Mumbai, Malvali, Sadhana and finally Pune

I have been in India for almost a week and it has been surreal. Spent the better part of the morning riding to the nearest large city called Pune in a jeep crammed with nineteen other people. That's right, nineteen, I counted. That's sixteen Indians, one Japanese girl, and three Americans. Needless, to say it has been an adventure trying to adjust to how things are done here but I think I'm doing all right although a little homesick. Traveling here by road is pure maddness. The dividing lines are mere suggestions that are rarely taken, and then only as a last resort to avoid head on collision.

For those of you who do not know what it is exactly that I am doing here, I commiserate because I am still a little unclear myself. Officially I am an intern working with grassroots community development. I am staying in a longterm care facility for the mentally disabled, called "special friends" in India, in a village called Sadhana. This facility, aside from taking care of the disabled, has become involved in various other projects in the surrounding villages. These include education, healthcare, financial education, and a womens self help group. Yesterday we, the other three interns and I, went around and visited representatives for all of these different projects and we are all still trying to feel out where and how we will get involved. I myself am thinking of getting involved with the womens group in whatever capacity that I am able. I am realizing that my invovlement will be fairly limited as the language barrier is significant. Most people speak Maharati and little English, with a few exceptions. Despite this I am very excited to learn more about how this womens group works. From what I have understood so far they started meeting a few years back at the encouragement of the women that run the facility where I stay. They have recieved must resistance from the men in the village but have pushed forward. In thier group they are able to apply for small loans and recieve education on how to spend the money they receive. They have very little political power as of now despite one of the women in the group being part of the village council.

This country is beautiful and full of contradictions and I feel very lucky to have come here. On my second day here, first full day, we drove from Malvali to Sadhana where I am staying now. As we took a scenic route out to this rural village many things stood out to me; a women beating wet clothes on a rock to clean them, men and women ankle deep in muddy water re-planting rice in the fields, horned buffalo with skin wrapped tightly around ribs, piles of refuse next to beautiful greenery, hilltop mansions next to straw huts, and the list goes on and on. We spent the next week or so getting used to life in rural India and I found it very relaxing, almost as if I were on vacation. We would go for walks, drink chai tea and chat, and attend the activities with the special friends who were very excited to meet us and learn where we were from. Suprisingly some of the best english speaker are special friends. I think this is becuase it is fairly expensive for them to stay at this facility as it is fairly unique in India. As a result I think many of them come from fairly well off families.

Overall, my time here has been very stressfull, exciting and at times very sad. Arriving today in Pune was my first time in the streets of a large city and I was immediately singled out by the beggars. Children gathered around us touching our feet and then kissing thier hands asking for money. One particular boy followed us for quite a while and if we stopped for too long he would sit on the ground and wrap his arms and legs around my leg to keep me from going. I wanted nothing else but to give this boy some money but they tell us that most of these children are employed by adults who treat them very cruelly and by giving them money we are supporting what is essentially a very immoral industry.

Well thats all for now, I have lots of people to write and only limited time. I very much enjoy hearing from others and if anyone would like to give me a call my cell number here is 9323626891 just keep in mind that I am about thirteen hours ahead of most of you. And I also very much enjoy getting comments from family and friends.