The Beginning of the End....

Life right now is…pretty great.  I am at a place where I enjoy going to work, where I’m busy with tasks that I feel keep me on my toes, my relationships with staff and friends has evolved to a place where I can talk and joke and laugh (my improving language skills might help here), and the realization that my time here is (dare I say it) almost over makes me appreciate every day even more.


Every day, right around sunset, I go for a walk through the farmland adjacent to our campus - time alone for my thoughts and reflection.  And I am consistently awestruck by the beauty of where I live.

Yes, another picture of the sunset.  I just can't get enough of them.

It looks fake, right?  But this is the real deal.

Well, I also think part of the reason that I’m so happy is that….it’s mango season.  Your mood entirely changes when you can go outside, reach up, and pluck a nice, ripe mango from the tree outside your door.  Or head down to the market, where 1 kilo will set you back a good 20 rupees…or about $0.40.  That comes to about $0.10 per mango.  Yes, I have gotten a bit carried away at times – my current record is 9 in one day.  But, you just gotta pick yourself up the next day and put things in perspective. I never realized how many different kinds of mangoes there are, or ways in which you can eat them.  From slicing, to sucking, to peeling - each mango offers it's own challenge and rewards.  

The first mangoes of the season, back in early May.

One of my favorite days to date: spending an afternoon with one of our village health workers in her farm sitting under a mango tree.  One of the most relaxing, enjoyable, stress-free days I've had with fantastic company and...mangoes.

At the village health workers farm....words cannot describe
the joy this brought me.  All mangoes, ready for eating.

That's us, in action.  

Work recently has come to a place where I feel that I’m no longer just going through the motions, but am able to add value and hopefully leaving some kind of impact on the organization.  I’ve been doing a lot of grant writing.  And although not as exciting as it may seem, I’ve been given a lot of responsibility and leadership to work with the community, staff and managers to devise proposals that can potentially be extremely meaningful here at work. 

We’ve also held a series of trainings that have allowed me to spend more time out in the villages and interacting with the communities we work with.  One training in Maternal and Newborn Health brought 15 resource persons from Solapur (the big city) and fanned them out over 3 days to reach 28 villages.  Village by village we sat down with Self Help Group members and discussed the ways they can improve outcomes for pregnancies and deliveries.  In some villages, outcomes are very good.  But in others, over half of deliveries occur in the home without oversight by medically trained personnel. 

In the village मेसाई जवळगा (Mesai Jewalga) training on Maternal and
Newborn  Health, specifically proper antenatal care and nutrition.

In कस्ती खु (Kasti Khu) for a similar MNH training.

In केरूर (Kerur) for a training on the Government rationing system.
The government rations goods like sugar, wheat, and kerosene.
 People need to know their rights! 

Another training in लोहारा (Lohara) regarding the rationing system.

My language skills have come to a point where I can have full-fledged conversations….with the 6 year old daughter of one of our staff members.  Granted, half of our conversations are me teaching her English.  Well, and the other half are her asking me for chocolate because I taught her English. 

My six year old buddy.  

But that aside, my language skills have also allowed me to become a lot closer to the staff.  Language has never been a barrier to me getting to know my community, and it’s powerful to realize how little you need words to find affection and trust.  But my growing language ability has allowed me to significantly bridge the gap from guest to close knit community member.  To be able to talk with our village health workers and hear their stories, their struggles, and their bravery is truly empowering.  For example, talking with one worker who was married at the age of 9, went to live with her husband at 17 – is now 27 with three children.  But she is a commanding force in her village, unafraid to speak up against patriarchal hierarchies and works hard to improve the conditions for her family and her community. I don’t even try to compare myself against these women, whose motivation and determination is truly inspiring.

A traditional baby naming ceremony, or बारस (Baaras).  One of our
employee's daughter had a child, and we all attended the 

ceremony about 2 weeks after the birth.  As a part of the 

ceremony, guests come to the baby and whisper in its ear the

name you think it should  have.  And, as you're bending over, 

everyone crowded around slaps you on the back.
Why?  I'm not so sure.

And of course, the ultimate cultural similarity:
the presence of food.
Of course a meal is served afterwards.

As I go into my final month of work (yes, final month), it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly where I’ve made my big impact or what my huge legacy will be.  But right now, I’m thoroughly enjoying the relationships that I’ve made, my responsibilities at work, and the respect I have for the community surrounding me.

Let's play 'Where's Andrew?'
Not so hard...
Me disturbing the nursing students as they're trying to study.
I just wanted a picture.

Oh, but I do have to say one negative thing going on recently.  I have a rat…..infestation.  It’s been going on for a few weeks now, and I see their squeaky little faces at night right before I’m about to lay down.  They crawl in and out…to my utmost disgust.  Yes, I’ve laid out poison and plan out their demise.  But once I shut off the lights, I can only close my eyes, cross my fingers, and realize that they are probably more afraid of me than I am of them.  Hopefully….