Burn Baby Burn

Greetings from a red-neck wannabe Tamilian.
This folks is what we call a Kurta burn.
Awkward and completely avoidable.

This is what India does to you.

To clarify, India doesn't turn you into a FREAK, it just may give you a bit of a sunburn.  

Momo's Fo Sho Yo

Food. 
One of my most favorite parts of India.
It is everywhere: every street corner, on the train, even strangers offer it to you. India takes its food extremely seriously. Where ever I go the first thing anyone ever asks me is "saptingla?" or have you eaten?  And to answer that question: SAPTEN baby, too much sappadu (food).

So the question is if there are tons of places to eat, (and I shouldn't use the term "places" because that would limit food vendors on the go), where the heck do I eat?!

To put it simply: EVERYWHERE. Well, not yet... my god I think that would be impossible. But I will be doing a post on food eventually but the greatness of the momos must be shared with the world at this very instance; It cannot wait.

 Momos. Basically a dumpling. Well not just a dumpling. It is a soft, fried, greasy, flavor-bursting, noodle, chicken filled-heaven sent from God himself. Laura found this place one day coming back from placement and our lives haven't been the same since. For those who may plan to go to Chennai in their life time and find themselves in Tambaram East, check out this place. Its called Ever Green Chinese Fast Food and it is just a bit off of Camp Road. I know what you are thinking, Chinese food in India?! Don't hate, the Chinese food is totally different here and worth trying, it is so so much better. The place isn't what I would call luxury dining. It is cheap & fast, (putting Lindy's Diner to shame!) Momos cost between $1.11-$1.29 depending if you want steamed or fried. The foreigners are split 50/50 between which is better, I'm on team fried. Also, they have fantastic noodles/rice that will cost just about $1 for a heaping plate. I am a fan of the Singapore noodles, they never disappoint.

Love on a Plate

NOMS. Singapore Noodles 

Well this post was a little food-criticy. Oh well, now you know.

NOMS TO THE WORLD!


xoxo,
Becca

Balwadi

 Every day at placement for some reason or another we always end up at the Balwadi. A Balwadi is basically the equivalent of preschool or kindergarten. There seems to be quite the range of children there I'm guessing they are between 2-5 years old. The purpose of this post is to give you an idea of what "child care" is like in India, at least within the two Balwadis I have spent time in. The first pictures are from the Balwadi located in Puddupakam village. This Balwadi is very simple and has a few paintings and posters hung about. There is one teacher and a woman they call "grandmother" (the word is a Tamil word) that run the Balwadi. The main teacher is actually never around so the grandmother runs the show. This woman is quite the character. Not only does she not understand any English but she has very poor hearing so barely can understand Tamil. Most of the time she is doing charades with me and whispering Tamil to me like it's witch craft. I just nod my head and smile at her. She brings me tea and biscuits (cookies) almost every time and recently has stepped it up to bring me the above snack (you can see her in the corner). In order for you to get an idea of how kooky this woman, I will give you one example. On Thursday the Balwadi teacher's phone was ringing. Edward told the grandma about it so she grabbed it, looked at it, and put it to her ear. The woman is standing in the middle of the room holding a phone to her ear that is BLASTING an obnoxious Hindi ringtone. I think she thought she was making a call or something, this woman is a looney one.

Despite the nutty grandma, the kids at this Balwadi are to die for. To the right is a picture of one of the kids, Prakosh, chowing down on his lunch. He is a riot and leads the class in many antics. I'm not really sure of the purpose of the Balwadi is besides a place to send the kids. It doesn't seem like the kids learn much besides songs and stretches. Most of the time they sit around and get threatened by a big stick if they are not sitting properly. Edward & I use the Balwadi as a place to meet up with the school teachers and village woman to do research. I conduct some interviews and Edward collects data from the teachers on the number of kids in school, etc. Recently it has been more data collection than interviews. That means while Edward does the grunt work it is basically my job to babysit. These kids are almost seasoned pros at "head, shoulders, knees, & toes" and the hokey pokey thanks to my lack of creativity.

Here is a picture of the second Balwadi that I visit on occasion. This Balwadi is a bit more colorful and the teacher plays a much more active role with the kids. The picture is of a program that was conducted on nutrition. The Balwadi teacher and some assistants taught the mothers the importance of giving their children healthy foods and about what to eat while pregnant. I was the photographer for the event and had to do some drawing as well. Apparently people here think that Americans are supposed to be really good at drawing so as I drew everyone watched me as if I was Picasso. The entire room was silent and all eyes were on me. Hopefully they weren't too disappointed by my less than impressive efforts.

my drawing skills....

I enjoy my time at the Balwadi very much yet some things make me cringe. Teachers will slap the kids if they do not listen and slap the stick against the wall as a threat. This would be considered abusive in the U.S. but hey this is India... anything goes? For OT I did my service learning with children around the same age in a preschool set up. I find it funny because I would play with the children and then watch them eat lunch & now I am doing the same exact thing just in a different cultural context. I can't help comparing and contrasting the two and am still amazed by the similarities of both sets of kids. Developmental stages are definitely universal! However, watching the preschoolers of India eat is much more fascinating because they all do so with their hands. You can tell that some of the kids are more mature then others when it comes to their grasp patterns when handling food. Not going to lie, my skills mirror those of the youngest children. When the preschoolers of the U.S. use their hands to eat, the teachers forcefully push the spoon back into their hands. You can tell how a child is developing based on their grasp patterns with a spoon. I wonder if any OTs have looked into grasp patterns of children eating food in India. Should I start my own study?! Ha, just kidding I have enough on my plate (no pun intended). Well now that you have had your daily fix of my bloggin, I'm going to go out to get a bite to eat. Literally, this blog is making me hungry!

xoxo,
Becca

Rat Attack

This is the story of one woman who is absolutely useless in times of danger.

Spoiler: I am that woman.

For the past few weeks we have been dealing with a sneaky rat that has been breaking into our common room and making away with the tums in our cabinet. It's been getting in through a hole in the window screen and setting up camp in said closet. Multiple times we have saw this beast scurry back through its portal causing an unspoken fear of this metal cupboard. We had the screen fixed only to have the rat chew a new hole through it. We put up tape and cardboard... like that would do anything. Tonight, things have escalated to a whole new level... shit got real.

Sheet where rat climbed under

Blockage of the rat's hole

Broken window

Every night before I go to bed, I lock my door so the rat won't find its way into the food stash that we keep in one of the closets located in my room. I was settling down for bed and heard something that sounded as if papers were shuffling around. I saw some papers on the foot of the adjacent bed, and threw my ipod on top of them to keep them still. Five minutes later this noise persists so I turn on the flashlight setting to my phone to assess the situation. Nothing. Again this happens and again I see nothing. Then, I decide that I will keep the flashlight on and cover it with my hand until I hear the noise. As soon as I hear it next I whip my phone towards the food closet and see a huge brown rat's butt climbing over Kristen's peanut butter. Panic sets in. The lights are off and it is around midnight. I am not leaving my bed; yeah I'm a complete wuss. I call Laura by cell phone and she is just as afraid as I am. Kristen, the only sensible one runs down and gets the security guard... she is looking for a kill. Seriously, the past few weeks she has talked nothing of poising this creature and she was not letting this opportunity go to waste. The security guard, Jenny (a girl from the hall), Kristen, and Laura are all standing outside of the room demanding that I open the door. I hold my breath and take three giant hops to the door. I unlock it as quickly as I can and sprint back into the security of my blankets. Of course I was in my underwear and grabbing pants was unthinkable considering the rat was somewhere in that area. I’m telling you this so you can see how it was reasonable for me to sprint back to my covers; I didn't want my favorite security guard to think any less of me (too late now). Jenny & the guard come in armed with giant sticks and close the door behind them. They clearly are not phased by the rat situation and start poking around in both closets with the sticks. After five minutes of poking and prodding a large furry body comes squirming from the refuge of my kurtas. At this point I start losing it and screaming at the top of my lungs. The security guard tries to hit the rat with the stick and chases it frantically around the room. He is able to corner it and I close my eyes afraid of what may happen next. He misses the sly thing and it scampers under a sheet that is located on a desk. You can only see the silhouette of the rat’s body under the sheet as it squirms about. The guard has a crazed killing look in his eyes as he smashes his stick upon the desk. He misses and the thing heads straight under my bed. Without even thinking, I jump up on top of my bed screaming bloody murder. I looked like a girl straight out of a horror movie. Jenny was telling me to breathe and the guard ignored the fact that I was half naked because he was completely engulfed in the rat chase. 

Laura & Jenny putting newspaper over the window

Somewhere between my jumping and screaming the rat jumps into my window and the guard exchanges his stick for a legit spear. The rat is caught between the glass of my window and the bars and we all know what is about to happen. I covered my ears and was screaming at the top of my lungs. I looked up to see the guard sprint out of the room and Jenny's face is in shock. I get up and realize that the glass has been shattered and can hear the guard banging his stick outside. A bit later the guard came back to tell us the rat had managed to survive a few blows and a fall from the second floor.  I am not sure what is more ridiculous, the fact that I was screaming so loud, the fact that I was in my underwear, or the fact that I was legitimately worried that if the guard killed the rat while it was in the window that it would spill blood on my Buddha. Needless to say, this war with the rat is not over. Kristen & Laura's account is hilarious because they could only hear stick whacking, screaming, and glass shattering. Laura summed it up best by the following quote: "Between fight or flight Becca chose fright". I'm not sure if I will be able to sleep tonight, or ever for that matter. Damn you rat, this isn't over.

UPDATE: The rat is dead! Our favorite security guard had found the sucker huddled in the corner with some injuries. He disposed of it. I’m a bit sad to hear of the rat’s death but glad to hear that will be the end of our problem.

UPDATE: I went to grab a tank top today and found that the effing rat pooped in my clothes and left traces of food. God dammit rat, your dead but still find a way to piss me off!

Hyderabad

Woman in a burka

 This past week we did our first excursion outside of Tamil Nadu to Hyderabad. Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh, a neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, and it is the fourth most populous city in India (Chennai is the sixth). Hyderabad has an interesting mash of culture mostly because back in the day it was ruled by a Muslim leader. Currently, the Muslim community makes up 40% of the population in Hyderabad while in Chennai Christians & Muslims only make up about 11% of the population. I knew beforehand that Hyderabad had a huge Muslim population but I still experienced a huge culture shock upon arrival into the city. Seeing so many woman in burkas really upset me, I mean it irked me to my core. To me the burka is the definition of oppression and seeing so many woman wearing it was beyond disturbing. I am not hating on Muslims, I try my best to be tolerant of all religions and view points. However, I do not agree with the concept of the burka and will quickly shut down any supporters.

Anyways, I am getting ahead of myself. Now that you have some background, lets take it from the top.

Kristen on the sleeper train

The journey to Hyderabad from Chennai took around 13 hours by train. We took a sleeper train and my god was it an experience. "Beds" were bunked three high with barely any room to move. I think I slept only 1 hour consecutively and the rest was miserable. There was a ton of noise, lights, and rowdy kids. Who the heck brings small kids on a sleeper train?!

The Palace

We arrived in Hyderabad around 6 am and I felt like the living dead. We got to rest at the hotel for an hour and I was out like a light. After getting freshened up and eating breakfast, we headed out to go see some sights. Our first stop was the Salar Jung Museum, one of the most famous museums in the world.  Salar Jung is a noble family whose  members have served as prime minister for five generations. Salar Jung III lived like a King, the entire museum is made up of items that he collected himself from all over the world. It was actually amazing how huge this museum was and to think that this is actually a part of one man's collection of stuff.... so crazy.

Next we went to Chowmahalla Palace, which is a a palace that belonged to the Nizhams (Salar Jung family). This place was crazy beautiful and lavish, it is insane to think that this palace has lasted since 1750.

Inside of the palace

Now

Then

We ate Biryani for lunch... my least favorite dish in India. However, Hyderabad is known for its Biryani and by some miracle I actually liked the stuff. I still do not think I will eat briyani ever again, its better to end with the best.

View of the fort from the bottom

The next day we headed to Golconda Fort, a city of ruins that was once the capital during ancient times. This fort was absolutely breath taking, I felt like I was transported to medieval times as we climbed the steps to the top. Myself, Kristen, and our lovely tour guide spent some time exploring trying to find secret passageways and bats. One of my favorite parts of the fort (besides hiking up) were some of the architectural features. At the bottom of the fort there is a place where you clap your hands and can hear that clap nine times over again. The clap can also be heard at a certain spot at the top of the fort, we were able to hear it! The fort was built this way so the King could be notified if his enemies were coming to invade so he could make his getaway. I think it is pretty amazing that this fort has managed to survive so many years when it seems like buildings all over India are crumbling to the ground. Are we going backwards?

View of the fort from the top

Later we headed to Hyderabad University to meet up with one of Anu's friends who gave us a tour of the art department. Later we had a session on folk art and popular "art" within India. I say "art" because art is not taken very seriously or respected in India. To most Indians "art" consists of different posters that are sold that mostly depict a religious figure, political figures, white babies, or suggestive Indian woman. I kid you not.

Our final day was less than eventful for me. I woke up feeling super nauseous and spent the entire morning throwing up. I experienced a variety of other "stomach issues" and was bed ridden. I spent the day watching tv and nibbling on naan. I guess I couldn't avoid getting sick in India forever, but on an excursion? Come on universe! I missed out on a huge crafts bazaar where I could get my hands on some of the famous Indian folk art. I guess it is better for my wallet this way.

Until next time,
Becca 

Wounded Soldier

Yesterday I woke up feeling nauseous and less than motivated to travel to placement.  I contemplated staying in the warmth of my bed but painfully pulled myself out anyways. I choked down some oatmeal only causing minimal irritation to the not  1, not 2, but 3 sores in my mouth. I’m not sure where these came from, but I can only assume it is from eating spicy food all of the time.  For the past week and a half eating has been a struggle & brushing my teeth has been just about traumatizing.  Anyways, Edward & I arrived at the station a bit early so we decided to sit for a bit and drink some coffee.  Afterwards, we headed up the stairs to get on the other side of the platform. As we are walking up, Edward trips and I grab on to him in an attempt to save him. Before I know it, I am loosing balance and start falling forward. My shoe slips off and my foot catches on to the step and gets slashed by something sharp. At first I’m laughing at how goofy we must look and then I realize that my foot hurts a little bit. I look down and blood is literally flowing from my foot. There is a pool of blood in my Birkenstock and a trail of blood leading to the top of the stairs. In typical Indian fashion a small crowd starts to form around us yelling out directions in Tamil of what to do next. Edwards is dragging me across the flat and I am doing my best to hop along.  Obviously, my biggest concern was saving my Birks, I love those babies more than anything! We fixed a bandage out of his handkerchief and cleaned it once we got to WIN. However, we needed to be in Pudupakkam an hour ago so we had to walk 2 km as quickly as possible. I felt like a wounded solider as I dragged myself along the cracked earth in the blazing afternoon heat.  The whole time I was fantasying about how my day would have gone if I just stayed in my bed. Although my mobility is a bit limited currently, the sheer ridiculousness of it all makes me giggle. Edward was the biggest trooper of all dealing with my foot issues and not to mention that the sole of his shoe got ripped off as well! 

I write all this as I am about to leave for 5 days on a trip to Hyderbad. There will be lots of walking and lots of spicy foods. Hopefully I will be alive by the end of it! 

xoxo,

Becca

A Small Glimpse Into Village Life

Every time I go to placement I feel like its Christmas or my birthday or something. The night before I can never sleep because I am too excited to go and see what the day will hold. I guess this is what loving your job feels like, I hope when I join "the working world" that this feeling will remain.

Devi & I (Edward in the Background)

I have been spending a lot of time within the village of Pudupakkam. Hanging out with Devi and Namada are always a must of Tuesdays and Thursday. Each time I see them I am bent over in a side-stitch pain type of laughter. On Thursday, the village was gearing up for a wedding that was to take place in the evening. There were two GIGANTIC speakers outside of the grooms house blasting Tamil & Hindi love songs. I swear you could hear that music for miles. Anyways, I received my first wedding invite that I very regretfully had to decline. Hindu weddings can go on for days, this one was starting at 5 pm and lasting into the wee hours of the next morning. Unfortunately for me, I had a big test the next day and was heart broken to say no to the offer.

While in the village I interviewed a woman named Ravati who has three girls and is seven months pregnant. Mad respect to this woman who spends almost the entire day working in the fields and will continue to do so up until the day she delivers. I don't understand how this can be healthy but I have been assured that this is "what works" for these woman and that it ensures that there are not many complications during delivery.

The cooks, Sheela & Amsa

 I also interviewed two woman who work as cooks for the school. They work long hours and feed around 150 children per day. However, the highest paying wage $1.50 per day. The woman are payed by the state government and do not receive any pension. The woman do not know who to contact for a raise and even if they did their request could take years to be even looked out. I'm learning fast that people in the village have no idea what goes on in their government.

Walking to WIN

Also, now we have decided that instead of taking an auto to Pudupakkam we are going to walk (to save money or enjoy the scenery? who knows). Let me tell you, a 2 km walk in the middle of the afternoon with no shade in INDIA is taxing. My god, it is so hot. But it does provide for some amazing views and a glimpse of rural living which you will not see in Chennai.

Case & Point: