Day 23: An end to another semester, but a continuation of Asha (hope)

Today was my final day in the slums as an Asha intern. What feelings can I convey in this final post that haven't been conveyed already? Who more can I thank who has not been mentioned in my previous entries? Leaving Delhi - easily one of my most difficult partings - has me feeling as if I am leaving a family and another whole world behind. In just three weeks, I have met some of the most remarkable individuals (from all walks of life) I have ever met, and have gained an holistic insight covering a broad range of global environmental, health, and social predicaments contributing to urban poverty. While I have witnessed some of the world's richest venues and sites, I have also developed genuine bonds of affection with some of the world's poorest, but happiest, communities. I have made a promise to the children and the many others I have confided in, that I will return someday, somehow knowing that it is not just a possibility, but a definite will. From teaching English, to walking on the shocking sets of a Slumdog Millionaire reality, to actively engaging in dialogue with committed public health and women empowerment leaders, to living and surviving in such an overwhelming and invigorating city, to playing the role of a reporter and writer and documenting some of the most fascinating (and yet perplexing) stories of my life. What more can I be thankful for? I am inspired beyond words.

This internship has enhanced my perspective on various healthcare and education initiatives within the slums, highlighting further issues regarding urban poverty. I have developed a new fascination of urban environments such as Delhi that present such a large disparity between its opulent and marginalized communities—the internship and my many vivid and first-hand experiences in the slums (with the children, their families, and other Asha workers) has inspired me to extend my passion for healthcare/medicine, writing, and people towards the global community. I am forever grateful to have received this opportunity to partake in such a valuable experience. I am so proud of and inspired by those who have committed such values to their everyday actions and motivations.

Keep up the good work, Asha!! Once again, for those who are interested in learning even more about the organization's other efforts and fundraising initiatives, visit http://www.asha-india.org/  

I was interviewed by Asha before I left (3 minutes). Please check out the link to my video!

Day 22: Figures of speech are not to be taken literally

One of my students opened the class today by asking me what it meant to "cry a river," apparently in reference to the Justin Timberlake song. He seemed confused as to how rivers could cry, but I told him and the others that it was only a figure of speech - an expression that is not actually true as written word for word. First I explained its meaning to them in Hindi and then in English, just so that everyone was on the same page. And then I decided to take the discussion as an opportunity to teach them other expressions as well, like "don't cry over spilled milk" and "jack of all trades, master of none" and "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence." It turned into a pretty interesting conversation that I thought conveyed some good bits of pragmatic advice and gave them more of a chance to practice conversing in English. I asked them if they could think of any others, and one boy said that his 'lifelong philosophy' was "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Some of the other guys got upset as to why it didn't read as "When in India, do as the Indians do," so I told them that it could very well be stated that way and the meaning still wouldn't change. 

I think they finally understood the concept of proverbs as being non-literal expressions when I told them that it's impossible for one person to cry so much that his tears fill a dry riverbed with water. I'm glad I was able to get that point across to avoid any misunderstandings about the spoken English language.  

Day 21: Possessive nouns and a wonderful evening at Gayatri's

I structured today's lesson plan on possessive nouns. I instructed each of the kids to come up to the board and draw a picture of an animal or person, and then come up with adjectives to describe it using the apostrophe 's'; for example, when one boy drew an elephant on the board, he would recite, "the elephant's trunk is long" and "the elephant's ears are big." Then I told the kids to practice speaking with the apostrophe 's' when describing each other's outfits ("Priya's dress is pink, Rahul's shirt has stripes, etc..") I think they got a pretty good hang of the possessive noun, but they got a bit confused when I told them that the apostrophe follows the 's' for plural nouns, but still sounds the same as it does for singular nouns when spoken out loud. Regardless, they are all picking up spoken English very well and are fast learners with the grammar rules.  

One of the Asha staff members invited me to her home for dinner this evening. We headed to her place right after work to a small district about a forty minute auto ride away from Kalkaji. Her cozy home had some beautiful pieces of floral decor that her sister had crafted, and a shelf of Hindu deities brightly lit with candles. There was one bed and a TV, and then a separate, detached room for cooking. Her colony was much smaller than Kalkaji, constituted of only about 16 houses. As Gayatri was in the kitchen making ginger chai, her neighbors, one by one, came into the room I was in to meet me. One of the nicest things about these compact slums is how tightly-knit they are as communities. I could hardly tell that Gayatri's neighbors were not her blood relations; their openness, comfort, and warmth towards one another made it seem as if they were one big family. They were all such optimistic and spirited people, and the way they all went out of their way to make me feel at home really made me feel like I was back in Goa with my actual extended family. The food that Gayatri's mom had prepared - poori (puffed, deep-fried bread) and a couple of vegetable sides - could not have been tastier and served with more love. 

My loving friend Gayatri

Gaytri's mom (far right), myself, and her neighbors

We all had a lively chat and they all requested me to stay the night, though unfortunately I could not. Gayatri dropped me back to my C-9 flat in an auto, and her family and neighbors made sure that we were safe before heading out. I promised them that I would come back next time for a longer stay, for I had grown so fond of and attached to them, even though I had only met them a few hours back.       

Day 20: A Sunday contrary to our expectations

It's funny how the simplest of places are packed with the most meaning and fulfillment. We were reminded of this today after two (sorry to say) disappointing visits to among the most revered temples in India. 

The Delhi metro system is becoming second nature to us, and we've realized that without it, it would be nearly impossible to get to the places in the city we fancy seeing in an efficient and comfortable manner - no need to carry too much money around for autos and taxis, or have to listen to obnoxious truck horns every 3-5 seconds, or clog our respiratory systems with too many atrocious, raw scents. But even so, I must say, it's quite a challenge to remain grounded on these metros. Not sure why, but for some reason, I can never seem to get the hang of it. 

We reached the wondrous Lotus Temple (Baha'i House of Worship) a little past noon, spending some leisure time in the soothing parks of its backyard eating nutella sandwiches and healthily snacking on fruits, raisons, almonds, and chocolate. I had promised some of my Baha'i friends that I would pay the temple a visit while I was in Delhi. Over the course of my time in Edinburgh, I learned so much about the Baha'i faith from them. I was so drawn to its belief of universal unity, and had been looking forward to the opportunity of spending time in one of its seven edifices.

The Lotus Temple, one of the Baha'i faith's seven houses of worship in the world

However, after seeing the never-ending queue stretching from the temple's entrance all the way to its back gate, we convinced ourselves that we would in no way be able to make it inside the main hall. The temple "guards" seemed pretty uptight themselves, shouting aggressive commands to remain in line and remove shoes prior to entrance. In disappointment of the lack of "spiritual vibes" felt during this Sunday rush-hour outside the beautiful and iconic structure, we carried on to our next destination - the Akshardham temple.

The security hype outside of the temple was absolutely ridiculous. We ended up spending more time in the queues trying to get inside then we spent on the actual temple grounds. The Akshardham temple was a marvelous and grand structure, no doubt, but we did not feel like we were in a temple. There were too many people, and too many rules to follow - and the minute one of them was broken, our attempt to enjoy the temple's gardens and surrounding area was rudely interrupted by a shrill whistle blown by a security guard. We were extremely limited with what we were allowed to bring inside the temple (not even stuffed animals and paper were permitted). Perturbed by some our other experiences within the temple, we left that evening with the discomfort of knowing that such magnifying opulence was only a gate of separation away from a world of extreme poverty.  

Day 19: A Saturday in the Monastery

Our Saturday in C-9 began just like last Saturday did - a lovely brunch followed by a quiet afternoon on our balcony. But then Frankie got a phone call from a friend of his who he had met on the bus earlier in the week. She had invited all of us to visit some Buddhist monasteries with her, which, of course, we agreed to. The monasteries were in a small Tibetan-like village in North Delhi that was about an hour metro ride away from where we lived. We met up with Minket and her friend Saurabh at the Chatturpur station and had a fabulous time with them for the duration of our evening. The monastery was a candle-lit hall with a giant golden statue of Buddha perched so gracefully in the back. We circled the statue three times, a ritual similar to one done in Hindu temples. I took a few minutes to meditate; it was amazing how just one, simple room could release such positive vibes. We felt so lucky to be in the company of such warm-hearted and entertaining people as Minket and Saurabh. 

Buddhist Monastery number one

Me with some of the local children

Us with our new Indo-tibetan friends

On our way back home, we ate a double-dinner. The first was at a traditional Indo-Tibetan restaurant and the second was at a famous Muglai restaurant in Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi). 

Treating ourselves to a delicious vegetable stew and Momos at the Wongdhen Restaurant

Happy after a beyond satisfying meal at the legendary Karim's

Day 18: Past, Present, and Future

Today I gave all my classes an arts and crafts assignment to complete in class. I handed each student a piece of construction paper and told them to divide it into thirds. Then, I told them to draw what they looked like as a kid (past), who they are now (present), and what they wish to be someday (future). On the back, in the same three columns, I told them to write what they like about themselves, what they dislike about themselves, and what they have done in the past that has made them proud. I took some time this evening to read over the responses and was absolutely stunned at how insightful and genuine they were. While many children wished to be doctors, engineers, and teachers - one girl, in particular, wants to be an English teacher - there were a handful of aspiring dancers, musicians, lawyers, businessmen, and even an Irish rapper and an Indian army soldier. What I was even more impressed with were their responses to "what makes them proud about themselves." While one girl wrote that she had recently helped a blind man cross the road, another wrote that she wants to make her parents proud. One of the older boys wrote that he never accepted defeat and was willing to face challenge. Their written English has improved wonderfully over the past week and I was so proud of their efforts to express themselves. These children have visions that speak volumes, and a tremendous amount of ambition that makes me want to believe that many of them seem older than their actual age. It wasn't the usual English lesson today, but I think it helped me to re-evaluate my students and understand their capabilities even better...and more importantly, it was just as enjoyable for them to spend so much time thinking about themselves.

Day 17: Fieldwork in Navjeevan Camp

Later in the afternoon after my classes finished, I accompanied one of the Asha staff members to a slum to do some "fieldwork." We visited 0-5 year olds who needed a polio vaccination, and verified to see which ones already received it after checking to see if their pinky had been marked with black ink. We carried around a record book that had the names of almost every child in the Navjeevan camp area of Kalkaji - there were literally hundreds upon hundreds of them, and though we seemed to be out in the field (or slum) for quite a long time, we probably only gave the polio drops to about 15-20 children in all. I found it all fascinating, especially how some of the households had to be convinced to allow their child(ren) to be vaccinated. I really appreciate the time that Asha invests in educating the less learned of these slum dwellers - as their awareness about such viruses grows, so too does their willingness to permit the administration of the vaccination. 

We had to climb up some stairs like these to get to some houses

A child getting his finger marked after having been administered the polio drops (proof that he was vaccinated)

A view of a slum terrace