New Year, New Clothes!!

While volunteering with the Aashray Care Home, I participated in many projects to help the kids and the organization as a whole.  The biggest project I initiated was Project New Clothes for all the kids in the care home. This idea came about when Sushila, the administrator of the care home, mentioned how if there wasn’t so much going on (i.e. caring for the kids + her son with leukemia), she would have liked to raise funds to buy each child new clothes. In Rajasthan, there’s this tradition where upon entering the new year, one should wear new clothes to ensure good luck for the new year.

Once Sushila told me her concerns, my mind started racing because I thought—wouldn’t that be nice. Behind Sushila’s back, I started an online fundraiser to help raise money to buy new clothes for the kids to wear for the New Year. Myself and the other volunteer with me, Monique, reached out to as many family, friends, and local organizations to help. This whole time, Sushila had no idea. In a matter of 4 days, we raised about 23, 000 Rupees (about 450 USD). These funds afforded a new top, bottom, and a few accessories for each child and the care home staff (women also infected with HIV). This was the highlight of the New Year for me!!

The fun part of this project was Sushila’s reaction and when I had each child tell me (via Sunil because he knew the most English) what they wanted for clothes. Since raising the money, I thought it made sense to let each child decide what they wanted for clothes. 

Look at all those clothes!!

Monique [left], Sushila [right], and I carrying all the items we bought for the kids

Maya was my favorite--she was so excited, she folded her clothes..so sweet!!

                                        

Look at the grin on her face as she folds her clothes

All the kids and the wonderful staff in their new year attire!!

A Winter Break I Will NEVER Forget

**Sorry for the length of this post…I had a lot to say. Read and be inspired J**

For the winter holiday break, I had a little over a month off to do just about anything. Unlike the other Fulbright ETAs who went to exotic places like Goa (the Hawai’i of India), Thailand or Sri Lanka, I spent my break volunteering. I opted to pursue an HIV/AIDs health project in Rajasthan (East India) with an organization that supports women and children who are discriminated against because they have HIV/AIDs.

Learn more about Aashray Care Home!

I was specifically working with the organizations’ care home for HIV affected and infected children called the Aashray Care Home (ACH). I lived in that house along with three women, two of which re HIV+, and thirty children. Of the thirty children, twenty-seven are HIV+ and twenty are orphans. The mothers of the children who were not orphaned lived in a separate care home designated for women with HIV.

For the duration of my time, I was in charge of distributing medicine to the children twice a day, helping the women cook and clean, I accompanied the children whenever they needed to go to the hospital, and I facilitated English and health workshops. Majority of the kids in the home had poor English. Thus, I gave lessons on naming body parts in English and how to tell someone (i.e volunteers) something hurts. There’s only one lady managing the care home. She really depends on volunteers to fulfil errands for the kids. When I was there, I was very important because her son was going through treatment for his leukaemia and she had to attend to him most of the time.

Moreover, I applied my nonprofit management skills when I helped the care home establish their first newsletter (check it out!) to help them reach out to donors. Also, when the kids went to school, I got to shadow a female doctor at the local hospital. I basically helped her give workshops to groups of women currently living in the slums with their malnourished babies. Following each workshop, we distributed baskets of vegetables and basic nutrients for the mothers and their babies. Working with that female doctor was very rewarding. Aside from being with her, I must also say that being in the government hospital of Rajasthan is an experience in itself. 

In the hospital, every room is packed with people who have been waiting for practically days to be waited on. It gets even better—in the general room, four or five doctors sit at a table with people swarming them to look at their sheet (which tells them why they’re there). You have to be very creative and lucky to get a doctor to see your paper. After getting your paper reviewed, the doctor then scribbles several numbers—14, 3, 6, 9, and 7. Each number is a room the patient has to visit. Each room has its role. When I had to take one of the kids, Ashish, because he had a HORRIBLE eye infection, a doctor scribbled down three numbers on his sheet. *I firmly declared I was an American working for an NGO to get him looked at quickly—CRAZY! Each room we went to was crowded with people. Considering that I didn’t want to spend too long in the hospital, I passed through each crowd (using the same excuse) to get Ashish serviced. It is really sad how I could conveniently use my status as an American to expedite being serviced at a hospital—UNBELIEVABLE!! While I believe doctors in India are amongst the best in the world, I wish they could think of a better system to manage their hospitals.

In the beginning of this experience, I felt very overwhelmed because while in India, I had yet to encounter poverty at this level for such a long period of time.  In Kolkata, I am not living luxuriously but comfortable to a certain extent. Not to mention, I am at school Monday through Friday from 7:00AM-1:40PMish. Soon after, I have the choice to go home to my apartment with the other Fulbright ETAs aka other Americans. In this case, I lived day in and day out for about a month with the people I was serving. I was stressed out initially because it bothered me so much to witness firsthand how the women and the kids are ostracised by the rest of their community. Even schools have tried to deny these kids acceptance because they are ‘due to die soon’—UNBELIEVABLE!!

After a while, I saw these people as more than just people I am here to help, but rather like another family. In addition to these kids, I grew close with the women and through translation because I did not know Hindi too well, I learned how they have been discriminated and outcasted by their own families for being HIV+ (which was never their fault). This experience overall was detrimental. It instilled in me a deep passion for numerous facets of global health.  

The Annual Enrichment Seminar for English Teaching Assistant’s in South and Central Asia

One great perk about working abroad is the endless possibility of trips to and from amazing places. On the first week of December, The Fulbright Commission/U.S. Department of State flew us ETAs to Kathmandu, Nepal to attend the annual Enrichment Seminar hosted for Fulbright English Teaching Assistant’s (ETA's) in the South and Central Asia regions. This seminar lasted from 3^rd to the 6^th of December. Traveling to Nepal was a remarkable experience. The weather was much cooler than in India. Not surprisingly, we were placed in a top notch hotel called Hotel Manaslu. For the duration of this seminar, our schedule was packed!

Our Schedule:

December 2, 2012

At the opening ceremony,

Susan Parker Burns (left; U.S. Embassy in Nepal) 

and Sue Borja (right; U.S. Department of State)

12:00 - 5:00 pm Arrivals and Registration

6:00 - 9:00 pm Dinner

December 3, 2012

7:00 - 8:30 am Breakfast

8:30 - 9:30 am Opening Ceremony

9:30 - 10:00 am Tea Break

10:00 - 11:30 am Session I: “Meeting Challenges” - Teaching English as a Second Language

11:30 - 12:30 pm Lunch
**Throughout the week, Sue Borja, a representative from U.S. Dept of State, met with the ETAs from each country to discuss their experiences and any concerns.

 

12:30 - 3:15 pm Session II: Panel Presentation: The ETA Program across the Region

ETAs in Kazakstan

**The ETAs presented on our experiences in our respective cities/countries and schools. Considering the great differences between the cities in India, New Delhi, Madurai, and Kolkata ETAs presented separately. 

      12:30 - 12:45 pm Nepal (Gorkha)

      12:45 - 1:00 pm Nepal (Lalitpur)

      1:00 - 1:15 pm India (Delhi)

      1:15 - 1:30 pm India (Kolkata)

      1:30 - 1:45 pm India (Madurai)

      1:45 - 2:00 pm Bangladesh

ETAs in New Delhi, India

      2:00 - 2:15 pm Sri Lanka

      2:15 - 2:30 pm Kazakhstan
      2:30 - 2:45 pm Tajikistan
      2:45 - 3:00 pm Kyrgyzstan

3:15 - 3:30 pm Tea Break

3:30 - 6:00 pm Session III: ETA Group Activity

6:00 - 9:00 pm Welcome Reception and Dinner

Ian & Ayumi (ETAs in Nepal) present on "Lyrics and Language:
Utilizing Song to Encourage Spoken English"

December 4, 2012

7:00 - 8:30 am Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 am Session IV: ETAs Share Teaching Experiences and Tips

10:30 - 10:45 am Tea Break

10:45 - 12:15 pm Session V: ETAs Share Teaching Experiences &  Tips

12:15 - 1:15 pm Lunch 

1:15 - 4:00 pm Session VI: “Overcoming Obstacles and Having Fun”

6:00 - 9:00 pm Dinner

(left) Fay, ETA in Kolkata, India gives a presentation on "Breaking Barriers to Access: Inclusive and Human Rights Education"

(right) I also represented Kolkata, India and gave a video presentation on a movie I made with my 6th graders: "Our Dream For Our School







December 5, 2012

7:00 - 8:30 am Breakfast

8:30 - 11:00 am Session VII: “Best Practices: Going Beyond the Curriculum”  

Christine Stone from the Kathmandu International Study Center  presents in Session VII--she was wonderful!

 11:30 - 5:30 pm   AFTERNOON FREE

*OPTION 1: Hike from Telkot to Changu Narayan. (Packed lunches will be made available)

 OPTION 2: Visit Lalitpur ETA placements. (Lunch at Godavari Village Resort)

      *--I chose to participate in this activity     

Myself and Maisoon (ETA in Bangladesh) before the hike

And the hiking begins!

I am so Extra!

Such beautiful scenery in Kathmandu, Nepal

We head back to our next destination...

At the entrance of an old temple, I saw this sign

Ancient and beautiful

7:00-9:00 pm Dinner at Tukche Thakali Kitchen

Traditional Nepali dish...hmm so good!!

December 6, 2012

7:00 - 9:00 am Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 am Session VIII: “Co-teaching: Problems and Practices”

10:30 – 10:45 am Tea break

10:45 - 12:15 pm Session IX: Beyond Being an ETA: Future Career Possibilities

12:15 - 1:15 pm Lunch
1:30- 5:30 pm  AFTERNOON FREE

OPTION 1: Kathmandu Durbar Square - Swayambhunath Tour.

*OPTION 2: Pashupati - Boudanath Stupa Tour.

      *--I chose to participate in this activity

On this trip, we first went to the Pashupati Temple, which is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River. The temple itself is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Near the Pashupatinath Temple, we walked alongside the Bagmati River. Similar to how Varanasi is the holiest city in India, is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists living in Nepal. The Bagmati is also important because it is the only river Hindus in Nepal deem as holy enough to cremate.  Fortunately for us all the cremations are public and we were able to witness a cremation. 

According to the Nepalese Hindu tradition, the dead body must be dipped three times into the Bagmati river before cremation. The chief mourner (usually the first son) who lights the funeral pyre must take a holy river-water bath immediately after cremation. Many relatives who join the funeral procession also take a bath in the Bagmati River or sprinkle the holy water on their bodies at the end of cremation. The Bagmati River is considered to purify the people spiritually.

Bagmati River

'Chief mourner' of that family dips the deceased body in the river

Family members now saying their last goodbyes (via giving flowers) before the deceased gets cremated

After being dipped and the farewells, the men of the deceased place the deceased on this structure to be cremated.
This is not the same individual being cremated..this person was cremated right next to the person above.

Beautiful structure alongside the Bagmati rive (opposite to where people are cremated)

Another place we visited was the Boudhanath stupa. The Boudhanath Stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu, Nepal. Considering the influx of large populations of refugees from Tibet living in Nepal, there has been over 50 Tibetan Monasteries including the Boudhanath in Nepal. As of 1979, Boudhanath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

a shop selling traditional Tibetan wear for women

6:30-9:00 pm Farewell Reception

I decided to wear a sari (traditional Indian dress--same one from Teacher's Day in Sep.) to the reception

Traditional Nepali performance--very cool!!

Their facial expressions and the dance tell a story of the Nepali people back then

Me and my Program Advisor, Sumanta--the best boss ever!!

9:00- Onwards ETAs relocate to a club nearby to party & celebrate my 23rd birthday (I was born on 12/7)

December 7, 2012---IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

7:00 -8:30 am Breakfast

9:00 – 1:00 pm   Departures to Airport from Hotel

**Thanks to God, India ETAs got to stay an extra day because there were not flights to India on 12/7 :)

That only meant more shopping and sightseeing!!!

Mexican food in Nepal!--who would have thought?

Lol, 'Wal-Mart' in Nepal?

All over the streets we saw prayer flags--so beautiful

Later that night, I had a nice birthday dinner with the India ETAs at a pizza restaurant called Fire and Ice (there's only 2 worldwide--India & Nepal). The Kolkata ETAs were so sweet and surprised me with a birthday dessert. I <3 them!!

All in all, I much enjoyed the annual Enrichment Seminar. I loved meeting the ETAs from the other regions and learning about their experiences as well as challenges they've had while teaching English and living in their respective countries. I also appreciated the presentations performed because they offered great ideas to help my students. Aside from the great information and networking, I loved the sightseeing trips. Of them all, the Boudhanath stupa, one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu, was my favorite!!

Now, back to the good ol' India.