So I fly home tomorrow, but still can't believe three months have passed since I arrived. Today and tomorrow I'll be buying last minute things (i.e. food) to bring back, and packing up all my stuff.
The group finished our two days of debriefing, which were really good for winding down and ending on good terms. I think the real cry-fest will happen at the airport though.
On the weekend, six of us went to Punjab with Amrit's family. It was an amazing weekend, and Punjab is the most distinctly different place in India that I've been. The way of life there is much more laid back, and the people were really friendly and happy. It may have had something to do with the fact that drinking is socially acceptable, and ganja plants grow legally on the roadside. Amrit's parents were amazing hosts, and even took us to see the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The train ride back home was the only low point of the trip, since four of us (and our bags) were illegally sharing a seat for one.
I am really looking forward to lots of things at home, but hope that one day I'll find myself back in India.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
village trip and last day at the DIC
Sunday was the 'group trip' to the village to learn about India's rural governing system, only instead of the group it was 6 Canadians and the project supervisor. We met the man from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (who I met on the metro) and loaded into cars. After a crazy drive there (on a two lane highway passing around corners between trucks, and being passed by two cars at once) we went to a few different houses in the village, and weren't too sure what we would be getting out of the day. After being offered chai a dozen times, we met a man who owned a camel which he rented for weddings and other events. He offered to let us ride around on it, which was really fun. I got to hold the reigns and lead the camel around, which was awesome. After that, we were served lunch, which was a huge feast of really good food. Then the ladies of the village sang for us and made us dance with them. After leaving the village, we took the scenic route back and got to see India's natural beauty instead of the incredibly overpopulated Delhi. I can't say I learned much about Panchayati Raj that day, but it was really amazing.
On Monday, Annu and I met with one of the two directors of SPYM to request funding for different supplies for dressing changes. At first, it was very discouraging and sounded as though they were going to tell the DIC not to do dressing changes anymore, and instead to send clients to a hospital. By the end of the meeting, she handed us 1500 rupees to go and buy whatever medical supplies we thought the DIC would need in the next week until they were able to directly supply the DIC with the recommended supplies.
Yesterday we held the session on dressing changes at the DIC. Because of how the last sessions Christina and I did, I thought a fairly informal approach that left lots of room for questions would be best, so I roughly planned what I wanted to talk about. I thought the session would be for the four outreach workers only. However, when we got there, there were about a dozen clients waiting for the session as well. About ten minutes before beginning, Shalini told Annu and I that there were films being made nearby for SPYM. These films were being made by two other participants in the group (Katrina and Medha) and a contracted producing company on topics such as safe injection and abcess prevention. Shalini then told us they wanted to film our session as well. So not only did our audience increase to five times the size, but the session would be filmed as used for SPYM's training throughout northern India. The session lasted about an hour. For each sentence I spoke in English, Annu translated into Hindi beside me. One of the clients volunteered to let us do his dressing change in front of everyone while explaining everything. I think it went really well. Even though I know there is a very small chance sterile dressing changes will be adapted into their routine practice, hopefully it at least makes the process a little less dirty. Overall, I think it was a really good way to end our placement.
On Monday, Annu and I met with one of the two directors of SPYM to request funding for different supplies for dressing changes. At first, it was very discouraging and sounded as though they were going to tell the DIC not to do dressing changes anymore, and instead to send clients to a hospital. By the end of the meeting, she handed us 1500 rupees to go and buy whatever medical supplies we thought the DIC would need in the next week until they were able to directly supply the DIC with the recommended supplies.
Yesterday we held the session on dressing changes at the DIC. Because of how the last sessions Christina and I did, I thought a fairly informal approach that left lots of room for questions would be best, so I roughly planned what I wanted to talk about. I thought the session would be for the four outreach workers only. However, when we got there, there were about a dozen clients waiting for the session as well. About ten minutes before beginning, Shalini told Annu and I that there were films being made nearby for SPYM. These films were being made by two other participants in the group (Katrina and Medha) and a contracted producing company on topics such as safe injection and abcess prevention. Shalini then told us they wanted to film our session as well. So not only did our audience increase to five times the size, but the session would be filmed as used for SPYM's training throughout northern India. The session lasted about an hour. For each sentence I spoke in English, Annu translated into Hindi beside me. One of the clients volunteered to let us do his dressing change in front of everyone while explaining everything. I think it went really well. Even though I know there is a very small chance sterile dressing changes will be adapted into their routine practice, hopefully it at least makes the process a little less dirty. Overall, I think it was a really good way to end our placement.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
coming back soon
I decided to buy a sari because we're planning a farewell party and the dress is 'formal Indian,' and hopefully I'll be able to come back to India for Annu's wedding. The blouse is currently being made at the tailor's down the street, and I'll be able to pick it up on Monday. I also got a few other shirts and kurtas made, averaging about $6 Canadian for fabric and labour (not bad for a custom fit!).
It finally is starting to feel like I'm leaving soon.... Only eleven sleeps left in India!!! I'm trying to make sure I do and see everything on the many checklists I've made since arriving, and I know there are lots of things I will miss, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to coming home. I remember arriving here and thinking everything was SOOO different, and I was always interpreting and analyzing what was going on around me. Now everything seems more or less 'normal' here. I don't think twice when I see an eight year old digging through garbage looking for things that can be sold, a physically challenged man using his arms to move along the sidewalk, or the many children in the marketplaces asking for money. I am really excited to get back into Canada and go through the same process of questioning everything that I did when I got here. There are definitely things I miss and will appreciate more (hot showers lasting more than three minutes, baking food in an oven, being able to drive places without a two hour traffic jam) and I'm sure there will be things that I have trouble adjusting back to.
It finally is starting to feel like I'm leaving soon.... Only eleven sleeps left in India!!! I'm trying to make sure I do and see everything on the many checklists I've made since arriving, and I know there are lots of things I will miss, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to coming home. I remember arriving here and thinking everything was SOOO different, and I was always interpreting and analyzing what was going on around me. Now everything seems more or less 'normal' here. I don't think twice when I see an eight year old digging through garbage looking for things that can be sold, a physically challenged man using his arms to move along the sidewalk, or the many children in the marketplaces asking for money. I am really excited to get back into Canada and go through the same process of questioning everything that I did when I got here. There are definitely things I miss and will appreciate more (hot showers lasting more than three minutes, baking food in an oven, being able to drive places without a two hour traffic jam) and I'm sure there will be things that I have trouble adjusting back to.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Savita's village - finally I've been to a marriage!
I had a really great week at the DIC. Christina, the nurse from Guelph/Hamilton who is also volunteering for SPYM, came with me to the drop-in centre to discuss safe injecting and abcess managements with the outreach workers and a few clients. We made plans on how to provide a workshop for the outreach workers on dressing changes (primarily for abcesses) but we are very restricted in resources, so it will be a huge challenge.
I spent Saturday evening and this Sunday morning in Annu's mother's village in Harayana. There was a wedding there which we were invited to, so I was FINALLY able to attend an Indian marriage. It was incredibly different from any wedding I've been too. Even though there were a lot of people there, it didn't seem that crowded because the ceremony is so long, not every guest watches every party of the wedding. Also, as opposed to overflowing with joy, the bride and groom look like they want to crawl under a rock and die... I guess I would too if I was marrying someone I had not yet had a conversation with. As expected, there was an abundance of delicious foods, and it was hard so say no when everyone continued to offer more. Because it was a village and tourists don't really go to villages, many people were surprised to see me there. Kids are always the funniest, but lots of young women showed off their English by asking me their name. We slept at Annu's uncle's (mom's brother) family home, and they were very welcoming. This morning, Annu and I 'helped' (watched) her aunt make breakfast, which was made on a cast iron pan over a wood fire. After breakfast, they showed me the hookah they use to smoke tobacco, which is heated by burning cow/buffalo patties - mmmmm!!!! On the way back, we stopped at a 'bird sanctuary' which was a little low on birds, but still a really nice place to walk around. Annu's dad even pulled off a branch from a tree for me to brush my teeth!
I spent Saturday evening and this Sunday morning in Annu's mother's village in Harayana. There was a wedding there which we were invited to, so I was FINALLY able to attend an Indian marriage. It was incredibly different from any wedding I've been too. Even though there were a lot of people there, it didn't seem that crowded because the ceremony is so long, not every guest watches every party of the wedding. Also, as opposed to overflowing with joy, the bride and groom look like they want to crawl under a rock and die... I guess I would too if I was marrying someone I had not yet had a conversation with. As expected, there was an abundance of delicious foods, and it was hard so say no when everyone continued to offer more. Because it was a village and tourists don't really go to villages, many people were surprised to see me there. Kids are always the funniest, but lots of young women showed off their English by asking me their name. We slept at Annu's uncle's (mom's brother) family home, and they were very welcoming. This morning, Annu and I 'helped' (watched) her aunt make breakfast, which was made on a cast iron pan over a wood fire. After breakfast, they showed me the hookah they use to smoke tobacco, which is heated by burning cow/buffalo patties - mmmmm!!!! On the way back, we stopped at a 'bird sanctuary' which was a little low on birds, but still a really nice place to walk around. Annu's dad even pulled off a branch from a tree for me to brush my teeth!
Monday, February 11, 2008
High Commission & EAD
Last Wednesday was our day at the High Commission (Canadian Embassy). The other group was about 2 hours late because they got a flat tire on the way to Delhi. It really felt as though we had entered into Canada for the day. The facility was really nice, with Western architecture and a swimming pool. I had a bit of culture shock seeing so many Caucasians there. For the first hour there, we set up the timeline we had made of pictures from the pre-orientation camp in September to our Indian midproject in Mussoorie. We talked with some of the Canadian employees at the embassy, and found a lot of connections with them (i.e. one man I spoke two had two sons doing their degrees at University of Guelph). Then it was lunchtime, and we all moved downstairs to the restaurant. There was some Indian food (rice, daal, etc) as well as 'Canadian food' (chicken burgers, beef burgers, french fries, lasagna). It was so good to be eating familiar foods. The other Canada World Youth team arrived as we were finishing up our lunch. I think the funniest thing to see was that they (living in a remote village) had all lost weight, and we (living in Delhi where our host families feed us like crazy and then we buy cookies) had all gained weight. The Canadian part of the team was only 4 people big, and compared their program to 'Survivor' since so many people had been kicked out. Lunch was followed by apple crisp and chocolate cake, and we went upstairs for the official part of the day. Each group did a brief presentation on their program so far, and we discussed the challenges and benefits of the program. We learned that because India is no longer consdered a developing country, it is not on CIDA's list of priority countries, and therefore a Canada World Youth program in India looks doubtful past next year. Although the CIDA representative present did not have any direct say over the project funding, she seemed very passionate about encouraging CIDA to continue funding the program.
Last Thursday, I decided to get a haircut, which turned out to be more of an adventure than I would have expected. It's not an easy thing to get your haircut in a foreign language, not to mention the fact that my hair is different than any hair they cut. Although I asked for them to just add layers and not take any of the length, my hair is about 5 inches shorter. Oh well...
Friday was my EAD with Annu, and we went to the Global Open University for the Inauguration of the Panchayati Raj Department. The prochancellor of the university was there, as well as the man from the government's Ministry of Panchayati Raj who I have been communicating with. There were also a few foreign embassadors there to attend the inauguration. It was an interesting insight into the inner workings of the Indian government and parts of the education system. You'll have to ask me about it later when I'm not writing on a public blog.
After the day at the University, the group went to a nearby mall, which was nicer than any mall I've been inside in Canada (the contrast within this country's economy will never cease to shock me). All big brand name stores were there (ie. French Connection) and clothes were at least 10 - 20 times the price as clothes you can buy in the markets. We settled for some 19 rupee (50 cent) gelatto ice cream, and headed for home.
On Saturday, I went with Annu, Barbara, and Aakanksha (another counterpart pair) to Suraj Kund, a craft sale just outside Delhi in Haryana. They have crafts and clothes from all over the country, so I was able to buy typical products from other states. I did a lot of shopping for gifts that day, and bought a lot for myself as well. It was really crowed there, but a very interesting place to be. There were huge colourful carpets and umbrellas hanging everywhere, and all the buildings (i.e shops, food vendors, washrooms) were mud and straw huts.
On Sunday Annu had to work on university applications, so I had a free day to venture out on my own again. I took the bus to SPYM and spent the day with five of the Canadians from the team. We spent most of the day in an autorickshaw because we kept changing our minds about where we wanted to go. I decided to get some dress shirts custom made here, but the tailor others have gone to was in a market that was closed on Sunday.
Today Annu and I are taking leave from our placement to go visit her aunt and go to a market near her house. I plan on buying some fabric to get clothes made, and hopefully check a few more things off my shopping list.
Last Thursday, I decided to get a haircut, which turned out to be more of an adventure than I would have expected. It's not an easy thing to get your haircut in a foreign language, not to mention the fact that my hair is different than any hair they cut. Although I asked for them to just add layers and not take any of the length, my hair is about 5 inches shorter. Oh well...
Friday was my EAD with Annu, and we went to the Global Open University for the Inauguration of the Panchayati Raj Department. The prochancellor of the university was there, as well as the man from the government's Ministry of Panchayati Raj who I have been communicating with. There were also a few foreign embassadors there to attend the inauguration. It was an interesting insight into the inner workings of the Indian government and parts of the education system. You'll have to ask me about it later when I'm not writing on a public blog.
After the day at the University, the group went to a nearby mall, which was nicer than any mall I've been inside in Canada (the contrast within this country's economy will never cease to shock me). All big brand name stores were there (ie. French Connection) and clothes were at least 10 - 20 times the price as clothes you can buy in the markets. We settled for some 19 rupee (50 cent) gelatto ice cream, and headed for home.
On Saturday, I went with Annu, Barbara, and Aakanksha (another counterpart pair) to Suraj Kund, a craft sale just outside Delhi in Haryana. They have crafts and clothes from all over the country, so I was able to buy typical products from other states. I did a lot of shopping for gifts that day, and bought a lot for myself as well. It was really crowed there, but a very interesting place to be. There were huge colourful carpets and umbrellas hanging everywhere, and all the buildings (i.e shops, food vendors, washrooms) were mud and straw huts.
On Sunday Annu had to work on university applications, so I had a free day to venture out on my own again. I took the bus to SPYM and spent the day with five of the Canadians from the team. We spent most of the day in an autorickshaw because we kept changing our minds about where we wanted to go. I decided to get some dress shirts custom made here, but the tailor others have gone to was in a market that was closed on Sunday.
Today Annu and I are taking leave from our placement to go visit her aunt and go to a market near her house. I plan on buying some fabric to get clothes made, and hopefully check a few more things off my shopping list.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Taj Mahal!
Yesterday, almost the entire group (all but 3 participants and one project supervisor) got on a train in the very early morning to go to Agra for a day of sightseeing. We arrived at around 10am and spent a while bargaining with taxi and rickshaw drivers. In the end, we agreed with a few rickshaw drivers for each person to pay 50 rupees ($1.25) for the entire day of service. We started off by going to a restaurant, which unfortunately turned out to be terrible food (but that’s a first so far in India). Then we went to the Taj Mahal, and I paid 750 rupees to get in. As it was a weekend, there were A LOT of tourists there, but it was still an amazing experience. I think the best part is that I’ve seen so many images of it my whole life, and never thought I would actually see it, but there I was. The group wandered around for almost two hours, taking lots and lots of pictures, and we met back at the rickshaws to head to Agra Fort. On the way there, we stopped at a very high quality marble store, where supposed descendants of those who built the Taj Mahal carve and designed marble table tops, boxes, elephants, etc. with inlayed precious stones. It was interesting to see the process, but the prices for even the smallest pieces were expensive by any standard. After looking around, we continued on our trip to Agra Fort. Agra Fort was another 250 rupees for the foreigners in the group, and so a few of us decided to keep travelling around. We went to Mughal Gardens and walked around for about 10 minutes, then decided it was time to go get food. It took three attempts to find a good restaurant, taking a rickshaw from one to the next, and finally we found a cheap restaurant with possibly the best food I’ve had so far. We met back at the train station at 6pm and headed for home.Today, Annu and I went to the a university which is planning to introduce a Panchayati Raj Department of studies, and has invited us to its inauguration on Friday. We got a tour of the area and finalized plans for Friday. Then they had the driver take us all the way home (a 90 minute trip). Wednesday the group is going to the Canadian Embassy to present our program to the officials there. We will be seeing the other Canada World Youth group that we were with during the pre-orientation camp in September for the first time. They have already lost 5 out of 9 of the Canadian participants! We created a ‘timeline’ of pictures, and two participants from our group will be speaking at the event.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
only 5 weeks to go!
There isn't much to update you on in the last week. We had a great group day last Friday. I presented the proposal for work in the villages to the group and everyone seemed really keen. We will meet at a university next Friday (Feb 8) where we will be introduced to many important people working with the village governments. On Saturday (Jan 26) we stayed in and watched the Republic Day on TV, which was really long, but interesting and without bomb blasts. The past few days at the DIC were fairly uneventful, except we had our Canadian project supervisor visit, and I did a few dressing changes.
I was going to be going to the Taj Mahal in Agra this coming Saturday and then a wedding on the Sunday, but we were unable to book train tickets to Agra for the whole group on Saturday so now we're going on Sunday and missing the marriage. Hopefully I get to see one before going home!
I was going to be going to the Taj Mahal in Agra this coming Saturday and then a wedding on the Sunday, but we were unable to book train tickets to Agra for the whole group on Saturday so now we're going on Sunday and missing the marriage. Hopefully I get to see one before going home!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Mussoorie!
Last week was fairly uneventful at the DIC. On Friday, we had our usual EAD at the SPYM main office in the morning. In the afternoon we had a mock trial for a case involving negligent transmission of HIV that turned out to be really interesting. That night, we left on a night train for a small town in the mountains northeast of Delhi, called Mussoorie, for our mid-project. The train station in Delhi was probably the most disgusting place I’ve ever been in my whole life. It was really crowded with very dirty people, and there were huge rats digging through garbage on the tracks beside us. The train was much better than the station, but we still all had the sense we were being taken to a concentration camp somewhere. The car we were on was called a sleeper, and the seats fold out into benches you can sleep on. I put my wallet, camera, and passport in my sleeping bag while I slept, because there was no way to secure my bag. The train took about 10 hours to reach Dehradun and we took a bus from there to get to the youth hostel just outside of Mussoorie. The drive up was more thrilling than any roller coaster I’ve ever been on, because the bus didn’t seem to slow down at all for 90+ degree turns even though the dropoff was at least a few hundred feet at all times, and the road was barely wide enough to avoid oncoming traffic. At least we were bigger than most vehicles we passed. The hostel was pretty nice, besides the fact it was freezing, and we were the only ones there. On the Saturday morning we spent our time settling in. Then in the afternoon we got back on the bus and headed to Mussoorie to see the town and do a bit of shopping. The town was super-nice. Like Delhi, it had a strong culture, however it was MUCH cleaner. We could only imagine how incredible the view was, since it was really foggy out, and we could barely see 20 feet in front of us. On Sunday we stayed at the hostel doing team-building activities and catching up with each other. Monday we went back to Mussoorie and hiked up a path to a place called Gun Point. There was no fog Monday, and we were able to see snowy mountain tops in the distance (the Himalayas!). We stopped for about a one-hour photo shoot, complete with traditional Indian costumes we rented for 50 cents. Even though I’m sure we all could’ve stayed there all day, we hiked back down, got on the bus for another adrenaline rush, and went to a beautiful waterfall. On the way to the waterfall, we saw lots of monkeys, which always makes me happy. The waterfall took a bit of hiking to get to, but was well worth it. Apparently in the summer lots of people go swimming under the falls, but at that temperature we probably would’ve suffered pretty severe hypothermia. The bus took us back to Dehradun, where we ate at a small hotel restaurant with surprisingly good food. Then we got back on the train and arrived in Delhi early Tuesday morning.
Last Thursday on the way to my volunteer placement, I met a man on the metro who is a National Coordinator for the ministry dealing with village development in the Indian Government. He gave me his business card, and Annu and I went to meet him yesterday. He seems keen on networking with SPYM and sending some or all of us to a tribal village in Madhya Pradesh (a state south of here) to help with some aspect of development (infrastructure, health care, sanitation, exporting goods). It seems really promising, and I’ll talk to the group and SPYM to find out more tomorrow.
As a group, we are also trying to plan a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. As we try to figure out all these plans, I’m starting to count down the weekends until I’m home, which doesn’t seem so far away!
Last Thursday on the way to my volunteer placement, I met a man on the metro who is a National Coordinator for the ministry dealing with village development in the Indian Government. He gave me his business card, and Annu and I went to meet him yesterday. He seems keen on networking with SPYM and sending some or all of us to a tribal village in Madhya Pradesh (a state south of here) to help with some aspect of development (infrastructure, health care, sanitation, exporting goods). It seems really promising, and I’ll talk to the group and SPYM to find out more tomorrow.
As a group, we are also trying to plan a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. As we try to figure out all these plans, I’m starting to count down the weekends until I’m home, which doesn’t seem so far away!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
i can't think of a title right now
Last Friday afternoon (Jan 4), the whole group went to a few Mandirs (Hindu Temples) together, which was really nice as we haven’t been able to do much as a group. The architecture here will never cease to amaze me. On Saturday I went to the zoo with Annu, Amrit, and Jenny. It was for the most part like any other zoo I’ve ever been to, except all the plants and birds were different. I expected to see elephants and tigers that would be happier than those in zoos in North America, but I can’t say they looked too different. It was nevertheless a good experience. Monday was a typical day of outreach at the Drop-in Centre. We did a few house visits and spoke with family members of clients at the DIC. At the first house we went to, the wife of our client offered to get chai and disappeared. Within 5 minutes of arriving, there were almost a dozen people (women and children) around Annu, Tekchand ji (the outreach worker), and I, asking questions and telling me I should move to India and get married here. The chai came about 30 minutes later, and I found out that the client’s wife took so long because she had to milk their cow before making the chai. Needless to say, it was very good chai.
Each day, the clients at the DIC receive free food from the Iskcon Temple. So, on Tuesday, we went to the temple to thank the man who is in charge of the ‘Food for Life’ program. We weren’t able to go inside the temple as it was closed at the time we were there, but it was still great to see. The Iskcon Temple is just behind the famous Lotus Temple (aka Bahaí Temple) so we went there right after. Then we left to meet the group at a huge convention center, where we observed a videoconference on trade between India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal. Representatives from each country spoke about their needs and the barriers they face for trade, and how they could motivate their governments to work together to improve the logistical constraints they were facing. It was a really amazing exposure to many concepts I would not normally think about.
Yesterday (Wednesday), Annu and I went to do some outreach work with Tekchand ji in another area of Delhi. I don’t know the name of the colony, but it is apparently the largest (by area) in Asia. It has been around about 25 years, and they had still not yet completed many of the roads in the area. It was obviously not a place where tourists go, because many people seemed very surprised to see me there. When we went in the house of a client, everyone again crowded around me, practicing their English to ask me my name, where I was from, etc. It’s really a bizarre experience for people to be so fascinated with me because I’m a foreigner. Tekchand ji was going to be staying longer, so he had two boys take us to the bus stop where we needed to catch the bus to go home. We followed them through crowded streets and narrow alleys, hoping Tekchand wouldn’t send us with people he couldn’t trust, and they eventually got us out to the main road where the bus stop was. They even got on the bus with us, made sure we got seats, and told the bus driver where we needed to go. That was good service. It took us almost three hours to get home, and we have guests coming for dinner, so we decided to take a leave from our placement today. We leave for our mid-project one week from today, which means we’re almost at the halfway point already!
Each day, the clients at the DIC receive free food from the Iskcon Temple. So, on Tuesday, we went to the temple to thank the man who is in charge of the ‘Food for Life’ program. We weren’t able to go inside the temple as it was closed at the time we were there, but it was still great to see. The Iskcon Temple is just behind the famous Lotus Temple (aka Bahaí Temple) so we went there right after. Then we left to meet the group at a huge convention center, where we observed a videoconference on trade between India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal. Representatives from each country spoke about their needs and the barriers they face for trade, and how they could motivate their governments to work together to improve the logistical constraints they were facing. It was a really amazing exposure to many concepts I would not normally think about.
Yesterday (Wednesday), Annu and I went to do some outreach work with Tekchand ji in another area of Delhi. I don’t know the name of the colony, but it is apparently the largest (by area) in Asia. It has been around about 25 years, and they had still not yet completed many of the roads in the area. It was obviously not a place where tourists go, because many people seemed very surprised to see me there. When we went in the house of a client, everyone again crowded around me, practicing their English to ask me my name, where I was from, etc. It’s really a bizarre experience for people to be so fascinated with me because I’m a foreigner. Tekchand ji was going to be staying longer, so he had two boys take us to the bus stop where we needed to catch the bus to go home. We followed them through crowded streets and narrow alleys, hoping Tekchand wouldn’t send us with people he couldn’t trust, and they eventually got us out to the main road where the bus stop was. They even got on the bus with us, made sure we got seats, and told the bus driver where we needed to go. That was good service. It took us almost three hours to get home, and we have guests coming for dinner, so we decided to take a leave from our placement today. We leave for our mid-project one week from today, which means we’re almost at the halfway point already!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Happy New Year!
I went to an internet cafe on Wednesday, but it wouldn't let me log in to my blog, so I'm giving a quick update from the SPYM Office now. We got together as a group for Christmas, did a secret santa exchange, and had a pretty good time. Obviously it was nothing like Christmas at home though! On Christmas day we went to a small slum area to facilitate some games with kids there, which was a really different way to do outreach than what I've been used to. Last Friday we went to Lal Kuan, which is where they have the drop-in for MSM ('men who have sex with men,' and they had a dance show for us, which was entertaining to say the least. On the way back from it my wallet was stolen on a bus. I only had the equivalent of about $12.50 in it, and no important cards, so it was a best-case-scenario for being pick-pocketed from, and I'm sure whoever took it was disappointed. Last Saturday, I went to India Gate with Amrit and Jenny. It was my first time venturing out in Delhi independently, and I made it home safe. This week I had a very low key New Years celebration at home - Annu's parents went to sleep and Annu and I just talked until midnight, wished each other a happy new year, and went to sleep. Wednesday was a really good day at our placement, and I took lots of pictures for a change because I realize if I don't start taking pictures soon, I'll regret it when I come home. We did 3 home visits, and saw more people injecting, which always makes the day more interesting. Today was our real EAD and is ending early, so we're going to regroup and make plans for the weekend.
Also, I figured out where to buy and send postcards, so if you want one, email me your address!
Also, I figured out where to buy and send postcards, so if you want one, email me your address!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
long but worth it!
The last week has been very exciting, and I have a lot to share, so sorry for the length.
Last Monday at the DIC, one of the clients needed a dressing change done on the back of his left hand. The volunteer coordinator (Shalini ji) asked me to observe how it is done, and offer some advice on how they could do dressing changes better. I went over to where the client was, and the nurse and outreach workers gave me a chair and asked me to do the dressing. The supplies they had were gloves, chlorohexidine, hydrogen peroxide, anti-bacterial ointment, cotton balls, and gauze bandage to wrap around his hand. I was taking all the precautions to keep the gloves and materials sterile and the site clean. However, they had set the cotton balls down directly on the chair beside me, and then passed them to me with their bare hands (which could not have been washed recently as they do not keep soap anywhere in the DIC). I didn’t know what to do as there was no way, especially with the language barrier, to do the dressing change as it needed to be done. Afterwards, I was asked to create a set of instructions (which Annu will translate into Hindi) for the outreach workers to use when they are in the field in case a dressing change needs to be done and the client cannot come to the center to see the nurse. I am going to ask SPYM if there’s any way to get more/different materials to do dressing changes.
After doing the dressing change, we went out with one of the outreach workers and a client who is still on buprenorphine but wants to become an outreach worker. We walked about 20 minutes to Lodi road, where we found four young men smacking (smoking heroine) behind some tall grass that was beside the road. We snuck back and crouched down to also hide. They were really nice, letting me take a few pictures, and even offered us some chai (which I’m not sure how they were going to make). The outreach worker, Sanjay, was telling them about the DIC and its services when two men approached, I guess having seen me (I stand out too much to hide anywhere). They were undercover police officers, and were hoping they had busted a tourist buying drugs. When they found out I was with the outreach workers, they left. Later I learned it is very common for police to simply take money from drug-users when they find them as a bribe not to press charges. I have heard many times that the police system here is very corrupt.
On Wednesday, we learned Vahid would be the third volunteer at our placement instead of Manish, as he worked there before the program began, and they needed him to help them figure out how to prevent people from sneaking off with the buprenorphine and injecting it. We went to McDonalds after (which sells no beef, and has Indian spices in the chicken burgers) so Vahid could get some ice cream. There was a white girl in the line behind me who seemed pretty excited to see me, and asked where I was from etc. She was from Michigan and here for her cousins wedding. She asked Annu and Vahid if they were from New Delhi, and then if they knew her cousins new husband, also from New Delhi. I told her the population of New Delhi is like the population of Canada, and that the chances were next to nothing. Either way, it was fun talking to someone from close to home.
On Thursday morning Annu and I were both coming down with a bit of a cold, so we decided it was better for us to call in sick and take it easy for the day. In the late morning, we walked down the road to a video store to rent a movie. The video store was a small room with four computers (it doubled as an internet café) and about 150 DVD cases on the wall. We asked about VCDs, and the man pulled out a couple shoeboxes full of burned copies of movies. It was 30 rupees (approx 75 cents) to rent one for a day, and the one we got had four different movies on it. I asked Annu if that was legal here and she said no, but no one cares. We walked around a little more to buy popcorn, and passed by a bank with a guard in front. Except the guard was more like a guy in scruffy clothes holding a shotgun.
Friday was a Muslim holiday. Everyone had the day off work/school, so we went to Jaipur for Friday and Saturday. It was about a four hour drive, and we rented a larger car with a driver to take us there. The roads are absolutely insane here. It feels like there’s a near collision every ten seconds, and no one wears seatbelts unless their passing a police officer. People also honk A LOT here and it’s not considered rude at all. In fact, ‘horn please’ is painted on the back of almost every truck so they don’t have to look in their mirrors to know you’re coming.
When we got to Jaipur, we went to visit a couple who owns the apartment next to Annu’s, but lives in Jaipur. They had a large house with all white marble floors (which is much cheaper and more common here), two large balconies, and a terrace. They have a son and a daughter who weren’t home, but she invited all of us (including me!) to her son’s wedding February 1. After having chai and sweets at their house, we went Choki Dhani. It’s set up like a little village, and you pay admission, which includes a buffet dinner and lots of shows (balancing acts, magicians, music and dancing, etc.). They also had camel rides and elephant rides, and I got to ride both. The wait in the camel ride line was taking a long time, and didn’t seem to be moving at all. Then we found out people were bribing the man who was helping everyone on to the camels so they could skip the line. Annu’s dad, along with a few others, stayed at the front of the line and made sure no one bribed the man, and finally the line started moving.
After about four hours of roaming around the village, we left to check into our hotel. Annu’s parents went in, checked the room, paid, and called us in from the car. When they saw me come in, they asked me for my passport. I hadn’t brought it with me (SPYM holds onto them so we don’t lose them while we’re here) but I offered them a photocopy of it. They said that was not good enough and said I could not stay there. So we got the money back and went to find another hotel. Annu found out later that three tourists went missing from a hotel in Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) and the hotel was held responsible, so hotel owners have become very strict on policies for foreigners. We found another hotel that said it was okay for me to stay there, but made it quite clear that they were not responsible if anything happened to me.
On Saturday, we saw so many temples and forts. It became a bit of a joke because my admission was always at least triple and up to five times more than everyone else in Annu’s family. I think having different prices for Indians and tourists makes sense so India can profit from the tourist industry but still allow Indians to see everything, but it was Annu’s family paying for me so I felt bad for costing so much more. The places we saw were the Birla Temple (a temple made completely of white marble), the Hawa Mahal (aka Palace of Winds because it has around 300 windows), Jal Mahal (water palace, which now sits in a man made lake), Jaigahr Fort, and Amer Palace (where the King and Queen once lived, protected by Jaigahr Fort). After our long day of sight-seeing, and before our long drive, we went for some chai and had a few snacks. We also went to use the washroom before the long drive. There was a little hut that had a ‘use and pay’ policy, and Annu’s dad paid for us after she and I had already gone back to the car. When her parents came to the car they were laughing a lot, and I asked what happened. They said it was one rupee each to use the toilets, except for me it was ten!
Last Monday at the DIC, one of the clients needed a dressing change done on the back of his left hand. The volunteer coordinator (Shalini ji) asked me to observe how it is done, and offer some advice on how they could do dressing changes better. I went over to where the client was, and the nurse and outreach workers gave me a chair and asked me to do the dressing. The supplies they had were gloves, chlorohexidine, hydrogen peroxide, anti-bacterial ointment, cotton balls, and gauze bandage to wrap around his hand. I was taking all the precautions to keep the gloves and materials sterile and the site clean. However, they had set the cotton balls down directly on the chair beside me, and then passed them to me with their bare hands (which could not have been washed recently as they do not keep soap anywhere in the DIC). I didn’t know what to do as there was no way, especially with the language barrier, to do the dressing change as it needed to be done. Afterwards, I was asked to create a set of instructions (which Annu will translate into Hindi) for the outreach workers to use when they are in the field in case a dressing change needs to be done and the client cannot come to the center to see the nurse. I am going to ask SPYM if there’s any way to get more/different materials to do dressing changes.
After doing the dressing change, we went out with one of the outreach workers and a client who is still on buprenorphine but wants to become an outreach worker. We walked about 20 minutes to Lodi road, where we found four young men smacking (smoking heroine) behind some tall grass that was beside the road. We snuck back and crouched down to also hide. They were really nice, letting me take a few pictures, and even offered us some chai (which I’m not sure how they were going to make). The outreach worker, Sanjay, was telling them about the DIC and its services when two men approached, I guess having seen me (I stand out too much to hide anywhere). They were undercover police officers, and were hoping they had busted a tourist buying drugs. When they found out I was with the outreach workers, they left. Later I learned it is very common for police to simply take money from drug-users when they find them as a bribe not to press charges. I have heard many times that the police system here is very corrupt.
On Wednesday, we learned Vahid would be the third volunteer at our placement instead of Manish, as he worked there before the program began, and they needed him to help them figure out how to prevent people from sneaking off with the buprenorphine and injecting it. We went to McDonalds after (which sells no beef, and has Indian spices in the chicken burgers) so Vahid could get some ice cream. There was a white girl in the line behind me who seemed pretty excited to see me, and asked where I was from etc. She was from Michigan and here for her cousins wedding. She asked Annu and Vahid if they were from New Delhi, and then if they knew her cousins new husband, also from New Delhi. I told her the population of New Delhi is like the population of Canada, and that the chances were next to nothing. Either way, it was fun talking to someone from close to home.
On Thursday morning Annu and I were both coming down with a bit of a cold, so we decided it was better for us to call in sick and take it easy for the day. In the late morning, we walked down the road to a video store to rent a movie. The video store was a small room with four computers (it doubled as an internet café) and about 150 DVD cases on the wall. We asked about VCDs, and the man pulled out a couple shoeboxes full of burned copies of movies. It was 30 rupees (approx 75 cents) to rent one for a day, and the one we got had four different movies on it. I asked Annu if that was legal here and she said no, but no one cares. We walked around a little more to buy popcorn, and passed by a bank with a guard in front. Except the guard was more like a guy in scruffy clothes holding a shotgun.
Friday was a Muslim holiday. Everyone had the day off work/school, so we went to Jaipur for Friday and Saturday. It was about a four hour drive, and we rented a larger car with a driver to take us there. The roads are absolutely insane here. It feels like there’s a near collision every ten seconds, and no one wears seatbelts unless their passing a police officer. People also honk A LOT here and it’s not considered rude at all. In fact, ‘horn please’ is painted on the back of almost every truck so they don’t have to look in their mirrors to know you’re coming.
When we got to Jaipur, we went to visit a couple who owns the apartment next to Annu’s, but lives in Jaipur. They had a large house with all white marble floors (which is much cheaper and more common here), two large balconies, and a terrace. They have a son and a daughter who weren’t home, but she invited all of us (including me!) to her son’s wedding February 1. After having chai and sweets at their house, we went Choki Dhani. It’s set up like a little village, and you pay admission, which includes a buffet dinner and lots of shows (balancing acts, magicians, music and dancing, etc.). They also had camel rides and elephant rides, and I got to ride both. The wait in the camel ride line was taking a long time, and didn’t seem to be moving at all. Then we found out people were bribing the man who was helping everyone on to the camels so they could skip the line. Annu’s dad, along with a few others, stayed at the front of the line and made sure no one bribed the man, and finally the line started moving.
After about four hours of roaming around the village, we left to check into our hotel. Annu’s parents went in, checked the room, paid, and called us in from the car. When they saw me come in, they asked me for my passport. I hadn’t brought it with me (SPYM holds onto them so we don’t lose them while we’re here) but I offered them a photocopy of it. They said that was not good enough and said I could not stay there. So we got the money back and went to find another hotel. Annu found out later that three tourists went missing from a hotel in Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) and the hotel was held responsible, so hotel owners have become very strict on policies for foreigners. We found another hotel that said it was okay for me to stay there, but made it quite clear that they were not responsible if anything happened to me.
On Saturday, we saw so many temples and forts. It became a bit of a joke because my admission was always at least triple and up to five times more than everyone else in Annu’s family. I think having different prices for Indians and tourists makes sense so India can profit from the tourist industry but still allow Indians to see everything, but it was Annu’s family paying for me so I felt bad for costing so much more. The places we saw were the Birla Temple (a temple made completely of white marble), the Hawa Mahal (aka Palace of Winds because it has around 300 windows), Jal Mahal (water palace, which now sits in a man made lake), Jaigahr Fort, and Amer Palace (where the King and Queen once lived, protected by Jaigahr Fort). After our long day of sight-seeing, and before our long drive, we went for some chai and had a few snacks. We also went to use the washroom before the long drive. There was a little hut that had a ‘use and pay’ policy, and Annu’s dad paid for us after she and I had already gone back to the car. When her parents came to the car they were laughing a lot, and I asked what happened. They said it was one rupee each to use the toilets, except for me it was ten!
Friday, December 14, 2007
First Entry in India
I have arrived safely, and spent a week in New Delhi, though it feels like I've been here a lot longer. My volunteer placement is at SPYM's Drop-In Centre for IDUs (IV Drug Users) with Annu and Manish. There are 35 clients there on a daily medication to reduce cravings for opiods. It's has a fairly modern 'harm reduction' approach which is similar to ways of thinking in Canada. Another part of our job is to go around with the outreach workers and look for people injecting so we can offer them safe needles, etc. My first day there (Wednesday) we found three boys (youngest about 11) injecting near some train tracks. We passed by a little village and about twenty kids came out and followed me around for a while. Everyone in the little villages seems to think I'm either there to give them money or take pictures, which is pretty amusing.
As for exploring around Delhi, there are lots of things I have learned.
1) If I want things for good prices (clothes in a market or an auto to take me there) it's better for me to hide and Annu to bargain before they see me.
2) You have to look ahead when you walk so you don't run into a cow, and down so you don't step in their mess.
3) Cars drive on the left side of the road... usually.
4) Seeing one car accident a day isn't too bad.
5) Dogs in India are better at crossing the road than Canadian people in India.
6) You can't be sure whether the milk in your glass came from a cow or a buffalo.
7) A bath is actually a shower where you put all your hot water in a large bucket and then scoop it onto yourself with a smaller bucket.
8) Toilet paper is an unnecessary luxery of the western world.
9) Staple food includes rice bread and potatoes (at every meal)
10) Knowing the name of your food is not critical to enjoying it.
That's all for now. Please email me so I know what you're up to!
As for exploring around Delhi, there are lots of things I have learned.
1) If I want things for good prices (clothes in a market or an auto to take me there) it's better for me to hide and Annu to bargain before they see me.
2) You have to look ahead when you walk so you don't run into a cow, and down so you don't step in their mess.
3) Cars drive on the left side of the road... usually.
4) Seeing one car accident a day isn't too bad.
5) Dogs in India are better at crossing the road than Canadian people in India.
6) You can't be sure whether the milk in your glass came from a cow or a buffalo.
7) A bath is actually a shower where you put all your hot water in a large bucket and then scoop it onto yourself with a smaller bucket.
8) Toilet paper is an unnecessary luxery of the western world.
9) Staple food includes rice bread and potatoes (at every meal)
10) Knowing the name of your food is not critical to enjoying it.
That's all for now. Please email me so I know what you're up to!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
leaving today!
I leave Hamilton in about three hours, and am busy finishing up packing, so I can't write much! I will arrive to India super-late on Friday night, and hopefully will have access to a computer to let you know how the first few days went - I'm sure I'll have a lot to say at that point!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Leaving in 10 days!!
I think today is the day it clicked that, yes, I am actually going to India. I'm starting to have the same feelings of fear and hesitancy that I did on the days leading up to the start of the program. All the things that I need to do before I go are becoming more and more urgent; I'm starting to think about when I need to take my Dukoral vaccine and start my malaria pills; I'm beginning to realize a lot of what I assumed I would do before leaving is just not going to happen. I also wish I knew a lot more Hindi than I know, and I'm better off than most other Canadians for that.
The Canadian participants got together at the end of our normal day at the AIDS Network and discussed our hopes and fears about the Indian phase. For the most part, I'm obviously really excited, but at the same time feel like I will give up so much of my independence when I go. I'm also a really long (sketchy) bus ride from the other participants, so I'm worried I'll be really isolated. I will be living with Annu's family for sure, which is not ideal but I'd rather be there than at the SPYM guest house without my counterpart as some Canadians will be.
Today we also read a copy of an email a girl visiting New Delhi wrote home to her family and friends about her initial impressions of the city, most of which were not good. It lead to some interesting discussion about how we will perceive everything in the context of what we already know as normal, and therefore we are much less likely to see the reality of our new environment. I'll have to keep that in mind before I tell you all about the 'crazy' things I see!
Tomorrow I'll be presenting a session on STIs to the Rainbow Drop-In group, which was one of my favourite experiences here. Wednesday will be my last day of volunteer placement at HIFY. I'll be presenting 'Healthy Relationships' to a group of immigrant women at a centre downtown Hamilton, then back to help in the clinic and observe Risk Reduction one more time.
The Canadian participants got together at the end of our normal day at the AIDS Network and discussed our hopes and fears about the Indian phase. For the most part, I'm obviously really excited, but at the same time feel like I will give up so much of my independence when I go. I'm also a really long (sketchy) bus ride from the other participants, so I'm worried I'll be really isolated. I will be living with Annu's family for sure, which is not ideal but I'd rather be there than at the SPYM guest house without my counterpart as some Canadians will be.
Today we also read a copy of an email a girl visiting New Delhi wrote home to her family and friends about her initial impressions of the city, most of which were not good. It lead to some interesting discussion about how we will perceive everything in the context of what we already know as normal, and therefore we are much less likely to see the reality of our new environment. I'll have to keep that in mind before I tell you all about the 'crazy' things I see!
Tomorrow I'll be presenting a session on STIs to the Rainbow Drop-In group, which was one of my favourite experiences here. Wednesday will be my last day of volunteer placement at HIFY. I'll be presenting 'Healthy Relationships' to a group of immigrant women at a centre downtown Hamilton, then back to help in the clinic and observe Risk Reduction one more time.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sorry I forgot about this thing
So I haven't written in my blog for over a month. Oops. I guess things started to slow down and settle into more of a routine since right after my last post, but then picked up so quickly I didn't have time to post another.
On Wednesday, Jenny, Vahid, and I presented our HIV/AIDS session to the group at HIFY, which went pretty well but needed some modification after. I will be preparing and presenting a workshop on healthy relationships and self esteem to a small (10-12) group of immigrant women from all around the world. Apparantly their English is VERY basic, so they won't answer any questions I ask them and won't read anything I have written, so that should be a good challenge.
We had our mid-project activity at Crieff (so close to Guelph!) the last weekend in October. All 20 of us (18 participants + 2 project supervisors) lived in the same gigantic house and took turns cooking meals, etc. It was pretty awesome, and I wish we were all living together in one house in India (apparantly they've done this in the past). Instead it sounds like we'll be really spread out over the gigantic city, and might not see too much of each other anymore.
Since my last post we also helped out at a conference in Toronto called the Global Citizens Forum about creating social change through a variety of means (i.e. photography, documentary making, etc.). It was really interesting and I met a lot of really cool people who were doing a lot within their own lives to make a difference. For example, there was a man from Almonte (a really small town near Brendan's cottage I canoed through last summer) who went to Haiti with 30 disposable cameras, taught kids how to use them, and sold the pictures back in Canada as a fundraiser for their community.
As the days countdown to leave for India (19 to go!), I've really been realizing the importance of this phase of the program, and am trying to appreciate every day for what it's worth. Today Sharon is taking Annu and I up to Gravenhurst to visit her daughter and grandchildren and we will be back tomorrow in time for a movie night with the girls from the program.
I'll try to blog again soon! :)
On Wednesday, Jenny, Vahid, and I presented our HIV/AIDS session to the group at HIFY, which went pretty well but needed some modification after. I will be preparing and presenting a workshop on healthy relationships and self esteem to a small (10-12) group of immigrant women from all around the world. Apparantly their English is VERY basic, so they won't answer any questions I ask them and won't read anything I have written, so that should be a good challenge.
We had our mid-project activity at Crieff (so close to Guelph!) the last weekend in October. All 20 of us (18 participants + 2 project supervisors) lived in the same gigantic house and took turns cooking meals, etc. It was pretty awesome, and I wish we were all living together in one house in India (apparantly they've done this in the past). Instead it sounds like we'll be really spread out over the gigantic city, and might not see too much of each other anymore.
Since my last post we also helped out at a conference in Toronto called the Global Citizens Forum about creating social change through a variety of means (i.e. photography, documentary making, etc.). It was really interesting and I met a lot of really cool people who were doing a lot within their own lives to make a difference. For example, there was a man from Almonte (a really small town near Brendan's cottage I canoed through last summer) who went to Haiti with 30 disposable cameras, taught kids how to use them, and sold the pictures back in Canada as a fundraiser for their community.
As the days countdown to leave for India (19 to go!), I've really been realizing the importance of this phase of the program, and am trying to appreciate every day for what it's worth. Today Sharon is taking Annu and I up to Gravenhurst to visit her daughter and grandchildren and we will be back tomorrow in time for a movie night with the girls from the program.
I'll try to blog again soon! :)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
One month down, five to go.
This past weekend was packed with birthday celebrations and turkey dinners. My cold has finally gone away after two weeks. AND I managed to extend my free gym membership another two weeks.
We found out all the CWY participants will be helping out with a conference in Toronto on October 25-27 and Annu and I will be staying with a close high school friend, so I'm excited to see her and get out of Hamilton for a couple days.
I'm still loving my volunteer placement. On Tuesday Chip took me with him to Parkview, a small (300 student) vocational school where HIFY runs the Risk Reduction program as a scheduled course for a small number of students. On Wednesday I again helped run the internal (at HIFY) Risk Reduction program on STIs. Today (Thursday) we had six girls from a local youth home in to see the clinic and ask questions. It's really interesting to interact so frequently with a demographic of the population that I have had such little exposure to, especially in this context, and I really appreciate the challenges it brings.
We found out all the CWY participants will be helping out with a conference in Toronto on October 25-27 and Annu and I will be staying with a close high school friend, so I'm excited to see her and get out of Hamilton for a couple days.
I'm still loving my volunteer placement. On Tuesday Chip took me with him to Parkview, a small (300 student) vocational school where HIFY runs the Risk Reduction program as a scheduled course for a small number of students. On Wednesday I again helped run the internal (at HIFY) Risk Reduction program on STIs. Today (Thursday) we had six girls from a local youth home in to see the clinic and ask questions. It's really interesting to interact so frequently with a demographic of the population that I have had such little exposure to, especially in this context, and I really appreciate the challenges it brings.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Settling into HIFY
So I've had a cold for about 9 days and it SUCKS. I haven't blogged because I've been sick and tired, and I've also realized that a lot of what I have to say is not appropriate to put on here, so if you want the real deal you will just have to email me.
I'm FINALLY getting established at my volunteer placement. I've been doing everything the nurses working there do, like pregnancy tests (so far all negative), STI screens, and just recently starting girls on birth control! It's really different from anything I've ever done, but I really like it. It's really frustrating to see some of the things that kids out there are doing, like sex trade and trying to get pregnant at fourteen. But you do what you can.
I've also been helping out with the workshops run through HIFY. Last night I co-facilitated a session on 'Safer Sex' for nineteen youth aged 14-18, many of which are street-involved. It went pretty well for being my first time doing anything like that, and I look forward to helping with a few more.
Tomorrow I'm going with Sharon (my host mom) and Annu (my counterpart) to Niagara Falls. Saturday dinner will be with the all the CWY participants, and Sunday dinner will be with Sharon's family.
I'm FINALLY getting established at my volunteer placement. I've been doing everything the nurses working there do, like pregnancy tests (so far all negative), STI screens, and just recently starting girls on birth control! It's really different from anything I've ever done, but I really like it. It's really frustrating to see some of the things that kids out there are doing, like sex trade and trying to get pregnant at fourteen. But you do what you can.
I've also been helping out with the workshops run through HIFY. Last night I co-facilitated a session on 'Safer Sex' for nineteen youth aged 14-18, many of which are street-involved. It went pretty well for being my first time doing anything like that, and I look forward to helping with a few more.
Tomorrow I'm going with Sharon (my host mom) and Annu (my counterpart) to Niagara Falls. Saturday dinner will be with the all the CWY participants, and Sunday dinner will be with Sharon's family.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
So today I....
...walked the AIDS Walk route two more times.
...was on local TV promoting the AIDS Walk.
...went out for amazing (& cheap) Vietnamese food.
...met with the physician at HIFY.
...got permission from the Executive Director and the President of the Board at HIFY to practice as an RN at HIFY.
...got the physician to change the wording on the medical directives to include me in being able to prescribe and renew prescriptions for birth control (OCP/patch/nuva ring/depo) at HIFY.
...met Silken Laumann (and got her autograph and a picture with her).
And tomorrow... Tiger Cats game!!
...was on local TV promoting the AIDS Walk.
...went out for amazing (& cheap) Vietnamese food.
...met with the physician at HIFY.
...got permission from the Executive Director and the President of the Board at HIFY to practice as an RN at HIFY.
...got the physician to change the wording on the medical directives to include me in being able to prescribe and renew prescriptions for birth control (OCP/patch/nuva ring/depo) at HIFY.
...met Silken Laumann (and got her autograph and a picture with her).
And tomorrow... Tiger Cats game!!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Working, Finally!!!
The last week has been a slow one. Each day I've been anxiously waiting to get involved and actually start getting some work done, which finally came today! I've been placed at HIFY (Health Initiatives For Youth, Hamilton) for Tuesday - Thursday of each week. It was the most relevant to nursing, and seems like it will be a good fit. Each day Tuesday to Friday HIFY runs a clinic for three hours, primarily for young girls under 20, but has services for everyone. There are two nurses - an RN and an RPN - who work during the clinic hours and they both seem great. I'll also be helping with two weekly programs, a Rainbow Drop-In each Tuesday for two hours for LGBTQ youth, and a Risk Reduction program for youth who have, for the most part been court-ordered to attend. In the rest of the time I'm at HIFY, I'll be working with two other CWY participants (Jenny & Vahid) to revamp their pamphlets on STIs and birth control, create a presentation on HIFY's services, and research & develop an HIV/AIDS session for the Risk Reduction program. Tomorrow we're working on promo stuff for the Hamilton AIDS Walk that's coming up on Sunday, and tomorrow night I'm going with my host mom to see Silken Laumann speak. I've also been getting more and more into my Hindi learning, and think it's really interesting.
Below are some long overdue pictures, so enjoy!
Below are some long overdue pictures, so enjoy!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
First Few Days in Hamilton
After about a week of non-stop team exercises about sharing expectations and observations, everyone is pretty anxious to get on with the volunteer work. This morning we saw the launch of a program called 'the couch project' which is aimed at preventing youth from ending up on the street. It was interesting and involved a lot of the same people we'll be working with in the communities. Then we had to turn a tourist map of Hamilton into a more realistic map of Hamilton by asking random people about areas they liked/disliked or saw as positive things or issues. It turns out there are a few parks, two bath houses and porno theatres where men have casual sex with men and sex trades often occur - these were not marked on the tourist map. A few people had some really positive things to say, like about areas that used to be more industrialized and were 'taken back' and utilized by the community for events, etc, and some places where 'socially conscious' people like to go and share good food and art. Overall the exercise was really eye-opening, but as I said, most of us are pretty anxious to begin our volunteer placements!!
The program is begining to seem less and less organized as we go - the Indian participants all seem to think that the counterpart pairs will live at home with their families when we go to India in December, but we still haven't been told if we're allowed to have family/friends visit us in Hamilton. Apparantly one participant knows someone who was kicked out of a CWY program because her boyfriend visited after the project supervisors (/team?) decided that visitors should not be allowed since not everyone can have visitors. I think that's absolutely insane.
Tomorrow we have the morning off, and it's my last night having to share a bed, so I'm looking forward to that! I think Friday we find out where our volunteer placements will be, and I suspect I'll be working at Health Initiatives for Youth Hamilton (http://www.hifyhamilton.com/) , HOPEFULLY with some RN skills thrown in.
The program is begining to seem less and less organized as we go - the Indian participants all seem to think that the counterpart pairs will live at home with their families when we go to India in December, but we still haven't been told if we're allowed to have family/friends visit us in Hamilton. Apparantly one participant knows someone who was kicked out of a CWY program because her boyfriend visited after the project supervisors (/team?) decided that visitors should not be allowed since not everyone can have visitors. I think that's absolutely insane.
Tomorrow we have the morning off, and it's my last night having to share a bed, so I'm looking forward to that! I think Friday we find out where our volunteer placements will be, and I suspect I'll be working at Health Initiatives for Youth Hamilton (http://www.hifyhamilton.com/) , HOPEFULLY with some RN skills thrown in.
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