Some Pictures!

Well, I have finally been able to borrow someone's camera and get some pictures uploaded. I have a video camera that takes stills but it is hard to transfer to the computer. Kind of a hastle but here are some pictures from the trip to Mumbai, Sadhana village and surrounding areas, and the hike that we went on yesterday on our day off. The hike was so beautiful and took us up into the nearby hills to a Hindu temple. We stayed there for a while and then continued on up the hill for another half hour before we made it to the top. The hill we were on extends out into Kolvan valley and we were able to see the countryside in all directions for miles. The pictures really don't do it justice but it was quite amazing to finally be able to get up into those hills. I've been wanting to go up there since I came to Sadhana.

The past week has been good, and I finally feel as though I am getting adjusted to the way of life here. The days are starting to flow by in a somewhat predictable manner. It is very strange to me that I have only been here for three weeks. Time is strange here, in the present it always seems as though we are not really doing much and that time is crawling by but when I look back it seems that the three weeks passed in the blink of an eye and yet were filled with so much activity. On Monday of this week we were able to go to the city to do some research at a library which was very helpful in giving us a better background in development, microcredit and womens self help groups. The next day we were able to visit with five of the women in the group and interview them in thier homes. It was very enlightening to see how these different women live and hear about some of the struggles they face. Two of the women were comparitively well off and had the support of thier husbands but the other three were very poor and one got the sense that the only reason that they were able to participate in the group was because thier husband was either absent or in an alchohlic haze. Despite this, all of the women were very happy to talk to us and had a very positive attitude. The main benefit that the women got from being involved in this group was financial security and hope for the future that. One woman in particular was so proud that her daughter was going to be one of the few girls in the village that was continuing her education by attending a school for hotel managment. There are four such girls in the village and it is a very big deal that they are able to go to this school both in what it will do for thier future but also for the example that it will give to other young children in the area.