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.

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

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...

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!