Farewell

Today is my last full day here at SEWA Rural. I've had an incredible month here. I've experienced more than I expected (at the same time I came here with no expectations). I don't think of this time here as being over, I'm thinking of this as an opening to new experiences either back in the states or here in India. The friends I've made here will last a lifetime. Tomorrow I head back to Ahmedabad and spend a week there with my family before I head back to the states. I'm sure I'll be seeing most of you when I return and will for sure have a million stories to share.

I'll leave you with some pics from my time here in Jagadhia. (nevermind I can't upload the pics, will try later :-)


Thanks, Margee

Thanks....

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Well I won't be eating tofurkey, green beans, yummy pies and watching the Cowboys loose. But I celebrated Thanksgiving today by handing out candy to the class and explaining the meaning of Thanksgiving ( I don't know how much the understood what I said).

I'm thankful for several things in my life, my family, friends and health. I'd like to thank God (don't I sound like a rapper that just won an award?) I'd also like to give a special shout out to my GI system and immune system for working with me through these challenging times (esp spicy food). I'd like to thank the makers of Kelty and Camelback for making really great durable bags that have been through some ghetto traveling. Also on my list is Air France, Bangkok Airlines, Jet Airways, Thai Airways, Indian Airlines, Indian Railways, all the Tuk-Tuk drivers, the Gujarat bus system and the rickshaw drivers that have "safely" provided me with transport.

I think most of all I'm thankful for actually following through with my dream. For those of you who known me for a while, you know how much I've talked about coming to India and volunteering with a health organization. For a while, it was such a far fetched dream. I talked about it for years and emailed contact for years. I think a part of me was afraid and a part of me thought it was irresponsible. I started this process early this year and said "Margee you're going to India no matter what..even if you have to quit your job". Turns out Kaiser Permanente and my supervisor were very supportive and granted me leave. I've experienced more in 2 months than I've probably experienced in my life (I'm serious). I don't think any paycheck could replace this.

On a side note, the situation in Mumbai is really frightening and very unreal. Rakhee and I ate at the Taj Hotel and walked around that same area.

Hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Love, Margee

Ms. Krabappel

I think I met the Indian version of Ms. Krabappel (or Edna). For those of you who are not familiar with her, she's a teacher on the Simpsons. Think of a mix of Ms. Krabappel that looks like Manjula (Apu's wife). Basically doesn't do much work, smokes in class, has a fling with the principal. I've been going to the 1-4th grade classes every morning. This am, I sat with the 4th graders and basically attempted to teach them all in Gujarati. I failed. The boys were running around and the girls were sitting in a corner whispering to each other. I tried to tell stories but the kids partially listening. Edna was in another room for a whole hr doing god knows what. The only way I could get the kids attention was to talk to them about America and chocolate. Two things Indian kids love to talk about, oh and cricket. Most of the kids thought I took a bus from America to get here. When I told them I took a plane they all were speechless. I told them you can sleep on a plane, eat, and even watch TV. I asked them if they wanted to come back with me and all of them raised their hands. Edna was no where to be seen. Most of these kids go to a government school after 10am where they learn basic math and writing. I asked Viral a 4th grader to read me what he wrote but he couldn't. Some of these kids make it to the 6th grade and can't even read. I sat down and attempted to tell Viral to try to get his cousin to teach him how to read instead of playing cricket everynight. He said he would. Gotta run, going to a village today and testing out my project. Hope it works. Will tell you all more about it later...

Avjo (goodbye in Gujarati)

Margee

Roughin' it

While traveling it's always exciting to "rough it" a bit. For those who don't know what roughin it, it's basically leaving behind all those luxuries in life and simplifying things (I guess). The older I get the harder it is to rough it. You get so used to living a certain way with certain things (hot water, normal toilets etc). During my stay in India I feel as though I've roughed it here and there. I haven't used toilet paper (sorry to much information?) in over a month. Not to worry they use badays (or jets) here. I haven't used makeup in over a month. And I haven't drank alcohol (until yesterday). I must say I do miss beer. I left Jhagadia yesterday took a 13 rupees intercity bus that looked like it was going to fall apart. Then bought a "open ticket" to Baroda (for 29 rupees) to see my friends parents. What is a open ticket? Basically it's a free for all, if you can get on the train, great. If you have to hang off the side of the train so be it. I stood in the ladies compartment and thought I would be fine. WRONG. I was pushed and shoved, elbowed, screamed at. It was quite an adventure. For 29 rupees though you can't go wrong. My way of roughin it I guess.

More to come...

xoxo Margee

Health Care in India

Well now that I've been here for a couple of weeks I'm starting to read and understand more about there the health care system (or lack of) in India. Being at an NGO, most of the services are provided at a very nominal fee or for free. However, outside of the NGO world health care is mostly an out of pocket expense. There is no national health care system or goverment programs. If there are private insurance plans they are expensive and hardly ever provided by your employer. We took my grandmother to the cardiologist the other day. For a 15 minute visit it cost 800 rupees, which is about $20. For a elderly person who doesn't have a job or savings that's a lot. That didn't even cover the 1,000 rupees of medications too. For the lower class population health care comes 3rd or 4th on the list behind eating, shelter, clean water. Even for the educated middle class, health care doesn't seem like a priority. If you don't work you don't get paid, simple. There are government services that offer free health care but for millions those services are kilometers away and often times the wait is 1/2 day or more. If you're in a MegaCity like Ahmedabad those services are closer but again long waits and taking time off of work just isn't worth it. I'm reading a book right now on the health care system here and it's crazy to hear about the lack of government involvement in health care. With a population of 1 billion plus and little over a 1/4 of the population living under the poverty line one would think that is where the priority should be. I'm still learning more about the health care stucture (I don't want to mislead anyone) outside of the NGO world. Next Friday I will be traveling to Baroda to visit LOCOST. They manufacter generic medications and also provide health care information to the general public. Should be interesting to see.

- Margee

Back from Ahmedabad

It's been a while since I've blogged. A lot has happened here in Jhagadia. The end of last week was filled with meetings and presentation. I presented on ways to improve patient care here in the villages as well as the hospital. The ideas were well received by the medical staff, and now, I have to just start working on all this and hopefully incorporate it soon. Last Friday I left to go back to Ahmedabad for the weekend. I took a bus and train and my family met me at the station. It was so nice to see them. Before we went home we grabbed pizza. You have no idea how much I missed cheese. I think it's an essential part of my life. My dad is also visiting India, so it was a nice treat to see him and spend some quality time with him. Saturday my cousin, dad and I went shopping. I usually don't like shopping but for Indian clothes I can shop all day. The whole weekened we ate, chatted and shopped. It was also nice to see my grandparents.

I got back to Jhagadia today. It seems a world away from Ahmedabad. There are no stores here, no restaurants. People sell their produce on the streets. There is one cyber cafe (which is super hard to find). There are no postcards from Jhagadia. People usually don't say "Hey guess what I'm going to Jhagadia this weekend". Aside from all that, the work that is done here for the people on a daily basis, 24 hrs a day, 7 days is unlike anything I've seen. I'm pretty beat today, haven't slept. Hope all is well. Folks must be getting ready for Thanksgiving!

By the way, my dad and I listened to the 4th qtr of the Skins/Cowgirls game... no good. I tell you if I was in Denver watching the game, I'm sure they would have won. Skins are 3-0 when I'm in Denver watching the game.

Southern Hospitality

It's been quite an eventful week. I've started a couple of mini projects and have made more field visits (to the villages). On Monday we set up a Kids Camp at one village and showed the kids a video on hygeine. We weighed and took measurements of new born babies. We also followed up on pregnant woman. Today, I went to a village with a case worker to ask questions about a baby that was still born. The mother decided to give birth at home and had some complications however was able to deliver. The mother was fine however the baby was still born. We actually talked to her mother in law. I asked a couple of questions in Gujarati. She provided us with a lot of feedback. After our session, she requested we stay for tea. It's customary to drink tea in the afternoon (or anytime someone asks you). We politely said we had to go. But she was very insistent. We agreed we would stay only for 5 minutes. She ran to her kitchen and started to roast peanuts and still made us tea. This particular villages was filled with what used to be called The Untouchables. This was a caste in which was considered the poorest of the poor. They would have to pray in separate temples, eat from separate dishes. Here we were sitting with her and her family drinking tea from the same cups. She was insisting we sit in chairs while she sat on the floor. I chose to sit right next to her on the floor. I'm not sure how she felt at the time. But we carried on our conversations such as nothing was out of the ordinary. The hospitality of these villagers is something I've never seen before. I guess everyone in Southern Gujarat is like this!

Going to a full moon festival. Not like a rave or anything crazy like that. Just a festival with games and yummy food.

All is well....

With love, Margee

List of reasons how locals know I'm not from India

1- I use a spoon at all meals not my hands
2- I don't enjoy spicy food (horrible GERD/reflux)
3- I say Thank You way too much
4- My ears perk up when I hear the word alcohol (Gujarat is a dry state)
5- I don't speak Hindi only understand very little
6- I drink bottled water
7- I don't argue about the price of items however, I've started
8- I stand in line and don't push my way forward
9- I don't eat 5 rotis per meal and take naps after lunch
10 - I cant sit Indian style, palati, criss cross apple sauce whatever you want to call it.

Continuation of Girl Power

Yesterday after dinner I met up with the girls from the blind camp. We sat around in a circle and just talked about girl stuff. They asked me several questions about America. They were so curious to hear about what I ate, what kind of music I listened to. One girl asked if we listen to English music during Navrathri (which is a religious holiday). I told her "No, we listen to the same music you do". She was shocked to hear this. They talked about what Bollywood actors they liked and what they liked to shop for. It's was so amazing to listen to these girls who have never seen anything yet had such vivid thoughts. Tonight they have a music recital which I'm going to go to.

No weekend for me.. people work on Saturday too. I'm headed to a village in a bit with a social worker.

Very psyched about Obama's win. So are the people of India

ps I miss cheese!

- Margee

Girl Power

The last two days have been busy and filled with new and exciting programs. Yesterday I was out in the field. We took a mobile hospital out to a village. Village is an understatement. I can't imagine how these people live. We saw several patients including pregnant woman. I went into one woman's house (which was made of cow dung and mud). She was into her last month of pregnancy. I asked her a couple of questions and she would laugh but no answer. I asked her why she kept laughing, she answered, "I've never had anyone from the United States in my house". Her and her family were very sweet, they offered for me to stay for dinner. I mean this is a family that lives in very minimum wages that offered me dinner. I was very humbled. We diagnosed many patients with possible TB or malaria without taking any cultures or blood samples.

Today I was mostly with this women empowerment group. They invited several blind girls from for 4 days. They learned several things such as self defense, women's anatomy, and hygiene. I even taught a self defense portion in Gujarati which was challenging. I think I got my point across. Many of these girls have never left their parents so being alone was a big deal. They were a very enthusiastic group. Overall, the people who've I met have been so humble and welcoming.

Day 1...

Wow... what a day. I don't even know where to begin. I had orientation pretty much all day. I meet several physicians, nurses, trustees and staff. The campus is amazing. My apartment is across the hospital. I sat in with a physician for 30min and saw two people with TB, one malaria patient and a child who I think was autistic. It's so interesting to see the population that comes to the hospital. I mean these are tribal village people with no means of transport, probably walked here since most of them are barefoot. I also sat in with the Ob/gyn as well. He saw like 15 women in 30 min... amazing. Later in the evening we went to town to see a guest lecture from Dr. Kapadia. He discussed yoga and meditation post MI (heart attack). His views were very interesting. Basically east meets west philosophy. I got back around 9pm and ate at the cafeteria. I might soon be getting sick of Gujarati food.

The prayers from the my neighbors (the mosque) today were at 5pm instead of 4:30pm. I'm sure Allah heard it.. but so did Vishnu, Ganesh, Jesus Christ, Buddha and several others.

Today I will be out in the field (villages) with the director of the Community Health Project. Basically following soon to be mothers, babies that were just born. Should be very interesting.

All is well.... Trying to keep up with the elections looks like Obama has the lead.

Margee

SEWA RURAL

Made it! After a 3 hr train ride and two mango juice boxes AND with a kid loaded up on THUMBS up kicking me..I made it to Bharuch. There was transport ready for me to Jhagadia which is about 20 min. It's a pretty rural area. The campus is nice and I will see more today. My living quarters is more than I can ask for. Most of the staff greeted me last night. I have orientation today. Last night was interesting since I could sleep much. My apartment overlooks a mosque. So at 4:30am I could hear "Alllllahhhhhhhhhh Akhhhhbar". Soothing alarm clock huh? With all due respect to Islam and it's follwers, I think 4:30am is a bit early to pray. But that's just me.

Lots to do today..

More to come. VOTE!!!!!

ps absentee ballot has been sent.

xoxox Margee

Summer Vacation

Remember those long summer days where you didn't have a care in the world? The only thing you thought about was sleeping, eating and hanging out with friends. I felt like I just had my summer vacation. For the last two weeks I was pampered by my family. I ate the best home cooked Gujarati food, shopped, celebrated Diwali with my family, sat with my grandfather, went to bed late and got up every morning at 10am. Now a days it's hard to have a two week break from life. Tomorrow, I head down to Bharuch, Gujarat via train. The train ride is about 4 hrs (south). I'm pretty excited to meet Dr. Pankaj Shah and rest of the SEWA rural team. I plan to stay there for the next 5 weeks with maybe a weekend trip back up to Ahmedabad.

I hope everyone had a safe Halloween.


~ Margee

That's my cousins, Rakhee and I with our fireworks on Diwali.

Words of Wisdom

This morning I woke up early (9am which is super early) came downstairs and wished both my grandparents a happy new year. It's tradition to bend down and touch their feet. This is the way they give you a blessing. My grandfather sat up and I asked him if he had any advice for me. He responded "Yes".

1) Be happy

2) Respect your elders

3) Enjoy Life

4) Be Brave

My grandfather has taught my many things over the years but these are four very simple teachings I personally do live by and will continue to live by. You may choose practice these teachings in your daily life. I think they are pretty simple.

Thanks Dada (grandfather)

Happy New Year

In with the new... out with the old

First off I would like to wish all my family and friends a very happy and safe Diwali (new year)! As traditions goes you're supposed clean your house from top to bottom and wear new clothes oh yes and eat as much as you can! Gotta love it. Yesterday we helped my Kaki (aunt) and Ba (grandmother) around the house. We also did some shopping as well. All the houses are lit up with divas (lights), it's like Christmas here without the cheesy commercials (well there are cheesy diwali commericals). The other night we ate at this amazing restaurant called Rajwadu. http://www.rajwadu.com/ It's all outdoor seating and serves some great Gujarati food. The ambiance and service is amazing. If you've been to Vishala in Ahmedabad you'll love this place. I think I may consider being a food critic upon my return to the states! Gotta run, we're headed to lunch with the family. (more food)

If you're interested to read more about Diwali check out this site: http://www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-in-gujarat.html

With love, Margee

Seva Cafe

Last night we visited Seva Cafe on CG road in Ahmedabad. If you are planning to come to A'bad anytime soon you must come to this cafe. It's not like any cafe you've been to where you spend $5 on a latte and get lousy service. This cafe not only has amazing food, the people who work there are all volunteers, including the cook. The definition of Seva is volunteer work; selfless service; work offered to God. That is exactly what they practice here. On top of providing a very humble atmosphere the food is of no charge. After you complete your meal an envelope is placed at your table and you can pay whatever you wish for your meal 100 rupees or five rupees, it's up to you. They also have a place for local artists to display their artwork and often have poetry nights. They also list the profits they make and all goto to local charities or families.

My cousins and I have volunteered tonight to either serve, wash dishes or help out whatever way we can. Today we visited Manav Sadhna where Rakhee is volunteering at and our dear friend Pinki was several years ago. They were cleaning the ashram for Diwali. Manav Sadhna is at the Gandhi Ashram (where Gandhi used to live and practice). We visited the largest slum in Gujarat and sat in on a preschool session. It such a delight to see these little three year olds sing and recite their ABC's. The organization is amazing in the work that is has done in Ahmedabad. We sat and met with the director Virenbhai who is truly an inpirational man.

Keeping cool. Thanks for reading!

~ Margee

http://www.sevacafe.org/

http://www.manavsadhna.org/

Fair and Lovely

Watching Bollywood films and TV commercials here is always amusing. Beauty is determined by your skin color. The "fairness" craze here is above and beyond. Every Bollywood actress and women in commercials are fair, however this population probably represents only a fraction of the Indian population. Yet, one would think all Indians look fair. Every other commercial has some air brushed women selling a fairness skin product and usually the darker people are the servants or rickshaw drivers. Coming here often gives me a complex.. is it wrong to be dark? When I got back from Thailand my whole family said "Oh my Margee you got so dark". It's like I caught some type of disease. Meanwhile, back in the states some pay to get tan. I tell them this and they shake their heads in disbelief. In the states, most commercials have relatively thin women in commericals and thin actresses as well. These commercials and movies are what most woman see as being the standard or the norm.

Dove recently launched a campaign for real beauty. The commercials they have show real women, tall, overweight, skinny, white, black, asian, everything. I think it's a great campaign to promote individuality. My hopes is that many women that do have the "darkness" complex realize it's what's on the inside that counts.

A cleaner Ahmedabad

Well we made it to Ahmedabad. This is where my grandparents and family live and where my parents grew up. I will be here for about 10 days and then head to Bharuch for my volunteer work. It's was great seeing my grandparents, my cousins, aunt and uncle. We all live under the same roof which is nice there's always something going on. In a couple of days we'll be celebrating Diwali (Festival of Lights/New Year). During that time we pretty much eat and visit family members, and fireworks. The tradition is also to buy new clothes. It's always interesting coming back home and seeing the changes that have taken place in Ahmedabad. The biggest change I've seen is the environmentally friendly rickshaws. The banned the "unfriendly" ones since Ahmedabad was probably had the most air pollution in all of India. On occasion you may see a friendly rickshaw exhausting kerosene but it's rare now. The locals are now conscious to limit the use of fireworks or use environmentally friendly fireworks (which I don't think are super friendly). At any rate the fact that Ahmdabadians are more aware of the environment is good to hear.

Cheers!

ps - Thank you Skins for beating the Browns (sorry Ekta and Mikey). Thank you Dallas for losing to the Rams. Mr. Jones any comments?

T I I (This is India).....

Got to Mumbai last night in one piece. We're staying at a friends place in downtown Mumbai. The drive from the airport to Sujals place took about an hour but it was an eyeopening combined with a burst of senses hour. I will try to paint a picture in your mind of what I saw and some of my thoughts.

We got into an old taxi (rickshaw) and headed south towards downtown. Instantly, the traffic was bumper to bumper with cars, bikes, scooters, rickshaws and people. When you arrive at a new place it's like an overload on your senses.. you smell different things, see different things, taste different things and hear different noises. I guess it all hit me at once... oh my god I'm in India.

Blink. Breathe (try not to choke from the smog).

We inched our way further into downtown. It was interesting to be in a nice neighborhood with tall skyscrapers, a Jimmy Choo store then the next turn see stacks and stacks of slum developments and kids running through the streets without shoes.

Blink. Breathe.

For me, I've been to India before I've seen the socioeconomic diversity. But every time I come here I just question it. How is there a Jimmy Choo store here but right outside of the store there's a kid running around without shoes? How does this country of 1.1 billion people function? The answer..... T I I (This is India as the expats here say).

Margee

Americans

Update.....

Number of American we've met: 2

Orlando, FL was representin' Thailand. We met Matt and John they were traveling SE Asia. They too were excited to meet Americans.

Off to Mumbai. Thank you Thailand for wonderful memories!

Recommendation if you come to Ko Samui go to the Jungle Club for dinner. You will not be let down. I promise. The views are amazing, the food is wonderful and the staff is very personable.

http://www.kohsamui.com/jungleclub/

~ ةشقلثث

Goodbye Thailand, Hello India

Today is our last day in Thailand. We've had an amazing time. I can't wait to post my pics. We just got massage #4 and a facial. I wish I could take one of the Thai women home with me just for massages, facials and pad thai's daily. Yesterday, we rented a scooter. I was the driver and Rakhee sat in the back. We kind of looked like Dumb and Dumber. Tomorrow we head off to Mumbai, India. I am so excited to see my family and hug my grandparents! I will leave you this list of things that have fascinated me about Thailand

Things that fascinate me about Thailand

1) Maya Bay especially the limestone structures in the ocean

2) How you can get the best massage of your life for about $5

3) The plethora of creepy European/Canadian men with young Thai women, very bizarre

4) The Thai Food and if you go to a Thai restaurant chances are you can order a cheese pizza too. They love Italian food here.

5) There are pharmacies at every block. Even better you can self treat yourself! You can basically walk in and treat your depression, menثىgitis, GI bleed, whatever! Very cool!

Off to the pool... :-)

- Margee

Ko Samui

4 hrs of sleep, 2 ferry rides, a long bus ride, a 45 min open truck ride we made it to the other side of Thailand... Ko Samui. We miss Ko Phi Phi already. We had traveling buddies and local friends we made. Last night it rained or poured I should say for hours. Luckily we found shelter at a bar and had very enlightening conversations with a Romanian guy named Ovie and a German man named Helmut. Great guys. They told us about their travels thoughout India. It's interesting to hear what travelers think about India. So many people have said it's their favorite place to travel.
The Full Moon Party is today at Ko Phagnan (which is an hr boat ride) but after all day of traveling we don't feel inclined to rave the night away (sorry Patel and Matt).

I have so much more to say but can't think right now. Just had a fabulous dinner...red snapper

Tomorrow relax and soak up our last days in Thailand. Leaving for Mumbai on Friday.

Number of Americans we've met: 0

- Margee

Blessed

Still in Ko Phi Phi, we can't get enough of it. Yesterday, we went rock climbing. I didn't realize southern Thailand was known for it's amazing rock climbing. The group we went with were great and the guides were amazing. It rained while we were climbing which cooled us down a bit. Pics to come.

It's been a week now since I've left home and so far I've been to Paris (the airport, still counts), Mumbai, Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Ao Nang, Railay, and Ko Phi Phi. I guess a part of me is still in awe of what I've seen and done in the last week. During our 2 hr longtail ride over to Ko Phi Phi I had time to reflect. For 2 hrs all I could think about was how lucky I am to have seen so much in my life. The reason I have seen so much in my life and experienced so much is because of my parents. I thought about all the sacrifices they have made for my brother and I. So Mommy and Daddy, thank you for allowing me to experience these pleasures. Thank you for the motivation, determination, packed lunches, birthday parties, college education... and many more.

Today, sunset tour of Maya Bay (where The Beach was filmed). Tomorrow long day travel to the eastern coast Ko Samui. Our trip is quickly coming to and end but we have much much more to explore!

~ Margee

ps Stupid Redskins..... how could you lose to St. Louis at home with a new coach?! Better note, Hook 'Em!!!! Texas beat Oklahoma... my bro was at the game.

26 December 2004

We arrived to Ko Phi Phi (prounced pee pee) yesterday at 5pm via longtail boat. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing and breathtaking the 1.5 hr ride was. We started in Ao Nang and took a ride over to Railay. Railay is only accessable via boat and is a rock climbing paradise. (see pic, I didn't take this but just to give you and idea of what we saw, by the way the pic does not to any justice to the real deal). Rakhee and I were just speechless as we arrived. We sat in the ocean for about 30 min just staring at the rock formations and soaking in the surroundings. Then we took a 1 hr ride to Ko Phi Phi.

Ko Phi Phi was pretty much wiped out during the tsunami that hit 26 Dec 2004. There is still contruction going on here. It's hard to see the bay and imagine it pulling back about 200 yards and then coming in. There are signs of evacuation routes and emergency boxes everywhere. It seems as though the community is pretty strong here and pulled together to rebuild.

We're staying at the Phi Phi View Point Resort in a little bungalow that overlooks the ocean.. here's the site. http://www.phiphiviewpoint.com/

All, is well. Going rock climbing at 2pm! Can't wait.

Go Skins! 5-1 ?!!!

Margee

"By golly you're American?!"

Let me backtrack a little and tell you my whereabouts. We're in Ao Nang (which is on the coast near Karabi). It was quite an adventure getting here. We flew from Bangkok to Phuket yesterday, then took a cab to the local bus station (after asking 10 people), got onto the local bus (no one spoke English), took a bus to Karabi (2.5 hrs). Thank god a local told us "go go you're stop here, go". Then took a taxi to Ao Nang. Sorry for the super run on sentence. It's gorgeous here, the limestone structures are amazing. It truely does look like "The Beach". Today, heading to Ko Phi Phi (google it if you've never seen pics)

Ok, so by golly you're American. Along our travels we've been meeting people from around the world like Australia, England, Chile, Germany, Israel, Canada but no Americans. This doesn't shock me the slightest bit. It does shock the people we meet though. "You're American?! But Americans don't travel". It's quite sad that we come from a country of so much freedom, resources however we limit ourselves. Don't get me wrong American is beautiful and there is tons to see. I highly recommend you renew your passports (or get one) and pick a destination and go! You're 401K will be there when you get back, or at least some it. So will your job and all the luxuries America has to offer. This is just a observation I had.

ps don't assume Canadians are American, they get pretty offended when you say that.
pps Who are the Skins playing on Sunday?

Margs

Lines from Bangkok

Day 2 here in Bangkok. There has been political unrest here near the Parliament however, we have no seen any signs of it. I guess it's far from the touristy stuff. Mission accomplished yesterday.... we took showers! We've had a busy day discovering Bangkok. Got up early and saw the Grand Palace and the reclining buddha. It was way too hot to stay out longer, so we took a dip in the pool. We were craving some greasy American food after that.. yum nachos! Pad Thai and fried rice is just way to hard to eat when it's 90 degrees (don't know the conversion to celsius).

I thought I'd share some interesting lines we've heard so far from locals:

Tuk Tuk driver (cabbies): You come, 10 Bhat only, I take you to Grand Palace
Street vendors: 5 Bhat only, you try, you eat
Street vendor: Pretty color, look nice, you want, you buy.. I make deal

Margee: Excuse me, what is this?
Street vendor: 10 bhat only
Margee: But what is it? Something to eat? Soap
Street vendor: Ok, you buy, 5 bhat only
Margee: (walks away)

I'll share more later....off to the Floating Market!

*Sorry, unable to upload pics but never fear I'm sure I'll be sending all 500 pics to you soon :-)

- Margee

Bangkok!!!

It's 930am and we made it to Bangkok. I seriously have a loss of time and what day of the week it is. We landed at 6am and took a public bus into town. Met a very neat Australian traveler. There has been some political unrest here for the past month or so.. but no signs of it yet. The city so far is neat and pretty clean. I can't wait to eat some pinapple fried rice!! There are street vendors everyone making some of my favorite Thai food. The plan for today is too shower... 4 days and a light "bucket bath" isn't cutting it. After that, seeing the reclining buddha and drink some Singha (pronouced sing) beer. Yumm!! Rakhee and I decided to call our trip, Eat, Sleep, Eat (instead of Eat, Pray, Love). Creative huh?

Side note, I am extremely excited the Skins beat the Eagles. I had the biggest smile as I boarded the plane. Thank you Jason, Jim, Clinton, Santana, Chris and friends :-)

xoxox Margee

Maximum City

20 hrs, 5mg of ambien, 2 bottles of wine, a funny french film later we made it to Mumbai! Of course, I didnt sleep. I pretty much watched in envy as Rakhee was peacefully sleeping. We got to my aunts and passed out. This morning I was suddenly awakened by a rooster. One would think how a rooster got here in a city of 17 million. We got up and started adventuring through the narrow streets of Santa Cruz West. There have been many offers made of "pretty nice tops" and "colourful skirts" made. I personally am not a big shopper especially in India. I'm pretty beat and have a long night ahead. We fly to Bangkok tonight. Computer is acting up. Gonna run!

With love, Margee

The Beach

Since we're going to be on that side of the earth, venturing to Thailand seems like a great idea. Rakhee and I were introduced to the hit film The Beach in 2000. Ever since then Leonardo DiCaprio has inspired us to discover Thailand. We land in Mumbai and fly to Bangkok the next night. We're planning to head south to Phuket, Ko Samui, Ko Phi Phi (Ko means island) and wherever fellow backpackers suggest. I'll leave you with two favorite quotes from the movie. If you haven't seen it, go rent it, Netflix it, whatever....

Trust me, it's paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. From mine it's a generation that's circles the globe and searches something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it.

Etienne: One kilometer.
Françoise: Two.
Etienne: Richard?
Richard: I dunno; I'm American.
Etienne: So?
Richard: I think in miles, not kilometers.
Etienne: Okay, so how many miles do you think it is?
Richard: I dunno, but it looks like a long way away.
(Leo, I feel you... I can't think metric)

About SEWA (Society for Education and Welfare Action)

This is an article about one of the health intiatives led by SEWA rural (the organization I will be volunteering for)

MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions: 2007

Society for Education Welfare and Action -- Rural
Saving the lives of mothers and their babies in India

It has been called the most neglected health problem in the world, and little progress has been made in reducing it. More than half a million women die each year as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. In India, one of the world’s riskiest countries in which to be pregnant, the government has launched a significant effort to reduce the maternal mortality rate. In the state of Gujarat, the Indian government is relying on one of its oldest and most respected non-governmental organizations to help. The Society for Education, Welfare and Action—Rural (SEWA Rural) has improved the health of Gujarat’s primarily tribal population for nearly three decades. In 1980, surgeon Anil Desai and his wife, pediatrician Lata Desai, returned from their medical training in the United States to create the organization, which has become an anchor for health and well-being in rural India. More than 140 full-time employees, including 15 medical doctors, now work there. The organization’s current work on maternal mortality focuses on the development and replication of a community-based approach. It provides health education and training to families, communities and front-line health workers—birth attendants, paramedics, doctors and students of medicine, social work, rural studies and health management—on maternal health issues. It works to ensure more institutional deliveries and professional involvement in home deliveries. It conducts research to provide more reliable estimates of maternal mortality and morbidity. And it advocates for maternal health programs with government ministries, policy makers and service providers. The results have been impressive. Between 2003 and 2006, a set of interventions focused on residents from 168 villages reduced maternal mortality by 35% and neonatal morality by 21%. Federal and state governments in India would like to take that progress to a national scale, as part of an effort to reduce India’s maternal mortality ratio from 540 deaths per 100,000 live births to 100 deaths by 2010. (By way of comparison, the maternal mortality ratio in the United States is 8 deaths per 100,000 births.) The state government of Gujarat is enlisting SEWA Rural to support the national effort to train new community health workers who will provide preventive primary health care, counseling, and referrals in village communities. In response, SEWA Rural will establish a new training and resource center focused on maternal mortality reduction. The center will scale up the group’s work in Gujarat, training more than 2,500 frontline health workers. SEWA Rural will use its $350,000 MacArthur Award to establish a reproductive health training and resource center.

Related Links MacArthur's population & reproductive health grantmaking NEWSLETTER: Population & Reproductive Health MacArthur in India Downloadable Image Gallery VIDEO: Pankaj Shah