update!

In the last blog I failed to mention that during the awesomeness of the RIFF festival I went through India Identity Crisis #847.

The festival was great but the experience was kind of like this [for my philanthropic youths]: imagine being told that you are a member of the MCFYP committee an hour before registration begins, the only people that give you direction are Kari Pardoe and Rob Collier who speak intimidating philanthropy jargon and throw out a million names of people you don't know. you do not speak the same language as the maybe (literally) and there is no Mike Goorhouse in sight.

Needless to say, it was very overwhelming. I adapted quickly because I can handle that sort of run around/stress/logistic environment. but then I realized that I have done work like that before in the US and will continue to do work like that in the US--and I am in INDIA. so I needed to reevaluate the situation.

Also, on the way to Jodhpur we dropped off my good friend from the program, Anna, at a village where she would be working with a school. After leaving her in a tiny room in an incredibly rural setting my stomach began to ache with regret. I thought I wasn't brave enough to go to a village and a city is what I wanted to experience in India. I was lying to myself. After a few freak outs, minor explosions and 17 pages of journaling and talking to my program director and making a few phone calls...I am getting on a train tomorrow night a going to Phalodi.

I will be working for the Urmul foundation, a women's weaving cooperative that also invests in girls' empowerment through education. I will be seeing the work in villages as well as the school in the town. I actually don't know what to expect--but I am surprisingly calm about all of it.

I will be in a village in India for the next 5 weeks, so blogging probably won't be happening as frequently.

This has been a whirlwind week and I have learned A LOT about myself and really had time to seriously reflect on my India experience.

lovelovelove
ellen

ps The uke is coming with me to the village :)