Today the group kept things pretty low-key. About half of us kids started off the morning around 7:30am with some yoga on the upstairs terrace. After that we all ate breakfast and lazed around awhile before throwing on our work clothes and walking over to the clinic. The group split in half and some of us worked on painting one of the two buildings, the other group went upstairs in the other building to work on organizing all of the books we brought.
The library organization ended up being a bit more of a task than we had originally expected as we realized there was no real point in organizing the books we brought, if we just threw them into the jumble that currently exists. So we plan on continuing our expedition for organization over the next several mornings in hopes of leaving the clinic's readers a library where they can easily find something for their reading level and interest.
As kids found solid stopping points in their work down at the clinic, we returned to the house and began showering and cleaning up for lunch before our afternoon excursion into the nearby neighborhood. It was great finally meeting all the locals! Everyone is very friendly and excited to meet us. We felt like movie stars as we walked down the village streets. People came right out of their homes to get a better look at us, and many people wanted to get their pictures taken. Communication was difficult due to the language barrier, but not impossible. Lolli translated their Malayalam into English for us and vise versa, so we were able to have conversations with them. By the end of our excursion we had learned a lot about their lives and families. It was truly eye opening to see such a different kind of lifestyle from our own, such as four generations living in one household at a time, and directly living off the land.
After our walk through the neighborhood, we went back to the house. We spent a lot of time relaxing, doing our homework, and bouncing around ideas of what we should do for our next performances for the other high schools. Tomorrow we plan on heading out to the Indian Ocean for a day at the beach. Read up later!
11.28.2011
11.27.2011
6 Meters Long
Our morning started off with a lovely yoga session with Ms.Laly on the rooftop terrace. She took us through a series of stretches and movements to prepare us for the day. From there we had a breakfast of dosa with potato filling and fresh fruits. Dr.Seshi and his daughter Neetha dropped in for a visit and joined us for our morning at the clinic.
With our work gloves and bug spray on we were ready for gardening. We collected seeds and leaves for multiple purposes including selling and replanting, breaking up styrofoam to mix with the soil for replanting, opening and filling bags with soil and replanting leaves in them. We worked non-stop until lunch time. We all took a well deserved cold shower then chowed down on some curry, butter chicken, and vegetables. We got cleaned up, loaded into rickshaws and headed into town for an evening of shopping.
On our rickshaw rides to Changanacherry we saw many of the students walking along the road that we had seen at the school the previous day. Once in town, the shopping began for sarees and formal lungis because we are going to a wedding next week! The layout of the store was chaotic. First we selected the fabric for our sarees, then we went upstairs to check out blouses and other traditional Indian clothing. Once people started to finish their browsing and try-ons, clerks around the store asked us if we were ready to be billed. The billing process seemed ridiculous. The clerks took the items you wished to purchase, disappeared, and came back with a "bill" that you took to a counter where they were checked and stamped. Then you were sent to another counter where you payed with either cash or card. From here you finally took your checked recipt to yet another counter where you picked up everything that was on the bill. After that process we were finally allowed to leave the store. We then went for brief ice cream and tea at an outdoor snack shack then loaded up in rickshaws again and headed home. For the rest of the evening we relaxed, ate a dinner of fish, rice and vegetables. Saraswati helped us girls try on our sarees. It is quite the ordeal and we cannot imagine wearing one everyday. We also had our first meeting where we discussed what we enjoyed and didn't enjoy during the day.
We've been learning a lot about the culture and about how people live. We have also been asking a lot of good questions to Daisy and the house help. Tomorrow we have a busy day of painting, meeting the neighbors and we will keep you updated on our daily endevours.
Nighty Night,
Jessica and Amy
With our work gloves and bug spray on we were ready for gardening. We collected seeds and leaves for multiple purposes including selling and replanting, breaking up styrofoam to mix with the soil for replanting, opening and filling bags with soil and replanting leaves in them. We worked non-stop until lunch time. We all took a well deserved cold shower then chowed down on some curry, butter chicken, and vegetables. We got cleaned up, loaded into rickshaws and headed into town for an evening of shopping.
On our rickshaw rides to Changanacherry we saw many of the students walking along the road that we had seen at the school the previous day. Once in town, the shopping began for sarees and formal lungis because we are going to a wedding next week! The layout of the store was chaotic. First we selected the fabric for our sarees, then we went upstairs to check out blouses and other traditional Indian clothing. Once people started to finish their browsing and try-ons, clerks around the store asked us if we were ready to be billed. The billing process seemed ridiculous. The clerks took the items you wished to purchase, disappeared, and came back with a "bill" that you took to a counter where they were checked and stamped. Then you were sent to another counter where you payed with either cash or card. From here you finally took your checked recipt to yet another counter where you picked up everything that was on the bill. After that process we were finally allowed to leave the store. We then went for brief ice cream and tea at an outdoor snack shack then loaded up in rickshaws again and headed home. For the rest of the evening we relaxed, ate a dinner of fish, rice and vegetables. Saraswati helped us girls try on our sarees. It is quite the ordeal and we cannot imagine wearing one everyday. We also had our first meeting where we discussed what we enjoyed and didn't enjoy during the day.
We've been learning a lot about the culture and about how people live. We have also been asking a lot of good questions to Daisy and the house help. Tomorrow we have a busy day of painting, meeting the neighbors and we will keep you updated on our daily endevours.
Nighty Night,
Jessica and Amy
11.26.2011
First Full Day in Kerala
After finally arriving at Hope Clinic last night at around 7:15 pm (through windy, bumpy and narrow roads), we were welcomed into Daisy's house. We were "hello-ed" (a word created by Evy) by Ms. Laly who greeted us with a sincere smile and a red bindi for everyone. Once we unpacked our bags from the bus, we had a delicious dinner and relaxed in the house for an evening in.
Today we woke up at 7 for a nice walk around the property with Daisy, which included a tour of both the medical clinic and the women's center. We returned to the house for a yummy breakfast of bird nest noodles and egg curry. Finally we got to the highlight of the day: visiting the school!
Upon arriving, we immediately saw the excitement of the students. once we met with the principal we made our way over to the conference hall (much like our own Maverick room) to meet with students. A few members of the staff introduced us before Daisy told the story of founding the clinic. Next, students performed various traditional Indian dances. The glimpse we got of their lives was incredible. It was so unlike anything we had ever seen in the US or even in Bollywood movies. Following their performances it was our turn to show what our own lives are like Joey and Colin sang "I Can Tell That We Are Going To Be Friends" with Colin on guitar and both singing, Colin sang another song and played guitar, Amy, Anna, Carly and Evy sang "I'm Yours" and Amy concluded with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The kids seemed to enjoy everything, laughing and clapping enthusiastically. To end our visit we had a Q&A session. All RHS students went to the front of the room and took and asked questions from other students. Although the session was brief we all were able to take something from it.
After leaving the room, we were surprised by an additional performance. Six students that had swords and shields danced with the props, creating a martial-arts-type performance. After waving goodbye to all the students we walked home to the clinic.
When we got home we had lunch and hung around playing cards, reading and talking. Later in the afternoon we walked to the clinic and unpacked the books and sewing supplies. We've spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out, eating and planning our performances for the rest of the schools.
Love,
Anna and Nick
Today we woke up at 7 for a nice walk around the property with Daisy, which included a tour of both the medical clinic and the women's center. We returned to the house for a yummy breakfast of bird nest noodles and egg curry. Finally we got to the highlight of the day: visiting the school!
Upon arriving, we immediately saw the excitement of the students. once we met with the principal we made our way over to the conference hall (much like our own Maverick room) to meet with students. A few members of the staff introduced us before Daisy told the story of founding the clinic. Next, students performed various traditional Indian dances. The glimpse we got of their lives was incredible. It was so unlike anything we had ever seen in the US or even in Bollywood movies. Following their performances it was our turn to show what our own lives are like Joey and Colin sang "I Can Tell That We Are Going To Be Friends" with Colin on guitar and both singing, Colin sang another song and played guitar, Amy, Anna, Carly and Evy sang "I'm Yours" and Amy concluded with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The kids seemed to enjoy everything, laughing and clapping enthusiastically. To end our visit we had a Q&A session. All RHS students went to the front of the room and took and asked questions from other students. Although the session was brief we all were able to take something from it.
After leaving the room, we were surprised by an additional performance. Six students that had swords and shields danced with the props, creating a martial-arts-type performance. After waving goodbye to all the students we walked home to the clinic.
When we got home we had lunch and hung around playing cards, reading and talking. Later in the afternoon we walked to the clinic and unpacked the books and sewing supplies. We've spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out, eating and planning our performances for the rest of the schools.
Love,
Anna and Nick
11.25.2011
Day 4 & Day 5
Jaipur to Kerala
We started out the day (11/23) in Jaipur, heading to the Amber Fort in the early morning to line up for the Elephant ride. There were one-hundred and six elephants in the Amber Fort fleet that would carry two passengers up to the fort, which was located on a hill, high above the town below. One of the greatest experiences so far, the gentle land giants were a highlight of Jaipur. The fort was massive, located on the top of a tall mountain, with a great view of the surrounding area. Truly a beautiful experience, and an overall highlight of our Northern Tour. Before returning to the tour bus, we saw snake charmers in the alleyways of the fort. We rode in jeeps back to the bus that were, to say the least, hectic.It felt just like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, the jeeps were very safari-esque and crowded the streets heading downward to the fort. During the jeep ride down, Joey had been poked by a begger with "stumps" for arms, a strange experience indeed. After the Amber Fort, we bought world-famous Jaipur Blue Pottery, a special type of pottery only available in Jaipur, a practice that has continued for eight generations. The owner of the pottery store was telling us about how there used to be a significant amount of pottery shops, yet only 2-3 remain due to the new generation's lack of interest in the art. The pottery was extroardinary and was all created by hand, no two pieces were close to the same. After purchasing quite a bit of pottery we headed off to lunch proceeded by the Jantar Mantar Observatory. Jantar Mantar is a place full of ancient, highly-accurate astrological tools used to show the location of the sun, measure time, and even determine the alignments of planets and stars. Afterwards we headed to the markets of Jaipur which were filled with goodies. We haggled with the stubborn shopkeepers for camel-leather shoes, silk scarves, trinkets, and jewelry. The shopkeepers were both kind but also very persistent, pushing products into our faces that we weren't even interested in. To guilt-trip us when we offered too little money for their product, the shopkeepers would say things like "That is impossible, you kill me with no knife" while making the "slit-throat" motion. If we ran into particularly stubborn vendors we would act as though we were leaving, which would force them to choose between selling at our "not possible" price and losing a customer. Most chose to sell at our price as soon as they saw us turn to leave. After the market we headed back to Delhi, a six-hour bus journey that seemed to go by very quickly.
The next morning we woke up early (about 5 hours of sleep total), headed to the airport to board on the flight to Cochi, 4 hours of no leg room! Once we arrived in Cochi we met up with workers of the Clinic, who showed us to the bus and loaded up our luggage. The drive from Cochi to the Hope Clinic was extremely eventful, and we felt as if we were playing a driving video game, avoiding traffic by inches at nearly 50 miles per hour. After a crazy 3 hour drive in one of the most lush and green places in the world we got to Daisy's house. The house is absolutely amazing to say the least, extravagant granite floors and a terrace that faces a wonderful sunrise every morning. The people in Kerala are incredible, responding very kindly to everything we say, waving back to us, and striking up conversations in English.
So far Kerala has been extremely hospitable and open.
Thanks for reading,
Torsten, Colin, and Joey
We started out the day (11/23) in Jaipur, heading to the Amber Fort in the early morning to line up for the Elephant ride. There were one-hundred and six elephants in the Amber Fort fleet that would carry two passengers up to the fort, which was located on a hill, high above the town below. One of the greatest experiences so far, the gentle land giants were a highlight of Jaipur. The fort was massive, located on the top of a tall mountain, with a great view of the surrounding area. Truly a beautiful experience, and an overall highlight of our Northern Tour. Before returning to the tour bus, we saw snake charmers in the alleyways of the fort. We rode in jeeps back to the bus that were, to say the least, hectic.It felt just like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, the jeeps were very safari-esque and crowded the streets heading downward to the fort. During the jeep ride down, Joey had been poked by a begger with "stumps" for arms, a strange experience indeed. After the Amber Fort, we bought world-famous Jaipur Blue Pottery, a special type of pottery only available in Jaipur, a practice that has continued for eight generations. The owner of the pottery store was telling us about how there used to be a significant amount of pottery shops, yet only 2-3 remain due to the new generation's lack of interest in the art. The pottery was extroardinary and was all created by hand, no two pieces were close to the same. After purchasing quite a bit of pottery we headed off to lunch proceeded by the Jantar Mantar Observatory. Jantar Mantar is a place full of ancient, highly-accurate astrological tools used to show the location of the sun, measure time, and even determine the alignments of planets and stars. Afterwards we headed to the markets of Jaipur which were filled with goodies. We haggled with the stubborn shopkeepers for camel-leather shoes, silk scarves, trinkets, and jewelry. The shopkeepers were both kind but also very persistent, pushing products into our faces that we weren't even interested in. To guilt-trip us when we offered too little money for their product, the shopkeepers would say things like "That is impossible, you kill me with no knife" while making the "slit-throat" motion. If we ran into particularly stubborn vendors we would act as though we were leaving, which would force them to choose between selling at our "not possible" price and losing a customer. Most chose to sell at our price as soon as they saw us turn to leave. After the market we headed back to Delhi, a six-hour bus journey that seemed to go by very quickly.
The next morning we woke up early (about 5 hours of sleep total), headed to the airport to board on the flight to Cochi, 4 hours of no leg room! Once we arrived in Cochi we met up with workers of the Clinic, who showed us to the bus and loaded up our luggage. The drive from Cochi to the Hope Clinic was extremely eventful, and we felt as if we were playing a driving video game, avoiding traffic by inches at nearly 50 miles per hour. After a crazy 3 hour drive in one of the most lush and green places in the world we got to Daisy's house. The house is absolutely amazing to say the least, extravagant granite floors and a terrace that faces a wonderful sunrise every morning. The people in Kerala are incredible, responding very kindly to everything we say, waving back to us, and striking up conversations in English.
So far Kerala has been extremely hospitable and open.
Thanks for reading,
Torsten, Colin, and Joey
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