Oh, the saga of Scotiabank that started before I left. It’s like the narrative of a Bollywood story, where things seemed so great, but events foreshadowed imminent disaster. That’s my life right now with Scotiabank. Sigh. I need this all sorted before I leave Delhi tomorrow and head out for my rural assignment, but right now my stomach is acting up and since arriving for work have started to fever. Never fear, I came over with medication and Venise is a Health Care professional. I’m sure I can sleep/sweat this thing away. The past two mornings have been especially early for me, first with my routine 2am wake up and attending my school board meeting yesterday and my Adobe class today. While 12.5 hour time difference works well generally for meetings, I think travelling suppressed my immunity a bit and the lack of sleep didn’t help. Oh, and we had a super shady driver this morning. He knew it too when he tried to double the fare to carry two people. I quickly called him out on it and we managed to get to work just fine, but it’s the tone of the day (or the lens I’m applying.)
Sleep, sleep and more sleep. And if you pray or send positive thoughts, I’d love some love sent my way! Thanks all. Tomorrow is a new, exciting day as we head off to Orchha via train. I can’t wait to see the countryside. (Since the above composition a blessed friend from the office added talk time to my phone and I found an ATM that accepted my OTHER bank card. Blessings all around and now I am tucked in for bed. Goodnight!)
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While getting ready for work this morning, Venise described the mood perfectly: “I feel like it’s the first day of school!” That subtle nervousness underlying a lot of excitement. We rode to DA’s office in Delhi with Shivani, our administrative contact we’d been talking to while in Canada. The building itself is simple, but what’s great is that it was built using the technology the organization developed to capture fly-ash and create bricks using local resources. They consider it Delhi’s “greenest” building. We met a lot of kind people who were very excited for us when they heard we will be staying at the apartments in Orchha. Apparently, we are heading to a pretty place. Our travel day will likely be Thursday and then we will meet with our team we will be working with for the duration of our assignment.
I am so excited to be placed with the Tara Akshar+ program and will update with more details once I’m the thick of it. I’d like to mention how great the food at the canteen is here. Also, I haven’t been in a kitchen for 5 days! Meanwhile Matt has a weekly meal chart and has made two batches of yogurt (go Dad!) While Delhi may not have been on the top of my places to visit while in India, it has provided a fruitful environment for personal growth thus far. Hopefully the lessons learned and friendships made will help bridge the more challenging times that most certainly will yet come. Tomorrow: orientation day 2. Day two in Delhi and I ventured out on my lonesome to get to church, which is actually held in the converted basement of a residential building. I sat near the back but in sight of the branch president (about Matt’s age with two kids, the daughter was about four in a beautiful purple dress and sat on the stand with him coloring most of the time) who started the meeting and looked straight at me when asking for someone to conduct the music. What? I point to myself, he nods, I shrug, and do my best 4/4 count I can. Sacrament was ¾, but seriously—I messed up the 2/2 intermediate hymn royally. One of the Indian returned missionaries was laughing at me trying to help, so I just laughed and plugged along. No one looks up at the chorister anyways. Back to 4/4 for the closing song and I feel like a chorister superstar. The people were so kind and welcoming and the talks and testimonies shared were as good as anywhere I have ever attended church. I even have a place to stay if I want to come back to Delhi for church a couple of weekends while here.
I “bravely” walked back to the B&B. Really, it wasn’t much of a feat to manage the 2km, but it was more like conquering a mental hurtle I had created. No one bothered me and every driver who asked me if I needed a ride continued onward when I politely declined. I even stepped out in traffic all Indian style (otherwise you won’t get anywhere around here) and felt like I owned my space. Maybe this is a window opening up for assertive Ashley. My go-to in social situations is always to be polite and quiet, but I am finding that does not work in India. Respect is given when it is claimed. A certain shift in perspective and honoring of my own value and authority will be required if I hope to help the people who need it the most. Heeding mom’s advice (I told you I would listen!), I woke up at 9am to acclimatize to my new time zone. Since we are staying at a nice B&B in Saket, a sub-community in south Delhi, we just stayed in and chatted with the owner Anand to listen to his suggestions for sightseeing. From our first rickshaw experience that mirrored a Disney ride but with zero safety sandards, Qutub Minar was our top destination choice as we knew we lacked the stamina to run from one location to the next. This historical sight didn’t disappoint! The relaxed atmosphere helped us ease into the experience. The five-story tower was remarkable and, interestingly, had been hit by lightning at least twice (similar to my Nono, but that’s completely unrelated.) The metro provided a nice break from the heat and the ladies only compartment was quite welcome. Old Delhi was… something. I imagine this place as one of the locations all of those travel bloggers say to avoid as a tourist (we later reflected on how we really were some of the only tourists there.) I was followed by a guy, but Venise caught on quick and helped us find a new path, leaving him in the dust. At least twice more we were followed, but managed to enjoy a few sights all the while. Coming home from the metro we aimed to source some food, but without a reliable guide telling us what was safe and what wasn’t, a top of all the young kids motioning to us that they were hungry, we left empty handed. Venise had her pre-packed oatmeal from Canada and I snacked on two Clif bars (at this point, I’m hoping my mom isn’t reading this….) All in all, it we accomplished a lot for our first day and conquered some moments I didn’t think I could. I’ll chalk that one as a win, even without dinner.
This morning my husband graciously gave me my final haircut before I depart on the 6am flight tomorrow. Despite best efforts to wipe down the counter, while brushing my teeth I noticed a few strands of hair left behind. How long will it take until traces of me disappear in my home? When will we finally be caught up in laundry and my last articles of clothing be placed to rest in the drawer until my return? (Honestly-- my bet is at least a month.)
This scenario reminded me of the BC adoption education classes Matt and I took 7 years ago (spoiler alert-- we never did adopt since they wouldn't let us so long as we kept having our own naturally-born children.) The social workers emphasized over and over that adoption is a process of loss. Loss of natural parents, loss of identity, loss of community. While I was empathetic to the realities of adoption and those very real feelings children must experience, my heart challenged this notion. At my core, I believe in good and trust and possibility. Just because the traces of me diminish in one location of the world does not mean I am not equally growing elsewhere. Watching the sun set yesterday, I thought of the time differences my family will experience. I reminded my kids at bedtime that while in India, I will have spent the whole day with the sun and will be sending it and all my love with it to them each morning. Traces of me may disappear at home, but I hope to fill that loss with something even greater. So, what are you going to be doing in India? Hands down, this is the single most frequently asked question. Makes sense, but imagine it being asked with hint of wild perplexion as the questioner scans me over. I live in a smaller sized city of 20,000 people in the regional district on the Sunshine Coast of BC. Most people who know me here know me in relation to my children, my husband or my volunteer initiatives within the community. Sure, I’ve been a member of our local Bollywood dance group for the past six years, but beyond that, the connection to India is tentative at best. 15 years ago this September marks the date I stepped upon UVic’s campus for my first semester of university classes. In some sweet serendipitous alignment of scheduling, I enrolled in my first History class: Intro to India. It brings a smile to me now, reflecting on how long this spark of interest has been gradually building inside of me. So, I shouldn’t have been shocked when I was reading just another weekly Graduate student email last fall that my body responded with skipped heart beats and excitement to the request: looking for interns in India. I quickly researched the hosting organization, Development Alternatives (DA), and realized this would be an amazing fit, not only for me professionally but for where education in our district is headed and where my city hopes to grow economically. Social enterprises are DA’s expertise, but they do so critically and with a mind for impact and environmental sustainability. One arm they operate has to do with women’s literacy. When you apply to be a QE Scholar, the host organization decides where best they can accommodate the particular skill set and interests you bring with you. It took 4 months from acceptance to placement to find out that I will be working in their rural literacy outreach, working specifically with women in their 6-week intensive classroom environment. DA has a lot of success using a method of repetitive visual and aural cues to associate an already known sound with the appropriate letter. For instance, it would be like us teaching a student, “B is for Ball” whilst showing a picture of the letter B with a ball placed within the letter itself. After a year of specializing in second language acquisition, I am keen to see how well this program works and what impact in has on the local women. So there it is: my assignment for the next three months. I get to create a home away from home and live in service of some pretty amazing souls. The countdown is on! |
AuthorAshley J.E. Hull Archives
November 2017
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