Indian Food

Rakesh, our cook prepares our meals for us here at the house. The days alternate between Indian and American food; the American foods, such as pizza or chicken burgers, still have an India touch to them. Over the years CCS has found that this formula works best for us volunteers who are experiencing many differences from our home life in a short time.
The Indian food is really popular in my group for all but 2 of us. Unfortunately for myself, I find it too spicy and strong as does Anna (a 9 year old volunteer here with her family) so Rakesh separates out part of the meal before he adds the spices just for Anna and me. Although secretly I still find ours too spicy (Anna does as well, she eats a lot of PB&J sandwiches). I like to try a small bit of everything and somewhat enjoy the chick pea and lentil dishes if I can dilute the spices sufficiently with yogurt and naan.
For those of you familiar with Indian food, Rakesh prepares dishes such as: Tandoori Chicken, Jeera Aloo, Mutton/ Chicken Curry, Baingan Bharrta, Chana, Bhatura, Pao Bhaji, Dal Arhar, Gobhi Masala, Mutter Paneer, Dal Masoor. These are served with naan, rice and yogurt.
Overall Indian food is just not my thing – I knew this before I came here and I have now confirmed it. Those that like Indian food constantly rave about how good it is here and how much they enjoy it.

Dussehra

Monday was a holiday here and we went to witness one of many Dussehra festivals taking place across the country. It is a big deal in India – apparently one of the bigger holidays. It is an event that celebrates the victory of good over evil; the slaying of a demon King Ravana (and his brother and son) by Lord Rama (one of the gods-who comes to earth as a man to fight). The celebration involves a large field and three huge effigies (Ravana, his brother and son), actors, fireworks and fans. A re-enactment occurs with first a blessing given to Lord Rama by the goddess Durga (divine mother) and then the battle, and finally the shooting of arrows to kill the three men.
What we saw when we arrived was tons of kids play fighting with toy bows and arrow and swords. There was loud music , never-ending fireworks and a lot of excitement. The children were clearly enjoying it. It is an Indian holiday but many Tibetan children were present (embracing the culture of their host home land). The actors arrived amongst many cheers and engaged in the re-enactment . This was taking place close to the fireworks and we were situated well back for safety, so it was difficult for us to see all of the action. Once the fighting finished, the hero pretended to fire arrows into the effigies. Each one exploded, caught on fire and burned to the ground (this we could see clearly). It was loud! The explosives in the effigies created deafening blasts (I plugged my ears). Once it was all done, cheers from the crowds filled the area and more fireworks were set off.

Indian Village

As part of our cultural orientation, CCS took us to a local village; this was the first time they had tried this particular cultural exchange. Villagers who know about us volunteers (most people here do) invited us to come see the village and explore their homes and lifestyle. Some of the villagers travel 1-2 hours on the bus everyday to come to work in Dharamsala.
There were no cars in the village and the roads seemed too small (but cars must come in sometimes for deliveries and pickups) so we parked on the edge of the village at their local school and walked in. It was dense with foliage on either side of the path and about ½ a Km in we started to see houses, stores and local businesses. We attracted quite a bit of attention. All the children came running over to us and followed us through the entire visit. The adults all greeted us with a smile and “Namaste”.
We went to host house described to us as a multi-family unit consisting of an uncle (head of the household), three nephews and all their wives and children.
First they served us tea on their porch, and then the women invited all the women in the group to go on a tour of the house. The house itself was made out of dried cow dung (just looked like clay) and all rooms had a door to a porch. The kitchen was very small (smaller than my own kitchen) and the women who do all the cooking squat to cook- there were no counters. All the family members also sit on mats on the floor to eat. We asked lots of questions and the women were so pleased that we were interested.
They took us into their bedrooms as well. There was one for each couple and their children. Each room also had a small staircase with an upstairs which was mostly used for laundry and storing clothes. Once we were done, the men in the group also wanted to see the kitchen and the house. Again the women were pleased; I don’t think they expected this.
We continued to drink our tea and talk about differences between our lifestyle and theirs. They asked many questions about life in America and clearly the differences were huge.
After our tea was done the host family men took us on a tour of the farmlands around the village which they maintain and harvest. This consisted of a mango orchard and many, many rice fields. To walk through the rice fields we needed to walk single file and balance on a ridge of soil. I only fell off a couple of times. The children who were still following us ran up and down the ridges with ease. We also visited the flour mill, honey bee farmer and checked out the huge squashes growing on the roofs of the houses. There were chickens, goats, water buffalo, and of course there were cows. Overall it seemed to be a self sufficient village.
It was also peaceful and beautiful. What a nice healthy life for them all.

Tibetan Tours

The Tibetan Government-in-Exile and His Holiness the Dalai Lama are both located in Dharamsala. This past week I visited the government offices, the main Temple (where
His Holiness lives) and enjoyed some Tibetan food.
First I met with Tyseng, who is Tsering's nephew (Tsering is my co-worker in Toronto) and I brought along another volunteer Katherine who is here studying Tibetan culture. Tyseng took us on a private tour of the Tibetan Museum and Archives and showed us around the complex. He did a great job of enlightening us on Tibetan history. We saw artifacts that are over 500 years old and that had been secretly taken out of Tibet during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Some items, like scriptures, were partly burned and damaged. Alot of items- statues of Buddhas, Deities, Goddesses etc were in great shape. Tyseng also took us to the Tibetan Archives where we saw old books all cataloged and wrapped in colourful cloth.

After our morning tour, Katherine and I went for Tibetan food. I had freshly made Momos- something I have had at work with the Tibetan women (and thoroughly enjoyed!)thus was pleased to have them again here.

In the afternoon we toured the main temple. Once we were in (and navigated past some cows) we saw 50-70 Tibetan monks sitting on mats meditating and visiting. We went right into the inner part of the temple and saw beautiful, ornate statues and tapestries used for Buddhism. There were also an number of offerings - everything from cash to cookies. The inner part was smaller and quiet; we had to remove our shoes and could not take pictures. The outer part, where the monks were sitting, had more activity, people were wandering around talking and using the prayer wheels.
If you like to see more pictures, check out my FaceBook album.

A few days later CCS arranged a talk on Tibetan issues which was given by the Secretary of the Department of Information and International Relation of Tibetan Government in Exile. Again, this speaker reviewed the history of Tibet and the current issues facing the Tibetan people- both living in Tibet and in exile. I found it informative, unbiased and interesting. I really feel that I have a better understanding of Tibet and I am looking forward to absorbing more of their culture while I am here.

Land of Cows

Well for those of you who haven't been to India and just heard the rumours, it is true: cows are everywhere and they are very sacred. They are in the field outside our Home Base, they are on the roads, they are on pathways, in Temples and in the Market. Cows never get honked at by drivers (drivers honk at people, cars, dogs, donkeys, goats, rams...all on the roads) but never a cow. We were told that if we wanted to be safe walking on the streets, we should adopt a cow (very tempting). The Indians are not even frustrated by them blocking traffic. Canada has 2 seasons- winter and construction. India has 1 season - cow.
We live in a quiet upper middle income area. I go out for a walk everyday and pass at least 2 cows but usually 5 or 6. Cows are starting to be my landmarks, I know where I am in the town by the cow that is hanging out at that corner.
Cows have it made here!

Anganwadi Kotwali Bazaar

While in Dharamsala I have the pleasure of volunteering at an "anganwadi" (daycare). This anganwadi is one of many across India that falls under the Intergrated Child Development Services (ICDS) of India and it is funded through UNICEF. There are four sites in Dharamsala that we volunteer at, each of the other sites has 2 volunteers but I am the only one at my site.

The goals of this program are very similar to the goals of programs/directorates I have worked with. They centre around child devolopment for 0-6 year olds (eg psychological, physical and social development,improve the nutritional and health status, reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutriton and school drop out). At my anganwadi there are 5-10 children ages 2-4 years, that come everyday between 10 am and 1 pm. There is a teacher, Mala and an assistant Rama, both kind, patient caregivers (and very nice to me!). My role is to teach numbers, colours, shapes, social skills (sharing) etc to the children in as many creative way as I can.
When I arrive, we set up the one room (not very big!) with a mat for the children to sit on. The kids all say "Namaste" and "Good Morning" to me as they arrive and I get to meet the parents and see their sibblings. Once all the children have arrived they say their prayers, then we usually bring out blocks/Lego for them to play with. Next, we sit in a circle and say rhymes and sing songs, both in Hindi and English, but mostly English. This includes songs such as: Itsey Bitsey Spider, If Your Happy and You Know It and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I have been trying to teach the kids ""Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", and while they are starting to get the actions and some of the words, really they love watching me speed up while I sing it to them. Next I try to do a craft, then I read them a book. I give them reading/looking at books time and provide each of them their own book. They show me pictures and words and ask what things are (or at least that's what I think they are asking). Each day I try to do something physyical with them like playing with a ball or blowing bubbles for them to catch. I usually end with something quiet - for example we have a Xylophone that they like to play with (photo above). By this time it is usully lunch time and I am exhausted. The assisatnt cooks them a hot meal and they have lunch. Soon after, it is time for me to go home and rest up and plan for the next day.

Orientation

During this first week in India we have been very busy with orientation. CCS planned many activites designed to help us feel comfortable and adjust to life in India.

We spent the first part of the week in Delhi, then later flew up to Dharamsala together. While in Delhi a professor came from the university and condensed 5-10 thousand years of Indian history in 2 and 1/2 hours. He was extremely interesting and was able to tie together all the bits and pieces and relate it to India's current culture. I could have listened to him for a week! He also somehow knew that I was the only non-American in the group and guessed that I was Canadian. This really impressed everyone.

The Director of the program, Bela, gave us a workshop on customs and values, comparing them to North American customs and values in a humourous way. Bela is also one of the founding members of Cross Cultural Solutions. Herself and an American man created and developed the program. India was the first site (now there are sites in 12 countries) and Bela recounted the challenges and fun of setting up and developing this NGO (which is so neat!).

Our Indian hosts served us Chai Tea (although here is is just called Tea because apparently "Chai" means "Tea" in Hindi), gave us instructions on making tea, along with a "Tea" kit as well as a package of Indian spices. Before we left Delhi they took us out to lunch to try a large variety of different authentic foods.

The staff in Dharamsala met us at the airport and helped us settle in to our Home Base. We learned a little about the history and culture of Dharamsala are ready to learn more in the comming weeks.
For our work placements we each were taken to our sites with a CCS community worker who introduced us to the staff we'd be working with. We were able to ask questions on expectations of work (with a translator) and then just observe for the first day. Back at the Home Base we had a creativity workshop where we all shared ideas on teaching English and working with children (primarly focuses of our work). This set us up really well for success.
For fun the staff challenged the volunteers to a Tug-of-War. We volunteers painted war paint on our faces to pysch out the staff - it worked- we won 3/3 matches. The picture is of the volunteers just before victory. We also had Hindi lessons and played Cricket. Most importantly though, throughout this first week the staff helped us through the day to day adjustments at our workplaces and living in Dharamsala.

Indian Style

In this photo I am pictured wearing Salwaar Kamize (traditional Indian clothing that is worn in Dharamsala). In order to gain respect and be taken more seriously at our placements, CCS (Cross Cultural Solutions) would like the women to wear traditional clothing to work. On the first day of arrival they took us to a clothing store to purchase a couple of outfits. The store was filled with beautiful colours, fabrics and styles. Most of us though, including me, were so tired from the trip that we found it difficult to decide on what we needed. In the end I bought this outfit, and a another top (Kurta) that matches all for $42.00. After this picture was taken one of the female staff, Monica, helped me arrange my scarf (well actually she just did for me) so it sits properly and pinned it to keep it from falling off.
The clothing is so comfortable that we all enjoy wearing our outfits even after work is done. The women in the community have commented that they appreciate that foreigners are wearing their clothes. I plan on going to a local tailor to have more outfits made.

India

Hi All
I have arrived in India and I am recouperating from the long flight and adjusting to a different diet.
I am in Dharamsala, which is in Northern India. It is a smaller town and we have a beautiful place to stay- a nice big house with balconies off every room. We are in the foothills of the Himilayans and have great views of the mountains right from our house. The group of us -12 volunteers- are all amazed at the beauty.
We have had quite an intensive schedule since I arrived on Sunday, once we have been orientated we will have more time to explore, hike, shop, visit new Indian/Tibetan friends etc.

Cottage Therapy

During the summer I spent some time at the cottage with my parents. I had the energy and time to purge alot of my stuff that had been there for years (some things were 30 years old). Dad moved beds around, so now I have my Grandma Vida's bed in my room to use. I am now ready to re-decorate next year.
Dad and I also went out canoing on our lake. We were lucking and saw Loons fishing and feeding there young the fish they caught. As well we took a longer trip down the Tay river into Christie Lake. Mom drove us to the launch and picked us up a few hours latter. We saw otters, beaver huts, herons, and many other birds. A very pleasant paddle. Next year I will be going on the white water part of the Tay river.

Auntie Margie catches the big one!

This August I was priviledged enough to go on a luxury fishing trip with my Auntie Margie on Separation Lake near Kenora. For Margie, fishing is something she loves to do, for me it was more of a new experience and it was fun to go with someone who enjoys it so much.

Now when I say "luxury" I mean luxury. There was a guide (Fred) who did everything for us- take us to different places on the lake, set up our rods with louers and bait, coach us through catching the fish and make a fantastic shore lunch everyday for us (with the fish we just caught). If I'd had known that to get bait on my hook all I had to do was swivel with my rod, in my cushioned seat, passing the end to a person like Fred I would have done this sooner! Other times I have been ou fishing it hasn't worked quite like that.

We caught 40-80 fish each day (for three days) and saw about 40 American Bald Eagles (who also watched us carefully while we were fishing!). Margie caught the biggest one- a 40 inch Northern Pike- a record for her. I caught a 38 inch Northern Pike and a 27 inch Pikeral. Not only was the fishing great, but the scenery was amazing. There is nowhere like Ontario.

During this trip I also remembered my Uncle Bob who used to enjoy fishing himself and, 45 years ago, worked as a guide at this same camp. Hope he was watching us...

Dad's Birthday Weekend

This year we celebrated Dad's 70th birthday with a "Cottage Birthday Weekend". My Aunt Pam and Uncle George came for lunch, then Peter, Mark and Kim (specially-invited-secret-surpise guests) and myself arrived. Latter on Henrie drove from Guelph after visting her parents for Dad's celebrations.
We visited, hiked, canoed, ate and enjoyed 2 birthday cakes - 1 chocolate and 1 vanilla (imported from Toronto).
An extremely fun weekend!