School of Hard Knocks

(My first host family)

New Years Eve was nothing like what we’re used to in the states. After a busy day at the bazaar, my teammates and I heard some music and one or two fireworks outside. We assumed it must have been New Years celebrations, so we went outside to join in on the fun, but it turns out that –no, it had nothing to do with New Years at all. We ended up crashing a wedding reception! But we were more than welcomed, and even had our photos taken with the bride and groom. The brother of the groom took us all around and introduced us to his family as if we ourselves were invited all along. It was a wonderful experience. I think Steve even got part of it on youtube. If you’re friends with him on facebook I’m sure he’s got a link to it.
On New Years day we left the International school where we have been staying since our arrival to stay with our host families. It was sad to leave Mrs. Seth (pronounced "Seet") as she has been beyond hospitable to us. My host family is small -made up of Praveen Verma, who works in awnings, his wife (a banker), and his son Harshil. Also living with them is their servant, Gopal. Most people I meet seem to be surprised of my age. Either they learned of my work and expected me to be older –or they saw a photo of me and expected me to be younger. While it causes no problems at all, it sometimes leaves me a little lacking in the conversation department. Either way they’re very friendly and accomidating. They had a building party at which we played a game similar to bingo called Hausi. I have no idea what the rules were nor how to play –but somehow I won (Haha Brendan! I actually won a game!)… then again it’s altogether possible that they were just being nice and hospitable. Either way I won Rs. 50. J
When I arrived at their house Harshil was kind enough to drive me around his neighborhood as well as show me to a huge temple where there were actual cobras outside. After that we went to a local hooka bar where he and his friends hang out. It was great fun, but to be honest the most exciting part for me were the drives around town where I saw the oxen, camels, horses, and mules sharing the same roads with the all the bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, motorickshaws, trucks, and every other mode of transport you could imagine. It really is a different world over here.
To be fair, though, I want to clear up a point I made before. While it is true that there is more extreme poverty here than we are accustomed to, there is also very obvious progress going on everywhere you look. The very organization that sent me here –The Rotary International, for example, focuses not only on the elimination of polio, but also sponsors girls from rural villages to attend schools, pays for their books, housing, and other needs. This doesn’t sound like much, but it means the difference between poverty, illiteracy, and subservience and a future of self-empowerment and promise. There are also people building everywhere you look. Skyscrapers are going up, sewers are being dug, trees are being planted. There is no ignoring it –India is modernizing.
But there are also many differences which many westerners (including myself) are simply not used to. Having servants and drivers, for example, takes much getting used to. Gopal, the servant of the family I am currently staying with, does most of the domestic work around the house. He’s treated well, though –as a member of the family. And it should also be pointed out that without the custom of employing servants, many many more people would be homeless and without a means to provide for themselves.
Today -2 Jan., I had my first day of vocational exchange organized by the Rotary. After a wonderful breakfast by Gopal and a quick Hindi reading lesson from the newspaper, I was off to start what would be one of the most memorable days of my life. A professor from the University of Rajasthan was kind enough to escort me around the city starting with the Rajasthani Network of Positive People (RNP+) –an advocacy organization that provides counseling and links HIV positive people with services that will improve their lives. I was able to meet with their founder and president, then visit one of their 25 centers located throughout the state of Rajasthan.
Next on the agenda I was brought to the SMS Hospital –the largest hospital in the state, in which the ART (anti retro-viral treatment) is administered. Narendra, of RNP+ (also a student of anthropology), was kind enough to donate his day to escorting me around the clinics, introducing me to the many counselors, advocates, physicians, and so on that work in HIV education/prevention, intervention, and service provision. We even visited the medical school where much of the testing and labwork takes place.
The next part of my day was the most touching. Much like in the U.S., HIV disproportionately affects underserved populations. One particular target population –called the “bridge population” here in India, includes both migrant workers and truck drivers. Narendra took me to visit a woman who lost her husband –a late truck driver- to the AIDS virus. She too is HIV positive. Though she has three sons, only one of them is HIV positive thanks in no small part to the preventative measures of NGO’s like RNP+ and the Rotary International. RNP+ steps in to ensure that she has a way to stay healthy and provide for herself and her family in the wake of losing her husband through vocational education and health education. With permission, I am posting the photo we took together to show how well she’s doing and to emphasize the importance of supporting non-profits.