Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
JOY
Everything is going very well. We have officially been here in Raiganj for a week now. I have had many wonderful experiences this past week. It’s tough to even know what to write about because there are so many stories! But I will share a few highlights with you.
On Monday I learned more about the new health project I will be assisting with in the next few months. As I learn more detail, I will inform you. I have also been doing some more documentation work of the data they have received about children ages 0-5 in all 3 districts of West Bengal. This information is very important to analyze before implementing our next program. Another project I have been working on is a project proposal for the repair of a dispensary in a nearby village called Altapur. I have recruited Scott for a little assistance on that one.
Scott (aka English Master) has been busy trying to develop lesson plans. He teaches two English classes five days a week. One class is in the morning (7:30-9:30) and one is in the evening (5:30 – 7:30). He has no background in teaching so it has been quite a challenge. I have enjoyed co-teaching and helping him create his lesson plans. Through health education, I had to teach some classes for different programs so I have a small amount of experience, but still not very much. I do really love teaching though; I find it extremely rewarding. The biggest challenge has been the fact that all the students are at very different levels in their spoken English abilities. To not lose the beginners but to still challenge the advanced is an extremely difficult task. Instructions and grammar are very difficult to explain without knowing any Bengali, but we’re doing our best. Andrea is working in the Community Based Disaster Preparedness department. She goes off to do fieldwork quite often so I haven’t actually seen her as much the last few days. I really like that each of us have our own individual daily tasks and activities, because we also get to have many other experiences together and it is exciting to hear each other’s stories.
Today Scott and I assisted the MC sisters in distributing free medicines to the community. Every Saturday the MC sisters come to SWI and set up a table with a bunch of health remedies. They have vitamins, ibuprofen, cough suppressants, antacids, creams…and so on. Hundreds and hundreds of people line up with their little ones and describe their illness or infection and the sisters basically diagnose and determine what treatment they need. Majority of the time they would show the sisters something on their skin like a rash or infection of some kind. Because we don’t have the background and ability that they do, we assisted with scooping the creams for scabies and ringworm. Majority of the people who were in line needed some, so we gave the requested amount in the tiny containers or plastic square they gave us. Occasionally we helped with pouring cough medicines and other liquids. It was a great experience though; I’m glad we were able to help out.
Last Tuesday when we visited the parish in Altapur, we sat with the sisters for a little while and had coffee and snacks. Then the children brought each one of us a flower! And then…best of all…. a performance!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, it was soooooo adorable! I tried to video some of it. We were there on the day of a festival so the children didn’t have school. Father said that if they would have known we were coming they would have been dressed up for the performance! They had choreographed dances that they all sang along to. They even had a couple solo routines. I remember my cheeks hurting from smiling so much!!! After their performance, Father looked and me and said why don’t you say a little something to the children, like a little about yourself? I was like uh…well…ok. I just gave a short introduction for all 3 of us and then told them how much we enjoyed their dance and also thanked them and told them to keep studying hard in school. The translations in Bengali were much longer, I think perhaps Father added a few more things here and there…who knows. Haha. The kids were so adorable. They were beaming with so much joy and they all ran up to shake our hands, ALL of them!
We also went to the market this past week with Manasi (the one I mentioned before - the chief health coordinator I work with). We bought some flip-flops (slippers they call them here) and she went and bought Indian dress for us to wear. We didn’t go with her then because she wouldn’t have been able to get such good deals. So yes, now Andrea and I look like as Father says, “true Indian princesses”. Haha. I don’t know about that! The material is very lightweight and they are very loose fitting. Many of the fabrics here are very pretty. I still feel a little silly in it though, perhaps after a couple weeks I’ll be used to it. It’s nice to blend in a little (even though as soon as someone looks at our skin or hair color they get confused).
Last night I had a little bonding night with two of the other younger women here. Their names are Sanchari and Jonaki. I shared some American candy with them and then we had some girl talk. :)It was a fun bonding time. I brought some American candy to share with them and also some photos I brought from home of my friends and family and perhaps a significant other…haha. They really enjoyed looking at them. I also got to hear about their families and friends.
Next week (and perhaps the following) I will be unable to blog because Andrea and I are going to stay at a parish in Boilagon. We will be staying with a woman named Sister Anisha. We met her already; she is very nice and we hear very motherly. :) She is a nurse and she also runs a Community Health program in the villages there. Father said this would really give us a taste of India – more the village life. Compared to all the poverty we are seeing here, our living conditions here at SWI and DDC is extremely luxurious. It will be an interesting experience. I guess we will be staying the floor below the children in the hostel, so I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the kids. I’m sure that will be really fun. Apparently the village is only about a 15-minute walk from here. Father and Scott will come to have dinner with us next Sunday and he said if we are enjoying ourselves and we want to stay, we can stay another week, and if we want to come back to DDC we can do that as well. So, I guess we’ll see how it goes…!
Don’t forget I check my e-mail…I love to hear what’s happening at home too you know!
On Monday I learned more about the new health project I will be assisting with in the next few months. As I learn more detail, I will inform you. I have also been doing some more documentation work of the data they have received about children ages 0-5 in all 3 districts of West Bengal. This information is very important to analyze before implementing our next program. Another project I have been working on is a project proposal for the repair of a dispensary in a nearby village called Altapur. I have recruited Scott for a little assistance on that one.
Scott (aka English Master) has been busy trying to develop lesson plans. He teaches two English classes five days a week. One class is in the morning (7:30-9:30) and one is in the evening (5:30 – 7:30). He has no background in teaching so it has been quite a challenge. I have enjoyed co-teaching and helping him create his lesson plans. Through health education, I had to teach some classes for different programs so I have a small amount of experience, but still not very much. I do really love teaching though; I find it extremely rewarding. The biggest challenge has been the fact that all the students are at very different levels in their spoken English abilities. To not lose the beginners but to still challenge the advanced is an extremely difficult task. Instructions and grammar are very difficult to explain without knowing any Bengali, but we’re doing our best. Andrea is working in the Community Based Disaster Preparedness department. She goes off to do fieldwork quite often so I haven’t actually seen her as much the last few days. I really like that each of us have our own individual daily tasks and activities, because we also get to have many other experiences together and it is exciting to hear each other’s stories.
Today Scott and I assisted the MC sisters in distributing free medicines to the community. Every Saturday the MC sisters come to SWI and set up a table with a bunch of health remedies. They have vitamins, ibuprofen, cough suppressants, antacids, creams…and so on. Hundreds and hundreds of people line up with their little ones and describe their illness or infection and the sisters basically diagnose and determine what treatment they need. Majority of the time they would show the sisters something on their skin like a rash or infection of some kind. Because we don’t have the background and ability that they do, we assisted with scooping the creams for scabies and ringworm. Majority of the people who were in line needed some, so we gave the requested amount in the tiny containers or plastic square they gave us. Occasionally we helped with pouring cough medicines and other liquids. It was a great experience though; I’m glad we were able to help out.
Last Tuesday when we visited the parish in Altapur, we sat with the sisters for a little while and had coffee and snacks. Then the children brought each one of us a flower! And then…best of all…. a performance!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, it was soooooo adorable! I tried to video some of it. We were there on the day of a festival so the children didn’t have school. Father said that if they would have known we were coming they would have been dressed up for the performance! They had choreographed dances that they all sang along to. They even had a couple solo routines. I remember my cheeks hurting from smiling so much!!! After their performance, Father looked and me and said why don’t you say a little something to the children, like a little about yourself? I was like uh…well…ok. I just gave a short introduction for all 3 of us and then told them how much we enjoyed their dance and also thanked them and told them to keep studying hard in school. The translations in Bengali were much longer, I think perhaps Father added a few more things here and there…who knows. Haha. The kids were so adorable. They were beaming with so much joy and they all ran up to shake our hands, ALL of them!
We also went to the market this past week with Manasi (the one I mentioned before - the chief health coordinator I work with). We bought some flip-flops (slippers they call them here) and she went and bought Indian dress for us to wear. We didn’t go with her then because she wouldn’t have been able to get such good deals. So yes, now Andrea and I look like as Father says, “true Indian princesses”. Haha. I don’t know about that! The material is very lightweight and they are very loose fitting. Many of the fabrics here are very pretty. I still feel a little silly in it though, perhaps after a couple weeks I’ll be used to it. It’s nice to blend in a little (even though as soon as someone looks at our skin or hair color they get confused).
Last night I had a little bonding night with two of the other younger women here. Their names are Sanchari and Jonaki. I shared some American candy with them and then we had some girl talk. :)It was a fun bonding time. I brought some American candy to share with them and also some photos I brought from home of my friends and family and perhaps a significant other…haha. They really enjoyed looking at them. I also got to hear about their families and friends.
Next week (and perhaps the following) I will be unable to blog because Andrea and I are going to stay at a parish in Boilagon. We will be staying with a woman named Sister Anisha. We met her already; she is very nice and we hear very motherly. :) She is a nurse and she also runs a Community Health program in the villages there. Father said this would really give us a taste of India – more the village life. Compared to all the poverty we are seeing here, our living conditions here at SWI and DDC is extremely luxurious. It will be an interesting experience. I guess we will be staying the floor below the children in the hostel, so I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the kids. I’m sure that will be really fun. Apparently the village is only about a 15-minute walk from here. Father and Scott will come to have dinner with us next Sunday and he said if we are enjoying ourselves and we want to stay, we can stay another week, and if we want to come back to DDC we can do that as well. So, I guess we’ll see how it goes…!
Don’t forget I check my e-mail…I love to hear what’s happening at home too you know!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Few Small Lessens Learned
1. When you think you are eating a green bean, it may actually be a chili pepper so watch out!
2. Chapati should not be used like a tortilla.
3. Everything can be finger food, even rice and noodles.
4. Don't look for a light switch inside the bathroom - you won't find it.
5. Although tp always sounds like a good idea, an unclogged toilet sounds much better.
6. When meeting tribals, a hand shake may not always be kosher.
7. If children act shy or have a look of complete terror mixed with confusion, don't be alarmed, it's only because they have never seen a white person.
8. Make sure everything is in place before going out to the market or village b/c you'll feel like you're on the catwalk.
2. Chapati should not be used like a tortilla.
3. Everything can be finger food, even rice and noodles.
4. Don't look for a light switch inside the bathroom - you won't find it.
5. Although tp always sounds like a good idea, an unclogged toilet sounds much better.
6. When meeting tribals, a hand shake may not always be kosher.
7. If children act shy or have a look of complete terror mixed with confusion, don't be alarmed, it's only because they have never seen a white person.
8. Make sure everything is in place before going out to the market or village b/c you'll feel like you're on the catwalk.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Yesterday was my first day in the office here at SWI. I am working in the Health and Immunization Section with a young woman named Monasi. She is very nice and also very intelligent. She has her Master's degree in Social Work. I assisted in reading over and editing a completion report for a Polio Eradication Program. It was very impressive and very well done. It was all in English so I was able to read over it and learn a great deal about the program they implemented here in West Bengal. Polio was very prevalent here a few years ago and after implementing their program they had increased awareness and education about proper vaccination procedures among children ages 0-5. The program was extremely successful and last year there were no reported cases in the districts where it was implemented. It was just like the programs I learned to develop last year in school, even the format, components and terminology were the same. It makes me very excited to be able to use my Community Health background and knowledge to assist in projects here. I also helped with some documentation work yesterday. I created an excel document of a bunch of different names and information of people from Germany who would like help SWI.
Today is a festival, so we didn't have to work in the office. Instead we went back to the Missionaries of Charity (MCs) - the Home for the sick, malnourished and abandoned children. We got to spend about 3 hours there with the children. I spent most of my time there with the youngest ones. I think at one point I had about 6 or 7 children on and around my lap that were all within the range of probably 4 months to a year and a half. And when they got off my lap, I looked down to find my skirt was soaking wet on the floor. Haha. One of the Sisters told me it is only because they love me so much. :) It is funny because I didn't even notice when it happened! I also held a little girl who was I think just a few weeks old. Scott and Andrea taught the older ones Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and got them to sing along. Of course we all really enjoyed spending time with them and making them smile. A few of them in particular just couldn't stop smiling and it was the cutest thing. I know we will be going back there whenever we have the chance. It is heartbreaking to see how sick and malnourished some of the children are, but at the same time it is extremely rewarding to spend time with them and care for them.
Andrea and I have decided as roommates to do a little reflection/prayer time each night before bed in order to help each other process this experience. It has been really nice to get a chance to chat and share what we're feeling and even more, what we are really struggling with. Last night we talked about how humbled we have been in all the little daily events that have occurred. We are learning so much here. Father takes every little event as a teaching opportunity. I can't believe we've only been here for a few days. We have experienced so much already! I can't imagine after 3 months! Hope all is well at home! :)
Today is a festival, so we didn't have to work in the office. Instead we went back to the Missionaries of Charity (MCs) - the Home for the sick, malnourished and abandoned children. We got to spend about 3 hours there with the children. I spent most of my time there with the youngest ones. I think at one point I had about 6 or 7 children on and around my lap that were all within the range of probably 4 months to a year and a half. And when they got off my lap, I looked down to find my skirt was soaking wet on the floor. Haha. One of the Sisters told me it is only because they love me so much. :) It is funny because I didn't even notice when it happened! I also held a little girl who was I think just a few weeks old. Scott and Andrea taught the older ones Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and got them to sing along. Of course we all really enjoyed spending time with them and making them smile. A few of them in particular just couldn't stop smiling and it was the cutest thing. I know we will be going back there whenever we have the chance. It is heartbreaking to see how sick and malnourished some of the children are, but at the same time it is extremely rewarding to spend time with them and care for them.
Andrea and I have decided as roommates to do a little reflection/prayer time each night before bed in order to help each other process this experience. It has been really nice to get a chance to chat and share what we're feeling and even more, what we are really struggling with. Last night we talked about how humbled we have been in all the little daily events that have occurred. We are learning so much here. Father takes every little event as a teaching opportunity. I can't believe we've only been here for a few days. We have experienced so much already! I can't imagine after 3 months! Hope all is well at home! :)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
I'm HERE!!!
After a long few days of traveling, we made it here safely to Raiganj! The flight from Seattle to London was about 9 hours, then a 4 hour layover in London, then 9 hour flight from London to Kolkata (Calcutta), then 10 hours in Kolkata and an 11 hour train ride up to Raiganj!!! Yesterday we were finally feeling a little bit over the jetlag. It was nice to get a chance to see Kolkata for the day and get a taste of it. We will be going back for a week in a month or so. While we were there we saw the Mother House (where Mother Teresa's tomb is). We were only there for a short while, but it was really neat.
Our place where we're staying in Raiganj is beautiful. The name of the place is DDC (Dioces. Development Center). Raiganj is much greener and the air is much cleaner than in Kolkata. Outside of our window from our room, there is green for as far as we can see. We are on the third floor. The Sisters there are spoiling us. We feel like we have eaten sooooooooo much! Andrea and I have our own room with two beds, a bathroom, a table and 2 chairs. It is quite comfortable. Scott is jealous I think of where we're staying because it is so beautiful. He is staying at the Social Welfare Institute. He has a nice room also (and air conditioning!) but he is more in town and doesn't see all the green that we get to.
The weather has been very hot and very humid. We feel sticky and sweaty all the time, but I think we are getting used to it somewhat. Fr. Puthumai is very nice and cheerful all the time. He makes us laugh and has been very welcoming. He has shown us all around Raiganj the last couple days. We have met so many people and everyone has been so nice to us. The children are so adorable!
There is so much more I want to write about, but today is our first day at the office and I start at 9 (in a few minutes). So I should go now, but hopefully I can write more soon. Once I get more in the routine, I think things will be easier. But for now, everything is going wonderfully!
Our place where we're staying in Raiganj is beautiful. The name of the place is DDC (Dioces. Development Center). Raiganj is much greener and the air is much cleaner than in Kolkata. Outside of our window from our room, there is green for as far as we can see. We are on the third floor. The Sisters there are spoiling us. We feel like we have eaten sooooooooo much! Andrea and I have our own room with two beds, a bathroom, a table and 2 chairs. It is quite comfortable. Scott is jealous I think of where we're staying because it is so beautiful. He is staying at the Social Welfare Institute. He has a nice room also (and air conditioning!) but he is more in town and doesn't see all the green that we get to.
The weather has been very hot and very humid. We feel sticky and sweaty all the time, but I think we are getting used to it somewhat. Fr. Puthumai is very nice and cheerful all the time. He makes us laugh and has been very welcoming. He has shown us all around Raiganj the last couple days. We have met so many people and everyone has been so nice to us. The children are so adorable!
There is so much more I want to write about, but today is our first day at the office and I start at 9 (in a few minutes). So I should go now, but hopefully I can write more soon. Once I get more in the routine, I think things will be easier. But for now, everything is going wonderfully!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
YOU ARE DOING WHAT?!!
LEAVING TOMORROW!!! I can't believe it! It has come extremely quickly. I am actually almost already packed and it's only 4:00pm! I have almost another 24 hours!! haha. I got a chance to chat with a few friends who just got back from Calcutta. They were there a couple months as well. They all had incredible stories and helpful advice. I'm feeling a bit nervous but also very excited.
So just to provide you with a brief description of what exactly I will be doing in the next 3 months...I will give you pretty much all that I know. I will be assisting on a project in Community and Child Health at Social Welfare Institute (SWI) in a small village called Raiganj (approximately 6 hours North of Calcutta). The project title is “Children’s Immunization, We Need Help.” I will also be assisting in teaching a spoken English class to college students, helping with documentation for the organization, volunteering with Missionaries of Charity with the orphaned children and sick children, assisting in the health section of SWI, helping Mother Teresa sisters in distributing free medicines to the poor, and many other miscellaneous tasks that I’m asked to help with while I am there. We are also getting an opportunity to travel around a little bit. I am there with two of my very close friends from Western (Andrea and Scott) as well as a few students from Seattle University who I haven't met yet. That's it for now...I have about two days of traveling ahead of me...I'm flying straight from Seattle to London then to Calcutta then finally taking a train up to Raiganj. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. :) I will be checking my e-mails (erin.pflueger@gmail.com)and would love to hear from each of you as well and I will do my best to update this blog as often as possible.
So just to provide you with a brief description of what exactly I will be doing in the next 3 months...I will give you pretty much all that I know. I will be assisting on a project in Community and Child Health at Social Welfare Institute (SWI) in a small village called Raiganj (approximately 6 hours North of Calcutta). The project title is “Children’s Immunization, We Need Help.” I will also be assisting in teaching a spoken English class to college students, helping with documentation for the organization, volunteering with Missionaries of Charity with the orphaned children and sick children, assisting in the health section of SWI, helping Mother Teresa sisters in distributing free medicines to the poor, and many other miscellaneous tasks that I’m asked to help with while I am there. We are also getting an opportunity to travel around a little bit. I am there with two of my very close friends from Western (Andrea and Scott) as well as a few students from Seattle University who I haven't met yet. That's it for now...I have about two days of traveling ahead of me...I'm flying straight from Seattle to London then to Calcutta then finally taking a train up to Raiganj. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. :) I will be checking my e-mails (erin.pflueger@gmail.com)and would love to hear from each of you as well and I will do my best to update this blog as often as possible.
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