I'm Back!

Thoughts from a village:

Bhojasar was AMAZING. The family I lived with for 16 days was delightful and we had so much fun! not speaking the same language, playing my ukulele, eating with our fingers, sleeping outside, chasing the baby goats, taking pictures, going for walks and drinking chai chai chai (my maximum was 8 cups in one day)

I visited schools in neighboring villages of Moriya, Denok, Khichan (school kitchen library!) I climbed a sand dune (mountain) in Aau, another one in Lahovat, and climbed 357 stairs to a temple and watched the sunset.

I observed the work that Urmul does in the schools--funding Room to Read libraries and facilitation, providing education in braille for blind children and I met all the local weavers in the village.

I fetched water from the well every morning to take a bucket shower, washed my clothes on the floor and was careful not to hang them on the clothesline close to the cow (or else she would eat them).

I had lots of time to think and reflect and be an angsty teenager: "Nobody Understands Me!" literally. I have not spoken face-to-face with a native English speaker for a month. and that leaves all the processing to inside my own head. meaning my dreams have been crazy! Every single one is a whimsical combination of Kenyon/Petoskey/MCFYP/India. The medians in Petoskey turned into Middle Path but the roads were filled with rickshaws. Gina Angileri (petoskey), Bryan Lewis (mcfyp) and Rob Fine (kenyon) came to visit me in India. Summer Conference was at Mooti Doongri. I flew back home on a combination plane/train/rollercoaster with Kylie Musolf (mcfyp) and Sam Karns (india). I go back to Jaipur on Saturday the 4th to be reunited with my MSID friends and for my final week in India!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Best,
Ellen

(or as everyone called me in the village: Ellena)

Lost in Translation

I don't think Indians understand why I am here. I haven't figured out how to say "semester abroad" or "experiential learning" or "wanderlust"

I am here to observe and live in their country immersed in their culture. I came prepared for everything to be different and overwhelming--and I think I have handled it rather well. I am adapting to their customs and habits and I respect their way of life. But they cannot understand mine.

I am 20 and not married *GASP* I might not even get married til I'm 28! and it will be for love, not an arrangement! My sister is 23 and she's not married! and...wait for it...I don't have a brother *GASP*GASP*

I try to explain that it is ok in America to not have brothers (would anybody really want to deal with a Blanchard son?) and that I want to get married, but in America 20 is considered young to get married (the other day someone was appalled that I am not married and said to my face that I was old) and usually people wait until after college to get married.

so besides that mini rant--all is well!!

I have been in Phalodi for the week, and I will go to a village on Tuesday the 9th. There hasn't been a lot of internship-related work, but I think this has been one of the best weeks of my life.

I am the novelty white girl at the foundation (every person and their cousin-literally.) knows the story of my life, rather, the story that they chose to tell based on the facts I try to tell about myself in broken Hindi (but obviously the most important things are that I am not married and don't have a brother)

The main people who work at the foundation live at the foundation, so it's like having 7 host families! So I have chai at least 5 times a day, and get to hang out with...I can't even count them all...19 siblings.

and Diwali!! in a nutshell: Let all those under the age of 6 run around with sparklers and matches. Let them set off as many firecrakers as they want and stand only 4 feet away. repeat all night long.

love
Ellen

I just attended the meeting of the Rotary Club of Phalodi, India.

well, actually it was the staff meeting of the Urmul foundation...but it was exactly the same vibe as a Rotary meeting in Petoskey, barring a few minor details. The 40 staff members gathered in the big multipurpose room (after leaving all 80 shoes outside) and sat on the floor in a circle. Like any Rotary meeting, I brought the total number of women in the room to a whopping three. The meeting was called to order and "Harry Begley" led a few rousing tunes, rather, Hindu prayers. Then I was introduced (I only know this because everyone started starting at me and attempted to say my name "aylin" "eleen" "ellit" and then I was asked to introduce myself--IN HINDI. Now, this is what I have been preparing for my whole life (those rotary types don't scare me) I was spontaneously asked to introduce Petra Dlouha in front of the whole club and did so without batting an eye. I know that a room full of professionals who are working for the good of their community and world really aren't that scary. It was empowering to be a young, white women speaking a language I only started learning 6 weeks ago in front of 40 Indians and do so with confidence. 

The meeting proceeded with individuals presenting their specific area of the organization [Urmul has a women's weaving cooperative, sponsors girls' schools, trains teachers and librarians, advocates against child labor and child marriage and supports local agriculture in many villages in western Rajasthan]

After each presentation there would be questions and discussion and it would get heated! "Jack Woldvogel" would say something that would make everybody speak up at the same time, "Ken Mainland" would try to calm people down, "Charlie Gano" would say something that would make everybody stop and recalculate, the "Brummelers" would be having their own conversation by just looking at each other from across the circle and of course, there was a jokester right up front-and all that he was missing to make it an authentic meeting of the Petoskey rotary was a pair of pants with little camels embroidered on them. 

Then we went to lunch, a far cry away from the reycraft room, but instead the local eatery where everyone sits outside, eats dal, subzi (vegetables), rice and chapati chapati chapati (only using the right hand of course) They talk and joke and laugh and I know they are the types to try and include me, but I am a videshi (foreigner) and cannot speak their language well enough to schmooze. 

It was an amazing morning for culture comparison, and so appropriate because today is Wednesday! So while the Petoskey Rotary meeting has yet to happen, the Phalodi "Rotary" is already taking afternoon chai!

best,

ellen