The meaning of Patience... and I thought I knew what it was.

I have always thought I was generally a patient person. Whenever I'm at a restaurant and there is a 20 minute wait, I don't really mind. When I am driving, and the person in front of me doesn't turn left fast enough, it doesn't really bother me... when it came to losing my patience, it was a rare occasion. Living in India has proven the very opposite. Before coming to India, I took a prep class where we learned about the host culture, and I remember one memorable lesson about the perception of time. I remember learning that people in India were under polychronic time, meaning rigid scheduling and being efficient with time, is not a priority. Monochronic time is when there are time limits, rigid schedules, etc (much like the U.S.A and Japan). Well, I remember thinking "oh I'm totally polychronic, I'm always late and I am really bad at keeping a rigid schedule". WRONG was I. No class could have ever prepared me for "Indian" time. I can't remember the first time that I experienced "Indian" time... but I know that it has happened numerous times since, and I thought that maybe it was a ONE time thing. My patience has wore extrememly thin at times. One example to illustrate what I am talking about is when Emma and I were in a big hurry to get somewhere and we needed to email the boys because we did not have a way to call them. We thought "let's send them an email to tell them where we are and then run to where we need to be". We scrambled around to find an internet cafe and when we got there, we saw that it was completely full... and one of the girls said "it will be just 5 minutes madam". Emma and I REALLY needed to be where we were going soon, but we thought 5 minutes really wouldn't be a problem..... 15 minutes later, and a little out of patience, I asked again "is there a spot open yet?" and again, the girl said "wait 10 minutes madam"... WHAT?? I was SO livid!! But don't worry, I didn't blow up on her, it was more of an internal battle than anything. OH!! I just remembered the first time I experienced "Indian" time. It as at the mall, the famous Brookfields mall... VERY well developed and I feel like I'm in America everytime I set foot in it... anyway, we bought our churidars and when you buy a churidar, sometimes they don't come with the sleeves sewn on, and so you buy it and then it is taken to a small tailoring room where they sew on sleeves. Well, they told us that our churidars would be ready in 30 minutes. After waiting an hour, I went up to the counter and demanded to know what had happened to our churidars... the girl gave me the answer that I wanted to hear, but not accurate at all. "It will be ready in 5 minutes ma'm".... 20 minutes later, I asked again and again, I received the same answer. I had never found myself more impatient than that day. I was SO annoyed that my churidar wasn't ready, and even more so at the fact that they lied about the time!!! But they weren't lying... that's just the way it is here in India. The random estimation of time is not said to purposely anger someone, or for the mere reason of lying... it's just that time is percieved differently! Waiting is something that India is EXPERT in. Sitting and waiting, and then sitting and waiting some more, is just life here. I did not know this then, but knowing it now, I find it a lot easier to be patient. Aside from the whole time perception, there are more things that have challenged my patience, I share only a few here. When I've been waiting to buy something at the shop, people will just cut in front of me, as if I were not standing there for 5 minutes already. When I've been at the mall and there are escalators, there have been small lines because a lot of Indian women are DEATHLY afraid to step onto them. When I've been waiting for the bus that I've have heard people say will come at a certain time, and it has come an hour or more, later (again with the time). When I've been at a restaurant, and seen something(s) I've wanted on the menu, and they've been out of what I've wanted to order. When we've approached someone on the street because we are lost, and the person won't know where the place is, he or she will seldom say "sorry I don't know", instead, we've been pointed to go one direction, while someone else a block later, will point us the opposite way. Emma's personal favorite: when we are looking for a good deal on an auto rickshaw and they absolutely REFUSE to lower their outrageously high prices... I probably sound like the biggest brat and that I dislike India and its inhabitants... well, don't worry, I actually love it. I have learned to deal with, and to be patient, and now when things like that happen (and happen they DO, and often) I find that I do not become impatient, but start to lay back and take it all in. Things are not this way in America, and it's going to feel different to be in a monochronic time frame again. So, I actually try to enjoy it while I can.

On one of these occasions where I was impatient because of time, I learned a little lesson that has helped me see things in a different light. Emma and I were walking home and we were quickly joined by a group of pre-teen girls. As Emma and I walked along, we noticed that the girls kept lagging behind. We said to each other "why are they walking so slow?". They would catch up, only to, a few minutes later, fall behind again. Then, one of the little girls said "Aunty wait- walk slow please", motioning with her hand to slow down the pace. I have always remembered that. I walk so fast, not only physically, but intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. My mind is always going, I want prayers answered fast, I want my relationships to work out quickly... sometimes "walking slow", is better. It has made a difference in how I see things. I walk a little slower now, taking in the sights of the village, instead of plowing through, trying to get to my final destination. Looking at a woman carrying water on her head, or at a little boy spinning a tire down the street with a stick, or at a grandpa sitting down with his friends-taking in these sights, has soothed me and helped me in more ways than I could adequately explain on this blog. I read something in my India culture guide, that I really liked. In talking about IST or Indian stretchable time, the author said: "the slower pace may be hard to swallow, but it can be medicinal and even enjoyable for those who can adjust to their expectations". Couldn't have better said it better myself.

Dinner invitations.... I love them!

It all started when Emma and I woke up one friday morning to take out the trash. As we headed towards the dumpster, we waved to the little kids around the corner, the ones that we see everyday. Well, on this particular day, their mother, Kavita was out and we stopped to say our usual "Kalai wanakkam" or "good morning!". She loved the fact that we "spoke" Tamil and then asked us if we had eaten yet.... Emma and I had barely finished eating oatmeal (we make oatmeal approximately 2-3 times a week, sometimes it's breakfast, sometimes it's dinner, it has saved us many a time!) and so we told her that we had. She then said "you come, my house tonight. 7 o ' clock, my house, dinner!" Emma and I have been invited to dinner before, but we always feel so bad imposing and making people feed us, but this time, we just had to say yes. The big, beautiful brown eyes are just too hard to say no to. Well, Emma and I didn't quite know what to expect, but we just showed up a little past 7. As soon as we sat down, we saw that the father of the home, was helping to knead the dough of what we would be having for dinner (Dosa-- a brief explanation of what this is... it's like a crepe, but made with sour dough, and it's spread really thin, and fried. At first, I was sickened by them, but Emma insisted on giving them another chance and I fell in love with them... I now crave them every morning and I don't know what I'm going to do when I won't have them in U.S). This was a little surprising, because we rarely see the men helping out with cooking or cleaning... anyway, so Kavita (the wife) sat us down and handed us her wedding album (this is a MUST in every household... as soon as we sit down, we the women will just put this huge, wedding album on our laps, and watch us as we turn each page of virtually the same pictures... we love it though, I love looking through those). As we flipped through, Emma and I commented on how good we thought Kavita and her husband looked together. Kavita is just so beautiful! and so is he!! I wonder how that marriage arrangement went down. Kavita has a cute, small figure, a big happy smile, expressive brown eyes, long dark brown hair that is in a braid, and the best raspiest voice ever. I love it!! Her husband has the brightest brown eyes, and we just really like them together. Anyway, as we sat there, I noticed another man, a woman, an older woman, a teenage boy, a little girl and a little boy. I was so confused as to who belonged to whom, and where they all lived, and so we asked, while pointing (and NOT with one finger, as it is inappropriate in the Indian culture to point... Emma and I have messed this rule up more than once) "family?". In the best English that they could figure out, and our little Tamil, we learned that the random man and woman were married, and the woman was Kavita's older sister. The teenage boy was their son... the older woman was Kavita's mother-in-law, the little boy and girl were Kavita's children. (The daughter is Nivetha-6 yrs old and the SPITTING image of Kavita, and the son is Surya-3 yrs old). Indians often have their families living with them and it is hard to really know who is who... especially since if anyone if older, whether it is an older cousin, an older brother or sister, a mom's friend or a dad's friend, they use the same words-- brother, uncle, sister and so on. So, if there are cousins in the house, they won't say cousin, they will say "this is my sister". I like it, but it gets a little confusing at times... Anyway, after a little while of tyring to figure out who was who, Kavita and her family was tyring to ask us about our families and everything. I am a little obsessed with Kavita because she speaks like 5% English, she is SO outgoing and repeats herself in Tamil 5 times until we understand what she is saying, it's SO cute and she always laughs and so it's really fun talking to her. So, of course, they freak out when Emma says she has 4 little brothers and 2 little sisters, because big families aren't really that common in India anymore. Almost everyone we meet has two kids, it's rare to see three kids belonging to one family. They always ask about my family and when I say I have one little sister they just say "oh..." haha BUT I say it in Tamil, so they laugh and think it's cute (I like to think they think it's cute since Kavita usually pinches my cheeks when I speak Tamil...). THEN, Kavita's brother-in-law, Thangaraj- who is the one of the nicest Indian men we have ever met, and SUPER polite- busted out this instrument, called the Navaspuram, and its' a large clarinet/saxophone thing, and it sounds WAYYY Indian! Then, his son, the teenager, started playing one of the Indian drums, very native to India. As they were playing the coolest sounding Indian music, Kavita brought out DOSA!! and it was DELICIOUS. The BEST thing I have ever tasted in an Indian house. As we ate, we were just watching how this family interacted with one another, and it was SO awesome to see. Indians in general are not very physically affectionate with their spouses, and we are used to this by now. So, it was cool for me to see Kavita walk up to her husband and hold onto his arm, and be affectionate, I really liked observing that. She was whispering to him and pushing him to play the drums. He was so shy, but she insisted and he played away! He is SO talented!!! Kavita just proudly turned to us and said "my husband, very good". I really liked the dynamic of Kavita and her family! As the night ended, Kavita asked if we wanted to go to her llittle sister's wedding on July 7th-8th... and Emma and I FREAKED out becasuse weddings are a HUGE deal here, and it is an honor for us to be invited! Kavita and her family live very close to Matthew and Jeeva's house, so it is so nice to walk to the bus stop or be walking back home, and seeing Kavita and her family sitting out on their veranda. I love her-- I know that we overuse that word sometimes, but in this case, I honestly can say that it's true for Kavita and her family. The other night, Emma and I went to the city and bought some jasmin for Kavita. The women love putting jasmin in their hair, it smells really good and it looks nice, just delicately hanging from their long, silky, braided hair. Anyway, we knocked on her door and gave the jasmin to her and she freaked out-- in a good way. She was in the middle of eating dinner, and she just answered the door in her nighty and when we gave her the jasmin, she just smiled really big and said "ay yo!" which they say a lot here, it's similar to us saying "oh my gosh!". She put her arm around Emma and I and pinched our cheeks and then felt the need to grab a handful of rice and shove it in our mouths with her hands... twice. It was adorable, and yet again another reason why I LOVE being around Kavita. She is so genuine and outgoing and doesn't seem to care about what others think about her. I am planning to interview her, I hope that I can gain new insight from her about her self-perceptions. She then invited us in and we couldn't stay very long, but she asked when we were going back to America (this conversation ALL happened in Tamil, Emma and I feel conceited when we say that we can spend over an hour in someone's home, when they don't even speak English. yeah!) and then she said she wants us to move in with her and that we are considered her family and that she can find Indian husbands for us and we can all live together... haha she is so sweet. I'll go ahead and pass, on the marrying-an-Indian man-and living in India-forever offer, but I really feel honored and humbled that Kavita says that we are family to her. Just a small glimpse of the women when they are truly sincere and genuine are here in India.

"All work is half done when the women are not involved" - Mahatma Gandhi

This quote is on a huge sign at the Ashram and I read it everyday... it is a lot more meaningful now that I have been surrounded by amazing women. First of all, I'm sorry that my blog posts are so unorganized and all over the place, and SOOOO long!! I don't blame you if you skim, the only people that I really picture reading the entire thing are my mom and dad haha BUT, I will briefly mention all of what has been going on as of late- which is a LOT, so bare with me. I would start in order, but I wanna start by talking about what happened to Emma and I recently. This last Wednesday, we went to our NGO to work. The day before, Vijay, the coordinator for the scholarship program (this is called the Bala Shanti (Children's peace) program which gives scholarships to village children so they can go to school), came up to Emma and I and said "would you and Emma like to go to a village tomorrow and hand out scholarship to children and adults for this year?" OF COURSE I said YES. So, on Wednesday we got in a car with another field coordinator (ok, let me tell you about her-- her name is Thangakkili, which means golden parrot... haha she is SO cool. She is single and has a serious deformity on her leg which does not allow her to walk upright, so everytime she walks, she has to lean forward, pick up her left leg and hobble- this does not stop her from being a leader, and a field coordinator at that. She speaks very little English, but she loves Emma and I, and everytime she wants us to do something, she says "hello, hello, please come" haha it's the best. Anyway, we arrived at the village and to get to the meeting place, we had to go uphill. It was a little hike and Thangakkili was tired, but we eventually got there!! Once we did, there was a group of women and girls sitting there. They looked so beautiful and they just stared at Emma and I when we got there. I said "wannakam!" which means "hello" and they all smiled and said it back to me! They always smile and often times laugh when we attempt to speak Tamil. Well, they started to hand out the scholarhsips and the women and little girls in a very neatly and organized matter, came and got their envelopes. One of the most interesting things in my opinion, about these small villages is how they live together, being of different religions. Hindu women, Muslim women and Christian women all interact with one another. So, at the end of the handing out of scholarships, I noticed a group of Muslim women sitting there and I couldn't resist-- cuz I have always liked Muslims-- and I jumped in to take a picture with them! They were laughing so hard, but as soon as the camera goes up, they don't smile! haha it's so funny. Anyway, as we were heading back, one of the Muslim women brought her little 2 yr old daughter to see us! It was so cute because she was blowing us kisses and saying "Asalamu alaykkum" (not correct spelling) which is an Arabic saying that Muslims use that translates to something like "peace be with you". Then, the mother invited us to dinner at her house and Emma and I told her that we would LOVE to go. We are so humbled and honored that these women are so friendly and giving and always want us at their houses. They are always smiling at us and they just want to make us happy. It is so sweet. They kept telling us how beautiful we were, and I wonder if they know how beautiful THEY are to us. We are excited to go to her house and I will write about it when it happens. I wanted to briefly mention the Woman's workshop that happened at the Ashram a few weeks ago. All of these women from different villages came to the Ashram, they are the leaders of their self help group, so they came for a workshop on leadership. They were taught what characteristics a true leader should have, etc. My favorite was this woman who spoke about confidence. She told the women to be confident in themselves, that they each had abilities and characteristics that made them unique and special. That no matter when others told them that they would not succeed, they should be courageous and keep trying. This all sounds like Young Women lessons, but these women needed to listen to this. After it was over, Emma and I had the opportunity to interview some women and ask them about their favorite part of the workshop and without fail, ALL of then said "I liked the confidence speech, it helped me feel like I could go and start another self help group, or try to get another loan and start my own business. It made me feel like I could actually do it, no matter the obstacles". And the obstacles are many. Just from a month and 2 weeks here, I have seen how some women are so underappreciated and demeaned. Yet, after this workshop, I saw that many of them left with this newfoung confidence, and it made me so happy. These women are the perfect leaders. Something else that stood out to me about the workshop was another woman who spoke about taking care of oneself. I never thought this would be a problem... but the women here are SO devoted to their families. Their children and their husband are their TOP priority (all of these loans and self help groups and everything that they do, is for the sake of their children). This is wonderful, until the women are so devoted to their families that they forget about themselves. This may not be such a visible problem where I am from, but here in India, especially rural India, it is. Women get exhausted and sick, because they work so hard for their families. So, what they lady said was: "If you have four bananas, what do you do? you give the best one to your husband, the next best two to the children, and the worst one for yourself. DON'T DO THIS! take the best one for yourself, you deserve it". I know it may sound a bit selfish to those who may not understand how the women are here, but to me, it was exactly what these women needed to hear, because they DO deserve it, and they shoudl be able to care for themselves as well. It was such a great workshop, and it was so humbling to be able to sit side by side with these leaders, and learn with them (although let's be honest, I learn way more FROM them).

Brief little story

A LOT has happened since my last post, but I wanted to share the most recent experience first, one that I will probably never forget. Yesterday, Emma, Josh and I were hungry and wanted to eat out, but since we were in the village (it was our day off from Shanti Ashram), our options were limited (the village doesn't have restaurants, just little shops that sell light foods). We decided to walk down to the main road (the main road is where we catch the bus everyday, about a mile walk) because we remembered that there was a man who sold PAROTTAS!!! Parottas are like tortillas, but they are fluffier and taste really good! well, we got to parotta man's hut, and ordered our parottas. Since these aren't a balanced dinner meal, we decided to get some, and ask for the curry sauce that came with them. Emma and I had done this before, where we got parottas, the curry, and then walked back to the village to make rice, and have the curry with rice and the parottas. As we headed back, we saw a lady selling mangoes and of course, since Josh doesn't have the heart to say "no", we bought some mangoes from her. "This is awesome! we will have rice, curry and parottas for dinner, and for dessert, we can have delicious mangoes!!" we kept telling ourselves that on our way back to the village. Well, we did just that. Emma started the kirosene stove (I have yet to master how to even start it...) and we made rice. We ate it and it was so delicious! The mangoes were nice and juicy, and we were pretty happy with our meal. Not long after, I started feeling kind of weird... my stomach was hurting so much! But since I always seem to have a stomach-ache, I ignored it. I was certain it was just me and not the food, since Josh and Emma didn't seem to experience any similar symtoms. A few hours later, I started feeling more and more pain, and asked Josh to give me a blessing. It is really great to have the Priesthood here, and especially to have the boys in our group, all three of them such great guys. After the blessing, I just laid down to try to sleep, but I felt worst and worst. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I finally decided to get up and get some fresh air- but as soon as I got up, my stomach flipped, and I ran to the front yard, went to the nearest coconut tree and, you can imagine what happened. I don't wanna be too graphic, but let's just say that parottas and mangoes don't look too appetizing once they have been digested. The next morning, (as in today), Josh and Emma were getting ready to go to the Ashram, but I was feeling pretty tired and weak from the night before. I decided to stay here, and I have been sleeping through out the day. I haven't had much of an appetite, but I managed to eat some oatmeal that Emma made me this morning (she and Josh are the best babysitters). No one was home, since Jeeva and Matthew both work, and the kids are out of town. As night drew near, I began feeling a little lonely. I know that I am ok and not sick enough to need special attention, but I missed my family a lot today. I just felt lonely and wondered if anyone even knew I was home alone. Sis. Jeeva came home from work and checked in on me-- I asked her how she knew I was sick and she said her friend, Salomeni, had told her. Salomeni is in our branch and I have talked to her maybe twice. I didin't think much of it though. Sis. Jeeva then told me that the mangoes and other fruits sold my the women on the streets were dangerous and made people sick... so we figure it was the mangoes. Good thing I learned that lesson. Later on, as I pulled out my scriptures, I began to read in John, about God's love and those who love others, love God. All of the sudden, I heard sis. Jeeva talking to someone that had just come over. Then, the door to my room opened and it was Salomeni! She started speaking in Tamil to me and I just smiled nervously, wondering what on earth she was saying. She kept rubbing her own belly and then looking at me. Sis. Jeeva then said "she wants to know how you are feeling". I told her that I was feeling much better, and she just smiled and smiled at me, while speaking more Tamil. Sis. Jeeva then told me that apparently she has seen me throwing up the night before (when I attacked the coconut tree), and today, she had checked in on me while I was sleeping. I could not believe that I was being taken care of by her, and I didn't even know it. Before leaving, she just grabbed my arm and said something in Tamil again, she held on to my hand, smiled at me and then left. I was so humbled to know that I was being watchd over. It really reminded me of God's love for each one of us, and how he lets us know, through the small tneder mercies of everyday, that he is aware and that we are never alone. By the way, sorry about my horrible grammar and spelling, it's hard to gather all my thoughts, while writing perfect English, but I'll do better next time. oh and just in case any of you were curious, I'm feeling MUCH better!

The Shanti Ashram- our haven! and more stories about the past three weeks in INDIA

Ok, before I even begin, I wanted to tell a quick story. About two weeks ago, I met a little boy at the NGO, his name is Hariavanam... but I call him Harry. He is ADORABLE and has become one of my favorite people in this country. Anyway, in the Hindu religion, when Hindus go to their temples, they get these threads that they tie around their wrist, or sometimes necks, for protection from evil, by the gods. They are often red or black, and to me, they look like the bracelets I would buy or make out of thread back home. So anyway, I noticed Harry was wearing one and I asked what it was and he explained it and I said "maybe one day I can get one! I like them". TODAY, after not seeing him for a week, he runs up to Emma, Josh and I to say, hi. Then he runs of to get his backpack and I see him walking back towards me, and as soon as he was close enough, he put a red, Hindu prayer thread-bracelet in my hand!!! He got me one!!!!!! So, I PROUDLY wear it. It is so beautiful, and even though I'm not Hindu, and Harry knows that I'm a Christian, I felt honored that he would want to share a little bit of his religion with me. I can't wait to show it to all of you once I am home. It made my day, and that's just another glimpse of how beautiful and great the children are here. They just love us and we absolutely love them too!! Many of you know that I am doing my internship with an NGO titled Shanti Ashram. They have many programs, but the one that I will be working with is called the Women's Develoment Program. It has many focuses but the ones that really stand out to me are giving loans to women so that they can start their own businesses. They can also start their own self-help groups. If the women pay their loans on time, they qualify for another loan, giving them more money and giving them even greater opportunities. It is wonderful idea, but even better, was seeing it in action with my own eyes. When we are at the Ashram, we sit down for a lecture by a staff member, like Dr. Vinu, who is the director and an incredible person. After our lecture, we go to the "field", which means we get in a van, and ride with a coordinator to a village where the programs are being practiced. Last week, we went to the field with a coordinator and as we drove, I noticed that the surroundings looked familiar- we were actually in our OWN village! Chavadi Pudur! We went to visit a lady who had been given a loan to start making food from her house and selling it. Back tracking a few days back-- the boys told Emma and I about some omelettes that were sold around the corner. We decided to try them out and they were DELICIOUS!! Fast forward to the field visit- the woman who had been given a loan was the OMELETTE LADY!! It was so amazing to see with my own eyes a living example of the many times I had read about women around the world taking out loand to help themselves and their families. She is so sweet and she told us that eventhough she made omelettes until 10 am, if we came to her shop, she would make us her delicious omelettes whenever we wanted. It was a great first experience with the real world and the NGO. Another program that the Ashram has, is called Youth Leadership. This involves children, and right now, kids in India are on vacation, so during this month, there is a summer camp going on at Shanti Ashram. The kids are sooo cute, they just look at us with their huge, brown eyes and smile all the time and they have our names memorized! We sometimes feel bad because we feel so ordinary, but they want us all to sign their notebooks and to talk to them, so we feel like celebrities. They are beginning to see that we are just like them though, and it is so fun to see them run up and rememeber our name. I love how the children love simple things, for example: the girls, LOVE dancing and singing and they are constantly asking "can you dance for us? can you sing American song??" it is so funny, because in the states, I have NEVER had that experience. I sang them a song by Rihanna, because it was the first one that came to my head and after a few lines, they all clapped and said "SUPER!!" they love saying that word, it is so cute and funny. Perhaps my favorite aspect about the youth leadership program, is what I learned today. Dr. Vinu was teaching us that reaching down to children is a great method to try to make a postive change because when children learn valuable principles, they will grow up applying them. An example from the kids, that Dr. Vinu pointed out, was that of Kolam. This is a design done with powder, on the front porch of the houses. These patterns are beautiful and they are done early in the morning, and a different one is done every morning. They are beautiful and I have seen these with my own eyes in the village. This is done by the women only. However, last saturday at the Ashram, there was an event with all the children and one of the activities was a Kolam competition. All the children were given a designated spot in the dirt, and a bag of colorful powder. Well, I was surprised to see that the boys were participating as well, and for being 11 yr-14 yr old boys, they were pretty into it!! I knew that this was a girl thing, but I didn't ask about the boys. It wasn't until today, that Dr. Vinu said they encourage the children of both genders to work together, because they were learning about gender equality. Dr. Vinu said "of course, we will not tell the children that we want to teach them gender equality, we just encourage them to play together, and that way, they can learn these principles through experience as they grow". That was so fascinating to me, and the best part, was that I was able to see it with my own eyes. I really appreciated that experience, and I am grateful for the chance I have to be an intern there for the next three months. Tomorrow, Emma, Josh and I are going to observe Dr. Vinu along with some staff, give the village children immunizations, here in this village. I'll keep you updated on what I keep learning! Here are some random stories that have happened, I am sorry if this is all over the place and unorganized, a lot has happened and I can't keep it all together... First of all, I can confidently say that I have never sweat this much before in my life. I am used to Arizona, but this whole being drenched all day, has taken a LONG time to get used to. The power goes off sometimes in the village, and enduring two hours with out the fan can be a little difficult, but Emma and I have survived, so we are ok. There is a lightbulb in the bath house, and once I was taking a bath at night, and the power went out... I'm glad that hasn't happened again. We use the bus to get everywhere, and we have learned that because we are American, we won't know how to ask for change back when we pay the fare. On one particular occasion, the fare collector charged us but never returned change. I noticed that we were missing four rupees, but there was no way to get that back...all the sudden, these ladies in the front start yelling at me in Tamil and telling me something important... but there was no way that I was understanding, and all the sudden, there they were, yelling at the fare collector, all five women, just going at him, and then he sheepishly gave me my four rupees back!! I was so surprised and it was so awesome how the women stood up for us! One of the women, turned to me and asked me something in Tamil, to which in my broken Tamil I said "I only speak a little bit of Tamil, but what is your name?" and she relplied "Sita". I remembered the very famous Indian epic that has been part of Indian culture for centuries, the Ramayana. In this story, the prince Rama and married to Sita, the perfect woman. So I decided to show off my skills and say "Oh! Sita, like prince Rama's wife!" well that worked! Because she freaked out and pinched my cheeks and was telling all her friends what I had said and she pinched my cheeks some more, it was great. That is something that I have noticed about the Indian culture, most of them are willing to help us and genuinely care. The other day, we were lost in the city trying to find a place to buy more Churidhars (the clothes that most girls wear) and we asked this woman where we could find a specific store, and she walked us all the way to the place, completely going out of her way. Things like that have happened often, and it is a cool insight into individual culture. I have had my fair share of culture shock, when the buses get ULTRA crowded and Indian music blaring...and the food is CRAZILY spicy, I sometimes don't know what to think, but I keep reminding myself of why I came here and there are way more good things than bad ones. Something that has been interesting has been that EVERYBODY thinks I'm Indian. I maybe mentioned that already, but it is so funny walking around with Emma because she will try to speak Tamil, and if they can't understand her, they turn to me and speak Tamil to me, to translate for them... but then they are disappointed cuz I also DON'T speak Tamil... it is fun seeing their face when I say "I am from America!" I have lost track of the people that come up to us and are dazzled with the white Americans and they turn to me and say "what part of India are you from?" and when I say "I'm actually American" they look at me like I'm crazy. Trying to explain that I am Colombian is a little too difficult, because some have never heard of it (don't worry, I am MAKING SURE that they know where it is by the time I leave), so I am beginning to think I'll just let thim think I'm Indian. I am quite a bit lighter than most of the people here, and that is a weird feeling because I have always been the "brown girl", I really don't mind it though. In the village, we live with Matthew and Jeeva, but also Matthew's brother lives with them (and his wife as well). We call them Amma and Appa and they stay home, while Mathew and Jeeva are at work. They are so funny because they don't speak English and Emma and I don't speak Tamil, yet they still speak straight up Tamil with us... Emma and I just smile and they end up laughing. I was brushing my hair the other day (I wash my hair everyday because it is much too hot not to) and Amma and Appa were just STARING. My hair was down and if you know me, you know that I have BIG, PUFFY, CURLY hair, and I don't think they have ever seen hair like this. Appa just kept staring, and then Amma walked up to me, and started touching it and saying "spring! spring!" as in the springs on a matress, the curly looking ones. It was HILARIOUS to see their faces of wonder, maybe terror, at how much hair I had! Then Amma proceeded to tell me, through Priya (the 15 yr old daughter), to put coconut oil in my hair, to "smooth" it out and keep my head cool from the heat. SO, I have been doing this everyday! The cooling part doesn't work when you have as much hair as I do, but I smell like coconuts ALL the time!! Another time, I was collecting water with Amma and sis. Jeeva, and the women were looking at me weird when I was carrying the pots of water. Apparently, you are supposed to put it on your hip and put your arm around the neck of the vessel, but I was just putting it up against my stomach. The women were saying "hips! hips!" and then I pulled my churidar (the outfits that us girls wear) tight to my body, so they could see my figure and I said "NO hips!" and they were all laughing! I guess they have never seen an Indian-looking Colombian girl, with HUGE hair and really skinny... it's fun to see their reactions, but I will hopefully get better at picking up the water vessels and taming my hair with coconut oil. India has taught me so much already, and I am sorry that these are so long and all over the place, and maybe grammatically incorrect, I have limited internet and so when I can write, I write a LOT and try to organize my thoughts! It is still VERY hot and the food is still spicy, and I still don't speak Tamil, but I am getting to know more people, and learning more about them and myself. I will update this again soon, when I can. Things are only going to get better, and I will make sure and write ALL about it. The ONE thing I am looking forward to the most though: JUNE rains... it will rain everyday (or so they say) and Emma and I have decided to sit outside, IN the rain. We can't wait. Oh- and Elder. Dallin H. Oaks is coming to India this weekend to organize India's first stake, and we are going! It will be in Hyderabad, about 22 hours from here. The people of the church here have been waiting for so long, and the one's I have met are so enthusiastic about the gospel, and I love to see that, it's so CUTE! (friends have told me to stop referring to people this way, but I can't help it, I have to say it, it's just not me not to call people cute).

First two weeks in India!!

"Brace yourself for impact when arriving in India. The sensory overload of crowd, sound and smell can cause even experienced travelers to question their skills and their sanity" - Culture Guide to INDIA, pg. 121. If I was to read that before India, I would have thought it an exaggeration... but now that I am here, I this is SO accurate. FIrst of all, I want to apologize for not writing in two weeks! This past saturday marked two weeks here in India! It has been the craziest but most exciting thing I have ever done. I have a lot to say, so I will try to make this concise and to the point. First- like the passage I shared, arriving here was very interesting, but I was tyring to take it all in and I did not feel overwhelmed. The heat hit us like a wave, and the lack of AC soon began to take a toll on us, but we were fine. We were just so excited to get to India, because previously we were stuck in the Hong Kong airport for 6 hours... we were supposed to arrive in India by 1 am, but we arrived in Chennai at 7 am. (Just to clarify for anyone who may be confused- in India, I am in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the capital is Chennai, the fifth largest city in India. The village I am staying in, is in the city of Coimbatore, 8 hours west of Chennai). Joshua, a native to Chennai, and previous branch president for the church, was assigned to pick us up, and he was there! We later found out that he had been there since 1 am. He and his family left a lasting impression upon us. They are so kind and made sure that we were comfortable and definitely went above and beyond. They not only fed us, but took us shopping, to church, to the beach (even though we did NOT swim because the water is not sanitary... but we were in the bay of Bengal and it was pretty awesome, we even saw a baby sea turtle). Joshua's wife is Mercy, and they have two children- Zibia who is 15 and extremely good at English and very smart, and Solomon, who is eight and ADORABLE. I love him and towards the end of our stay in Chennai, he called me "akka", Tamil for "older sister" and would hug me all the time. That family was so wonderful and I will never forget them. After three days in Chennai, we got on a 6 am train headed for Coimbatore. The scenery was beautiful and we were excited to finally arrive at our assigned destination, although leaving Joshua and his family was a little sad. We (there are five of us here: Steve, who's studying dentistry, Nathan who is studying Health Care in India, Josh who's studying music, Emma who's studying pre-natal health and I) arrived in Coimbatore about 7 hours later, and the temperature was immediately cooler. Chennai was very very hot- about 90 F with humidity. Being from Arizona, the heat itself did not shock me, but the humidity was and is, still a bit of a challenge for me. At the station, our host dad, Matthew was there to pick us up. He is a very nice man too, and he and Joshua were mission companions back in 1986. Matthew took us to get some food and I will never complain about spicy Mexican food again. South Indian food is shockingly SPICY!!! Those of you who know me, know that I do NOT like spicy food because Colombian cuisine is not spicy, so I did not grow up with it. It has been a really hard adjustment! The restaurant owner was so funny, he served us, but stood right by our table for about 20 good minutes, just seeing how the "americans" liked his food. I mostly ate white rice, because it is not spicy and I love rice anyway. There are two sauces famous to south India- sambar and rasam. Both are SUPER spicy, but I was brave and ate it! After eating, Matthew walked us to our hotel, where we would be staying for a night before going to the village. We were still on a weird sleep schedule, so we all went to bed at 6 pm and woke up again at 4 am-- and could not go back to sleep. I am still getting used to sleeping here, it gets a little better everyday. We got on our bus, the 96 bus, headed to CHAVADI PUDUR, where the village is located- our final destination. 45 minutes later, we arrived and I will just make a quick mention about the transportation-- there are two rules: fill every single amount of space possible, with motorcycles, buses, cars, trucks, and auto rickshaws. Rule #2- the biggest vehicle gets the right of way. NO traffic rules are obeyed, and if you want to tell someone you are behind them and that they should move, you honk. There is CONSTANT honking, and sometimes when I am on the bus, I just look down or away because I get a little scared (I'm actually terrified... but I have yet to see an accident, so I know I'll be just fine). I will NEVER complain about Utah drivers again. ANYWAY, we arrived in the village and there is about a fifteen minute walk up to the actual village. It is mostly a dirt road. The first thing I noticed were the mountains- I had not seen mountains since Utah, and I missed them. The mountains here are so green, and not covered in snow. There are palm trees and coconut trees everywhere! It is beautiful. The sun was beating on us as we walked and we were all so excited about finally getting to know our host parents. We were met half way by the oldest son, Edvin, who is 17 years old. He led us to his house, where we met Jeeva, the host mother, and the daughter, Priya who is 15 years old and absolutely gorgeous. They live with Matthew's brother and his wife, who is acutally Jeeva's sister (brothers married sisters! kind of cool). It was so great to finally meet the people I had been hearing about for so long! The house is pretty big for a village home, and there is a nice veranda. This family has hosted BYU students for the past 20 years, and so they are pretty used to the adjustment. It has been an interesting but good two weeks adjusting to life here in the village, and I will write more about it later. There have been so many things that have happened in India since then, and I will write them through out the coming weeks, I just wanted to write my first post about arriving here. India is beautiful and crazy, all at the same time. Sometimes I feel like I am in a movie, and other times I can't believe that I am actually in a different country. I will be writing about the NGO, Shanti Ashram, where I have already held my first interview-- that place is WONDERFUL. I will also be writing about some of our adventures at the grocery store, with the buses and in the village. Quick side story- whenever we walk around to the village either to buy a soda or just walk around, the kids freak out and start screaming "hi! Hi! Hi!!" it is so cute and makes me laugh. Everyone thinks I am north Indian... until they speak Tamil to me and see that I speak 5 words, it is funny to see their reactions. Please comment if you would like to, I would love to answer any questions that you may have or anything. Thank you again for your love and support while I am here in India, it means the world to me. I will be writing again soon, with a lot of stories!

Annotated Source #30, Monday (April 2, 2012).

New H1N1 case reported in Coimbatore. The India Times.

Health is a very important topic in India, especially in developing cities like Coimbatore. I think it is important to be conscious about these things, especially how it may affect the people and their lives.

Annotated Sources #29, Friday (March 30,2012)

Youth Congress functionary stabbed. The Times of India.

This is another sad article, but there again, I am just trying to keep myself informed about the region that where I will be going for the next three months. Also, in keeping myself informed, I can talk to others in the region about what is going on in their country.

Annotated Source #28, Wednesday. (March 28th, 2012)

Driving School charged of molesting a woman. The Times of India.

In Coimbatore (where I will be), a man was accused of molesting a female student. I hate reading things like this but it is necessary to be informed of bad things that happen in India, just like in any country.

Annotated Source #27 (Monday, March 26)

Coop sugar mill workers to intensify strike. The Times of India.

in Coimbatore, about 6,000 workers have been on strike and plan to make it even more intense because the government refuses to give them higher wages. It is interesting to me to read about things like this, because it is fascinating to see how a group of united people can stand up for their rights.

Annotated #26 Friday (March 23, 2012)

Flat Owners at the mercy of Builders. The Times of India.

Coimbatore-- apartment dwellers are experiencing issues because of the builders. Coimbatore is where I will be, and it is interesting to read about what kinds of things are going on there, especially when it has to do with the people.

Annotated Source #25, (March 21, 2012)

PSG Nurses continue their strike. The Times of India

Nurses in Coimbatore are on strike-- over 450 nurses have been on strike. I think that it is amazing that in that culture, which has the stereotype of being submissive, would show demonstrations.

Annotated Source #24 (Monday March 19th, 2012)

Suburban Train Rams into Car. The Times of India.

In Chennai, a driver was being distracted by his cell phone, and ran into a train. It is interesting to read about news where I will be living.

Annotated Source #23 (Friday March 16th, 2012)

Women Stripped and Paraded. The Times of India.

This shows the sad truth about the fate of some women in India and what they must go through. Just another eye opener about some things that happen in cultures.

Annotated Source #22 (Wednesday March 14, 2012)

Banding together, for their rights. India Togehter

A group of women were united in standing up for their lands against those who want to build on it. I think that this is great information about the culture because it shows the power of the women and how they may perceive their influence and strength.

Annotated Source #21, (March 12, 2012).

Sasikala moves Karnataca- Tamil Nadu. The Hindu

Another article about accusations in a court case. It is interesting to see that their government and their problems are similar to ours... It helps me see that I am not going to a different planet, just a different country.

Annotated Source #20 (Friday March 9th, 2012)

Former DMK Minister arrested. Kerala.com

This was an article about a Chennai case. Apparently, the prime minister was accused of covering up a murder. Although this is unrelated to my research, it is good to know about current news in the place where I am staying.

Annotated Source #19, (Wednesday, March 17th, 2012)

How to help Durga and Girls like her. The New York Times

I think that education is so important. This article talks about a young girl is generational poverty, which means that her parents and great grandparents, who were not educated and may not understand the importance of it. This is hard because I want to respect family values while at the same time make a positive change by sharing the greatness of education, so I think it is a hard balance.

Annotated Source #18, (Monday March 5th, 2012)

Who deserves Welfare in India? The New York Times

This article talked about the people who live below the poverty line in India, and how many of those people who live "above" it are really poor in actuality. It made me think of the economically underdeveloped women whom will be coming to the NGO where I will be participating.

Annotated #17, (Friday, March 2nd, 2012)

India's Tribal Women not being protected against Witchcraft Violence. Women's News Network.

This article is really sad, but again opens my eyes to the culture of India, and the many aspects of it. I know and understand that Indian culture is not perfect, and when I read articles like this that helps me see the reality of things, and how I can choose to see the positive and maybe make a difference,

Annotated #16, (Wednesday February 29th, 2012)

India Domestic Abuse more common in Arranged Marriages- Women's News Network

I liked reading this article because not only does it take place in India, but it gives arranged marriages a bad name, and I think that sometimes it is good to hear about the negatives of a culture. I think that arranged marriages are great, but it is good to hear about the negatives as well, to give us balance.

Annotated #15, (Monday, February 27th, 2012)

Lost daughters- an ongoing tragedy in Nepal. Women's News Network

This article addresses the sad truth of Nepalese girls being trafficked into India, for their fair skin. This is incredibly sad, and it made me wonder how these women who were being trafficked, perceived themselves and what kinds of education are being offered to them, so that when corrupt people try to offer them jobs, they can turn them down.

Annotated Source #14 (Friday, Feb 24th)

A Nation's Lowest Women working under degradation. Women's News Network

This article talks about the young girls in India who have to work cleaning up latrines, and contract severe diseases through this lifestyle. Just opened my eyes to what some women have to go through in developing countries, like India.

**EXTRA CREDIT POST** Saturday Field Trip with Venkat. A little piece of India in Utah. Saturday, April 7, 2012

On Saturday, Venkat, our Tamil teacher took us out to South Jordan, where we visited the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple and then got south Indian lunch. It was an eventful saturday!

I was very excited for the Temple part! not too excited for the food, but it actually didn't turn out that bad. When I first saw the temple, I was so excited. I saw the engraved gold, and I felt like I was out of Utah. As we were walking around it, I saw the different beautiful decorations, and the engravings on the pillars. Since this was a temple dedicated to the god Ganesh, it had statues of him everywhere. There were tow little elephant statues on the outside of the temple, and they were beautifully engraved. Venkat explained that Ganesh was Siva's son, but that he never married. So, that is why he stands outside of the temple, looking for a wife. He also said that many bachelors in India come to seek the blessings of Ganesh. I thought this was really cool, and interesting because he seemed tailored to the specific needs of the men.
When we went inside, it smelled so good, like fresh incense. The main shrine had a gorgeous statue of Ganesh, and there were colorful flowers decorating his neck. The shrine was so beautiful, and there was a bowl of fruit on the ground. Venkat approached the priest and then the priest started saying chants and prayers in Sanskrit, which is a beautiful language. He had incense, water and a little bowl of fire, that as he approached Venkat with it, Venkat put his hands in it and rubbed it on his face... it sounds more dangerous than it actually was. It was very interesting to see, and so beautiful too. I liked the statue a Siva that was next to Ganesh, and it was so beautifully decorated as well. The priest was very friendly and he didn't keep us from observing, he was very welcoming. He was shy though, and rarely made eye contact. Later, I found out that he was from Tamil Nadu, which made me happy!
There was a young man there, no more than thirty, that worked at the temple. He was so friendly and we found out that he was from Chennai, and was going to be in Coimbatore this summer, to study Sanskrit! He was explaining to us that there the spirit of the gods were everywhere, that there was no separation between us and them, and that the purpose of the temple was to invoke their blessings upon us. I witnessed this first hand because there was a cute little family, sitting on the floor, by the shrine. They were with their little two year old boy, and he sat so still and his parents chanted a prayer in Sanskrit. It was so beautiful to hear and to see. There were quite a bit of people there, and I was reminded that they were just like me, there is a deep desire to connect with the divine and the sublime, no matter what religion one may be.
The young man said "everyone is Hindu until they say otherwise! Hinduism is the mother of all religions". I thought this was so interesting and I had never perceived Hinduism this way. I want to go back to the temple, it was a wonderful experience.

The food was actually good! I was scared, but I really liked the Dosa with the chutni. The rasam and sambar were a little spicy, but they tasted soooo good with the Indian onion rings, as I call them. The mango Lassi was delicious, and so was the rice. I was so relieved to like the food, and now I have one more thing to look forward to, for India.

The two most important principles. Wednesday April 11, 2012

As I was sitting in class on Monday, and we were talking about our final exam, we talked about all of the vocab that we had to remember and all of the principles, etc. I was thinking about everything that I had to remember, and then Ashley said "we really hope that these principles are something that you could apply to your lives and not just memorize to regurgitate back at the final exam". This stood out to me because not every single principle that I have learned in class, has been truly internalized. However, I wanted to focus on the two most important principles that I have really internalized, and that I really hope to apply to my field study in INDIA.

The first one that I keep thinking about, ever since we learned about it, is being a self-starter. After reading the Ophelia Syndrome, I felt that most of this experience and what I got out of it, had to do with me, and what I was willing to do, and to put in. I am excited to go to the field and put my best efforts towards getting the best out of it. I feel like I am an outgoing person, and I love talking to people about their lives and I love getting to know them. However, I often times feel inadequate because I feel like there are people who are better equipped to do a Field Study who are smarter, and better at other things, but I have been accepted to do this Field Study, and I will do my best to make out of it, the best experience. I like that the Field Studies program emphasizes the principle of being a self-started and giving students the accountability to choose for themselves how they will act and what things they will choose to do in a foreign field. I keep thinking about how the more prepared I go, and the more I decide to do with my time and my knowledge, in the field, I will have a better experience. As the time winds down for me to go India, I think about the different issues and potential difficulties that I may face, but then I am comforted to remember that my attitude will facilitate how I well I cope with these problems and challenges that I will naturally face in the field. I really like what the guidelines to the proposal say about the experience and personal growth that we will all experience in the field. The fact that this experience is up to ME and what I will do with my time there and how I go about it, will determine how much I learn, fills me with a great sense of responsibility. With this responsibility comes a little bit of pressure, but at the same time, I feel like the more I am involved in my own experience, the more "worth it" it will be, and more meaningful.

The second most important principle in my opinion, is that of rapport. I really like international development and all of the principles found there in, but perhaps my favorite part, is that of getting to know people and building long-lasting relationships with them. I love people, and because of my major (Geography-Global Studies) I have learned about different people and cultures, and I have completely fallen in love with it all. I am excited to talk to the people of the village, and I am even more excited to talk to the women and get to know them individually, and get to learn from them. I cannot wait for this opportunity and just thinking about being able to talk to the people, makes me more excited. Only because I love it though, does not mean that I will necessarily have success right away. I know that building rapport will take time, and it will take a lot of effort on my part, but like I mentioned earlier, it will all be worth it. I am very much looking forward to this part of the Field Study, the people and what they have to teach me, is something I look forward to the most.

Experiencing India for a few hours. Monday, April 9th, 2012

On Saturday, our Tamil teacher Venkat, took us to South Jordan, where we visited the Sri Ganesha temple, and were able to see how ceremonies are held there. After that we went to get South Indian food, and it was not as bad as I thought it would be! (More on the temple and the food on the Extra Credit entry).

I really liked the temple ceremonies and I liked what I learned there. I thought the food was pretty good as well, but my favorite part about this field trip was the people that I was able to see. I have never seen so many Indians congregated before, in Utah. In New York, I saw many many Indians, but back then I had no idea that I would be going someday. This time, seeing so many really made a difference. The people, to me, are the most important part. I was so happy to see so many Indian women with their Saris and their beautiful, long, black, braided hair. I loved the fact that I could smile and they would smile right back at me. I did not feel like a stranger in the Temple, I felt welcome by their smiling faces and their deep, dark eyes that would give a warm look. The men too were very friendly, although a little more shy in nature. The men were very nice, and they were explaining everything that went on in the temple. One of the servers in the restaurant, was from Chennai and he was so friendly. When I told him that I was going to Coimbatore in three weeks, for three months, he got very excited and said "Coimbatore is a lot of fun!!". He was so sweet.

While I was sitting there in the restaurant, and looked around to see that I was the minority, I pretended to be in India for a second. I said to myself "I am surrounded by Indians!! I guess this is what it will feel like, times 10". I got really excited and happy, and of course, really nervous. However, being surrounded by these wonderful people, reminded me that I was not going to some foreign planet, but that I would be in a different country, with different people, and yet they were just like me. They valued their religion, they were with their families, they were enjoying meals, just like I would be. I was reminded that I needed to keep a friendly and open attitude, so that when I was faced with the differences, I would be more apt to react positively, than negatively. As the time winds down, and I find myself with one day left for me to go to India, I know that I will feel nervous, but at the same time, I will think about my experience on saturday, being surrounded by Indians, and how that felt, and how happy it made me.

19 days left. Friday, April 6th, 2012

As I was looking at my calendar, I counted that there were 19 days left, until I left to India. In 21 days, I will be sitting somewhere in Chennai. I can't even believe that I will be traveling to this land.

Coincidentally, my friend's fiancee was talking to me yesterday about my trip and he brought up some interesting points. He first said "I can't believe that you get to go there!! are you excited?" of course, when anyone asks me this, I always say that I am excited. But yesterday, I said "I am so excited, but I am also absolutely terrified" After he inquired as to why I was terrified, and after I told me him just the normal reasons, he said "Oh yeah I totally don't blame you. I was thinking about that the other day! I went without water and electricity for days on my mission, but that's nothing to what you are going to go through!" I was slightly horrified at his response to me... then he said "I just can't imagine living with no toilet paper!" I laughed for a moment, and realized that toilet paper was actually the least of my worries. I was surprised at this, because I am a CLEAN freak, and I know I'm gonna have a slight heart attack when I see that there's no toilet paper, but through out my preparations, and being in the field prep class, all I keep thinking about, is the people. I just constantly think about them, and how I will try to fit in and how I will try to build rapport and establish meaningful relationships with them.

These next 19 days, I will be thinking of ways to do that, and of ways to reduce the impact of culture shock. Perhaps people freak out when they hear me say that there is no toilet paper, and that I hate curry, but honestly, these things are secondary on my list of "to-think-abouts" for India. I keep thinking about what is most important and what really will matter most. I have learned in my field class, that the most important thing to me, will be the people of India. ESPECIALLY the women whom I will be interacting with. I have also found that thinking about the people, and how great they will be, eases my tension of the other insignificant things, that will be significantly different.

Culture Shock. I'm hoping it does not last too long. Wednesday April 4, 2012

In class on Monday, we talked about culture shock and what it means... I was honestly freaked out a little bit. But as I listened, I was very relieved to find out that there are coping mechanisms that will make culture shock less traumatic.

The first thing we talked about was the whole "honeymoon phase". As I thought about it, I admitted to myself that I think I was already in that stage. For some reason, every time I picture myself in India, I picture myself running through lush forests and drinking mango juice. OBVIOUSLY I don't think that will actually happen, but I do think about India being more idyllic than I have learned it to be. I think that when I get there I will be seriously surprised. However, I think that the honeymoon phase is a little bit necessary because it will help balance out the stark feelings of reality a little bit. I think that India will be a wonderful place, as difficult as it may be to try to adjust there, I think that it would be good to remember that this really is a great place, and that I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be there.

We discussed some of the negative things that we will probably feel and experience. For example, not being able to communicate, whether in the language or with feelings. Becoming hostile towards others, and easily irritated, are also feelings that we might experience. Fortunately, there tends to be a gradual adjustment to the environment and the surroundings. This is where I stopped worrying so much, and started to think of ways that I could make this transition smoother. There was one word that was written on the board that stood out to me, and helped illustrate how I could turn Culture shock into a positive thing and how I could eventually adjust.

The word was: WILLINGNESS. I think this is a powerful word, and it has a lot to do with our individual agency. I thought it was ironic that I was learning about the willingness to accept change, the willingness to recognize that things were different but that they were also going to be Okay, and the willingness to understand that it was okay to be uncomfortable; because that same day, I was in my Tamil class and I was so uncomfortable when Venkat called on me and I didn't know how to say what he was asking me to say. I was so frustrated with myself and that I couldn't say what I needed to say. It all of the sudden dawned on me that I just had to have the willingness to be patient, that I had to be willing to make mistakes. Willingness is something that I will rely on a lot, while I try to adjust in the field.

With the willingness to be able to accept things that are different, the willingness to be flexible, and to accept my current situation, I know that all will be okay in the field, and hard things will turn into manageable things, and eventually pleasant things.

I also find comfort in the fact that this will not be my first time entering a foreign community. I remember how difficult it was to adjust to American culture. To not be able to speak the language, to try to fit in with the kids in school, etc. I have been here fifteen years now, and I am a normal student, living life as an American. Although my entrance into the field will be less startling than my entrance in the USA, reflecting on the experience, reassures me that I can do something difficult, and I know that I will be just fine.

The driving force in India. Friday, March 30, 2012

It seems like I have been talking about Hinduism for a long time now, but I still don't necessarily understand it. I know that's normal, but I want to be able to have a stronger grasp of it be fore I go to the field. I was sitting in my anthropology of development class the other day, and my professor said that before we go into a community and build rapport and seek to build friendships, we must first know and understand the religion. This hit me strongly because I know that with what I want to study, I need to be able to see how the religion of the women, impacts their lives and their daily actions.

On Wednesday, we were able to talk more about Hinduism, and I liked that Jay said "Hinduism is the driving force in India". This personified Hinduism a little bit better for me and I was able to actually picture it better in my mind, when in the past, it had been just abstract and mystical. Knowing that this religion really is the force behind the actions of the people, really helped me see why they may behave a certain way.

It was interesting to note that colonialism actually brought unification among the people of India, especially when it came to religion. I read a passage in this book called "India: an anthropological perspective", where I learned that the unification of Indians was something extremely important to the people. Although India itself has various official languages, religions, ethnicities and other traditional values, there is also an underlying unity that they all share, and Hinduism provides for this unity. This unity is also illustrated in the way that villages are cohesive or the opposite. There is also something else I read in that same book that illustrates this unity. There is no sense of privacy, and this is because the culture is very collective, and not individualistic. I know that I will be seeing a lot of this in the village, as I see women and neighbors working and talking together. Also, as I observe the family dynamics of the host family that I will be staying with.

I think that perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Hinduism, is the many contradictions that are in it. Again, in the book, I read that one of the things that Indians don't understand about Westerners, is their lack of ability to comprehend the many paradoxical concepts of Indian culture. I thought that was so interesting, because contradictions are something that is not very common in an organized religion, like Mormonism. However, I think that being able to embrace these contradictions, instead of puzzling them out, will help me better understand the women better, and will give me greater insight into the things that the women say and try to illustrate to me, as they tell me about their self-perceptions.

Religion is extremely important in many cultures, but I think that Hinduism is the underlying thread of the large tapestry of diversity that India exhibits. I am looking forward to seeing the different patterns of religious habits in the lives of the women and how they affect how these women act, say and feel.

Difficulties in the Field... Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Yesterday in the prep class, it was interesting to talk about the different difficulties that we will experience in the Field. I was wondering if this was going to be worth it... of course it is. I know that this experience will change my life, I have felt it for so long, and I will honestly be relying on that feeling through out my Field Study, especially as I face the difficulties.

The first difficulty that we talked about was that of language. I have already addressed this in the online journal before. I just really don't understand Tamil, and I have come to terms with that. I have always been able to learn languages and little phrases here and there. I can say hi in thirty-three languages (I have a really nerdy goal of learning how to say hi in every language possible...). I have always been proud of being able to do that...but my pride definitely deflated when I walked into Tamil and could not pronounce half the words. I have always heard that Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn...and when I took it, it was hard. BUT, Tamil is harder. That terrifies me because I will actually be living with Tamils, and I won't even be able to communicate with them...but that's ok. As long as I try really hard, and love them and be friendly, I will be alright. When it comes to interpreters though, I think that it will take a lot of effort on my part in order to find someone that will be able to interpret correctly what I am trying to ask my interviewees. I will have to rely on networking and snowballing in order to know how to find an interpreter who will be fit with my needs.

Cleanliness was another issue brought up that I think is important. I honestly will admit that I am a germ-ophobe. I carry hand sanitizer with me, EVERYWHERE I go. I hate being dirty and touching dirty things. I always make sure that I am cleaning things and after myself. I know that where I will be, will not be up to the standards of cleanliness of Western culture. This will be a challenge to me, but like Ashley said, flexibility is perhaps the most important component of a Field Study. I think that it will take patience and flexibility. I wonder what kinds of things I will face, but I will strive to be flexible and not let something different, discourage me from learning and growing from the field.

We had a really brief but interesting discussion on happiness and how to be able to find that in the field, when there are other things that will be weighing me down in the field. I was really intrigued to hear about the different things that the facilitators did in order to keep high spirits, especially during difficult or less enchanting times in the Field.

Something I want to do in order to keep myself happy, I want to write something new every day that I love about India. Just one thing every morning, and then think about it through out the day. I know that this sounds a little idealistic, but it is a goal that I want to try to do. I want to try to remember that this experience is about me, but mostly, it is about the people whom I will be staying with and whom I will be learning so much from.

Time in the NGO. Monday, March 26, 2012

As I was working on my proposal and trying to figure out how I am going to go about my internship, I kept remembering that I will be working at Shanti Ashram.
I am actually really excited that I get to work with them, not only because it is a solid organization, but because it gives my proposal so much more structure. However, the more time I spend thinking about it, the more I remember that I need to also build rapport with the people involved in the NGO, those who are running it and those who are involved with it.

I used to only think about building rapport in the village, but when I decided that I wanted to intern with the NGO, I started thinking of ways to build rapport with them too, especially since I will be spending a lot of time there. Since I want to mainly observe the women who are being empowered through the Women's development program at the Ashram, I will be involved in the activities that they will be doing. At least, I hope to be. I keep thinking about the phrase "learner-owned" and how I have to initiate things as well. By appropriately approaching the leaders of the Women's Development program, I will be able to join the women with whatever they will be doing. While I will be joining them, I will also be talking to them and trying to make friends. I have always enjoyed talking to people and I love meeting new friends, but for some reason, this time around seems a lot more intimidating. However, I know that once I start talking and building those relationships, I will start noticing new things and start to find deeper meaning for what the women are doing and how they perceive things.

I want to always volunteer and see what I can do to help. I will be stepping out of my comfort zone and I will be learning new things every day, but I will also be expanding my knowledge of how these women feel about themselves.

Religion where I will be. Friday, March 23, 2012

When I lived in New York for five years, I remember seeing a lot, a LOT of Indians. The streets smelled of curry, ALL the time, and there was a famous street called "Liberty Avenue", which was lined with shops that sold Indian dresses and other accessories. I was always surrounded by Indians, yet something that I didn't really understand, was the Hindu culture. Of course, I was young, so I didn't care to investigate it. I just saw the "OM" sign on Hindu temples and heard my Indian friends talk about it at school.

Now that I am older and about to go to India, I constantly think about the predominant religion, and all that it will signify to the people that I will be spending time with. I once heard that the more confused you are about Hinduism, the more you are beginning to understand it. I thought that was really interesting, but I am beginning to see how it is true. I didn't really know about the beginning of Hinduism, and apparently Hindus don't either...In my Tamil class, Venkat opened the lesson of Hinduism by saying "No one really knows where Hinduism came from". With that being said though, I learned that Hinduism had become such a grand part of the culture, that it was not only a religion, but just a way of life. It really mandated how things were done in this life, for Indians. What to think about, how to treat your family, how to talk, who to talk to... everything. I think that Hinduism is more than a religion that Indians participate in every week day... it is what dictates their life, and this is useful information for me, as I will be spending so much time around Hindu women.

Women have an active role in Hinduism, which I think is so interesting. The things that go on in the Temple are really important, and the women are responsible for keeping it beautiful and clean. There are many Hindu gods and goddesses, that all have different purposes, and to me, the most interesting part of that is that the central gods, all have a female partner. It just shows me how marriage between and a woman is viewed as vital. I think that there are connections between how women see and perceive themselves and their religion. So, I know that religion and the precepts therein will have a impact on how the women see themselves and carry themselves.

I know that where I am going there will be other women of other religions, such as Muslims, Jains, Christians and even Latter-day Saint women. It will be interesting to see if the perceptions of women are different because of the influence of their religion.

Entering the Community Friday, March 16, 2012

On Wednesday, we talked about entering the community that we will be staying with. I think about this all the time, perhaps more than anything else in my present life right now. I think about how this will happen, especially my first week there.
As Margaret read us her experience, I liked that she mentioned the difference between what is being written and what is actually happening. I have a feeling that what my family and friends are going to read from my experience will slightly differ from what I will actually be living. I loved that she mentioned "I tried not to panic" because I have a feeling that I will be doing that a lot, trying not to panic is great advice.

One of the questions that were asked of us was: "is the Field suitable for your intended project?" As I thought about this, I knew that I wanted to do some sort of project that was connected with International Development. As I thought further, I knew that I wanted to do something with women. I also remember one of the most important things that I learned from my Intro to International Development class, was that of asking the locals what they need and how they are feeling. While in India, I will be working on a personal project, but I will also be building relationships with those around me, which I think is the most important thing I can do. Consequently, I think that the village of Chavadi Pudur will be an ideal location for me to learn about the women there, and especially to spend enough time around them to gain mutual trust and be able to understand them a little better.

Another aspect of the location that I think is perfect for my project is the fact that there is an NGO in the city. The NGO has a program called "Women's Development Program" and through this program, I will be able to participate with the women in the activities that they do, and learn about them thorough talking to them and letting them teach me.

I think that India really is the perfect place for me to go at this time. Which is why preparing to enter the community is so crucial. The best I can do right now is to be observant of the world around me and withhold judgment, so that when I enter the community, I can try to do the same. I am nervous!! But oh so excited...

Understanding Reciprocity. Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Although I was late for class, I was able to catch the jist of a very important conversation and lesson for that matter. Ashley was talking about the different things that we will face in the field, especially when it comes to culture and how we will react with individuals in their own societies.

I think about this often, because my biggest concern is to be able to build good relationships with the people I come in contact with and I am hoping to make friends with all that I become close to. I often think about how I might offend someone, so I try to be thoughtful and careful with my word choice and what I say to my friends, just as practice before I enter the field.

I liked that we learned about the boundaries that the culture will have and how it is my responsibility to respect those boundaries, since I am the "guest" in the field. Something that was brought up was the concept of leaving "no trace", and I thought that was interesting because we as students, will have to maintain our reputation. There have been many students before us and many after us, and it is my responsibility to make sure that I enter the field with a good and respectful attitude. With leaving "no trace", I think that's a difficult concept to grasp because no matter how hard we try to leave no trace and not to disrupt the culture, our mere presence is already causing some sort of change. However, I think that it is important to leave a positive trace. I think that it is good not to go into a culture and society and say "I am going to leave a positive trace and grace them with my presence", obviously this would be ridiculous. But I think that it would be great to enter the community with a positive outlook and think about how them as people who are just like me, just different, and who deserve my respect and love.

I thought that the different levels of reciprocities that Ashley shared were really interesting and they were also complex in their own way. For example, balanced reciprocity is the ideal! But I have a hard time with it because I tend to sometimes give more than needed, without giving others the chance to give back. When I am in the field, I want to make sure that I discern how balanced to be. The negative reciprocity is basically what I struggle with since I am willing to give instead of letting others equally give. Finally there was generalized reciprocity, which in all honesty I didn't really understand, but I feel like the whole concept of reciprocity is a very significant one when it comes to building and keeping relationships in the field and with the many with whom I will associate. I think I will get more of a feel for it once I am there.

IRB Reflections. Monday, March 12, 2012

As I was writing my IRB (and I had the privilege to write another one for another class)and I was writing the one for my Field Study, I was thinking a lot about the ethics behind it. I was especially thinking about how we have to be so careful and keep everything so secure and make sure that no one is harmed or abused; what was interesting though was that in the IRB proposal, there was also a section asking for the significance of the study and how this would potentially benefit society.

I often think of this study as something great for my life and about me and how much I will grow and learn, and how I get to tell people how I went to the wonderful country of India, etc. I mean, being a Geography major and having studied different cultures and people, I also am greatly looking forward to the people I will meet and form relationships with. However, until the IRB, I never thought about how I would actually impact society and about the true significance of my project.

I thought about the many others who are doing this with me, and how their projects are just as significant and how they will also contribute to society. I think that this Field Study and all that it entails, has a lot more to do with the wonderful people and the societies that they live in, than myself and my own successes. The relationships I will build with others, those who will share their amazing knowledge with me, those who will teach me things about life that I had never known before, all of those things, that I will eventually be able to give back- those are things that truly matter and that will ultimately be the underlining purpose of the study. Obviously, what I learn and what I share will be a little different because I will interpret it through my point of view, and also how careful I am with the information that I will gain, will play a significant role in the overall success of my field study.

I am glad that the IRB, though very hard to get through, helped me see a little bit of what's really important.

Annotated Source #13 (February 22, 2012)

"The Mango Season"

In this short novel that I am reading, a young woman goes to America to pursue an education, but then she falls in love with an American, which she becomes engaged to. She must go back to India, and while she is there, she realizes that she has become very westernized and thinks India's traditions are foolish and that India is filthy, etc. I saw a large between what her mother thought life was like and how she now saw life. It seemed as though she was completely separating herself from her native country. It made me wonder why this was so, and if the women of the village that we see will be against Western culture or see it as extremely different.

Annotated Source #12 (February 20, 2012)

"Dealing with the Blue faced Monster: The Bad Mood" Madhavi Prasad-- Woman's era

In this Indian magazine, I read about the ways that women "should" deal with mood changes and how to better handle people that are in a bad mood. The article was pretty ordinary and normal, but there were a few things that were only Indian. For example, " you will be around a cranky husband, mother-in-law or perhaps neighbor...your mood will be affected by all of those who will be around you constantly". I could really feel the collectiveness of the culture, rather than the individualistic attitude.

My India Group. Monday, March 5, 2012

I was thinking about my Field Study on Friday (I seldom DON'T think about India) and as I sat in the prep class, I was talking to one of the guys in my group. We were having a really funny conversation and I started thinking about our group and how we are going to be acting in India.

I am a big people person, and so I am so grateful for the fact that I will NOT be going to India alone. I find myself being fortunate enough to have known everyone in my group from our IAS 220 class last semester. The only one we didn't know, is Steven and he seems to fit right in.

I thought about the lesson we had about how we will have to meet as a group every so often while we are in India, just to check up on each other and discuss our experience there. I think that is so great because I won't feel as alone in a different country and I will be able to share the experiences that I am having with those in my group.

As I thought about this, I recalled some facilitators saying that you have to have patience because living with the same people for three months, guarantees some collisions and we also have a the great chance of driving each other crazy. I am sure that this will happen on more than one occasion, but like I said before, I think we have been fortunate enough to know each other before and Dave taught us some valuable things that will really come into action in the Field. I like everyone in my group, and I like to observe the people I will be going with. I'm not saying we are all going to hold hands and skip off into the sunset, but I did think up of the positive attributes that the individuals in my group have and how that will affect me in the Field. Consequently, I have decided to take the liberty to write them down.

I want to start with the only other girl going, who will essentially be "saving" me, because the rest of the people are boys!

Emma: I love her already. I was always impressed by her in our class because she is really mature and she's VERY intelligent. It will be great having her around because she thinks very critically and "outside the box". She is also very open minded, so it will be nice to talk to her in the field because we will be in a completely different country, and her open mindedness to the differences will be really great.

Nathan: He is always willing to help out. Whenever I have asked for a favor or anything, he is among the first to help me. He is also really serviceable-always offering rides or anything of the sort. It will be great having him around in the Field because of his serviceable attitude. He will be so willing to help when help is needed.

Josh: He is probably one of the most laid back human beings I have ever met. It will be nice to have him around because when I am running around like a headless chicken or having a freak out, Josh will always be there to say "it's all good Laura, everything is going to be ok".

Steven: I have not known him for very long, but he is a really nice person. Something I have noticed about him is that he is very responsible. He gets things done and is pretty reliable. It will be great having him around to remind us of the importance of being responsible and keeping our word.

I know that I have not spend 3 months with these people yet, but I rather focus on the good characteristics and the positive things that I will experience, rather than constantly thinking about the negative and how we are going to "drive each other crazy". I'm not naiive and saying this is not true, but I rather start early before I get to the field, to be an optimist. It will just make me and everyone around me happier.

I can't wait to go to India with all of them though!

FINALLY understanding CASTE better. Friday March 2, 2012

For Wednesday, we had to read a chapter from the book "Arrow of the Blue Skinned God" for our individual group. At first, I was trying to understand what the chapter was about, since it started out with the story of Sita, and how she was being pestered by a crow, and then her husband Rama destroys the unruly bird. As I kept reading, I saw that Rama stayed true to his caste, to his order of warrior.

I noticed that the men being interviewed were explaining that cast was something that made everyone stay to their own order. It was sort of a divine responsibility, with the ability to keep everyone organized and in harmony. It was only when the government and modern politics banned it, that problems started arising. Those at the "bottom" were all of the sudden given things and those who were at the top, had to fight to keep their "standing" in society.

Caste has also had an impact on the culture of India, although it was mostly paired with Hinduism. I thought that it was interesting that there was that deep connection between the culture and the religion, yet when religion was taken out of the equation, the aspects of the religion still applied to the culture. That sounds a lot more confusing than I intended it to be, but the best example that I can find is when I talked to Venkat, our Tamil teacher, and I asked him if he worshiped in the Hindu temple. He said "well, no, I am not Hindu by religion, but I am still Hindu by culture".

The fact that caste has been banned, does not separate the people from their deep culture, that is tightly interwoven with the Hindu religion. This helps me better understand why certain things are done in the villages and even in the cities of India--at least from the little that I have read. I am sure much more will make sense, or I'll be even more confused once I enter the field and see things for myself.

"Is their name safe in my mouth?" Wednesday, February 29, 2012

I was really interested in the lecture on the IRB drafts and proposals. As I read over IRB requirements and everything that was tied to it, I became really overwhelmed and I really had the feeling that I was not going to be able to do this! Obviously, I will be able to, and I even have the desire to, because I learned that it has to do with the protection of human life.

As we discussed that ethics talks about distinguishing what is right and what is wrong in human actions. As I sat in class, I was thinking about the different things that take place in the world, and how there is pretty much a right and a wrong with everything. As a Latter-Day Saint, we are taught that laws and commandments are there for a great purpose, and should therefore be perfectly followed. Obviously this still stands true in my personal beliefs. However, when we talked about context, my drastic views softened up a little bit.

Ashley shared a story about a man with a sick wife and how his only options were to let her die, or steal the medicine from the pharmacist. I honestly have no idea where I would stand, and it really hit me that context really has so much to do with our morals and ethics. This isn't to say that our moral compass should be skewed or that the commandments are negotiable, but it does mean a lot more sensitivity on our part. I thought of so many instances in the scripture where the commandments were not necessarily kept because of context. Nephi, for example killed Laban. Rebeckah lied and put fur on Jacob's arm so that he would seem as Esau, and the Lord himself healed on Sunday and forgave the adulterer who was about to be stoned by the pharisees. I felt better about myself as I thought about these examples and it is really true that not EVERYTHING is black and white.
So how does this apply to my field study in India?

As the class went on, I learned that by doing interviews, I will be basically "taking" something from the women I talk to, and it is ultimately my responsibility to take care of that, as if it were my own life story. I will be writing about it and others will be reading it, so I have the moral responsibility to keep it as pure as possible. It may sound perhaps a little over the top to others, but when it comes to lives that are real and just as alive as I am, it is not over the top whatsoever.
I love the movie "Australia" and one of my favorite parts is when a man in explaining to a foreigner what the Aborigines feel is the most important thing to them. "They don't take material possessions with them, they don't necessarily care about riches, in the end, what really matters is their story...something that could never be taken away". I thought about the women that I will be interviewing and the many people I will be talking to. I thought about the different opinions that I will be hearing and the different things that I will be learning about people's lives, that will even shape the way I see my own life. I will be asking about "their" story, and I want to do everything possible to keep it as intact as I can and protect it as much as I can.

I will need to be informing those whom I will spending time with, about my project there and my intentions. I feel that they have the right to know, just as I would want to know why somebody would interview me about my life and my self-perceptions. Ashley said something that really stuck with me: "is their name safe in my mouth?" I want nothing more than to build relationships of trust with these people that I will have the privilege to be staying with, so that their story is safe in my mouth. Of course, I know that this will take a lot of work and effort on my part, but all of that and more, is worth it.

Annotated Source #11 (Friday, February 17, 2012)

"Notes on Love in a Tamil Family" by: Margaret Trawick

I have loved everything that I have read in this book so far. The author talks about how Tamil women are way more expressive and less submissive than the North Indian women. I was really surprised to read this, but as I did, I thought of Ashley and how she talked about Jeeva's bravery in leading her women's group in Chavadi. I was really intrigued to read about how in our Western culture, we tend to tag names to India and to her people. "caste-dominated", "repressed", "dominated", "past-oriented", among other things. I think that I had that mindset about India as well before I really got immersed in it. I thought that it was great that the author, who spent a lot of time in Tamil Nadu, living among that Tamil people, said that those are just words, and words should not define a culture. I think it is important to keep that in mind, as we are approaching that time to live in India for the entire summer.

Attempting to Participate and Observe in Centerville!, February 27, 2012

For the method's practice, I decided that I was going to observe a family that I was visiting. I was really going to pay attention to how they acted around each other, how they acted in public settings and how they acted in private, individually.

When I first walked in the house, I was really surprised to find the dad watching TV and the mom was already asleep. I then remembered that it was my first time in their home, so I waited to be approached rather than me going for it first. The dad came towards me and I immediately went to hug him, which I was thinking was totally appropriate, and luckily for me, he returned that! But I thought about my stay in India and how I don't know if hugging is even appropriate, so I am better off waiting for it.

The next day, the family and I went to the movies and the movie that we all chose to watch was really stupid (I'll disclose the title so that no body else makes the same mistake- "Ghost Rider II"). Anyway, since I was with the family and they had made the effort to take me out and buy my ticket, I did not think it appropriate to critique the movie in front of them, as I would do if I were with friends or my family. I was thinking that in India, there will be some things that I will most likely not like or not be used to. Unless these things are harmful in any way, it is not my place to critique them or share my opinion of it, unless asked. I have had to learn this principle in my life, since I have been known to mess up in the past.

We also went to a restaurant, but there was about a half hour wait. I didn't have a problem with it, but the father of the family did, and it was almost amusing to me. I didn't really notice that he was though, until it was pointed out to me--which shows me that I should probably work more on my observation skills. In India, observing people as a group is really important, but equally as important, is being able to observe the individual.
Anyway, I was really intrigued at how many people didn't seem too happy about the wait either. The desperate seating hostesses were really trying to keep people from leaving, and once in a while, they would announce: "attention Red Robin customers, we are having a lobby contest! if anyone walks up to the counter with a gym membership card, he or she will get free onion rings!". I didn't see anyone walk up, I just saw people rolling their eyes and complaining. A few minutes later, the hostesses again announced "attention Red Robin customers, we are doing a lobby contest! Whoever can get up to the front and dance 'I'm a little tea pot' will get a free order of french fries!". I started to laugh at how the people now seemed less than amused and how a three-year old and his mom were the only ones willing to do this. Everybody seemed so impatient and I must admit, I was a little too. However, I thought about the polychronic vs. monochronic time and how most of the people in the lobby really wanted their food. They really didn't care about anything else. It wasn't wrong, just different attitudes and cultural characteristics.

As I was thinking about my observations, what really stood out to me was the fact that we often times are immersed in a different culture and constantly measure it with our own. I do this all the time! and this little exercise has taught me that there is no way that I can get really immersed and participate fully, if I don't get rid of judgment. By simply observing and accepting people as they are, without pre-judgments, allows me to better understand them and see their motives from a different angle. I know that this will be an important principle to apply in India, because I will always see things that make no sense to me culturally, and I'll be REALLY clueless and lost, but if I rely on my observations and accept the people around me, I'l be able to understand them better, and that's really my ultimate goal.