"Anytime!"

I was invited to visit a friend, family, and their 4 amazing churches in Guntur, which is one of the largest cities in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, this weekend. Had an absolutely fabulous time, and of course will write several blogs and attach many pictures from the weekend. Just to give an idea….This area, between the months of April and July, is VERY HOT. At this time/end of March, the area is basically just heating up. The temps for this weekend were 100 F, with “real feel 106 F”.  It is only going to get more hot very soon, and my hat is off to these people as they attempt to remain cool in this area during these upcoming months!

It was quite a neat getaway from Bangalore, as the roads were so much more empty (though this city is considered highly populated) and I could actually “walk across the street” relatively easily. (Side note: Once you have lived in Bangalore, India, crossing a street just about anywhere else in the world will be a piece of cake.) Also, the people were so warm and friendly (though that is India in general), and the street food, with the famous Red Chilies of the region, was just awesome. I was served so many fabulous home cooked meals, I cannot count all of them.

One of the (very many) neat things I experienced over the weekend, that I will write about first, was a boat ride to an island, which is actually considered a ferry. People live on this (very small) island, and others visit to buy vegetables that are grown here, and other commodities.We bought some fried onion local food (fritter-type) that was so delicious. On the way, you can see people swimming here in one of the pics. Pictures attached, and much more to come about the weekend.

Getting off the boat, I saw a man holding a chicken. A very interesting man. To give some perspective here, people in Guntur speak the language Telugu, and for most, that is “their language”. Not much English, understandably, and not much Hindi language for many, though I obviously don't know numbers and knowledge for sure. Literally, I say Hello and people are not sure what I am saying, etc. (as I am still SO used to saying "hello" and "hey!" (ingrained) so much I still forget Namaste! daily, though if you are smiling, they know you are being friendly no matter what you are saying). So….I spotted the man with the chicken, and really wanted a picture. I asked him “Can I take your picture?”, knowing that he may smile (as I was) or he may keep walking. Before anyone from my group could translate (as luckily my friend knows 4 languages)……the man simply suddenly answered, flatly, yet friendly, in English......“Anytime”. 

It really took me off guard that he answered, with such a quick, perfect, English response "on the fly" like that! You really have to be here, and experience life here in rural villages of AP (this was outside of Guntur by 30 kms), to understand how rare a response like that is. "Anytime", indeed!

Working Out on the Subcontinent

I embarked upon a 2 week regime with a personal trainer, beginning Monday evening of this week. I used to exercise so much, but in India....not so much. So, initially, this guy weighed me, and told me my ideal weight. I am pretty sure I said some unkind words to him (let's just say that "some untoward language flew across the room"). I told him 1) I was not 20 years old, 2) We've got 2 weeks and......HEY! 3) dude, lets jump back into reality here and get off the 1950's weight charts. Let's just focus on getting me a bit more conditioned in these 2 weeks. Ha

So.....he got to know me very well early on, in addition to my overall philosophy and direct goals for this program. We ended up actually having a LOT of fun, and of course he was awesome. I warmed up with cardio, and we did upper body Monday night. Then tonight, 30 minutes of cardio, plus legs and abs (or should I say "stomach"? Ha). He absolutely killed me.

My favorite word he said was "Out!" That signified we were done with each set. Each set was a different number of repetitions of 3, and so for example if it was 3 sets of 12, he would start with 1, 2, 3....and midway, he would start the backwards countdown of 3, 2, 1, and "Out!"

Due to the intensity, I told him on 2 occasions that I did not like him (yet used a stronger word) and at one point I told him I thought I was actually about to die. None of this phased him, and he just continued to smile and say, "Excellent!" when I finished each set. I suppose if he responded with what was really in his head, this could be de-motivational to me. Ha

I have seen some personal trainers in the US, and of course they are awesome. However, he was really the best whom I have ever personally seen/ interacted. (for my...ahhh...personality type.)

Tire Repair and Wedding "Tata"

The final blog about the Medical Screening Health Camp from last weekend……Note that this group conducts these screening health camps (in addition to day jobs, careers, etc) at various times, all over India, on a very frequent basis, so while this was my first camp, this team conducts these frequently. With India being the 2^nd most populated country in the world, this volunteering is simply a requirement and again, just one small slice of what is happening in rural villages every day.

Above are some final elephant safari pictures as well.

So…..Our group was in 3 or so different vehicles, and on the last morning, as I climbed into the front seat of our ambulance, I saw a spare tire being rolled into the back. I thought…”Oh, did we have a flat?”. It turned out that another vehicle did, and we would be taking this punctured tire to get it patched. I did not remember seeing a “Michelin store” along this isolated road (see pictures above of basic surroundings), so wondered what exactly was going to happen. On the way to the Camp that day, we simply stopped at a small shack where “guys patch tires”. As I have ridden through India since then, I have noticed so many more tire/or tire repair stores, that are obviously needed with all of the vehicles on the road. In India, a tire puncture is truly the least of your worries. Besides people, tires are one of the most common things you will find here, so there is a focus, and hence money-making venture in keeping tires in working condition!

On the way back to Bangalore Sunday night, our group planned to stop to eat at a restaurant. As we were riding, we kept noticing a great deal of wedding venues. Apparently this is “wedding season” in India, and Sundays are popular days for weddings. The group in the van began talking about how good wedding food is, and by the time we got to the 5^th wedding venue, we decided to just invite ourselves. Mind you, I HAD been invited to a friend’s wedding in North India, but it was the week I was in Goa, and so I could not attend, so I decided in my mind, this wedding was a justified alternative. It was actually the reception, and not the actual wedding, and so our timing was perfect. There was a HUGE number of people in attendance, (around 500) so we blended in…except me…blonde hair and so very non-Indian. However everyone was very friendly. After we ate, we made our way through the reception line, where I gave a generous gift of cash to the bride to justify our presence (and wish them well!). They took our pictures, so I will be forever memorialized in an Indian wedding in a pic beside the lovely bride! The “father”, referred to as the “Tata”, took a great interest in me and our group, and we were able to get personal pictures with him. A fun end to the weekend!

The Bhaji: "Deep Fried Onion Balls", Ad for Largest Pizza Ever, and the Health Camp Volunteers

I took a quick picture this week of a most interesting billboard sign in Bangalore posted above, and of course am a bit confused. I suppose my main question is “Do the locals know what this means?”

Is it a pizza? 

Is it a cake? 

Why the need for the SUPER size?.... and finally…..Do they deliver??

The 2^nd picture includes the “deep fried onion balls” which I believe are called "Bhajis" that were one part of our lunch served at the Health Camp. As my favorite food is onions, and of course anything fried is divine, these were just AMAZING. I have googled a recipe and they seem pretty easy to make. As a comparison.....They seem kind of like the US mix of a Hush Puppie crossed with an Onion Ring.

Below is an additional picture of some volunteers that were not included in previous pictures from our Health Camp. We were able to pull off the road on our way back to Bangalore, and take some awesome shots of a sunset.

Health Camp Screening Continued: The Medical Volunteers, the Children, the Village, the Farm Animals and Finally...the Fire

The pictures posted here are just a small representation of everything that happened during this Health Camp. The days were full of surprises: Amazing people, selfless volunteers, great lunches.....and by the time I spotted the fire, I knew that "anything could happen here".

As stated from the previous blogs, the Volunteer Medical Health Screening Camp took place in an elementary school, within a rural village. The children who attend this school live close-by, and so were present and very interested in the activities of the Camp! They enjoyed the excitement of the day, and I was able to take a lot of pictures and awesome videos, some of them dancing. (Send me a private email if you would like to see this, as they are large files, but some of the most amazing footage that I have!) You would not believe how cute these dances were, as well as how sweet these children were. I never would have imagined it. These children were all over me, and “my magic camera”. They all wanted my name and phone number. haha  One medical volunteer, as seen above, in first picture posted (guy on left), would come outside as they surrounded me, and tell them to “move on”. He was very considerate, and concerned that I felt comfortable with everything that was going on! So the children would scatter when he would yell, and right when they saw him leave, they would immediately return. The guy pictured beside him, again in the first picture, was our driver (yet so much more than simply "a driver", and destined I personally think for success in whatever he chooses to do), who helped with so many other aspects of this camp, in addition, and was just the nicest guy. He possessed an awareness that is going to take him such a long way in life. So, above are several pictures of the children I had the honor to meet. One young boy, Mahesh (aka “the charmer”, who is holding the goat above), who I was SURE was only 8 or 9 years old, asked me things like “Will you be mine?” and told me “I will return to the US with you.” etc. He turned out to be age 13, yet looked, again, 8 or 9 years old at the most. I knew he was smarter than the average 9 year old!

Below are pictures of "the village" located 200 yards from the school: A man carrying surgarcane, women with their prized cows, roosters, a fire in the field “controlled by the wind of the day”, and other pictures. This was just a phenomenal, close-knit village of lovely people, that welcomed me as I walked through with my camera. Some of the friendliest (and happiest) people I have ever met. As I observed, there was constant construction that was ongoing. (bricklaying, hut-building, drywalling, etc). Just constant improvements being made by the people of this village, to their surroundings and living conditions.

2 more blogs to come on the weekend…..including food (pictures of fried brown onion balls with an Indian name that I do not remember, but best snack ever!), and other topics. To come....

International Women's Day

Apparently today celebrates International Women’s Day. I attended a really neat performance at Jagriti Theatre, http://jagrititheatre.com in Bangalore called “All About Women”. This was the 2^nd performance I have attended at this theater, while in Bangalore. It is such an awesome small venue, with “just enough space and seats”, where there is not a bad one in the house. Great lighting and sound quality etc. I would love to see a band perform here personally! Through the performing arts aspect, Bangalore is like “the NYC of India”. Jagriti Theatre has art on the wall for purchase, and 1 or 2 excellent restaurants on the premises.

Aaroseva.org http://aarogyaseva.org worked in collaboration at this event today, and was specially mentioned at the end. This volunteer organization is involved in so many initiatives, with a strong network in place, and future objectives that will benefit so many and enrich the community.

After the play, I ate at an Indian restaurant where I was able to get a picture in the kitchen with these awesome chefs.

The Hostel: Keeping a Handle on your Candle

I’ve been invited to visit 5 or 6 different homes or living quarters while in Bangalore and it is always an interesting comparison to America. It is the same, basically: it doesn't matter the living conditions; It matters how people make you feel while you are there. And just like in America, Germany, Austria, etc, I have always felt so welcome while invited into people’s homes, during my time here in India.

Sooo….during the volunteering weekend near Mysore (which I have decided is my favorite Indian city/destination that I have visited….), we stayed in 2 different HOSTELS (yes, hostels!) over the span of the volunteering weekend. The first one houses students, etc that attend “finishing schools”, and also professionals who come to take, for example, a 2 week class in that location. I met a guy from Bangalore who works for Technicolor, and was here to take a specific class to advance his education and improve his on-the-job opportunities imminently.  (Just for staying in that hostel for 2 full weeks, he deserved an immediate promotion upon return to his office in my opinion!)

I took a picture of my room….. and you will see that I stayed in LUCKY #13!! Compared to the 2^nd night’s hostel, it was indeed lucky, as we had hot water and power here. You will see a lot of different pictures of the experience.....of the hostel, the outside surroundings, the village at night without electricity, etc. above and below.

While the room was basic, the surroundings were so green and lush, with of course the resident cows and farm animals. There was a nice outside large hut where you could have hot tea or coffee, and there were a lot of benches, etc to sit while outside. There are always, I have found, 2 different situations here in India, when I (sit down alone and) join a group of strangers. #1...They are curious and start talking to me, and we have a neat or basic conversation (this happens about 80% of the time), and then there is #2...I clear the area pretty quickly. I find myself alone with my coffee and thoughts. ha I can understand this. Each of these happened during my tea and coffee visits to “the hut” that first night, and I never fail to get a kick out of the 2^nd scenario…..when I clear an area of people (note: these were hostel dwellers, not our volunteers!). Many people from here are from such rural areas and don’t speak English, or rarely see foreigners, or …..who knows, maybe they think I am going to ask them why they are sitting around drinking coffee when they could be studying?? Ha  (If they only knew me…)

On Saturday night, we headed towards BR Hills, where we would be staying at a 2^nd hostel, and found……there was no electricity in the entire village. The group wanted to go to a temple: Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, in the BR Hills wildlife sanctuary area. As we approached, I noticed the temple seemed, kind of….ahhh….elevated. The driver asked some passers-by, “How many steps to the top?” and they said “600”. Someone else said “No way! Only 40”. I thought to myself, “OK, somewhere between 40 and 600”. (I googled tonight and it is documented as 150 steps.) Now, note that some of these steps are like “2 steps in one” and also very uneven, so it was not like just climbing up regular flights of indoor stairs, mind you! As it was dark, and I mean DARK, and the steps were uneven, having the driver there to cut on his phone and use the flashlight to help me at least see where I was going was just a God-send. He had even offered to take a different route and drive me apart from the group to the top, but I decided to try it. There is a picture below, and do note that it was taken at the very top...where there were only a few steps left to go!

After coming back down, one guy started talking about omelettes. I immediately thought of an IHOP. However, this is a rural village, and so picture an omelette being cooked in a “shack”, and on this particular night, with no electricity. So the cook was even more disadvantaged than usual. It was really cool to see this omelette being prepared by CANDLELIGHT (still over propane, or whatever source they had managed to utilize) and came out looking just like one from IHOP!  (And this doctor was so excited to get his omelette; I can say he deserved it for sure!)

There were several shacks, which had chips, drinks, etc, and so I bought some chips and water. There was a HUGE black bull hanging out, and I decided these chips were not meat, so gave some to the bull and he did eat them. He looked just like a “running with the bulls” kind of beast (big, black, horns, you name it!), and yet we were all so close to him, and no one seemed nervous or scared.

After the 1^st day’s health camp, we “checked in” at the 2^nd hostel, and ate dinner in a large room (think, dining hall yet with no table and chairs?), sitting against the wall on the floor, where servers come around with buckets and ladles, and pour your food into your silver dish. (Like, bread, rice, gravy, etc.)

During this night, there was no power, or hot water, no way to flush a toilet, etc. There were 7-8 guys, and me, in 3 different rooms. I think I ended up with the most TAPERED CANDLES of anyone (people kept bringing them), which equaled the most possibility of me burning this joint down. I asked Mohan, “What happens if I light this place on fire?” And he says, like of course every Indian on this SUB-CONTINENT….”Oh that will not happen!”. Indians are so optimistic, and obviously do not know know what I am capable of.

The tapered candles had no holders and the cement was a bit uneven, so I had to let some wax melt down and try to let it “take hold” so it would not fall over. I moved all flammable materials (my 4 bags, ME, etc) as far away from the candle as possible and hoped for the best. 

I can say that every time I eat an omelette, or light a tall tapered candle from today forward, I will think about that night!