So its finally here and almost over I guess- Election Day!!! I hope everyone had a chance to vote!!! I spent most of my Nov. 3rd glued to the one channel we have to update us on US news- CNN. I still can’t believe how much red there is across the states… I swear everyone I know is voting Kerry… maybe its just everyone I KNOW. Anyhow I eventually left the TV and went to work where everyone kept making Bush comments… mostly about his victory which was not and is not yet declared. My updates were received via text msgs from friends so the last I know is 252- 254 and Ohio and New Mexico are up in the air… Im very anxious to find out the results. I am also surprised at how many people here in India are following the election as well as how split the votes are here. There are a lot of Bush lovers and just as many Kerry lovers… don’t know why. Why can’t we all just get a long!!!! So if Bush wins I will be in India for another 4 years !!!! Don’t know how much better that will be but still. Okay enough with the politics… so life in India is still moving along and very well at that. Friday I spent the day watching and enjoying the Balwadi Diwali party. They all came dressed up in various outfits that represent their background. It was like Halloween except better because none of them looked scary!!! They were very cute… one kid had a moustache and beard drawn on his face he was such a cutie. I picked the best dressed kids who got prizes and then the kids danced around for a bit and talked to me and then they all got some gifts and sweets and were off to enjoy 2 weeks of diwali vacation. These kids are just so precious and so sweet. I just love seeing how happy they are and how much personality they have at such young ages.
Saturday was yet another day of shopping this time for jeans which I am in desperate need of. I went to Phoenix mills mall. It’s a huge outdoor shopping center not too far from here. This place is NICE … I mean really nice. There are stores and restaurants and outdoor sitting areas, and they had the Indian tv there interviewing people about celeberaties I guess kinda like MTV. So my favorite store there was the dollar store which is actually the “99 rupee” store which is about 2 dollars. So everything in this store cost 99 Rs and you find EVERYTHING!!! I felt like I was back in the states. They had Gatorade, real candy brands, ocean spray cranberry juice, real salad dressing, pasta, taco sauce!!!! Everything!!! Including my favorite… Pancakes and syrup!!! Heaven I tell you. So we all know what I had for breakfast on Sunday morning- yummy.
I also bought a few clothes from a store called Pantaloons and upon coming home I realized they forgot to put one shirt in the bag. I called them the next day and explained the situation and they looked for the shirt and could not find it in their store. I still don’t know what happened to it but luckily this store has a “customer is always right” policy so I ended up getting my shirt which I really liked by the way.
Monday I went to a meeting with another NGO in Gyneshwarnagar. This had to have been one of the saddest slum areas yet. Basically the area is built upon a dumping ground that has solidified throughout the years. Everytime a piece of land becomes “paka” or solid someone makes a shanty house there and then more people come and it continues to spread. The government usually finds these houses and communities illegal but at times they change the boundaries and make certain parts legal especially because they are all tax payers. So the community has developed quite a bit. But, still the worst of it is still there. The largest dumping ground still exists on the outskirts of this area and people are building towns right in the dump. These are “kache” unstable lands and houses. They have no electricity and no running water and a lot of dump. Most of the families are rag pickers who salvage materials and whatever else they can from the dump to sell. It is actually quite sad, but still I must say I admire the smiles these people have on their faces. I met with an NGO that is working particularly with this slum community to provide them with basic necessaties and healthcare. The organization is also helping this community with legal matters so they don’t get ripped off when selling their rags and materials. It is an amazing organization tucked in the slums of this community. I am hoping to work with them to simulate their healthcare infrastructure for my community.
As for work things are going really well now. My project is coming together and I am excited about it. I had a new doctor come in on Monday and she already has patients and on top of that my corporate monster actually gave me credit for it and is listening to my suggestions now.
Thanks for all the positive messages.
Can’t wait to find out how the world will turn tomorrow!!!Namaste
Ritu
