In the company of children

I've spent plenty of time around children. I have lots of cousins, I tutored a 2nd grade class during my freshman year in college, and I worked in a pediatrician's office during my college summers. They are cute (most of the time), funny (a lot of the time), and clever (more often than you'd think). They can make you smile one second and want to rip your hair out the next. Some people love them and other people can barely stand to be around them. Whatever your opinion, you can't argue that children aren't important. After all, they are the future.

The children I've met in the slums are among the most amazing people I've ever come across in my life. You read that right. People. In addition to being cute and funny, they are also more responsible than some people my age and know more about "real life" than they probably should. Yet in spite of the troubles they've faced growing up in the slums, they are still children: they giggle when we smile at them and use our subpar Hindi to call them beautiful, they teach us secret handshakes and laugh when we mess them up, they ask us personal questions that only children would think are appropriate, and they argue over who gets to play badminton first in the Asha center courtyard. You'd never know these kids face hardships that most of us can't imagine every day of their lives.

Children in Asha's bal mandal groups come together to learn about various health issues (such as TB, hygiene, sanitation, substance abuse, etc) and discuss the goings-on in their lanes. Each bal mandal has a leadership group - consisting of a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer - that comes up with an agenda for each meeting. Although Asha staff members sometimes supervise group meetings, they are led by the leadership team for the most part. 

Bal mandal members are tasked to check up on around 10 houses in their lane to make sure pregnant women are going in for their doctor's appointments, moms are getting their children vaccinated, children are going to school, and pressing issues are being dealt with. They are respected in their community and seen as liaisons between community members and the potentially life-saving services they can get from Asha.

As we walked through the narrow alleyways of Trilokpuri slum with Lakshmi and Priyanka, we saw how effective these children actually are in encouraging healthy behaviors in their community. Each woman we visited warmly greeted us and eased into a comfortable conversation with Lakshmi and Priyanka about whatever health issues were relevant in their homes. The girls were able to give us a rundown on each home we visited: how many children under 5 lived there, current health issues faced by family members, jobs family members held, whether the children in the home were attending school, and what grade they were in. No one we visited refused to speak with the girls. Rather, they all seemed very happy to see them and comfortable speaking to them about their health and family.

I am so grateful to have been able to spend so much time with these children and just hope that I was able to provide them with a bit of encouragement to keep doing what they're doing because I have faith that all their hard work and determination will one day pay off. When we asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up we received a variety of answers from pilot to police detective to astronaut to doctor to engineer to teacher (the most popular answer). I hope these children continue to be remarkable citizens in their communities while never losing sight of their dreams. 

My GivenGain page is still open for 21 more days. If the stories and pictures I've posted in my blog and my web album have touched you in any way, please consider making a donation to Asha to help provide the resources these children and other slum dwellers need to stay healthy and improve their lives: http://www.givengain.com/activist/62871/projects/1503/. 

If you can't make a monetary donation but still want to help or if you've already donated but want to do more, you can send old books, clothes, school supplies, and holiday decorations (all in good condition, of course) to Asha's head office which will distribute them to the slum centers:

Asha Community Health and Development Society

Ekta Vihar, Sector 6, R.K. Puram

New Delhi 110022

India

All the best,

A

A lesson in contradictions.

I promise I won't make every blog post into a lesson, but I felt this one was appropriate.

Today marked a week since I've been in New Delhi. In the past 7 days I have seen some of the most beautiful things in the world as well as some of the ugliest. Spending my weekdays in the slums of this city have opened my eyes to living conditions that many people cannot comprehend, and most people ignore. I have learned to deal with flies that are not intimidated by endless swatting and smells that permeate through multiple layers of fabric acting as an ad hoc air filter. I have also dealt with seeing young children walking through dangerous New Delhi traffic to knock on car windows begging people to buy bouquets of flowers for what I imagine to be very little money to those in the car but a fortune to those doing the begging. In spite of all this, my time at Asha has also shown me the true beauty that humans are capable of. The warmth and kindness of the people I have come across as an Asha volunteer is unlike anything I have experienced before. The silly little games and dances that the slum children have taught me will stay with me forever and will never fail to put a smile on my face. Observing the slums and meeting members of the various slum communities has been a real rewarding experience for me, and I am a bit ashamed to say that I am a little shocked by it.

This weekend was my first foray into the sights and sounds of New Delhi outside C-9 and Asha. Saturday was mostly a relaxing day that involved sleeping in, reading on the balcony, and attending a Bihu celebration with our Assamese neighbors. Yesterday we ventured to Dilli Haat, an amazing outdoor market filled with crafts, clothes, jewelry, food, and music. Pictures did not do it justice so I filmed a little clip for you all to see:

We ate momos (steamed vegetable dumplings), drank fruit beer (fruity soda), shopped, and took in all the gorgeous artwork the vendors had to offer. After a few hours we planned to visit Qutub Minar but made a last minute gametime decision to go home because we were so tired. After getting out of our metro stop, we noticed a beautiful red statue not too far from where we were and made another gametime decision to go check it out. 

The statue of Lord Hanuman is quite likely the most incredible statue I have ever seen in my life. I am not a Hindu nor do I know much about Hinduism but I followed Siya's example and walked around the base of the statue 5 times. A Hanuman devotee placed a third eye on my forehead and gave me a small book of Hanuman prayers. As I walked around in circles, I felt an overwhelming sensation of calm and belonging. This man could see I had no idea why I was walking around the statue but instead of ignoring me or asking me questions as to why I was there, he simply shared with me something he values and passed along one of his traditions. I will be back to see Lord Hanuman and will hopefully learn more about him through his devotees.

We were lucky enough to be able to see the statue in daylight and in the evening. While it was just as beautiful in the daytime, it took on an otherworldly glow when it got dark.

How can one city be one of the most beautiful places in the world yet contain some of the most ugly sights known to man? This is the question I've been asking myself (and my flatmates) for the past week. I have yet to find an answer and I'm beginning to doubt I even can. All I know is that I feel so lucky to be here and am so grateful that I have been able to connect to New Delhi and its people so quickly. I am prepared to take the good with the bad because at the end of the day, the beautiful outweighs the ugly and I feel happier than I did the day before. Here's to the next 5 weeks getting better and better...

I'm ending this post with a picture of my flatmates and me. We've only known each other for a week but in that time we've become a family that laughs together, eats together, explores together, and grows together. I am so, so, so lucky to be able to share my time here with them and cannot wait to create even more memories with them to blog about.

They have also been blogging, so hop on over to their blogs and read their perspectives on their time here:

Frankie: http://slummingit.wordpress.com/

Annie: http://sixweeksinindia.wordpress.com/

Siya: http://janplanindelhi.blogspot.com/

Wishing you all a beautiful week,
A

A lesson in perspective

According to Merriam Webster, perspective means "the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance". The time I have spent in urban slums in New Delhi over the past 4 days has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life and I realized yesterday that I have never truly appreciated everything I have until this week. I am far from petty but there are times I let minor inconveniences almost ruin my day or focus too much on what I don't have rather than be thankful for everything I do have. It is not only the slum women who go out of their way to make us feel comfortable (whether by making room for us to sit down in their cramped home or offering us sweets from a birth celebration), but also the Asha staff who dedicate their lives to bettering those of the slum population. 


I've been having quite a hard time wrapping my head around my feelings in the slums, because on one hand I am terribly saddened by what I see but I also find that I always have a smile on my face and come home happier than I was when I left in the morning. I think I am starting to understand that it is very difficult for me to be anything but happy with what I have after spending the day with people who are so happy despite having so little. Granted, this isn't something that should come as a surprise. We have always been told that we should be happy with what we have because there are people in the world who don't have anything. What we weren't told, however, that those people are not bitter or angry or hostile about not having anything. Rather, they are able to appreciate what they do have: family, love, community, and their religious beliefs (whether they are Hindu, Muslim, or Christian). On Thursday, we went to Seelampur slum...

We met a boy named Shiv who is a university student studying political science honors. He was studying for his February exams in the foyer of the Asha center in Seelampur. He is very proud of his accomplishments and is happy to be a role model for his younger siblings as well as other young members of his community. In his spare time he teaches young children English and other subjects they wish to learn. We told him where we were from and he said that after he graduates and becomes a teacher, he will be middle class and have the opportunity to travel to America.

We also came across a woman whose child is malnourished and has an unknown illness that causes his limbs to twist and freeze in awkward positions. He was referred to the local hospital (located right behind the slum) and stayed there for a month but even after observation and tests, doctors were still not able to diagnose him. Frustrated, the boy's maternal grandfather took him out of the hospital and brought him home. As the CHVs were discussing what could be done, the mother made faces and cooed at her child. The child, who I did not see blink or move before this, started to smile at his mother who whispered something to him and smiled herself. This was the first time I have come close to actually crying in a slum.

We also saw a woman who ran a shop on one of the slum's narrow streets. She took a 7000 rupee loan from the bank thanks to Asha's financial inclusion program in order to buy more goods to sell. She makes 150-200 rupees in profit every day, and as a result she is able to pay back her loan with monthly payments of 600 rupees. In addition to running her store, she checks up on the 25-30 houses on her lane as a lane volunteer for Asha. Her husband is a tailor and has 2 sons.

During another CHV visit, we saw a woman who had her first baby 2 weeks ago. Towards the end of visit as we were about to leave, her mother-in-law pulled 2 small silver boxes out of their refrigerator. The women in their community threw a celebration after the baby's birth and the boxes held leftover sweets. She offered us the sweets as a thank you for visiting her home and seeing her grandchild.

When we got back to the Asha center, there was a group of little girls hanging out in the courtyard. They gathered in a group around us and Soni, the Asha staff member who has been showing us around the various slums, asked them if they were happy when visitors came to Seelampur. One little girl said she was very happy, and when Soni asked her why she said it was because they came from very far away to see her.

The people of Seelampur welcomed us with open arms into their community and their homes. We were always greeted with a smile and life stories were shared with us enthusiastically. They did not have much, but they appreciate the things they do have: family, love, community, and their religious beliefs. 


In the evening, Annie, Siya, and I went to the mall near our flat to check out the sales. After going through a metal detector, we walked into the most beautiful mall we've ever seen. 

Although I picked out quite a few things at Zara, I asked myself whether any of them were items I couldn't live without. My mind went back to everything I saw and everyone I met at Seelampur. I walked out of the mall without making a purchase. I'm quite sure my materialistic ways will reappear very soon (most likely tomorrow during our trip to the market), but from now on I will always make sure to appreciate all I have and not focus too much on silly things that mean very little in the big scheme of things. 


Thank you all for reading,
A

Mera naam Arian hai.

Driving through a slum

Weekly market at a slum. Since the vendors don't have to pay rent for the space, goods are much cheaper than they would be at regular markets.

Yesterday we went back to Zakhira slum and spent most of our day with girls from the Bal Mandal. Rani and Ranku wanted to learn more French so I gave them a little French lesson and they taught me some Hindi in return. The language lessons continued as more girls joined us. Several of them brought their notebooks and were diligent about taking notes. Towards the end of our visit, Zahida pulled out a little tube of henna and said she would do mehndi on my hands because I mentioned to Rani the day before that I liked her mehndi and wanted to get it done. I was really touched that Zahida not only caught that but was thoughtful enough to bring the henna to do it for me. She and Ishrat also painted Annie's hands. They did such a beautiful job:

The henna wasn't dry by the time we had to leave so I had to hold my hands out on the rickshaw and bury my nose in my scarf to prevent the New Delhi dust from filling up my lungs. Annie and I met Siya (our flatmate) at the Asha office so we could head to the market together to buy groceries. Not only did this market have a security guard, but the employees were pretty much store escorts who offered to carry my basket for me and accompanied me throughout the store to make sure I had no trouble picking out what I needed. From the slums to The Ritz of grocery stores. What a day.

In the evening Annie and I went to a reception hosted by BU Center for Global Health and Development and USAID. The rickshaw ride there was torturous because our driver had no idea where the convention center was and had to stop at at least 3 taxi stands to ask for directions. It was all worth it because we saw some familiar faces from BU and met some great new people. Also, the mango juice and samosas were delicious. We ended up taking an actual taxi home because it was late and we weren't too keen on another hourlong rickshaw ride.

Today we spent most of our morning at the Asha office getting to know more of the staff. Everyone there is absolutely wonderful and I feel so grateful that I have the opportunity to work with them. It's no wonder they are able to do such great things - they are all passionate about what they do and really believe in the potential of the people living in the slums. We went on a slum visit in the afternoon with a few Irish businessmen and got a chance to hear about what Asha does from the slum dwellers themselves. It was so incredible to see how proud they are of what they are able to do for their community thanks to Asha's help. Everyone we have come across in these slums is warm, welcoming, and smiling. It's very sad to see the conditions of these slums but it's heartwarming to be around people who are so happy despite lacking so much. To say that the past 3 days have put things into perspective for me would be a massive understatement. 

Bal Mandal. One little girl told us she wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. 

We could not get over how bright this little girl's eyes were.

Year 12 students, all of whom aspire to attend university.

Mahila Mandal. It's amazing how committed these women are to improving their community.

Mark playing cricket with the slum boys. It took him a couple of tries to finally hit the ball.

Me tumse pyaar karti hoon,

A

Welcome to India!

As you can probably tell from my previous post, I will now post some pictures that are long overdue.

Street in New Delhi

First night's dinner! Paneer masala, rice, naan, and...another paneer dish I can't quite remember.

Auto rickshaw meter. Almost had a heart attack until I remembered it's in rupees. (US$1 = 51 rupees)

Annual statistics at Zakhira slum

Rice and dal for lunch

Children of Zakhira slum

Look closely and you can see the train behind the slum. It was moving when I took this picture.

More Zakhira children

Members of one of Zakhira's bal mandals (youth groups)

I told Rani I liked her mehndi on Monday and wanted to get some myself. Today, Zahida brought a cute little henna pen and drew this on my hands.

I left my phone at the flat today so I wasn't able to take pictures but I'll steal some from Annie as soon as she uploads them! Come back tomorrow for my post about our second day at Zakhira!

Sending good thoughts all the way from New Delhi,

A

My quick tour of London

7am arrival and 9:50pm departure. After getting caught up in customs and resting up a bit, Annie and I went on a whirlwind tour of London. Her family friends drove us around so we got to see quite a lot.

Buckingham Palace

Me in front of Westminster Abbey

Big Ben and a bit of the London Eye

Parliament

OF COURSE Platform 9 3/4 is closed the one night I happen to be in London. Bummer heights high to the max.

We drove through Chelsea, Soho, West End, and a few other neighborhoods so even though my trip was super short, I feel like I got a good taste of the city. I can't wait to go back!

Cheers,
A

The wifi is working!

Expect pictures soon!

Annie and I are getting ready to head to a reception hosted by the BU Center for Global Health and Development and USAID. We hope to meet with BU alumni who are living in India as well as catch up with some BU professors.

As soon as I get back I will post pictures!

xoxo,
A