was more of a flu than the expected GI problems... But it was enough to keep me out of commission for about three days. Plus the first day of complete and utter denial of illness.

So I was the first one to suffer through the viral rights of passage, and now I'm feeling more much more entitled to embrace my own identity as a foreigner in this country. There is no way for me to meld into this society. Sickness has given me a fear and a realization of fragility. I need a barrier between myself and the raw-ness of this country. You can't try to push through and become local. I almost died…. Okay….I didn't almost die. Not even close. but it was still pretty bad.

At any rate, you've caught me feeling a little bit more than bitter.

Which brings me to the center of my sore feelings. Us girls are living in the college girls hostel, which was not unexpected. Boys aren't allowed in, ever, and, here's the worst part, we have a curfew of 10pm. If we're not back by curfew, they lock the doors and scold us when we get back. This is probably the most frustrating thing about living here. It is indescribably aggravating to feel like I have to be home by a certain time. I haven't had a curfew in almost a decade.

I feel trapped, caged in. We work all day, far longer and harder than a 9-5 summer internship, and then the boys get to have a relatively relaxing night out while the girls need to hurriedly finish up dinner and make it back before the warden condemns us. Our boys are as accommodating as they can be, but we weren't told it would be like this before we got here. We're coming here as equally empowered American women, we're working hard, and perhaps our struggle as foreign women in this country is harder, and now we have to be policed too. I'm not saying we need to stay out until 2AM. I just desire the freedom to move about as I wish, without being treated like a petulant child that doesn't know how to take care of herself. Even after days of being sick, my issue is still with this inequality. Discrimination, even in its most menial forms, has an odour and quality that is intrinsically repugnant. It becomes more stifling as the days pass.

Other than that, and my currently weak constitution, our project seems to be making headway. We had a press release picked up by REUTERS today. Check it out.

The rules of the road in Hubli

After spending about a week and a half here in Hubli, I think I have finally figured out the two fundamental rules of the road.

1) Cows always have the right of way



2) If there is no cow present, YOU have the right of way. Its survival of the fittest here. I dont think Michael Schumacher would even be able to cut is as close as they do here.

We also have figured out how many adults you can fit into a rickshaw. The count is at 6 right now with Sagar, Taj, or I sitting up front with the driver and the rest of the group (4) in the back. Here is Sagar getting acquainted with a rickshaw driver.

Whose Revenge is it, in India?

My stomach was hurting a bit when I got up for my customary morning run, but I decided to try it anyway. After 1 lap around the track, though, I knew there would be no running for today. I still felt okay to walk, so I headed out behind the junior boys' hostel to the railway tracks and followed those through some villages behind BVB college. I definitely got more stares than usual out there, and I wished I could just blend it, like the dead toad I almost stepped on. The smell of feces was strong along most of the track, and even away from the blaring horns of the busy streets there was a different kind of cacophony: cows mooing, chickens clucking, infants bawling. Every time I have seen the discrepancy between how the poor and rich populations live out their lives, whether here, or in Russia, or in China, or to some degree in the US, I feel a bit of sadness. I am often amazed at how people live, where they eat, where they sleep, how they raise their children and I am grateful for the truly blessed life I've led (I don't necessarily believe in a higher power, but I can't think of a better term for it). Not to say that people of lower socioeconomic status are all unhappy, but I can imagine how we could make life more comfortable and how we could provide more opportunities for all humans, if the values of our societies were different.
Anyway, I'll step off my silly little soapbox now and face reality---the reality of an aching gut. I turned to head back along the track, but as waves of peristalsis-driven pain racked my lower intestines, I realized I would never make it back to the girls' hostel in time. I managed to hold back the dam until I reached the C-lite building (the library and computer center where our office is). It was a slightly unfortunate time to decide I couldn't take another step, because the C-lite building only has Eastern-style pit toilets and NO toilet paper for women (I was silly enough not to bring any with me). Needless to say, I'll spare you the details. I'm not sure what today's agenda holds, but for me, there will be a quest for toilet paper, crackers and Sprite.

Crystal meets people and smells

India is a land of scents. From the moment I stepped off the plane, various fragrances, each so much stronger than their US counterparts, both assaulted and wooed my nose. Pungent and spicy, musky and dank, putrid and rotting, sweet and delicate--I am constantly amazed at how, from one second to the next, different smells greet me, waving pleasantly or cursing as they pass by on their osmotic journey.

I met a few really cool people today. After my morning run around the track (have I ever sweat so much in my life?) I was walking back to the girls' dorm when an older Indian man, dressed in an off-white kurta, bowed to me, palms together. "You're American," he said, "come talk to me." He explained that he had travelled the world in his younger days, and had seen much of the US, Canada, Japan and Australia. "Three months," he said proudly in near-fluent English, "I saw the US. Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles." He explained that he was a social worker, traveling with doctors. He also said that while I was here, I should do my best to learn the Indian culture, see what was good, and take it with me. "In our religion," he said, "we are all one. You and me are one. There is no difference. Learn why we put dots here and there, or why we wear bangles on our wrists."
I'll do my best, but I am handicapped without even a rudimentary knowledge of Kanada or Hindi. When I come back to India, and I'm fairly sure I will, I will have studied some Hindi first.

On my way back to the room, I stopped to talk with a few of the female engineering students, which I hadn't really had time to do before. I was amazed to find out that they were told we wouldn't talk to them! From now on, I am going to make an effort to reach out more, find out more about the young women studying here and how they see the world. They have all been really nice so far, and eager to talk even though they have exams for the next two weeks. I even had one (I forgot her name, I am so bad at remembering any names, especially foreign ones) ask me for an autograph before I left. I tried to explain that I was just a student, like her, nobody special. But she persisted in asking, so I suppose if she comes back with pen and paper in hand, I will oblige her. I find the curiosity that surrounds us admirable--I don't mind the stares, or questions, or even the older cleaning ladies who touched my hands and my pony tail (I'm sort of used to it--plenty of staring, hair touching, and face-measuring happened in China and South Korea). In fact, it is kind of fun. Perhaps I should be a little bolder in my curiosity, to learn as much as I can while I'm here. It is hard being a young woman, even a married woman, because there isn't as much freedom in interaction with men. I sometimes wonder if I should even look the men I pass by in the eyes, let alone stop and talk to them. I really want to try cricket, or play some other sports, but that is pretty darn taboo. We ignored that taboo in Korea, but I feel like it is much more ingrained here, and as much as possible, I would like to learn and not offend. And, I would just like to add, I'm really missing wearing shorts and staying out past 10 pm, both of which are not okay for women here.

Rain Rain Go Away

It's raining outside. The weather has been great and I solely attribute this rain to our constant appraise of how nice the weather is. Today is going to be our first relaxing day. We have many errands to run. All of our material is finished so right now we are in the process of translating, editing, printing, and setting up our appointments in schools and clinics. This is the boring administrative part but in India that can be the roughest. For translation we are working with a center that trains operators at call centers on how to speak English! We are hoping that for payment we can teach the English accent at call centers. How sweet would that be? We slowly upload our materials to the blog so you can see them. I am starting by posting our motto (above left). It was graciously professionally designed by Lotus and Ash Design (Jeff's sister). It will be both a poster in itself and on all of our documents. The other logo is one I unartistically designed and that will be on the back of our pamphlets.
Also our new target population is 6-8th graders however the purpose of our study will be to find out exactly when these kids are begining to get exposure to gutka. We originally thought that paan (a delicious candy stuffed leaf) was causing all the oral cancer however have learned that in the 90's a new product called gutka was created. It looks like sand but tastes like a desert and is filled with carcinogens. Apparently it is more addictive that nicotine and we have shifted our focus to it.
That is enought detail on our project for now. Today India plays Pakistan in cricket. Being that I am the only one with a full understanding of the sport, I am going to teach everyone the rules. I am excited as I am sure all of India is! Go India!

Taj and Sagar go to the Dhobiwalla...

So today Sagar realized he was out of shirts and socks to wear.  Hence we took a trip to the dhobiwalla.  A dhobiwalla is a "washerman"...or woman.  We had a good time walking down a dirt path to the more "authentic" part of Hubli, dodging massive cows with rather large horns.  It is much less commercial around there and seems more like the India I remember from previous trips.

We met with one of the doctors here who is going to help us do research, and the meeting went well.  There were a few minor adjustments that need to be made to the materials we made yesterday, and we took care of that today.  We also got to meet a couple of residents in maxillofacial surgery, and learned that during their internship year they worked from about 9am to 3pm.  I'm seriously thinking about doing my residency in India now.

While waiting for the surgeon to come out of the OR, Sagar, Crystal and I decided to go get some food.  It was the first time we ate at a street side restaurant since we've been here. Hopefully everything works out ok, or we will be fully acquainted with the Indian plumbing system in the coming days.

Since we have worked so hard in the past couple of days, we are going to enjoy ourselves tonight and splurge a little bit...Pizza Hut it is!

-Taj

"Mama, I'm feeling chakkar..."

We spent most of today finishing all of our materials for our project including a gameboard, pamphlets, posters, and a comic strip. We will post some pictures of our materials when we are done. We are all pretty exhausted and ready to have a nice cold Kingfisher. Stay tuned for more entertaining posts...we just lack inspiration right now.

Everything is a production in India

Every little task you try to do around here becomes a big production. For example, we were in line for checkout at Big Baazar the other day, and there was some kind of problem with an item that the person in front of us was trying to buy. About 10 employees, a literal swarm, buzzed around the item trying to figure it out. Meanwhile, the other four checkout lanes remained closed and the boys and I waited for another 10 minutes before giving up and checking out downstairs.

So like that, our work on our project has progressed in a similar slow roundabout fashion. But we are progressing, and things are slowly but surely picking up speed.

Our first big step was meeting with a man who is conducting a very similar project in conjunction with the Deshpande foundation. With his help, we've parsed out the various steps we need to take in order to get formal approval to give presentations to school children. He set us up with contacts and seems really excited about what we're doing. Our entire process would have been far more arduous, had he not been there to guide us.

We've also met with a local doctor who has been advising us on how to conduct the clinical aspect of our project. We met him at his hospital, and he showed us the Operating Room in his 30-bed clinic. Words cannot adequately characterize the difference between an American OR and the one we saw here. Let me put it this way. We were required to walk barefoot into the OR. It was more similar to one of our regular physician examination rooms than our sealed off, sterile ORs. It's amazing how people must make do here. Or amazing how much excess we have in the US.

At any rate, after four days here, we have much more of a schedule and we have specific goals to accomplish. It's definitely going to be helpful to have the other two fellows here. Unfortunately, they were delayed in shanghai, so they won't get here until at least tomorrow. But really, our days have been full with work and we pass out usually between 10pm and midnight, so we're doing as well as can be expected, I suppose.

- Mairin

* pics courtesy of Jeff

Hubli: The City

As promised earlier, below are some pictures and commentary from our trip into Hubli.

But first...here is a picture of Sagar getting acquainted with the short handle broom. Clean up Sagar, sweep like you've never swept before



Now...we present Hubli...


The rickshaw...3 wheels and 50ccs of fury





Cows grazing in the street...pretty standard


Heaven is a shop dedicated solely to making fresh potato chips. We all thought we were losing weight on this trip...this may prove to be impossible.


In Hubli there are many different ways of getting around. Walking, bikes, motorbikes, scooters, rickshaws, bullock carts, and tractors.


Sagar just before testing whether people have the right-of-way when crossing a pedestrian "crosswalk"


As you can see, crosswalks here are merely a suggestion.


Sagar and Mairin exploring the city. Sagar gets the look of "where the hell is he from", Mairin gets the not-so-discreet stare down from every male in the city , and I represent 100% of the half chinese, half Irish population. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of it yet, but for those of you that have been proponents of me growing out a fu-man-chu style beard, I am on day 6 which has translated into random patches of facial hair. I am hoping there will be union soon.


Lastly, we discovered the equivalent of Olde English Malt Liquor here in India: Kingfisher Premium Strong. I am considering starting a movement here to bring the brown paper bag into style. Without it, it is lacking some of that ye Olde English charm.

As commented on by Sagar earlier, we found a basketball. In his first pick up game (at 7am this morning), apparently traveling is legal, there is no defense, and everyone shoots jump shots (without jumping)...so its just like the NBA. We hope to introduce American style street ball in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more...

Sagar: Day 3

Hi everyone,
So it seems we are getting settled in and have actually begun work on our project. We will give you a full update soon. We are still in the planning stages for our pamphlets and board game. Today we met with Dr. Ravindra whose NGO is doing almost EXACTLY what we plan on doing in schools. He is going to be a perfect partner and is excited we are willing to help. He gave us advice on how to get the city's approval and apparently, being American, we have a good chance at getting it quickly. Tomorrow we are meeting with a representative of Vaatsalya Hospitals (www.vaatsalya.com). Those of you interested in healthcare should check out their website as it is an innovative company that brings health care to the undeserved in a unique way.
Last night we went out to explore the city and it was quite an adventure. Jeff found a basketball...he's been dying to find one since there are basketball courts. Randomly enough the only basketball here was a 'Michigan Wolverines" ball....the only one. We'll also update you on our trip around town later today. Take care and keep reading and providing your comments. We hope that while we are designing our pamphlets we can get input from our readers and make it more a community based effort! Stay tuned

Sagar: The Life and Times of Us

Hey everyone,
So we are getting many things done here...unfortunately not many of them have to do with our project and instead they are more so involved with getting ourselves settled in. Today we went to Big Bazaar (the Indian version of Walmart) and bought some good stuff. I am proud to say I bought an immersion water heater. You can see below in Mairin's post that her shower only gives her cold water. All I say is that at least she has a shower. Jeff and I are stuck with a bucket...and a smaller bucket. Hopefully this heater doesn't melt anything and we get some warm water. I'd have to say the highlight of our trip was soon after settling into our dorm (which Jeff noted resembles an American prison in many ways: all concrete, the doors can be locked from the outside, and everything including the cots is made of grimy metal) we decided to go on a search for Mairin. We went into the office and found someone who would take us to get her. As we walked out the door he pulled out his keys and sat on his bike. Jeff and I immediately looked at each other and realized we would be sitting back to back to back on a scooter. As we turned onto the main street holding our breaths that we didn't tip over or hit a cow, we saw Mairin and although I expected to see her laugh at the sight of me holding onto Jeff's waist and Jeff holding onto the waist of a man he had never met before, she simply sent an expressionless stare of shock back at us before she cracked a smile. Jeff is about to post a plethora of awesome pictures so stay updated. Also I know we were planning on uploading video however it looks like youtube is blocked on our internet server...

Sweating where I didnt know it was possible to sweat from...

For my first post on the blog, I am going share a couple of my initial observations and some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Observation 1:
Being able to watch the NBA finals in Bombay was one of the best things I could have wished for ("tanks to technology")...until the game actually started. Elation quickly turned to depression.

Observation 2:
Apparently it is completely normal to pull over along the side of the road and pee if you need to. So far the count is at 10 within the 24 hours we have been here. Awesome.

Observation 3:
Showering with a bucket and cold water is breathtaking...literally.

Observation 4:
Everyone here dresses like an LA hipster. Either it is completely by accident or they are an ironic inspiration


On the way to Mumbai airport...a familiar sight


Don't let the propellers fool you. Kingfisher Airlines needs to come stateside.


The first 3 fellows


Traffic in Hubli


Our room


Here I am making our room mosquito proof with a polyester sheet and clear tape. Innovation and engineering at its finest.

Stay tuned...

Zen and the Art of Showering

I woke up at 4:30 this morning, and by 5:00 I decided there was no going back to sleep, so it was time to get ready for the day. I turned the shower on and played with the dials, trying to find which one made hot water. India, it turns out, is not as hot as you may imagine. The mornings are quite cool, and I was not enthusiastic about the idea of a cold shower. The water went from icy cold to cold, and I knew this was all I was going to get. I gingerly inched closer to the water, trying to ease myself into the frigid downpour but this maneuver was useless. There was no other way. I held my breath and stepped in.

It was as if my body thought I might just die in that moment. My heart was racing, I was gasping for air, my body was confused. But after a few moments of misery, I could feel my body getting used to it. The water was still cold and unpleasant, but I was no longer panicking. By the end of the shower, the water felt not quite pleasant, but certainly not wholly unpleasant either. Just simple acceptance of the condition.

It struck me that this was a perfect metaphor for how our experience in India will be. There is no way to prepare for India. No way for us, in our land of high-speed access and fast food, to dip our feet in the water. And having landed here yesterday, that initial panic quickly set in. That physiological response. I'm in a country where I am unfamiliar with the customs, the language, the social boundaries, everything. I have never felt more defined by my gender. And in a land where for once, my skin color puts me in the majority, I am still a vulnerable outsider. Yesterday was a day of sheer trepidation.

Yet I'd be lying if I said I don't feel a connection with this place. Something in my blood pulls me towards it, even as my mind fills with doubts. And I think at the end of the day, that's why I'm here. Because India, for me, is the Motherland. Even though I grew up in a different world, she was always a part of it. And this is an experience that I needed to have. This is my pilgrimage. And I'm sure that the water will begin to feel less cold.

- Mairin

Sagar: Update

I am posting this from the airport in Hong Kong. We have a 2 hour layover before our second flight leaves to India. All of us talked our way into the Cathay Pacific business class lounge and we are just relaxing. It is pouring in Honk Kong...the classic tropical summer storm. The city looks alive and I wish we could leave the airport and go exploring in the city...no distractions though as we need to stay focused on our trip to India. I just called my friends in Hong Kong (Fouad Samra and dave Namdar) and they are both doing well even though its almost 9PM and Fouad is still at work and Dave is looking to get out of the hustle of the investment banking lifestyle. (for those of you that wanted the Fouad/Dave update). We will be posting more when we get to Hubli. We land in Mumbai at 1:35Am and are staying at the Bestwestern before our flight to Hubli (on Kingfisher Air...that's the Indian equivalent of there beign a Coors Light Air). Keep comign back for updates! -Sagar

Time to Go

Welcome to our blog. We are keeping this blog to share our journey through India with our friends, family, and those interested in a hope that our impact in India extends far beyond those whose lives we touched and the experiences we shared. Our journey will be arduous in a physical, emotional and perhaps spiritual manner however I know we are all equipped with the tools to learn the most from our trip. Tomorrow, Jeff, Mairin and I (Sagar) will be departing on Cathay Pacific. We have a 12 hour layover in Mumbai and we will simply be checking in at the Best Western and sleeping for a few hours. We then take Kingfisher Airlines to Hubli and let the fun begin! We know what we want to do, why we want to do it, but have yet to figure out the how. We will spend our first few weeks planning our educational presentations, materials, and setting up our meetings. This blog will provide you with prose, video, and a photos to share our experiences. Check back often!