Experiencing India

They say that anything is possible in India, and most of the people that spend some time here would agree with that. Some days you will ride on top of a bus to your destination or you just go out to buy some milk and before you know you are in someone’s house with a big family eating dinner together. You can definitely say that life in India is not boring, anything could happen here at any time. But life is not always easy, there is a lot poverty, heat, immense crowds and a lot of pollution. With pollution I am not just talking about the dirt in the street, but as well the air or dust your breath and the noise pollution, which can drive you crazy when you just need some peace of mind. For most people it will be surprising that my country is denser populated than India, well it is for me too! Here there are people, people really everywhere, the trains, buses and even Harike! , it does not know what quite means. One day I was just sitting down at one of the fields at the back of our house looking for some peace and I saw a man walking to me from hundreds of meter away, he came gave me a nod with his head, squats and kept staring at me. At these moments you just have to let go, and enjoy your peace… together.

Some serious amount of people during the Holi festival

A thing what you learn here, well you have to learn, is to lower some of your senses or use them in a different way, as soon as you arrive in Dehli, you will be stunned by what is going on, the smells, the noises, the colours and all the things that are happening around you. I am also speaking about all the holiness and beliefs they exist here, you can find a God on every street corner and rituals happen daily. At first it is hard to adapt, it took me two weeks to finally say: I feel relaxed in India. But when you do and you learned to have some patience, you can notice some order into this chaos. 

A thing you can really notice in India is the dramatic change undergoing, it is developing fast. People with create and innovative ideas put a lot of things into action, sometimes for the greater good sometimes for the own good. People build everywhere, a lot of people are well connected to the whole world with their smartphones. On top of that, this country is filled with young people and children, who will soon make India a different place. But a thing you cannot escape from is the poverty, the slums, the homeless and the beggars, which some of them are not even 3 years old, this can be a difficult thing to deal with. Soon you realise how lucky you are, with food, shelter and the clothes that you wear. 

Educational workshops to the new generations in Harike's schools

I remember the moment I wanted to do something about the inequality in this world, I just came back from Nepal, had travelled through the mountains and stayed with the locals, who lived the simplest lives.They were the most warm-hearted people you can find, from there I landed in Dubai, a city build in the dessert, wasting all its energy on the biggest indoor ski-slope in the world and everything is golden and about spending money, it was a shock. I decided that day, I have to do something about this, and I am glad for this moment, otherwise I would not have chosen this path in life and have lived this experience in India.

Despite the almost daily power cuts, the dirt, the noise and the heat, you can find the most generous, kind and warm people here, and people who have almost nothing to give, they are willing to share their last piece of bread with you. You can make friends here without being able to understand each other, the Temple’s welcome you to eat and sleep for free. The easy and simple life that some people have and are so satisfied with. There is just a lot of wisdom were I think that ‘the west’ can definitely learn from.

Living in India has been some experience, also the house in Harike where we lived so closely together, I had no idea if I could do that before I left my home. This was completely new to me, but it was a wonderful experience, I came across awesome people, made new friendship and had awesome food and the best discussions about life. I am very thankful for the great people I lived my experience with.

So yes, this place, is an incredible and magical country, I think people share with me that you just sometimes hate this place and the next moment it is the best country that ever existed. Life here is something you will only experience here, in this beautiful and crazy country. Sometimes you will be so caught up in the moments you live here that you will start wondering and asking yourself how is life back home? But then again, when you will get home will you be able to put this experience into words? 

I often wonder about this, but I think this is an experience you just have to live, and if you do, you would have grown a lot.

Joris Slotboom - The Netherlands

SWASH Project Manager and Centre Coordinator in Harike

Something Special

There is something about Gajner. That’s what everyone says. And when they say that I don’t think they mean the beautiful Gajner Palace or the lake. Nor the mesmerizing sunsets and the amazing desert landscape. In my case, now that I am leaving after 6 months, I came to narrow it to three things: the people, the animals and the pani puri. I will start with the last.

Pani Puri

I truly believe Gajner has the best panni puri in the world. The only panni that not only tastes amazingly good but doesn’t give you diarrhea (at least not to me). And the special one, as I like to call it, the one without the water you get in the end, tastes like India to me. Sweet, sour, spicy and interesting enough to keep me coming back for more.

The man that creates the magic!

Animals

Delhi. Delhi was our house puppy we rescued from the streets, who sadly is no longer with us. He destroyed my favorite pair of gloves and pretty much every shoes I owned. I used to call him “Terrorista”. Manoj says he had an education. Indeed, he had an education, but he was a rebel at heart. 

Delhi's bright and dark side

Mico and Vather, our two beloved pet geckoes. Recently, they have been occupied doingsome horizontal (vertical?) dancing. Actually, I noticed a little bump in Vader’s belly which leads me to believe that the gecko family might be increasing anytime soon. When you don’t have television, this is the best you get. 

Lady, the nicest and smartest dog in Gajner. In fact, the only dog that acts like a dog around here. She wails her tail when she sees you, jumps at you asking for affection, and follows you around. She recently dig a hole just outside of our house where she retires during sleep. Summer doesn’t spare anyone and even the dogs can’t handle the suffocating heat during the night. 

The Cat who comes to our house at night when everyone is asleep to steal our food. He has literally the weirdest taste when it comes to food, and he eats anything from dog food, bread, and eggs, to toilet paper, tampons and sanitary pads. Disgusting I know, but true. Our cat is also a very needy cat and tries to cuddle with people if given the chance. He has found his way into our rooms a few times, and once Orane (an amazing French intern) woke up with him on top of her in bed.

Finally, the moody cows in front of Mr. Bero Singh vegetable shop. For future interns, especially female interns, keep your eyes wide open and prepare to run (and scream!) when crossing through this (dangerous) area, because these cows might attack you for no particular reason. It has happened in the past and it may happen again.

People

Our community has the kindest and friendliest people I met in my life. Living in a place where people actually remember your name and care enough to reach out to say Namaste whenever they see you gives you an immense joy and a true sense of belonging.

Ankita, is one of the many kids in town who runs to you whenever they spot you on the street. For six months our interactions have been always the same. She asks me my name, I reply and then we engage in fist punch with a boom in the end.

Then, there are all the shopkeepers in the main street who, in the beginning, looked at me with curiosity but, whom with time, I became very good friends with. Not surprisingly, my Hindihas evolved from knowing only casual greetings to knowing back and forth the Hindi words for all the vegetables and fruits and many other foods. And then there is the constant invitations for chai, and all the people that ask you to come to their house for dinner, try to teach how to make chapatti for the hundredth time, and reject your weird shaped chapatti as its form would alter the taste.

Vimla, who the moment you say you have to leave her house, gets you more food so you have stay a little longer. And Sorav, her son, who is one of the smartest kids I have ever met, and who at 13 is already thinking about university and studying abroad. Sorav, who is Hindu but spends almost two hours looking for eggs with you (when many others cringe even to the sound of the word) when you decide at the last moment you want to make a cake for dinner.

Me and the kids

Manoj, who not only helps you immensely with all of your projects, but also tries to teach you Hindi, cooks the best Indian food you will ever taste, and invites you to come to his house and celebrate Holi and Diwali with his family.

And Shushuma and her family,Anjuman and Mubarak Je, Dappu, Durga, Pria, Shreea, Kumkum, the Gajner team (you guys rock!), and all of these others amazing people who I would write things about if I had the space, but I am almost on 900 words now and this is obviously getting way to long.

The funny part about leaving is you are not gone yet and you are already thinking when you are coming back. I guess there is really something special about this place. 

So instead of saying goodbye I say phir milinge Gajner, phir milinge India!!

View of Gajner from our roof

Ana Silva - Portugal 

Rural Healthcare Project Manager in Gajner

Educare India, a sustainable change

Educare provides a platform for young entrepreneurs to make a sustainable change in rural areas in India. I was part of the team in charge to open a new center in Rajasthan. The decision making process was challenging : in a few words, we, as freshly interns arrived in India, had to find a place to live and to start our projects. As a grass-roots level organization, the director had no plans about where the new center would be settled. We were part of this enriching process, leaders of change in India. We visited villages that could have been potentially a new VIKAS center for the organization. After three weeks of pros and cons evaluation, and due to refusal from the government to settle in some regions, the choice was finally made for RangMahal.

Once arrived in RangMahal, we had to find a house for us and in the long term, for the organization. From many options we had, the parameters we evaluated before making the decision were : the remaining work in the house before being able to move in, the privacy, the house as a long term basis for the organization, the image that would be given to the community and last but not least, the internet connection. (In fact, 3G was apparently working better in some areas of the village.) It was a month when we all experienced a sensation of uncertainty, which was overwhelming and perturbedour motivation. However, finally settled after one month, I was taking on my role as SWASH project manager and long meetings withs Mr B. gave north to my projects. 

The first objective was to make sure that the organization itself is sustainable. How can the organization be sustainable when six interns are generating more waste than the whole village ? How can the organization be sustainable when six interns are using 500 litres of water everyday ? Those were the first questions we had to deal with.

One week garbage in RangMahal

As interns, we are trying to be as sustainable as we can with the tools we get from the executive committee. That means reducing consumption and making the house as sustainable as possible : using grey water to flush the toilets, reducing toilet paper usage, reusing tea bags, not using plastic bags when purchasing any items from the shops, … 

Except for one representative in each center and the director, EduCARE is run only by interns. In a new environment, even with the ability to communicate in Hindi, running a project that would have real impact on the community was hard for me. So far, in RangMahal, we are increasing awareness about waste management through workshops in the government school.

Finally, this internship is a great enriching personal experience. I have met interesting people from everywhere, travelled around India, learned Hindi and lived far from my comfort zone, through one month in a homestay, sleeping in a room without doors and a hole in the garden as toilets, and rats in our kitchen…

Chasing the rat

This is all about grass-roots level and being a global citizen, the organization will give you the freedom to do whatever you want from your experience, with minimal supervision. It can be as exciting as challenging, but hopefully at the end it will lead into something positive.

Lamia Nouroudine Hassanaly - Madagascar/France

SWASH Project Manager in RangMahal

So I have now been living in Rangmahal for just over a month.

At first, there was a lot of adjustment as it is a totally different environment to what I am used to! I am from cloudy, grey, drizzly, fast-paced London and this is a world away from that! It is insanely hot, slow and lazy, the sun is always blaring and there is sand EVERYWHERE. I am sure when I arrive back home in London, I will open my backpack and sand is just going to pour endlessly out of it!

One thing that was a challenge at first was the toilet situation. At home I am used to pristine clean toilet bowls, sinks with luxurious soaps, a bathtub and an overhead shower (I am drooling at the thought of this kind of shower now!) In the village, the typical toilet is one that looks like this:

Our gorgeus toilet in the first house

As you can see, this is simply just a hole in the ground with two bricks either side. There was no door… only a wall that around the toilet, which came up to my elbow, so I was always nervous that someone would peek over the wall and see me squatting. I had several comical experiences as I do my business, coughing constantly as though I have been smoking for the last century to make people aware of my presence, awkwardly walking in on Dada Ji then running away and hiding in embarrassment, and also having a dog jump over the wall like HELLOOOOO. Toilet trips were interesting to say the least!

This set up made me wonder how hard it must be to be a woman in this village, particularly when on their period; it certainly would not be comfortable and if I was a woman here, I would be worried that someone would look over and see me, particularly as menstruation here is seen as disgusting and a taboo.

Here we also shower with bucket and water. As I have been to the Philippines several times, I am very used to it and rather enjoy this way of bathing. However, what I am not used to, is a cow eating its breakfast and defecating outside the shower room, and an old woman peeking into the shower as I pour sand water over myself. I had to laugh so many times when things like this happened! People here are extremely curious, particularly to the way that us foreigners do things!

Another difficulty I had at first was hand washing my clothes. It was definitely a struggle at first, especially with half the village coming to watch the foreigner wash their clothes like a local and laugh at how ridiculous and confused I look. Now, I can definitely say I am a pro hand washer!I had to fill up my bucket with a manual water pump (producing a concoction that is 90% sand and 10% water) and then attempt to wash my clothes by hand sitting in the typical squat position, which is waaaayyyyyy harder that it looks I honestly still do not know how people manage to sit like that for so long.

Actually, most women here experience severe pain in their legs, backs and arms from doing chores such as washing and cooking in this position. Even though they experience such pain, they seldom complain and simply carry on. At home, doing chores can require very little to no effort! It is even so simple for me that if I so wish, I can go to a laundrette or order a takeaway ….so I do nothing at all!

Whenever I was invited to peoples’ house for food, I would always be offered a master class in chapatti making. At first, my chapattis all looked like one of the teletubbies, but hey, as they say, practice makes perfect and I can make the roundest chapattis in the village(with the aid of a bowl to cut it out).

Food has been difficult for us; there are no grocery shops in the village and there are about 12 shops that sell roughly the same thing: biscuits and potato chips. To get food we have to travel to Suratgarh, the nearest city which is 7km away, but this requires potentially waiting for the hourly ‘regular’ bus for 3 hours. The result: a diet consisting of mostly daal, daal and more daal. I do not think I can look at another lentil again after this! However, the food we have made, and have been offered has been absolutely delicious! We have even managed to make hummus desert style which entails mashing the chickpeas for an hour with a dodgy fork.…so worth it and so good!

A huge problem we have been facing as of late is the lack of electricity and water. As it is harvesting season, the whole village has decided to turn off the electricity from 9am – 7pm. This has made living in 41 degree heat extremely difficult without the help of our electric fans! One weekend consisted of Iris and I lying in our beds the whole day just saying“ugh”….”its so hot” …”omg don’t you think its hot?!”…”I’m dying!” … “bring me cookies!”

Holi with the beautfiul girls in the village

On top of this, we cannot use our electric pump to fill up our water tank. We have experienced a few times with no water in our tank, so had to buy a whole pack of 10 one litre bottles to go about our day. ON TOP OF THIS, another village has been controlling the water supply and this is cut off for most of the day until 9pm when we can finally fill the tank. We hope to find a solution to this, particularly when it comes to May and, we have been repeatedly warned, it gets excruciatingly hot with temperatures apparently reaching50 degrees…yay!

Yes, it has been difficult at times, but also has been incredible. I have learned so much from the people here, with their warmth, kindness and openness. The village is BEAUTIFUL. We can walk up a large hill, which everyone calls the mound, and watch the sunset over the lush green farms and the sandy plains around us, or play “Kabadi”, a wrestling game, with the children. I have already been invited to, not one, but three weddings! And have indulged in the delicious food there, and joined in the dancing. I experienced Holi with the girls and ladies of the village, again, dancing and indulging in delicious food and tons of chai.

View from the mound

Living here has made me realise how fortunate I am at home with my plethora of CHOICES. I can choose to eat anything I so desire. I can choose to use the washing machine and laze about watching television as it washes. I can choose to leave my house with the light on in my room, if I so wished, for the whole day and not even think of having no electricity at the end of the day. I can choose to have a hot shower for 30 minutes without thinking about water running out.

It has all been a huge learning experience for me. I feel that I will be a gazillion times more patient; there is a lot to learn from the optimistic and laid-back attitude of the people in the village. I am enjoying this simple way of living, and I have even more appreciation for the comforts and the ease of doing everyday chores at home.

Ta for now!

Danielle Outen - United Kingdom

Microfinance / Women's empowerment Project Manager

Centre Administration Coordinator in Rang Mahal

A weekend in India

Before coming to India, I was assigned to work in Rait, Himachal Pradesh. As excited I was to get to know this community, I also wondered how much I would travel and see the areas outside of this village. I read all the blogs on this website to obtain as much information as I could about what my weekends would look like (in addition to information about the projects in Rait, of course). Regardless of how much I read, nothing could have prepared me for the adventures that were to come. 

Now that I have been in India for more than two months, I, alongside my fellow Rait-ians, have travelled every weekend to villages and cities near and far. Included in the growing list is Shimla, Kashol, Manali, Dalhousie, Chandigarh, McLeod Ganj, and Udaipur. 

Shimla will never be forgotten (not that any of these weekend adventures would be) because It was riddled with both the good and the bad.

During one of my first weekends in Rait, I went to Shimla with Sylvja and a friend from the Harike centre, Sacha. It was a perfect opportunity to un-wind and seek some adventure outside of the Rait. So at 6:00 p.m. on a Wednesday (the last day of the work-week), Sylvia asked, "So are we going somewhere?" We looked at each other with that "oh-what-the-the-hell" look, and we quickly packed small backpacks not really considering logistics or considering; we were our the door by 630pm. Let me tell you, travelling by local bus during the night is not exactly fun. To all the future interns reading this, just know that local overnight buses will become your norm. Sylvia and I must have taken the world's worst bus driven by the world's worst driver (all of the buses in india will seem like this but, seriously, this bus was bad). With foreign smells and broken windows, we spent the next eight hours of our lives holding on to our seats for dear life. We literally could not rest our grip for fear of flying to the opposite side of the bus or inadvertently elbowing some cute, unsuspecting child. Sylvia and I also did not anticipate just how cold it would be in Shimla and on the way there. By the end of those grueling eight hours, we ended up wearing literally every single piece of clothing we had brought.

Arriving at 4:00 am with no reservations, Sylvia and I proceeded to walk the hills toward the main area. For two hours, we knocked on guesthouses door to door inquiring about availability. What made it worse was the snow. Yes, it was snowing. The two pants, two shirts, and two sweaters I was wearing could not keep out the cold. We finally found a guesthouse and slept for a few hours. With tired still in our eyes, we met Sacha mid-day. The first destination was the monkey temple. As you can guess, there were monkeys everywhere, but these were no ordinary monkeys; these monkeys were monkey thieves. Slowly creeping towards us with a nonchalant and calm demeanor, one monkey was just asking for trouble. He suddenly leaped toward my head and stole the sunglasses of my face. I wish I could say that my wonderful friends, Sylvia and Sacha, jumped to my aid, but no. They shouted and stared at me. I have to admit that my reaction would have been no better! 

Over the next 18 hours, the three of us unexpectedly went on a hike; visited some interesting and not-so-interesting temples and monuments; and nibbled on everything imaginable from coconut and peanut brittle to Chana Baturi to pizza. Finally, on Friday evening, Sylvia and I said our goodbyes to Sacha and we parted ways. We got on yet another gruesome overnight local bus back to Rait. We returned to our centre at 5:00 am with zombie eyes and strained backs (as we always do after a weekend of travel). After sleeping for a few hours, Sylvia and I went to the main market for the weekly house grocery shopping. As I was buying vegetables, several locals gathered around Sylvia and asked if she had been in Shimla the previous day. In a state of confusion, Sylvia and I pondered how they could have known that. A man came running to us presented us with the Himachal Pradesh newspaper.

Low and behold, a picture of Sylvia and I was on the front page. In Hindi, the caption read, "Tourists are enjoying the snow in Shimla" (or so we were told - I won't pretend I'm cool enough to read Hindi). Sylvia and I had no idea that we were being photographed! Being that Sacha is not in the photograph, I assume it was taken before her arrival. On one hand, I suppose it's kind of cool to be in the state newspaper, but on the other hand, it is somewhat disconcerting... We were 8 hours away from Rait yet everyone in Rait knew exactly where we were!

All in all, my weekend in Shimla was, like all the other weekend travels, unforgettable. For any future interns coming to India, don't do what I did and try to obtain as much information about as much as possible. Much of that information still won't really prepare you for this great adventure. Just know - You will be cold; you will be hot; you will be happy, you will be sad; and you will be sick. 

Just take it as it comes and have fun :)

Kelly Strautins - USA

Women's Empowerment Project Manager in Rait

Living in India

Before coming to India, I was warned by my relatives about how careful I should be and was told about so many clichés here. I am not saying that they were wrong but after staying 6 months here, I have seen so many things to say that India is incredibly amazing.

Beside my stay in Himachal, I have also been able to travel for holidays and I have seen things that I would have never expected. Travelling here can either be exhausting or incredible; all depends on how you place yourself in the situation. I understand why people call it Incredible India. From north to south, west to east India, everything changes so much: language, people, food, habits, weather and nature. And I have not even seen 1/3 of this country.

Here, all your senses are awakened and you will feel yourself alive and awarded.

Your eyes will be amazed by so many things - The colors of clothes; the crazy cows, donkeys, horses, monkeys and goats that will chill in the street; the Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians that will follow their religion next each other; the Himalayan mountains in the north; the incredible forts almost everywhere; the crazy Taj Mahal; the beautiful beaches in the south; the nature of Hampi; the spirituality of Rishikesh and Varanasi; the star gazing in the desert, in the mountains and at the beach.

But the paradox between rich and poor living close by each other is also part of this experience, as the lack of waste management system that is a real question and the craaaazy traffic of big cities.

All the smells will stop you. From the food smells to the street smells, that is what will make you stay in a place for more than few minutes or make you go away. Curry, masala, turmeric, ginger, but also less appetizing smells from the street and pollution. If you love spices like I do, you will have to make sure to try every single food. There are so much tasty food and different tastes from north to south. It’s maybe not always the healthiest food but what is good is not always healthy!

Travelling is crazy and so is the available transportation: car, bike, tuktuk, local bus, public bus, roof of a bus, train (with proper ticket and general ticket), camels, jeeps, truck, and an ambulance. I might repeat myself but once again, India is incredible. So many noises, from the horns, bus conductor, street sellers and music. But in all the mess, you always have a peaceful place, for me it’s Himachal.

I have been lucky to be placed in the beautiful state of Himachal. Among the mountains, sometimes very cold, sometimes super-hot, there are so many to see and so many people to meet. My stay in Rait went through ups and downs, as I have already mentioned in the other blogpost. I am very thankful to EduCARE to have given to me this incredible opportunity. I have been lucky to spend 6 months with people from this developing village. If you ask me about my daily activities, it would never be the same but here are some of them that I won’t forget. Waking up and taking your breakfast in front of the mountains; going to fun club and having fun with the cool kids in town; going to girls club and discussing relevant subjects to girls’ development; going to the migrant camp and having fun with the kids; teaching the woman how to use the stitching machine; visiting the woman in Rait that are willing to work with us on microfinance projects and planning it with them; finding out new projects and visiting different people that can help; organizing workshop in schools; working in the garden; going back home and preparing the food all together. I have learned many things here that make my stay a life changing experience. Among many things, my relatives will be surprised to see me cook Indian foods, stitch with the stitching machine, growing mushrooms, tend to a garden, etc.! I will miss all the people in Rait that were always smiling at me; that would fill my tummy with chai and sweets every day; that would converse with me through smiles, laughs and sign language as I believe that the language should never be a barrier.

View of Himachal Mountains

Besides them, I will miss all the interns that I have been working with in Rait. I have seen fifteen different interns coming and leaving the house and my time has now come. I wanna give a big shout out to all the people that cross my way on this beautiful journey!

Anyway, here is how you should see life: Never stress your mind with little things when you can just make it easy by looking at it through another perspective.

Sylvia Rajaonah - France

Rait Centre Coordinator and Microfinance Project Manager

THE 5 STAGES OF BOOKING A TRAIN IN INDIA

Let me preface this by saying that I am an experienced traveler, especially in the developing world, and yet even I face these 5 stages almost every time I try to book a train. These are really only applicable to when you are booking a ticket that is available, because when you’re booking yourself straight to the waitlist, you generally skip these stages and go straight to defeat and angst, where you remain until the moment your status is changed to confirmed. 

NB: If you don’t have an Indian credit card or bank account, the only website you can book trains on is ClearTrip. In order to do so, you still have to have an account with IRCTC, the Indian rail company. In order to make an account, you need an Indian phone number. So if you have to book before you get to India, which most interns do since we need to get from Delhi to induction somehow, ClearTrip helpfully lets you use a dummy number and then you can email IRCTC to get your mobile one-time-password via email and make your account. 

Excitement. In which you’ve spent days, possibly weeks, planning and dreaming about your next Indian adventure, even if it’s just a weekend. You’ve spent hours on TripAdvisor.in and other blogs, figuring out the best and cheapest way to get where you want to go, where to stay there and what to see. All that remains between you and discovery is time and your train tickets. 

Denial/table flipping. In which one of two things happens. Either A, you reach the page where you put in all the information like passport numbers and then click “book” and it tells you that it cannot get current train information from IRCTC, please check back later and you have the sudden and overwhelming urge to flip the table you are sitting at, after lifting up your computer and chai, of course. And with every time this little red error message pops up when you click “book”, you fall deeper into this state of denial and disbelief until you abandon hope, fall back into your indoor-use plastic lawn chair and wave the proverbial white flag. 

Alternatively, you encounter situation B, in which IRCTC asks you a security question that you never made because you were never able to actually get into your account on the IRCTC website because you couldn’t receive the mobile code needed to make your real password because you made the account with a fake phone number, and you can’t change that fake number because in order to change your number you need to get into your account which you need a mobile code to do. So you find yourself being asked your pet’s name when in fact you don’t have a pet. So you send lots of emails and call numbers that either don’t exist or don’t have any humans on the other line until you give up and just make a new account using your real Indian phone number. 

At this point you start the whole process all over again and soon find yourself on the page where you are about to be finished, all you need to do is put in your IRCTC password and enter the “captcha”. It all seems so simple. You’ve made it, finally. So you enter the password and captcha and it tells you that your credentials are incorrect, or that the captcha was incorrect. So you try again, and again, until finally you lean back and close your eyes in quiet defeat. 

Quiet defeat. In which you sit staring at your computer, wondering why, why do bad things happen to good people? Why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to book a train in this country that the simple idea of doing so is used to cut diamonds? Your musings about this question quickly spiral into an existential crisis and you find yourself staring off into the middle distance wondering “why do you exist, IRCTC and ClearTrip, respectively, and why am I here, trying futilely to use you to accomplish what one might otherwise and naively presume a simple task? What is life, little box on the white screen asking me for a password that even Shiva does not and cannot hope to know? And most importantly, what reckless fool invented captcha?

Renewed hope. In which you’ve had some chai and moral support and are ready to try again, bolstered by the promise of another adventure awaiting you once you complete this process and the pressure of the fact that you likely have people relying on you to book their tickets as well. 

High blood pressure. In which you have your train booked and yet you feel no joy or satisfaction looking at the email from ClearTrip, the confirmation from IRCTC and the multitude of indecipherable text messages you receive from ClearTrip, IRCTC, perhaps your mobile provider, the train conductor, the Prime Minister of India and the ghost of Mahatma Gandhi. You instead feel the desire to drink 7-10 cups of chai and the need for some sort of sedative. Not for another 12 hours or so will you return to the pre-booking process euphoria and excitement of knowing you will soon be in another unique and colorful city seeing and doing and tasting and hearing things you will never forget and perhaps having your snacks stolen out of your unexpecting hands by a monkey or being offered a ride on a camel-drawn cart by some kind and curious locals who will likely want to take a selfie with you. And then it will all be worth it.

Naddi interns and myself at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the previous weekend destination.

A staircase in Rishikesh, my most recent destination in my explore-north-India-in-my-weekends project 

PS: Ironically neither of these places were reached by train, but we've been booking extensively for upcoming trips - just trying to find our way :)

Kyla Korvne

Women's Empowerment Project Manager in Naddi

Insanely incredible (and incredibly insane) India

Where do I start to describe my experience in India? The food?The colours and smells? Or perhaps countless number of cows roaming the streets? One thing is for sure, my time in India has been anything but dull!

During the EduCare Induction in Naddi, also referred to as “India light”, I got my first taste of this remarkable country. Beautifully located in the Himalayas, it was a great place to get to know India and meet all the other interns. I definitely experienced a bit of a culture shock in the beginning. Living with an Indian family in a mountain village with the dinner cooked over an open fire was amazing, but not something I had ever experienced before. However, as I was about to find out, I hadn’t seen nothing yet! A few days later I began my journey south to the state of Punjab. It was only a couple of hours away, yet the more south we got, Hinduism and Buddhism turned into Sikhism, mountains to green fields and peaceful Om-humming into vibrant Punjabi pop. I was sent to the centre of Paro, a tiny community with approximately ten shops selling more or less the same things (mostly Punjabi sweets) and with a bushorn so loud it could wake up the deaths. In this community, we worked primarily with a couple of migrant families living in a camp just outside the centre. It was incredible to get to know these people and their way of living. However, with the cultural differences, major language barriers and as most of the girls could not read and write, it was also immensely challenging. I came to learn though that the universal language of gestures and laugh will take you a long way (along with hours of badminton playing…).

Girls Club

One of the hardest parts of the internship was witnessing the poverty the migrants and so many other people live in. I often felt somewhat helpless thinking about all the issues I would like to address in the community and in India as a whole. While I was not at all expecting myself to perform miracles, it also hit me how many people and animals suffer in this country and how many of them I am not able to help. With many of the girls we worked with being engaged already as well, some of them underage, it felt as if their futures were already sealed. When these thoughts hit me, I always thought of what the Women’s Empowerment Project Coordinator told me before I started my project. She said that while there are some aspects of these girls’ lives that you cannot change, you can always inspire them to dream. I have been carrying this last part with me throughout my internship and it has given me motivation at times when I felt like I was just wasting my and the girls’ time. 

The 2-week Christmas break provided an opportunity to get our minds off the projects for a while. Me and a number of other interns travelled south to Mumbai, Goa and Hampi. It was great to be able to travel and see another side of India, and also to get away from the freezing Punjabi winter! As the Paro centre closed after Christmas due to lack of manpower, I joined the other Punjab team and their vicious buffalos (they really hated us) in Harike; a place characterised by its wetlands, crazy traffic but most of all its awesome EduCare team! Here I helped starting two new Girls’ Club projects in different communities. It was truly great getting to know the girls. I’m sad that I won’t be able to stay and witness their progresses. I am confident however that we have managed to plant a seed for empowerment that has the potential to tangibly improve the lives of the women and girls in the area. 

Girls Club in Harike

So, to sum up, what was acha and what was achanahi?

First and foremost the girls from Girls’ Club! Their smiling faces and constant “didi”-callings made my day every time we went to see them. I will definitely miss my funny, crazy but above all else highly competent team members who provided great support (and entertainment!) throughout my internship. I will also miss the slightly awkward (due to language barriers) chai-gatherings with local families, Indian head-noddings (so contagious!),the delicious Punjabi sweets and the cheesy Indian soap operas. In a way I will also miss the unpredictability. Making plans in India was virtually impossible, and even if you did, you would very likely be forced to change them. Coming from a country where being 5 minutes late is almost a crime, this concept of elastic time was sort of refreshing.

Community of Harike

What I won’t miss as much is the crowdedness and constant stares. Random people asking for pictures of me is also something I can definitely live without, just like the piles of cow poo on the streets, the deafening noises of bus horns,power cuts and sneaky kitchen mice. 

And will I come back? As an intern once stated, you can spend five years travelling around in India and still only experience a fraction of what this country has to offer. So yes, I will be back, a couple of years older and a million experiences wiser! 

Sabina Bäckman

Women’s Empowerment Project Manager in Harike

Learning to Drive in India

Having Rahul, the little old red car, has made our travels to projects a lot easier as we can get there faster and not worry about leaving before it is dark. The only thing is that I cannot drive the car because I don’t know how to drive standard. Coming from Canada where everyone has an automatic vehicle, I never learned how to drive stick. Having this car has given me the opportunity to learn.

The community was very surprised at seeing the women interns driving. The mobility of women in Gajner is quite low. They mostly stay in the house. When women have to leave the house they will bring their husbands, fathers, children or brothers with them. This subjects them to stares, gossip, sexual harassment and rape, in serious cases. We decided that teaching women to drive could improve their mobility, independence and safety.

Many different women wanted to learn to drive but we decided to start with Manoj’s little sister, Durga, and Sunita, their neighbour. I was very excited to learn to drive with Ana and Ilaria as our teachers and my fellow students.

Claire trying to get through the traffic jam

Our first lesson was scary, fun and impressive all at the same time. I was first up. I was able to get the car in first and second gear after a couple of stalls. Through our broken Hindi and Durga and Sunita’s broken English, we explained how to shift and use the clutch. Durga stalled a couple of times but finally got the car into first gear. Sunita had a little more trouble but still got the car into first gear as well. We continued like this for a little while, switching up drivers. It was then Sunita’s turn. She started going fast so Ilaria and I were saying “Deera Deera”, “Slower” but she kept going. She turned the car to avoid a part of the road but we soon realized we were heading for the sand ditch. By the time she pressed the break we were stuck in the sand. Ilaria got into the driver’s seat and Durga, Sunita and I got in front of the car to push it out. We pushed and pushed, but it did not move and inch. We then realized that the back wheels were not touching the ground. Durga waved down a man walking by, who was one of Manoj’s close friends. He helps us dig the car out and push it out of the ditch. We thought ending the lesson here was a good idea.

Me teaching the girls how to drive

The next lesson, Sunita was at her cousin’s house so she didn’t join. Ana, Durga and I headed out. Durga practiced getting into first while I practiced getting into first and then second. This time, the car didn’t seem to be working well. We thought the car had only a little gas in it, as we never fill it up completely. Durga and I kept practicing even though the car did not sound great. Durga stalled the car and tried to turn it back on although it did not start. We thought it was probably out of gas. We called Manoj to bring gas, although he said he had filled the car with gas yesterday and there was no way it was out of gas. He came with gas anyways. When he arrived Manoj got into the car and said we had been driving the car with its lights on the entire lesson and turning the car off and on again killed the battery. Ana and I felt terrible because we thought we had killed the car. Manoj got us to push the car at running speed while turning the key. This restarted the car. Ana and I, relieved the car was okay, decided the car had enough hard work for the day and we ended the lesson.

Durga trying to turn on the engine 

In the most recent lessons, Durga had improved a lot, after a month of no driving. Durga can now get the car into first gear, drive to the end of the road, put the car in reverse and drive back without stalling. She also drove home after one lesson through deep sand with no stalling or getting stuck. We are only four lessons in, with a month break after the first two, and Durga impresses me every day with her confidence and perseverance.

The driving lessons are one of the most fun times of the week for me. I get to hang out with my friends, laughing and learning. This project is no longer just a project. It is a time for me to learn and spend time with the people that I have started to create long lasting friendships with.

Claire Mackie—Canada

Women’s Empowerment Coordinator, Gajner (Rajasthan) 

My experience in EduCARE: from Paro to Rait

I have to refer to two different places when I write about my experience with EduCare as I had worked in two centers (Paro and Rait) completely differentiated by people, thoughts, projects and atmosphere but united by EduCare. What I can mention and what I cannot in this blog seems very difficult to me because there are a thousand memories coming to my head when I think of my last three months with this organization. To witness the diversity in this country in two neighboring states with respect to people, lifestyle, language, food and landscapes was very intense. Two states so close to each other but so far in many ways.

Initially, attracted by its mountains and scenic beauty I wanted to be placed in Himachal where I thought I could work alongside nature but I was asked to move to Paro which I must say was disappointing. However after speaking to Mr. B I realized that to begin with it would be better for me to move to Paro to work on the projects that I was interested in and then move to Himachal later depending on the projects I will be involved in. Punjab was a very good experience indeed as it was a remote village and I had the opportunity to learn a lot from the villagers and the other interns I met and worked with. All of us were from different parts of the world and it was very nice to live and work together on different projects, we had the time and liberty to work on our projects at our own pace and convenience. Even though we were all assigned to different projects we made the most of it by sharing ideas and helping each other wherever and however we could from soap making to making a garden for the migrant community, we had our hands on all the possible work that we could be involved in. I am missing all those people I met, the migrants at the camp, the kids, the interns with whom I had spent so much time every day from making breakfast till hitting the bed and not to forget, breakfast at Indojap and Fauji’s chicken curry. I hope to meet all of them soon during my travel. 

My initial plans were to stay with EduCARE only for 2 months, but by the time I started enjoying my work it was already going to be the end of my internship so, I decided to extend my internship for another month to be involved in something I really liked and always wanted to do. Thus, after a month and a half in Paro, I was asked to move to Rait. I was happy to go to the hills but I was equally sad to leave Paro as I had been already attached to the people and place there. Thus saying good bye to the place and people I already felt belonged to in just a month and a half, I left for Rait ready to meet new people and a place which I was not aware of. 

Me with Aurelien, Breanne and Amelie in a festival in Hariana

The place and the intern house was very different from Paro, two neighboring states but so different in every way pertaining to weather, language, people, food and landscapes. To witness the diversity in this country was very immense and intriguing. Nevertheless, I had to start getting used to the new interns, the villagers and also the projects that I would be working on. But in no time I was very comfortable with everything already and I commenced work with the same enthusiasm I had been working in Paro. Again it was an intense time in Rait as I had only 6 weeks there. I felt that I did a lot of different things in Rait when compared to Paro as I was always on the move working with the other interns on different projects, meeting the villagers to speak about our projects, meeting government officials, working at the local school and so on, I was never confined to a single project, I had something to be involved in all the time which helped me learn and understand many things, things I may never be associated with In the future. 

Working with completely different set of people in two different centers in such a short span of time was very intense for me, but I enjoyed every bit of it during my three months with EduCARE. This organization has helped and inspired me to get involved in the kind of work I was always interested in. Now all I wish for is to involve myself in helping the underprivileged in this country in whichever way possible.

Madhu, Sylvia and me with Dr. Sudarshan Dabroch and his family, the only ones using biogas in the village

Rizwan Ahmed - India

SWASH Project Manager, Paro (Punjab)-Rait (Himachal Pradesh)

The EduCARE Life!

To give you all a bit of a back-story to myself my name is Ethan Donovan and my mother Rachael Donovan moved to India to work with EduCARE in 2011. I have been a part of and known EduCARE for a long time now and watched the organisation develop and grow. But only this year, after I graduated secondary school, did I take a gap year to follow my mother’s footsteps and undertake an internship with EduCARE myself. 

Me in 2011 when I first met EduCARE

I first started in February 2015, when I was the project manager in the Rait centre for sustainable living and worked with another intern on the SWASH (waste management) project. I had just finished high school last year and had no work experience whatsoever. My time working in EduCARE India and meeting new people from all around the world taught me so much more than if I had stayed in Australia and gone straight to university. I was in Rait until the end of June, then I went to Nepal to teach English for three months. 

I had loved my experience so much with EduCARE that I wanted to come back after Nepal to do something different and new. In the beginning of October 2015 I came back and went to the newest centre in Punjab, Harike, and was the centre manager there until December. This whole year I have watched EduCARE develop, grow and learn as an organisation and I have honoured to grow with it. 

Because EduCARE just loves creating acronyms, I have created my own to share my experience about 8 months there.

EDUCARE

E=Explore

D=Diversity

U=Unity

C=Culture

A=Appreciation

R=Responsibility

E=Experience

Quarterlies in Gajner, Rajasthan, February 2015

E – Explore

I remember the first few weeks of working with EduCARE, visiting one of the newest centres in Rajasthan, Gajner. I was seeing everything for the first time - interns, work, meetings, culture, etc. 

I was like a baby and was thirsting to explore and learn. But like any child I was shy, inexperienced, not confident, etc. My time with EduCARE has allowed me to grow out of these fears by facing them head on. EduCARE gave me the full freedom to explore myself, the culture and so many other things. EduCARE never limited me to explore and learn, and in fact encouraged it for me and every intern.

During my first five months with EduCARE I remember being very lost with myself and what I wanted to do in life. Being a part of EduCARE and surrounded by interns who in turn were also facing the same challenges helped not just me but many other interns on the same path. When I came back and took on more of management role by being the centre manager for the newest centre in Punjab, Harike, I could understand more fully what new interns faced. I found that I was more experienced, more confident in myself, my work and what I was doing. Because EduCARE allowed me to explore my own self, the organisation has helped me so much and has given me the life skills through my own self exploration. Even though I will be leaving soon, these lessons will help me to keep exploring and learning throughout my life.

D – Diversity

EduCARE has interns from all around the world from different backgrounds, languages and cultures which also means many differences in perspectives and opinions. Diversity comes in many different forms from how people have lived and interacted with others, to what each person thinks on global topics. Because of all this diversity with identities, ideas, lifestyles, and journeys, this has really allowed me to open my mind to so many different viewpoints across the spectrum. From living and working with such a diverse group of people I feel I have become much more open-minded and have it has challenged my way of thinking and many perspectives on life. And this is a great thing.

I also got to understand and respect others opinions and then in turn share what I believe. Being with EduCARE, and meeting people from all around the world and sharing these differences has helped me better understand myself and what I believe in.

Quarterlies in Rait, Himachal Pradesh, March 2015

U – Unity

What I enjoyed when being with EduCARE is the unity within the organization, centres and individuals. Working within EduCARE, I’ve found the organization is always looking out for interns to make our experience as enjoyable and safe as possible. During quarterlies, the organisation conducts gender circles for men and women to share their challenges faced here in India. 

In both centres I worked in, we developed a strong unity where we would support each other day in and day out with our projects, personal matters, work, etc. Both centres I worked in had a positive atmosphere which was very supportive of each other. Even on an individual level, I have met people that were there for me during my challenging times and supported me through it and allowed me to do the same for them in return. We were always there for each other through thick and thin. EduCARE is one big family, and I will never forget the support I had from the organization, my centres and the individuals I met.

C – Culture

I cannot say that I have seen many other countries and travelled too much of world, but what I can say is that out of all the countries I have visited (which is a few) I have found Indian’s culture the most unique. India as a country is HUGE!!! Just going to another state within India you find a whole new culture and people there, and it is like you are going into a whole new country in itself!!

India’s culture is so complex but yet so simple that it is so hard for some to understand unless you actually look back into India’s history. Even then, the history of India is long and old and it is impossible for almost any outsider that isn’t a part of the culture itself to completely understand its intricacies. What surprised me the most is that many of the locals from the state of Punjab won’t understand the culture and the people of the state of Rajasthan, or vice versa. These states are right next to each other and yet they don’t understand one another completely. This draws your curiosity and you end up falling in love with these unique and bizarre cultures of India.

Coordinators Retreat in Khuri, Rajasthan, October 2015

A – Appreciation

I had never fully appreciated life, and the life I have, until I came to India and worked with the migrant communities (the untouchables) that EduCARE works with. Almost every centre works with one migrant or marginalised group, and it is one the segments of community that is in most need of support. Seeing these communities really touched me and hit me hard in the face. 

You see these people living in some of the poorest ways and yet they are sometimes the most happiest and content with their lives. Of course they would wish for better circumstances (better economic opportunities, better education for their children, better health, etc.), but even with their challenging situation they always keep a positive and optimistic outlook. I’ve found that every time I’ve entered a migrant camp, all over India, the children were always so happy to see us when we came and so sad when we left. All they wanted to do is play games with us.

But it isn’t just the migrant communities that made me appreciate life more. Also just living in India day to day and seeing how the locals live and living among them in the same circumstances, as one of them. Simple living, water shortages, power cuts, bad Internet, limited recreational opportunities and challenging transportation are all part of normal Indian daily life. Living this way everyday really made me appreciative more of not only the opportunities I have been given growing up, but also the prospects most of the developed countries have. It really made me question what is important to me and made me less complacent and more appreciative of what I have in life.

R – Responsibility

One of the many things I learnt being with EduCARE is to become more responsible, and not just for myself but for my work and life experiences. For starters, this was my first time in the work environment whilst being an adult. I immediately had to learn to take responsibility for myself and my work. Also, EduCARE does not provide daily supervision or management, so I was forced to learn to take responsibility for my own work and time management to ensure that everything got completed on time. Not only that, I am in India and things happen that are unexpected; and this happens with almost anything. 

This made me take responsibility of situations that didn’t go according to plan, and take ownership of my project and work. By being in India, working, looking after myself and traveling, I really learnt how to become responsible not just for myself, but for others as well. Of course this didn’t happen overnight and at the beginning of the year I struggled. But the first time being with EduCARE really helped me to become more responsible, so that when I came back the second time I was able to take on a more responsible role.

EduCARE India members in the Golden Temple in Amritsar

E – Experience

Through all the ins and outs during my time with EduCARE, and living in India, has been one HELL OF AN EXPERIENCE!! I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

Working with EduCARE and being in India has taught me so much and helped me to grow more than what I have learnt in any other year of my life!! The lessons, memories, experiences, I have made will forever be with me AND the amazing people I have met along the way. 

It saddens me to be leaving India, EduCARE and these amazing people. Each and every one of you has made such an awesome impact on my life in your own way. You will forever be in my heart wherever I go in life and I know the world is a much smaller place by meeting you. So as I am leaving I would like to thank everyone and everything that has come into my path. You have helped me to become the man I am today. Thank you India and THANK YOU EDUCARE!!

Quarterlies in Harike, Punjab, November 2015

Ethan Donovan - Australia

Harike Centre Coordinator, Harike (Punjab)