I went to a book sale on Friday after work. There were hundreds of books for sale, mostly second hand. As I was browsing through some travel books, there was a coffee table type hardcover book with the title ‘Hamilton – A Community in Symphony’. I figured it was probably not our good old Ontario based Hamilton. For some reason, I thought there was a bigger city named Hamilton in New Zealand or somewhere. I took a closer look…and WOW! It WAS our good old Hammer! The book is written by Sherry Sleightholm and there’s an inscription on the inside cover: To Emily, Love Sherry. Looks like Emily’s book made it’s way to Bandra in Mumbai! The book was published in 1986 and the pictures of all the oldies that made Hamilton great are quite amusing with their big sideburns and huge glasses. The book covers everything from the steel giants Stelco and Dofasco to Coppley men’s wear which is probably my dad’s most favourite place to shop in the world! It also mentions so many companies that I’ve worked with, St. Ann’s Church, the Old Mill, and a whole section dedicated to Ancaster! My cousin and I browsed through it and he also reminisced on his trip to Hamilton/Toronto when he was a young kid. He was also making jokes about how Hamilton looked so good in 1986 and India still doesn’t have that organized infrastructure even after so many years. I agree, Hamilton DID look good in 1986! It looked really clean and organized, quite different from what it looks like now!
Am I one to believe in fate? Well, I don’t really know what I believe! What are the chances that I would come across a book about my relatively small hometown thousands of miles away in a city full of 20 million people!!! To top it off, this is the opening line of the book:
“Hamilton is this country’s best kept secret. I say that – with perhaps no small measure of smugness – as a former Torontonian and a born-again Ancasterite.”
Coincidence or what?
I may not think that Hamilton is Canada’s best kept secret anymore, however, I’m a huge Ancaster fan. As a first-born Ancasterite and, a former Torontonian and a born-again Ancasterite I’m damn shocked and excited to have come across this book!
P.S. It was only 50 Rupees (just over $1) so of course…I bought it! Mom, Dad, it may make it back home if all of the shopping you (Mom/Anjali) requested doesn’t weigh down my luggage first!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Still doing my Bombay Darshan!
Bombay Darshan pretty much translates to 'fun in Bombay'. It is a common phrase that people here use when someone new comes to town and enjoys the city. I went to a relative's house a few weeks ago and they were stuffing me with yummy food and when I couldn't handle anymore, they just said 'C'mon Priya, this is part of your Bombay Darshan'!
My time at Ashray is winding down. My time in India is too! I’m still getting lots of work done for CCDT luckily. I’ve fixed up quite a few of their forms, guidelines and registers and am now working on a standard PowerPoint presentation for the agency. I’m also working for the pediatrician to come up with some sort of database for all of the kid’s medical records. The US government offers a free program called CareWare which is software that keeps track of HIV patient information. For some odd reason, I can’t access the government website from anywhere in India! My friend Richard had to download the manuals for me and email them. I finally managed to download the actual software myself but through an alternate website and on a dodgy Internet connection so my fingers are crossed, I hope it installs properly! I’m not sure if some of the government sites are blocked in different countries or if the Internet connections I tried are sketchy. In any case, the program is ideal for developing countries since it is free. I’m working on its installation and once it is complete, I will be able to see how useful it is and if it is practical with the types of computers at most NGOs.
Aside from my volunteering work, I have been continuously discovering Mumbai. Ashray is located on a great street full of nice shops so it’s nice to browse and shop every now and then when I scrounge up some funds. I got my haircut at a famous salon called Nalini & Yasmin. They are known to do all the Bollywood starlets hair-dos. They did a normal job and the salon was just like one in Canada except extremely busy like the rest of this city! My stylist did a great job and straightened my hair and made me promise that I’d blow dry my bangs (which there’s no way I’m doing in the summer in Mumbai OR Ancaster) and I just nodded and said ‘Ya, ya’. I think she was a little annoyed by my low maintenance attitude. Anyways, as I stepped outside, within two minutes, my hair went back to its normal Mumbai style – instant ringlets. The hair dresser would’ve been so pissed off! I should’ve gone back and showed her, just for kicks!
I went to see ‘The Dark Knight’ a couple of weekends ago with some friends and my cousin. It was really good and definitely worth the 100 Rs. ($3.50)!!! Last weekend was the most relaxing since I’ve been in Mumbai (mainly because I stayed home and didn’t do much but bake cookies!). My cousin came to my aunts place with her two babies and we all just relaxed (while the babies slept) and played while they were awake! My 1.5 year old niece sleeps only for an hour and a half in the day time and only 8-9 hours at night. She never falls asleep before 11:30pm so she is a handful! But, she is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen and it is great fun playing with her. I’ve taken hundreds of pictures since I arrived and most of them are of her or the kids in Ashray which I can’t publicize due to confidentiality purposes.
I went back to Colaba yesterday. My British friend Ed is going back home today so he needed to do some last minute shopping. I really got to practice my bargaining skills as I haggled with at least 5 different shop owners! I’m sure most of them will remember me now so if I need to pick up any last minute gifts, I’ll know where to go!
The Rotary Club of Bandra has invited me to come to one of their meetings this Sunday so I hope to go there this weekend. They visited Ashray for the Independence Day celebrations last week and they were happy to hear about my experiences here. They also gave each child a gift from their wish list so it was really nice to see them so happy.
The new boy that I mentioned in my last blog entry is doing well. After 2.5 days of crying and missing his parents, I came back after the weekend and he didn’t cry once. Of course he was still upset, but I could see how quickly kids adapt to new settings. I’ve now seen his naughty side as well, during his performance on Independence Day he kept tucking his long shirt into his pants when he wasn’t supposed to and he would look at me to make sure I was laughing at him! He is extremely sweet-natured and smart. He got admission to one of the better English schools here so I really hope he becomes something brilliant when he’s older.
Those are the only updates I can think of since the last time I wrote. Sorry for the huge entries – you know me, once I start typing…I just can’t stop!
Hope you’re all doing well
My time at Ashray is winding down. My time in India is too! I’m still getting lots of work done for CCDT luckily. I’ve fixed up quite a few of their forms, guidelines and registers and am now working on a standard PowerPoint presentation for the agency. I’m also working for the pediatrician to come up with some sort of database for all of the kid’s medical records. The US government offers a free program called CareWare which is software that keeps track of HIV patient information. For some odd reason, I can’t access the government website from anywhere in India! My friend Richard had to download the manuals for me and email them. I finally managed to download the actual software myself but through an alternate website and on a dodgy Internet connection so my fingers are crossed, I hope it installs properly! I’m not sure if some of the government sites are blocked in different countries or if the Internet connections I tried are sketchy. In any case, the program is ideal for developing countries since it is free. I’m working on its installation and once it is complete, I will be able to see how useful it is and if it is practical with the types of computers at most NGOs.
Aside from my volunteering work, I have been continuously discovering Mumbai. Ashray is located on a great street full of nice shops so it’s nice to browse and shop every now and then when I scrounge up some funds. I got my haircut at a famous salon called Nalini & Yasmin. They are known to do all the Bollywood starlets hair-dos. They did a normal job and the salon was just like one in Canada except extremely busy like the rest of this city! My stylist did a great job and straightened my hair and made me promise that I’d blow dry my bangs (which there’s no way I’m doing in the summer in Mumbai OR Ancaster) and I just nodded and said ‘Ya, ya’. I think she was a little annoyed by my low maintenance attitude. Anyways, as I stepped outside, within two minutes, my hair went back to its normal Mumbai style – instant ringlets. The hair dresser would’ve been so pissed off! I should’ve gone back and showed her, just for kicks!
I went to see ‘The Dark Knight’ a couple of weekends ago with some friends and my cousin. It was really good and definitely worth the 100 Rs. ($3.50)!!! Last weekend was the most relaxing since I’ve been in Mumbai (mainly because I stayed home and didn’t do much but bake cookies!). My cousin came to my aunts place with her two babies and we all just relaxed (while the babies slept) and played while they were awake! My 1.5 year old niece sleeps only for an hour and a half in the day time and only 8-9 hours at night. She never falls asleep before 11:30pm so she is a handful! But, she is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen and it is great fun playing with her. I’ve taken hundreds of pictures since I arrived and most of them are of her or the kids in Ashray which I can’t publicize due to confidentiality purposes.
I went back to Colaba yesterday. My British friend Ed is going back home today so he needed to do some last minute shopping. I really got to practice my bargaining skills as I haggled with at least 5 different shop owners! I’m sure most of them will remember me now so if I need to pick up any last minute gifts, I’ll know where to go!
The Rotary Club of Bandra has invited me to come to one of their meetings this Sunday so I hope to go there this weekend. They visited Ashray for the Independence Day celebrations last week and they were happy to hear about my experiences here. They also gave each child a gift from their wish list so it was really nice to see them so happy.
The new boy that I mentioned in my last blog entry is doing well. After 2.5 days of crying and missing his parents, I came back after the weekend and he didn’t cry once. Of course he was still upset, but I could see how quickly kids adapt to new settings. I’ve now seen his naughty side as well, during his performance on Independence Day he kept tucking his long shirt into his pants when he wasn’t supposed to and he would look at me to make sure I was laughing at him! He is extremely sweet-natured and smart. He got admission to one of the better English schools here so I really hope he becomes something brilliant when he’s older.
Those are the only updates I can think of since the last time I wrote. Sorry for the huge entries – you know me, once I start typing…I just can’t stop!
Hope you’re all doing well
Thursday, August 7, 2008
My first week at Ashray
It's been a week and a half since I started volunteering at Ashray. I'm really enjoying it so far. It is an orphanage that houses 40 children either infected or affected by HIV. It also houses some of their mothers and other women that are critically ill. It is run by CCDT (Committed Communities Development Trust) – a charity that has several other institutes in the Bombay area.
There is one other volunteer here, Ed from the UK. Him and I have been working on updating Ashray's forms, guidelines and other important documentation. We're also working with the pediatrician here to set up a database for her to use so that all of the kids and women's records can be computerized. Last week we created a question and answer document for kid's questions regarding HIV, AIDS, health and general questions that most kids usually ask when they arrive here. It will be made into a children's book for all of the new kids that enter Ashray.
Ashray is a bright and happy place. It's not like most institutions. There is one huge playroom where the kids do homework when the tutor's are present after school and then they let loose and play games after they are done studying. They get yummy healthy food every day and they have regular medical check-ups. The youngest kids are 3 years old – a boy and a girl often referred to as 'The Mafia' or 'Hansel & Gretel'. They are absolutely adorable and too fun to play with…but also a handful! The other kids age ranges are between 5 and 12. There are some older girls that stay here, in their teenage years but all the boys that are older than 12 go to another orphanage, only for boys. My first day here, I was left alone with 3 or 4 of the young boys, just playing with them. Within 5 minutes, they all beat each other up, smacked their heads on the floor, cried and then got back to their usual selves. I had a flashback of my babysitting days! But, I'm glad I have a good mix of things to do. I spend most of the day plugging away at the database and documentation and then instead of taking relaxing breaks…I just head over to the playroom and transform into my 3 year old self. We also made a nice poster for some visitors from USAID. We looked through several photographs of Ashray and pasted them on the poster. The title of it was 'Welcome to our Ray of Hope' which is one translation of Ashray. It also means shelter.
Ashray is situated in Bandra, a very trendy happening place where several of Bollywood's biggest names live. They also visit the kids at Ashray as some of them are involved with NGO work so it was shocking to see pictures of Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachan here a few months ago!
Sometimes I sit with the women while they're learning new handicraft skills. They make absolutely beautiful cotton folders and ceramic candle holders as well as other crafts.
My commute has already become routine. If I'm staying at my aunt's house in Nariman Point (South Bombay), I take the local train from one of the main stations – Churchgate. It's like Union Station…on drugs. Ok, it's not THAT bad…quite similar to rush hour at Union Station, but still, since the population is excessive, you can imagine the crowds. Sometimes the trains don't stop for too long so it's a race to jump on but I always manage to somehow. My height helps since I tower over most of the tiny Indian women. There are 'ladies only' sections in the train which are great because they are not as crowded as the general sections that are mostly men. I have a first class pass which doesn't mean I sit in luxury. The difference between the first class and second class compartments are minimal…I think there is some extra padding on the seats of the first class compartments. However, the second class ladies compartment is usually at the 2 ends of the train so I tend to just hop on there. The only issue that is sometimes unbearable is the smell of fish. Some of the ladies that go fishing early in the morning bring their day's worth of fish to sell on the train and the smell is atrocious. Haha…I keep a handkerchief handy to cover my nose! Other than that, I find the train quite relaxing and it's the best way to commute in Bombay.
If I go to my cousin's house, she lives in Ghatkopar which is not on the train line from Bandra so I take a 3-wheeler auto rickshaw. The ride is BUMPY and the air is smoky from all the truck fumes. One driver was a young guy and he was trying to impress me by driving extremely fast and taking sharp turns. He reminded me of Mario in Nintendo's MarioKart as his body swayed with every turn and he looked in the rear view mirror to see if I was loving his macho driving skills. Instead, I gave him my notorious cut-eye and he stopped acting so macho after seeing my disgusted reaction.
Today, a new child came to Ashray. His parents dropped him off and he cried all morning because he wanted to go home. He sat in my lap for a while. I managed to distract him by talking about school, computers and Bollywood but he still kept saying that he wanted to talk to his dad and go home. It's absolutely heartbreaking watching a child cry for his parents for hours and hours. The only good thing about this situation is that I know he will be better off here. His parents looked quite ill and after looking through their history, their health and economic status is not sufficient to keep their child healthy. The only thing that will make this child a little more peaceful is time. He just has to wait for some time to pass and get used to the kids and schools here and hopefully he will settle in like the others. I like to peek into the playroom and check on him every so often. He seems to be making friends and he's eating the food so that's a good sign. I'm already attached to every kid here. I have a soft spot for all of them so it'll be hard to leave. I hope to get lots of work done in the next few weeks!
There is one other volunteer here, Ed from the UK. Him and I have been working on updating Ashray's forms, guidelines and other important documentation. We're also working with the pediatrician here to set up a database for her to use so that all of the kids and women's records can be computerized. Last week we created a question and answer document for kid's questions regarding HIV, AIDS, health and general questions that most kids usually ask when they arrive here. It will be made into a children's book for all of the new kids that enter Ashray.
Ashray is a bright and happy place. It's not like most institutions. There is one huge playroom where the kids do homework when the tutor's are present after school and then they let loose and play games after they are done studying. They get yummy healthy food every day and they have regular medical check-ups. The youngest kids are 3 years old – a boy and a girl often referred to as 'The Mafia' or 'Hansel & Gretel'. They are absolutely adorable and too fun to play with…but also a handful! The other kids age ranges are between 5 and 12. There are some older girls that stay here, in their teenage years but all the boys that are older than 12 go to another orphanage, only for boys. My first day here, I was left alone with 3 or 4 of the young boys, just playing with them. Within 5 minutes, they all beat each other up, smacked their heads on the floor, cried and then got back to their usual selves. I had a flashback of my babysitting days! But, I'm glad I have a good mix of things to do. I spend most of the day plugging away at the database and documentation and then instead of taking relaxing breaks…I just head over to the playroom and transform into my 3 year old self. We also made a nice poster for some visitors from USAID. We looked through several photographs of Ashray and pasted them on the poster. The title of it was 'Welcome to our Ray of Hope' which is one translation of Ashray. It also means shelter.
Ashray is situated in Bandra, a very trendy happening place where several of Bollywood's biggest names live. They also visit the kids at Ashray as some of them are involved with NGO work so it was shocking to see pictures of Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachan here a few months ago!
Sometimes I sit with the women while they're learning new handicraft skills. They make absolutely beautiful cotton folders and ceramic candle holders as well as other crafts.
My commute has already become routine. If I'm staying at my aunt's house in Nariman Point (South Bombay), I take the local train from one of the main stations – Churchgate. It's like Union Station…on drugs. Ok, it's not THAT bad…quite similar to rush hour at Union Station, but still, since the population is excessive, you can imagine the crowds. Sometimes the trains don't stop for too long so it's a race to jump on but I always manage to somehow. My height helps since I tower over most of the tiny Indian women. There are 'ladies only' sections in the train which are great because they are not as crowded as the general sections that are mostly men. I have a first class pass which doesn't mean I sit in luxury. The difference between the first class and second class compartments are minimal…I think there is some extra padding on the seats of the first class compartments. However, the second class ladies compartment is usually at the 2 ends of the train so I tend to just hop on there. The only issue that is sometimes unbearable is the smell of fish. Some of the ladies that go fishing early in the morning bring their day's worth of fish to sell on the train and the smell is atrocious. Haha…I keep a handkerchief handy to cover my nose! Other than that, I find the train quite relaxing and it's the best way to commute in Bombay.
If I go to my cousin's house, she lives in Ghatkopar which is not on the train line from Bandra so I take a 3-wheeler auto rickshaw. The ride is BUMPY and the air is smoky from all the truck fumes. One driver was a young guy and he was trying to impress me by driving extremely fast and taking sharp turns. He reminded me of Mario in Nintendo's MarioKart as his body swayed with every turn and he looked in the rear view mirror to see if I was loving his macho driving skills. Instead, I gave him my notorious cut-eye and he stopped acting so macho after seeing my disgusted reaction.
Today, a new child came to Ashray. His parents dropped him off and he cried all morning because he wanted to go home. He sat in my lap for a while. I managed to distract him by talking about school, computers and Bollywood but he still kept saying that he wanted to talk to his dad and go home. It's absolutely heartbreaking watching a child cry for his parents for hours and hours. The only good thing about this situation is that I know he will be better off here. His parents looked quite ill and after looking through their history, their health and economic status is not sufficient to keep their child healthy. The only thing that will make this child a little more peaceful is time. He just has to wait for some time to pass and get used to the kids and schools here and hopefully he will settle in like the others. I like to peek into the playroom and check on him every so often. He seems to be making friends and he's eating the food so that's a good sign. I'm already attached to every kid here. I have a soft spot for all of them so it'll be hard to leave. I hope to get lots of work done in the next few weeks!
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