Don't fall in!

June 11, 2009

Today was again exhausting.

We arrived and had a pleasant conversation with gangadhar abut the community.
He was telling us that the government wants to pay the residents here to live in these tall apartments. So the plan is to destroy the slum homes, build high rises and stuff the people in (which will be a good deal for real estate because it is high property now over much space, and good for residents because nice places…but I don’t know).

Juhi said that she is motivated to go into law to change these things, nice!

Ria said at the end of the day that she really is ready and wants to journal it out. That made me smile!

What else?

Today we went around and I took more pictures than usual- had to document.

The kids loved being with me again.

One woman was so nice, she offered getting us pepsi. We accepted.

She asked why I am here. Juhi said because I want to be here. And she said "it must be hard for her."

At one point this drunk man came over and started yelling at us saying that he sent his kid to the parivartan school once and the kid didn’t have a place to sit so the kid went home and never returned to the school. So he was yelling at us, saying that we took his money.

He was drunk, and the community members didn’t care to listen to him. They were saying that he should have stood up and said something. I tried to accept this situation. This is probably a reality , I am actually surprised that I don’t interact with more drunk men in this community considering it is a problem.

Then someone else yelled at us saying “why do we focus on education when kids are dying from the trash that is here”.

There are swamps of trash filled with flies. And today sriya stepped in one pile accidently- it’s hard to tell sometimes if it is solid or not. She was a great trouper! And washed it off.

One of my friends was concerned that she doesn’t have bug repellent on, and not to let the flies stay on you for a while and such. She started concerning me- but there is nothing we can do.

I have no idea how dangerous or not dangerous it is.

And one of my favorite moments was getting back to the main road. The kids took us the “short cut” which meant hopping from stone to stone over what was “pee” and garbage to make it to the main road. At first we tried as a train, but that was too dangerous so the kids helped us individually. I was so proud of the others for doing it.

And lots of times I am dancing with the kids or fooling around and I never know if it is culturally good or bad.

Today the kids told me that they aren’t afraid of my freckles- they help make me beautiful. Different than jungle in Ecuador but india is always up for ornamenting.

Sryia wants to go back and help with the sewage. She said she heard on the radio an advertisement "can we help clean your place of misquitos before monsoon hits"

Also, I think thoreau was on to something.

I do just want to be humble, live on the basic necessities.

Starve a little.

In every way possible.

It makes me appreciate privilege of any sense.

And juhi said to me yesterday, “I love how you appreciate everything”.

I love appreciating everything.

Especially cold water after a day like today.