Reflections on another incredible day

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

Namaste from India!

Last Saturday, Emily and I hopped on a series of planes, and flew to India to work in a unique all girls school in the city of Jodhpur that is the catchment for many of the girls in the Rajasthan desert. 

A few weeks ago, a group of friends and I participated in what is known as “Do it in a Dress”. This is a global event that aims to raise awareness of the need for female independence in modern society. As is the motto of the organisation, ’66 million girls in the world are not in school, but you can change this’. One thing that we have really begun to appreciate is the incredible amount of opportunities that we have on a daily basis. The work of Veerni aims to provide quality opportunities for young women to further their education beyond the basics of primary school, with the inherent goal of prolonging their childhood and delaying the birth of their ‘identity’ as a child bride. There are just seventy girls at the school currently, all of whom sleep in dorms on the top and bottom floors of the three story building where they live. However, even if just one girls life can be somewhat improved, have we not at least partially achieved our goals? The life of one girl has an effect on one family, and even further down the track, one community. I hope that in my lifetime, it may become one country. So, please support Emily and I in our journey, and we hope to see you all soon with so many incredible stories to tell!

Here in Jodhpur, there have been so many slices of humanity that I have witnessed. The flick of a sari as it flies behind a motorbike in the wind like a pink flame. The turn of a mans head as he welcomes another customer to his store. The constant offering of masala tea wherever we go, which is an offer that is never refused. The mouth scarves that people wear as they walk along the streets in the old city to stop the fine particles of dust from lodging themselves into their mouth and nose. The anticipation that is palpable in the air when you walk into an empty classroom. The sweat of concentration on a furrowed brow. Practising yoga on a roof top in the middle of India. Laughing about how it is so easy to overpack when you are travelling overseas. Silence in a humming city. 

It is amazing to do an activity with friends that you feel has no real tangible connection, and then weeks later be in a country where you can appreciate the importance of your actions. Running around University in school dresses, it seemed at the time that what we were doing had no actual relevance to what is happening on such a large scale in the world. It seemed as if we were jumping on the bandwagon of a cause that was incredibly important to us, but to be honest, we had very little clue about the implications of what we were doing, or the challenges that Emily and I were going to face over the next coming weeks. Simple things, like being stuck in front of a class for the first couple of days without a whiteboard because there was none to use. There are so many moments where we literally just stop what we are doing and reflect. From a distance, you might think that we are being lazy. With the Indian heat (people keep on telling me that it is winter over here. I have not believed anyone who says that as of yet!), you would not be blamed. But really, we are just thinking. 

For example, when we were in the car yesterday afternoon, it took me several moments to place the smells that were pouring in from the open car window. It was a mixture of cigarette smoke, burning rubbish, chickpea cow farts and decaying vegetables. Despite all these things, it was human - it was rich in life.  

So far, we have had a very privileged experience of Indian. Being able to visit a place like India and to feel safe in our volunteer residential accommodation is so important. To share this experience with other people who have common goals and interests is such a joy.  On a more sombre note, tt is an absolute privilege to feel that you have a future, and that people value you for your contributions to a conversation - that you can talk to people and that they can respond in a way that enriches your relationship. These pieces of human connection are important, and are sadly often taken for granted. We need to learn to treasure each moment just as we treasure each new experience that we have in India. What would it be like to be akin to a piece of meat in value? Haha, even more tragic for a vegetarian. But honestly, this is not a laughing matter. Watching the lights shine in the eyes of a child bride when she pronounces “freedom” in English is something that would make any heart melt. 

Let me describe the school for you. To get from the Sambhali trust women’s centre to Veerni is quite a trek through Jodphur, but it is one of the favourite parts of my day. The reason for this is, you never know who or what you are going to see. 

So far, whenever we have been introduced to a new group of people, we have been offered a garland of marigolds. The Portuguese introduced India to marigolds, and they are now widely cultivated to make garlands, for decorative purpose in marriages and festivals. LIterally, you drive down the streets and see heaped mountains of marigolds shining like the sun in the Indian heat. Spectacular. What is even more interesting is the range of different meanings that a marigold can have to a range of cultures. For example, French marigolds flower mean jealousy and African marigolds mean a vulgar mind. One flower can have such a range of meanings! 

The school is located opposite next to a grand hotel whose construction is ‘in progress’. This seems to be a state of development that is very common in India. Everything seems to be somehow  in some sort of progress, no matter what it is. When we drive past the construction site, all we see are thin, bent poles that have been bent with the elements. These are meant to represent the foundations of this construction, and I suppose that one day something will come of the vacant site, even if it is nothing more than a ghost house. 

There is a large stone wall that surrounds the school purely as a precautionary measure and for protection. There are three levels in the school, and when you walk in from the entrance, you come onto the second level. The first level consists of one of the dorms, the kitchen and eating area, Jacqueline’s office and the computer room. The second level has the main meeting area for the girls, and is where we hold our lessons. The top level has the balcony. This is where the girls hang out their clothes to dry every Sunday. It was really cute to see all the space on the ping-pong table used to dry the many t-shirts that are washed each week. Just last week, Jacqueline bought a ping-pong table for the girls to play on! Emily and I are so excited to show them our moves (Haha, my ‘moves’ are pretty non-existent, whilst Emily is an absolute pro) at the end of the week. We want to knock over some hard core english before that though. You are privilege to the very best views from the rooftops of Jodhpur. From no other vantage point can you see the whole city, and really appreciate the diverse range of contrasts that are present. From seeing the etching of a the Umaid Bhawan Palace in the horizon, to the panacea of slums on this side of the city, there is just such a stark contrast. 

So, that is a brief outline of the school. Because we are situated on the edge of a desert, it is actually very hard to find wood anywhere in Jodhpur. This means that many family collect stones for building additional rooms on their dwellings, and so it is not uncommon to see large piles of boulders on the side of the road. However, it is almost a sign of luxury to own anything that is made from wood. The school itself is made of stone, which is really effective in keeping the heat out on a hot day. 

Meal times at the school are a great opportunity to learn a bit more about the girls through jagged shards of conversation. It is still very hard to properly communicate with many of the girls, but we try our best. So far, some of the culinary highlights in India have been traditional biryani, banana lassi, pakora, gobhi methi, aloo palak, and of course, lots of masala tea. When we eat, we have to eat with out right hand as our left hand is considered dirty. This is a bit hard for me at times because I am left handed. We also do not use cutlery. This is also difficult, as eating with one hand makes it redundant for doing other tasks such as talking with the gestures that you naturally make with your hands (because your fingers are stained slight yellow from all the turmeric that goes into the traditional desert Indian curries. 

One thing that I found was really interesting was the t-shirts that the girls wear. These shirts have been  mostly donated to Jacqueline back in the United States, and so some of the slogans that are on the shirts are well….quite different to the social and cultural norms that are here in India. It is somewhat humorous (though it really shouldn't be) to see a proud student wearing a shirt that says, ‘I am a social butterfly’, ‘prom queen’, ‘I’m only human’, ‘stereo chick’ or ‘music is life’. You wouldn’t even know that she is a child bride. The truth is, many of them may be able to read the words that are printed on their chest, but they cannot understand what these words mean, or actually appreciate the significance of the messages of independence that they offer. 

So here is me signing off for another day! 

Erica xx.