Life, as we know it...

The good news: we own a washing machine! No quarters necessary; no sitting on dingy, cracked plastic chairs during the final spin; no bending over a bucket full of suds, rubbing my clothes together in the hopes that the caked-on layer of dirt will relent before I do…oh, no…we know how to live it up.

The bad news: an electrical fire consumed the top of our precious machine two nights ago. It is no more. Apparently, the burden of keeping six women clean was just too much for our cream-colored box of j-o-“oy” (yes, j-o-“oi” – it’s a new favorite term). Well, it was sure wonderful while it lasted.

Pop, drop, and lock it...or something like that...

The time on my phone said “7:00 AM.” Really? For the second day in a row, the incessant popping sound of firecrackers had started at sun-up. Can anyone explain the appeal of setting off these colorful explosives in broad daylight? Seriously. Alas, such is Diwali (pronounced: “Dee-vawl-ee”). The Festival of Lights-well, the OTHER festival of lights- is a three-day celebration of the triumph of good over evil (**Read the note below for more information). Those of us without family to celebrate with were invited to a feast, followed by chaos, at our director’s home.

About twenty of us gathered on their apartment building’s rooftop to gain a better understanding of why the United States (well, I can only speak for California) has so many restrictions on where and how firecrackers can be set off. Emerging from the stairwell, it sounded like we had entered the civil war (and I ardently praised God that this is a peaceful part of the country)…booms and pops surrounded us. It was truly an amazing sight.

As someone with ADD, it was almost like torture: where do I look first?!? We’d hear a steady flow of cracks from one side of the building and turn to look, but see nothing; then, hear a boom on the other side and catch the fading dust of what must have been a giant green explosion. This went on continuously for hours! Much of the excitement originated from our group on the roof.

Reason was momentarily abandoned for the joy of playing with fire and watching things explode. One building next door must have felt under attack as several bottle rockets went awry. Thank goodness they didn’t retaliate! And thank goodness for tin roofing, cement walls, and steel window frames. Words cannot capture the experience, but I am so glad I was able to witness (and live through) this holiday.

Boy, was I grateful to find our apartment building still standing as we pulled in later that evening. Some neighbors had decided it was a good idea to set their small collection of “crackers” off in the covered carport. Awesome.

**Wikipedia (the oh-so-trusted source of information…ummm) shares that Diwali, or Deepavali, is “a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism.” The “victory of good over evil within every human being” is symbolized by the use of lights or lamps.
For some, “it is the homecoming of King Rama of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest, after he defeated the evil Ravana.[5] The people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deeva), thus its name: Deepavali. This word, in due course, became Diwali in Hindi.”
There are other significant reasons for the celebration, which can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali. This site is also to be thanked for the photo.

Beautiful words...

If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain:

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain.

-Emily Dickinson

(This commercial break has been brought to you while I await approval on my latest posting. I'd planned to put a really inspiring picture of a national social worker in action, but my friend's caped-crusader pose won out. Please note: the pants sparkle. Oh, yes...it's true.)

Mossie Woes

Disgusted. Disturbed. Concerned. The expressions on the villagers' faces as they pointed and gawked at my swelling mosquito bite (see the self-portrait) were actually rather amusing; especially considering they had just been laughing about the fact that the mother had birthed her seventh child the week prior to this home visit. No doctors, no midwife: Just her and a neighbor woman. She had thrown that bit of information in after talking for a good twenty minutes (this was also amusing, though troubling). Mere minutes before this, I had met a man missing part of his second toe, as a result of leprosy. And they were showing ME pity? It was priceless.

Later that night, while sharing this story with my roommates, they enlightened me a bit. Apparently, the horrified looks were most likely brought on by the villagers' belief that the grotesque red bulge on my arm WAS leprosy, as my bite looked similar to the early stages of the disease.

So, yes, the mossies (a new Australian term I learned yesterday) seem to enjoy feasting on me…and, after watching the bite pictured grow for two more days, I finally made a visit to the doctor's. He was a pleasant man, who reassured me that "this is the normal reaction to our bug bites. For another three to six months, it will be like this." Fabulous. He then listed many useful tips, such as 1) sleep in a mosquito net (now, why hadn't I thought of that?); 2) wear long, 100% cotton sleeves (in THIS heat?! You've got to be kidding!); 3) use mosquito repellent (what if I WAS wearing repellent? What then??). At this, I paid him the grand equivalent of US$5.00 for his kindness in humoring me and made my way to work. Note: My ex-pat co-workers tell me that none of their reactions to bites have been like mine.

Medical Camp: Day 1

Tuesday was Day 1 of our medical camp. It went really well-I was worried when I woke up to a torrential downpour and severe lightning/thunder that no one would attend, as they had to travel from their distant villages to reach the "marriage hall" (usually a huge temple-esque building used for-you guessed it-weddings). Luckily, God provided...we had plenty of supplies, incredibly dedicated volunteers, and around 120 individuals received medical attention! The families were adorable-they came dressed in their best. I was part of the registration team, which basically meant I wrote their token numbers on a sticker that was then placed on their shirt with an explanation from a national social worker on staff (and perhaps the most adorable person in the world). "Token numbers" are like the ticket you'd pull at the DMV, declaring your number place in line. "Now serving #240 at window 7" was not quite how it worked for us today, but you get the idea...total, 35 families made the trek to our location.
My favorite parts of day 1 were seeing the excitement of the visiting medical team. They were just thrilled to be a part of helping us build relationships with local, national doctors (who were required to be in attendance by the government if we were to have such an event), so that our clients will receive continued service at local hospitals and so that it will be more likely that we could do medical camps in the future.
One story told by the visiting team leader, with tears in her eyes, was that one victim asked the translator to tell her thank you for being here because normally they would have to wait for hours on end in the hospital before being seen. Today, I believe the longest waiting period was about 20 minutes, and then they had free access to: a family practitioner, nurse practitioner, dentist, physical therapist, HIV/AIDS testing, health counselors, and the appropriate medications dished out by the visiting pharmacist (also the fiance of our legal director!!!). When the American visitor heard this man's thank you, she asked that the translator inform the man that it was HER honor and privilege to be here with him. Apparently, the huge grin on the man's face at hearing this made the entire trip worthwhile.
Another positive from the day: the local doctors informed our staff leader that this was the most organized and well-done medical camp they have ever seen. That is exciting news for future victims we work with-hopefully they'll receive better care from local hospitals now! It's also fun to hear volunteers so excited about the work being done for the victims, that they are already talking about how to educate folks at home and bring in more funding for the victims.
And the last story I will tell: We have one young girl suffering from elephantitis (spelling??) in her leg. No one has been able to help her. Luckily, one of the visiting doctors knew of an organization that another team member has a connection to that specializes in such cases. So, we may be able to get this precious girl the help she truly needs. Yay for good ol' networking!
Let's pray for similarly successful days Wed. and Thurs., and that the excitement for our exhausted volunteers/staff continues...(another favorite part of the day was interacting with the little kids, naturally. The people are some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen...and we had a coloring area for the kids-they proudly showed me their work afterward-LOVED that!)

How one survives monsoon season...

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Ladies' Craft Night at the token Aussies'...minus the craft. Oh, well-next time, perhaps? This shows of few of the ladies hard at work preparing our feast.







That same night, we had 8 girls crowded around a laptop watching a live sonogram...who knew that was even an option?? Only ONE of the eight even knew the baby's mama, mind you.







This image makes me happy: gotta love the pink, child-sized rain suit...

Election 2008

Last Thursday, I was able to vote for our future (fingers-crossed) president. Some brilliant ex-pats (other non-nationals) working at the local U.S. Consulate figured out how to provide absentee ballots for those of us who had not received ours yet. To save time on returning our ballots (and increasing the likelihood that our votes will count), they planned to send them with the weekly consulate mail.

It was quite weird to see so many (non-roommate) ex-pats in one space, but it felt great to be able to exercise my civic duty, even from afar. In a way, I felt like I was surrounded by family. Thank goodness for well-informed roomies who were able to help me find this random event!

Please be encouraged to take the time to participate in this election...whomever you chose to vote for~

*Side note: A comment made by one of our national staff today to my roommate was that he likes Gov. Palin because "she's funny...she doesn't seem to take it seriously...I think she should be your vice president," to which my roommate could only reply with: "I am deeply offended by that comment." HAHAHA!

Keeping it light...

While awaiting approval from HQ on my latest blogspot, I wanted to pass along a link to just one example of how we've kept ourselves entertained over here during the last few rainy nights...
A flash mob is apparently a phenomenon that, sadly, I JUST heard about. These are a few of the original FLASH MOB images. While I feel for the poor individuals that are singled-out in each clip, I do bust out in uncontrollable fits of laughter every time I see it. Oh, the simple things that bring one joy...
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e65_1199304869

Greetings from South Asia!

This Saturday marked the one-week anniversary of my arrival. Although it seems like forever since I left San Francisco, it has only been a week and a half...wow, really?! It's true what has been said about days spent in another culture actually being the equivalent of weeks, due to the amount of new information/experiences an individual is taking in...hopefully, by keeping this blog, I will better remember and be better able to process what is happening here on a daily basis.

Thus far, I have been acquainted with my new roommates (yes, all five...count them: FIVE), and co-workers; oriented to my new office, flat (i.e. apartment-extraordinaire), and role as a Fellow. I'll be working on becoming acquainted with the neighborhood for a good while....I can't even remember how to pronounce my street name yet! Oi!

In the coming weeks, I will try to post entries detailing my life here, as much as I am allowed;o). If you have any particular requests for information, please feel free to email me directly at: kjwhitta@gmail.com.

Thanks for keeping up with what's happening...

For now, here's my Top Ten of Living with Five (other) Girls:
10) There is a collaborative appreciation for dancing...
09) There is always someone to talk to...
08) Our place is always well-stocked for life's necessities...
07) Our apartment complex security guards are very protective of our group.
06) We all fit in an auto...whether on laps or side-bars.
05) There are plenty of shoes to choose from...
04) There were plenty of traditional outfits to choose from for my first day in the field...
03) Collectively, they have been through it all! So, I am saved from a number of embarrassing occurrences daily...
02) I have yet to cook a meal for myself (everyone is very generous, thoughtful, and seem to have uncanny skills in the art of cooking).
01) I have yet to be late to work...with four people depending on you, there's no way I want to be the last one ready!