India Trip - August 2007

21 Aug 2007

Trying to settle back into Aus

Well as predicted it's a hard adjustment back into life in the first world. In the depths of my heart I still want to be in India still but it's a tough one as my family, friends and Nenad are here. It's a really weird feeling when I come back. I had the same issue last time I went and it took me two-three weeks to totally be home again. It's just a hard time for me emotionally. I had a HUGE cry on Sunday morning at church which was cathartic and at the same time really therapeutic.

Bottom line is there is so much suffering over there. I keep thinking about the villages in Mayapur, they are flooded and the people sleep standing up waist deep in contaminated water holding their children with sea snakes swimming underneath their feet. Or if they are lucky they have the opportunity to move their 'house' on the road which is four sticks and a plastic sheet for a roof!
This kind of suffering is just inhumane and it concerns me so deeply that we still live in a world where it exists. How can it be possible that here in the west we enjoy GPS systems, air conditioners, cars, mobile phones, plasma screen tv's and yet more that two thirds of the world's population don't have the BARE ESSENTIALS...

I guess it's been like this for centuries and it's a VERY complex issue and it is so multifaceted. The issues are social, economic, cultural, financial and environmental. No wonder most of us in the west get overwhelmed and disillusioned as the problem seems so huge! But the issue with this attitude is it's ignorant, as it's this same attitude that continues the cycle of poverty and doesn't support change for these millions of people.

I refuse to believe that it is too big an issue for us to even attempt! Sure there has to be a lot of involvement from governments and from larger groups but I really believe that small groups can also make a difference.

I'm excited about the Mayapur Project, it has REAL potential for the alleviation of suffering of thousands of people living in the poverty cycle. It staggers me to realise that UNDER $2 A DAY WILL PROVIDE 2,300 WITH HEALTHCARE FOR 1 YEAR!  Therefore we ALL can make a difference....

I encourage you to join us in making a difference in Mayapur to thousands of families living in constant pain and suffering who at this point have no access to healthcare.

Now that I am back in Melbourne I have the task ahead of me of raising the funds so that the project in Mayapur can go ahead. We are working on a few initiatives that will hopefully create some good exposure for us. But ideally it will be through companies as well as individuals that we will obtain the funds.

Please continue to include Project Mayapur in your prayers and thoughts as I work with our team of volunteers to make Project Mayapur a reality in 2008.

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18 Aug 2007

WE ARE HOME!

We made it home. After a LONG 14 hour journey we are back safely in Australia. I had my first hot shower yesterday...what bliss! I have just woken up after a HUGE sleep.  I slept for 15 hours!! I now feel revived and alive again. I LOVE my bed here in Australia!
Mum put on a great spread of fresh fruit and salad when we got home and Russell enjoyed a meat pie.  We will now begin to edit and go through all of our photos and videos ready for our RTG info session.

I will email everyone and post the date on here as well, so that you can all come to the info session.
Thanks for all your emails of support and encouragement on our journey. We really hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride!

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15 Aug 2007

MUMPI

What a rewarding day.

This morning we had a meeting with the community health workers. This morning we had a meeting with the community health workers. What a hoot. They are the most beautiful women with the most generous hearts and desire for community service.

We had many laughs and learnt a lot about what they feel the communities need. The wonderful thing is that these ten women represent the voice of thousands of people in the surrounding villages of Mayapur. They speak on behalf of these communities and inform us of the desires and desperate needs. This provides us with a very accurate picture of the REAL story out in the villaes. They are all incredibly excited about being included in our project. And as far as I can see they are the pivotal people. Without their support we wil not be able to gain the support of individual families and communitites.

We then went to visit Mumpi at her house. Mumpi is the nine year old girl that Rebalance the Globe helped support in July this year. Mumpi was born with a congenital heart disease and was diagnosed with only a few weeks to live in April this year. Rebalance the Globe responded to her school and family's call for help and provided the funding for her to undergo open heart surgery in a Calcutta hospital in July this year. After only one month off school is has returned to her 5th grade class and is eager to learn. We met her school teacher today and also her family who you can imagine were totally overwhelmed to meet us. As a sign of their gratitude they offered us traditional Bengali sweets, which we were told later is worth a month and a half of her father's wages. Her father sells fish in the local market and her family is one of the majority of very poor families in their village Krishnagar. This visit was definitely the highlight of the trip. I have felt very connected to this little girl since I received the call for help earlier this year. I worked very hard to raise the funds and as a result of many generous individuals in Australia she now has a second chance of living her life. She is taking that opportunity with both hands and she told us about how happy and healthy she feels and that she loves her subject of Bengali the best at school and loves playing badminton.

Thank you to all who helped in achieving our US$3000 donation that saved Mumpi's life. Check out the video footage where we presented her with a gift and she bravely showed us her scar from her operation.

To enable a child to live a full and fruitful life is such a blessing, I have been close to tears many times today as the feeling of gratitude from her parents was overwhelming. This Rebalance the Globe success ony confirms to me that we ALL have the ability to make a difference in someone else's life, and it only inspires me more to put my head down and start working hard to get Project Mayapur off the ground.

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14 Aug 2007

MORE VILLAGES TODAY

The roller coaster ride continues as my emotions continue to slide up and down a scale from distressed to euphoria.  As you know this can be a little typical for me but this is the same experience as I had last time in Mayapur, you can tell from my emails!!

I'm high as a kite right now as we had another successful meeting with SMVS this morning (14th August ) and we really made some inroads into the details and goals of our project. And 2nd to this we had another afternoon in the villages.  I love the villages so much, we took a lot of footrage again but of course the internet is useless here so we will have to upload them all when we get back to Australia. I now remember how I managed 5 weeks here, it was because of the euphoria that comes with being in the villages.  The interaction is totally unconditional and it brings about a joy and happiness that i've never experienced in the west.  This is what keeps bringing me back to this place...and is what fuels me on to continue the tough job of fundraising in Australia when I return.

We saw more incredible skin diseases today which are both facinating and horrifying. But the best part are the village kids who just giggle and stare and play around us as we explore their village life and living arrangements. We walked in villages along the Jalangi River today and although it was a incredibly hot I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  This is why I come back...

Despite this euphoria we are continuing as planned to leave on Thursday. We will have meetings with the village healthcare workers...another wonderful reunion, and then we will travel to visit Mumpi, another highlight of this trip. We then need to travel to Calcutta at 3am on Thursday morning so we are ready to board a flight. We have to pick up our tickets in Calcutta city which is such a nightmare and we are unsure how this will work yet!!

The hardest thing here is the ISKCON campus. We have the most hospitable people around us who are bending over backwards for us and they are truly fantastic.  And the Hare Krishna people are lovely and friendly,  however it still cannot really remove the fact that dad and Russell feel very uncomfortable here. I can totally understand this as I felt the same the first two weeks of my visit in January.  However I am able to make friends easily and serve them by treating their many illnesses and so I feel a sense of belonging very quickly. Unfortunately this and the lack of basic comforts in accommodation makes the days long and in some cases hard to bare. But we all agree when we're in the villages it's great and this helps confirm why we are really here and that our drive to help and to make a difference is not hindered.

I am sitting in the internet cafe and we have just had a blackout, I think we have just switched from the main grid to a generator or vice versa. This happens every evening around this time.  In addittion it looks like cyclone outside with heavy rains, perhaps we are leaving in good time?

I must admit that I am sad to cut the trip short but I really have to take into consideration Russell and Dad's health and also the heat. I really wish that I could have experienced the floods as it would have created a greater insight to the reality of the conditions here. All this aside we have achieved what we came here to achieve and that was to begin some good dialogue and partnership with SMVS.
I will return in a few months I think and I imagine it will be alone. The only thing that will enable Dad to come again is if we can secure some reasonable accommodation outside of the ISKCON campus. I agree with him that this is favourable however I am unsure as to whether it is possible. We have got Bishnu from SMVS looking into it for us as I believe we will have to return again in a few months.
Overall it's been another good Mayapur expereince and I am still as much in love with the people and villages here as I was last time. I really look forward to implementing our project here as it has so much potential to alleviate so much day to day suffering. I really feel blessed and divinely lead with this peoject and I am excited about watching it unfold...

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SMVS SUCCESS

Hello Australia,

We had a very successful meeting with SMVS yesterday ( 13th August ) that has provided some good grounding for further discussions today.  We are all on the same page and so far we believe a good partnership will be made with SMVS.  After our meeting we travelled out to the villages which was very rewarding, it was great to be out in the sticks again and see the rawness of conditions in this area.  We believe that we may have selected the ten villages that we may use as our first location for the bus.  It is a group of villages called Sondanga and it houses some 15 000 people! Just by walking around yesterday we saw the desperate need for healthcare.  There is some great footage on our videos from yesterday so take a look.

The conditions here are still extremely trying. I am fully recovered after a small bout of flu like symptoms.  Dad's foot has totally recovered and there is only a lingering cough to be spoken of and we think that is still as a result of on and off again exposure to air conditioning. (Rumex and aconite seem to be making some difference) Russell however has begun to plummet and as a result we have changed our flights and will be returning early to Australia.  Russell is suffering as a result of drastic diet changes, soaring temperatures and he is hanging out for a meat pie!! Changing our flights will not cause a big issue for us as we have a good itinerary of productive activities organised for today and tomorrow which has been organised by SMVS.

We are desperately looking forward to hot showers, soft beds, thick pillows, big towels and a reduced temperature and thankfully Melbourne will be able to deliver all of these things in only a few days.  We have a long haul home though, we go from Calcutta to Bangkok then Bangkok to Sydney and then Sydney to Melbourne. We estimate 24 hours travel time and extra time in stop overs. We are going to be wrecked when we get home but we are looking forward to basic luxuries so the flight is worth every minute!

Mum has been instructed to book chiropractic appointments and make fresh salads and fruit upon our arrival...can't wait!!

Can't believe I survived 5 weeks here, I think I could do it again alone but it's definitely MUCH harder when you feel guilt and responsibility for other people who you're dragged over here! I will definitely need a guilt medicine when I get back...I'm never going to be allowed to foget their suffering here. I have provided them amunition for years to come! :( Next time I'm coming alone....

I'll write more again if we get an opportunity, but the internet is terribly slow so the rest of the photos and lots of videos may need to wait until we get home.

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11 Aug 2007

MAYAPUR ALERT

Well we did it, we survived yet another 3 hour chaotic drive to Mayapur and my goodness it is hot. I have never felt heat like it, not even in Singapore.  The humidity almost takes your breath away and you are saturated from perspiration as soon as you exit the room!
We are staying at the Vaishnava Academy and the hosts are just  beautiful. They are doing everything they possibly can to make us comfortable. 

To fill you all in, Mayapur is famous for the Hare Krishna campus called ISKCON which is known worldwide. SMVS is  the non-profit  organisation we are here to speak to and have been working as a non-religious off shoot of ISKCON for the last 8 years as the ISKCON itself is fobidden to provide any aid work as it is a religious organisation.  Therefore SMVS is a non religious team of local Bengali's with a passion for service who all live in the areas that surrounds the ISKCON campus.

The campus is very safe and is a HUGE compound where english is spoken and understood.  There is usually a strong smell of incense and chanting all around but it really quiet being a Sunday and I also think everyone is inside their houses as the campus is flooded in parts.

We have been told that the gates of the Ganga River ( an offshoot of the famous Ganges ) will be opened at any stage and the floods could be coming any day now. Warnings have been coming from the government to be prepared at any stage. We are already ankle to mid calf in water and it is believed that over the next few days we could experience floods up to 2 metres!! This means that we wil have to travel around the ISKCON campus and outside in the villages in boats! And by boats I mean the kind you see on the banks of Vietnam not speed boats!

The most horrific flood in this region was in 2000 where the water inside ISKCON raised to 3 metres! Some of you may remember my friend who lost his wife and daughter in the floods, that was in 2000.  Last years floods were 2 metres and by the sounds of things  we could be in for a repeat of last year.  The floods that are ankle deep are from rain that has only fallen today!!!   They have not had rain for 4 days but only this morning the level raised to that height! We are definitely in for a few action packed days which will be exciting but also may be a little frightening.  We are staying in the 2nd floor which means we are 7 metres above ground level so we should be ok.
I have already allocated my room for potential patients and I have my suspicions that word will carry as last time and I will practice out of my room.  I've had two patients already! :) The real disaster that occurs during the monsoon is outside of ISKCON's walls as communities lose everything and are forced to make shelters on the sides of the roads  with 4 poles and a plastic sheet for a roof.  Thousands of people are affected during this time of year with no relief.  There are no aid organisations that provide emergency relief and as you imagine illness and disease is rampant. 

Our project is working to fix this problem by providing a mobile facility to these desperate communities.  We will discuss the details of our project this week with a series of meetings with SMVS.  For example we need to think about whether we need to set up boats during the monsoon or whether a 4x4 vehicle will do the job.  These are the crucial details that we are here to determine and it appears that mother nature has provided us a perfect set of circumsdtances in which to do our research.

On a more positive note I feel as if I'm home again.  Although I am not a Hare Krishna I feel very connected to the people here and am really looking forward to serving both the native Bengali's and devotees on campus as they are all ill. I have been recognised by a few faces already and it has only been a few hours and this is both humbling and gratifying.

There is so much to achieve this week and the problems here are so vast and complicated. We plan to meet with the local bengali health workers who already work with SMVS to speak about what health services they need exactly and whether it changes from season to season. I became close to many of these health workers during my 4 weeks volunteering in January so I am really excited to surprise them with this visit. I have intentionally told no one of my visit so that I can enjoy the anticipation and surprise. Don't worry we'll get it on film!!!

Dad is still sick and I am beginning to go down hill. The vast change in temperature from outside to any air conditioning (if we can manage to find any!) is proving a challenge for Dad and I with cold and flu symptoms developing.  This is all too familiar for me as I suffered from the same a few times during my trip in January but I believe we will have it covered with the homoeopathics and nurofen for the bone pains. Illness can so quickly develop in this climate and so it can creep up on you in a few hours.

Russell is the soldier of our journey with no symptoms other than a sore back from poor beds. What a trooper!!

ISKCON has been a little confronting already for the boys, it is a hard place to get your head around especially if you are confronted with the Hare Krishna philosophy for the first time.  But I have no doubt they will have a ball and emerse themselves as I did last time.
So as you can imagine concerns such as cholera, malaria and other of the water bourne diseases are of most concern especially for Dad. It will be very interesting to see how the next few days unfold. Right now we have riden in bicycles to the cyber mansion as we had trouble starting the moped. Tomorrow it should be up and running along with a second one so we will be above the water a little more which will be peace of mind for Dad and of course Nenad! Poor love, he's probably fretting as he knows my HUGE sense of adventure! But everyone can be rest assured that I have a LARGE voice of logic with Dad accompanying me, already I have refrained from many of the adventures that have been before me as a result of his presence, so my restraint will continue.

Back home in Australia it is great news that we are part of IGA.  This kind of passive donation could lead to be invaluable to us as it could provide the ongoing costs for our project.  Please spread the word!

Ok, I better leave it here and go and take Dad and my case again. We need a good shower and a feed so we can wake up refreshed for more ADVENTURES!!!

Love to you all xxx

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10 Aug 2007

The Rickshaw ride!

So we went in a Rickshaw. A Rickshaw is a 3 wheel motorbike that has a driver up front with handlebars with all the motorbike controls but the gearshifting is done by turning the left handle. Anyway the back seat is for the passengers and would fit 3 australians across it and about 4-5 Indians. We have been told that they can take 20 but they would have to be creative.

Nicole and I went about 30k's in one from Bandra back to our hotel in Thane. It was exciting and fast everywhere except the freeway where we only made it to about 70k/h. The whole trip cost us about 9-10 aussie dollars and they jacked up the price a little because we weren't sure about what the trip was worth.

Anyway it was a thrill a minuite and very exciting and the worst part was getting stuck in traffic next to a big truck with its exhaust pointing at my leg. We were there for about a minute and we nearly collapsed from the fumes. The driver thought nothing of it though. We also had to refuel and our driver went straight past the queue of about 20-30 rickshaws and straight up to the bowser and they filled us up with CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). I think he bribed them because our journey was a pretty long one.

So yeah we had a ball and felt surprisingly safe. I'll recommend it for a thrill.

Russell

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LAST DAY IN MUMBAI

Well sadly it is the last day in Mumbai today. Russell and I have ventured out to the city again to pick up my HUGE order from Roy's homoeopathics and also upload some more video's for you all. Dad is enjoying a welcomed day in the hotel and plans to watch the cricket and sleep so he is totally well for our trip to Calcutta. Mumbai is a great city but I must admit I'm pleased to be leaving and heading for the more rural area of Mayapur. We have done some shopping, saw Ghandi's house yesterday, had a look at the Gateway of India and now I"m ready to move on. We were all dicussing that we would not hurry back to Mumbai as we feel we've seen enough in the last few days.

As we are staying one and a half hours out of Munmbai (dad's idea!) we have been travelling by car in and out everyday. This is proving to be exhausting but on the positive we are seeing a lot of Mumbai. It's HUGE ! And the traffic is amazing regardless of the time of day!

Last night we met two friends of mine from Palghar hospital where I completed the intensive homoeopathy course in January. Swapna and Smita are homoeopathic Dr's who have been completing an MD in homoeopathy at the hospital. They travelled two hours by train to meet us in Bandra another part of Mumbai. This is best described as the Chapel St of Mumbai from what we can tell with lots of modern dress, young people and shopping. We had lots of fun shopping in the markets and then went to a department store as well. This was hilarious, I never thought I'd come to India and by clothes in a department store but we did and it was great fun to see the differences. The shop assistants kept wanting me to try on make up and perfume and I had to laugh because I don't even try or wear them at home!!!

We then went to a very exclusive restaurant on the top of one of the large buildings in Bandra. We went up on top of the roof and could see all over Mumbai city, it was great. We had a very HOT meal, perhaps to Russell and my threshold! LOL We had fun and enjoyed a few delicasies like paneer (a charcoaled yoghurt - or atleast I think that's what it was!) Delicious anyway... Swapna and Smita then put us into a rickshaw and returned on the train to Palghar. It was great to see them and we had lots of laughs.

Russell had his first ever ride in a rickshaw last night, what a hoot! We travelled about 30kms in a buzzy rickshaw across the city. What a wild ride! And the pollution, my god! Russell is best to tell you about this, I'll get him to add another blog!!

Overall we are in great spirits, worshipping Heinz baked beans and not looking forward to having to pack the bags tonight. I bought so many homeoopathics!!! I'm going to be in trouble I think as it may be too many to fit into my suitcase!

I'll write more when we get to Mayapur, can't wait to see the people again and the beautiful countryside. It's very different to the hectic life of Mumbai and I know Russell can't wait to get on a motorbike and explore the villages!

P.S Never drunk so much coke in my life! It's shocking:) I think even Russell may be getting sick of it. But in all honesty I don't think I've seen Russell EVER drink this much water...it must be HOT HOT HOT!! :)

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