February 20, 2009

Namaste from Eluru. We spent the last week in kakinada and enjoyed all of the hospitality of that lovely area. We also held another successful LN-4 hand clinic and fitted 9 people with new prosthetics. We visited many projects including the Kiran eye institute, the old age home, blood bank, Godarigunta school and the physiotherapy unit at the central hospital. Our GSE coordinator Bobby planned many fun activites including dinner at the beach, complete with veggie burgers and a boat trip down the Godavari river with lunch under the trees. We can feel it getting hotter every day but are all doing well. Our hosts are arranging for us to see many of the tourist sites in Andhra including the Sarpavaram temple and the lovely Shiva temple at Samalkot.

It was fun to celebrate kate's birthday in Kakinada, complete with cake and singing. We also appeared on a local TV station/community access channel where we talked about our experiences in India.

Eluru is a small city by Indian standards (only 500,000 people with unknown numbers of cows, pigs, dogs and water buffaloes roaming the streets) and we are enjoying the hospitality of the club President very much. Last night we were honored to attend a hindu wedding - the dinner was at 8 and the ceremony started at 11:30 - when we left at 1 a.m. it was still going. An average wedding in India includes hundreds if not thousamds of people and even more flowers, food and music. The ceremony is extensive and involves everyone. Amanda and Kate enjoyed the women's sarees more than anything...complete with more gold jewelry than one can imagine.

Many thanks to all of our Indian Rotarian hosts and friends....we will all be coming back with the obvious benefits of eating delicious Indian foods for a month! We miss all of our families and friends and look forward to seeing you soon and sharing our many many photos and wonderful experiences with you all.

Namaskaram to you all.

Photos from Kakinada and Eluru

15 february - now in Kakinada

Yesterday we said a sad good-bye to all of our friends and new families in Visakhapatnam - a very big thank you to all our host families and we will miss you! On 7h Feb. we held our second LN-4 Hand Camp at Hamal Mahal. Once again, the response was overwhelming -we worked with the local rotary clubs to screen applicants, fit them with new prosthetics and then worked with them to practice movement. Seeing a young teacher (a double amputee) write his name with 2 new prosthetics was overwhelming. Bringing the LN-4s and participating in the hand camps has been a highlight of the trip. Doing good feels good - especially in a country where many people lose their limbs to electrical accidents.
Rotary Club Cosmo hosted us on a bus trip and picnic/dance party in the woods in the tribal area of the Araku Valley. Rotarian Suryarao hosted us at his palatial resort home for a mid-tour break (complete with a small dinner for 60). Tom and Craig made quite a splash (literally) in the pool! Tom hurtling down the slide watched by a small crowd....
Before leaving, we visited Srikakulum and the beautiful sun temple, and the lovely city of Anakapalle. Everyone where we have visited the people (especially the kids) have been wonderful - warm, welcoming and always up for photos! We have seen numerous Rotary club projects --all the clubs contributing to their communities in a myriad of ways. All of us non-Rotarians are very impressed with the work of Rotary here in India. In a country where the government cannot provide basic services like education to all its citizens, private groups like Rotary are an integral part of the social safety net. For example, 25% of blindness in the world is found in India (due to sunlight, vitamin deficiencies and lack of routine care) and Rotary is certainly helping to reduce that number. Similarly, the government schools often lack benches, desks, uniforms and even plates - Rotary clubs have adopted schools all over and provide for many of these basic needs. Again, this important work counters illiteracy and gives many poor children a chance at education.
All of us find it hard to believe that we are over half-way done with our GSE trip. Tom (Mr. Rotary) continues to be our fearless leader and works to provide Kingfisher whenever possible. Carmen is our chinado (little one) and wows everyone with his mandolin playing and Telegu speaking. We seem to attract lots of attention wherever we go as this part of india does not see many foreign tourists. Food continues to amaze as does all of the color, sound and smell of India. Namaste to all of our friends and family at home - we will try and bring the sun back with us!
P.S. We are trying to upload more photos but having some difficulties - this is India, super high-tech yet water buffaloes wandering on the national highways....

More photos

Carmen finds Nirvana in Visakhapatnam.
Artistic display on the Krishna River bank.

Konda Palli toy factory worker, painting in the sun.

GSE team visit to the Visakhapatnam Rotary blood bank. This program was developed by the Visakha Port City Rotary club, and is operated by them as well. This is a beautiful facility, and a excellent model of community service, compassion, and dedication to helping others.

The Deacon Tom English prays to the Kingfishers utop the Kondapalli Fort site in Vijaywada. Man, it's hot up here!

February 4, 2009

We have traveled northeast and are now in the beautiful city of Visakhapatnam, right on the Bay of Bengal. The Rotary club of Visakhapatnam welcomed us warmly at the Waltair Club, originally built by the British in the late 1800's. Since then we have disbursed to different host families around the city. Yesterday we visited a school and a Rotary eye hospital. The school was established by lady Rotarian Chaya and provides a private-school quality education for a very nominal price. Chaya herself particpated in a GSE exchange to Arizona several years ago and reported that she incoroporated many things that she learned during that trip into her school. The children were lovely. When we asked them their favorite subjects, the uniform answer was math! Perhaps our American schools could learn something....

The eye hospital was established and funded entirely by Rotarians -- both Indian, British and American. The hospital provides surgeries and basic eye care to rural Indians and performs some 81 surgeries a month (the 7th busiest hospital in the country). As usual we also enjoyed a delicious lunch of tandoori fish, palek paneer, tomato curry, briyani, and various naans.

Today we visited the Rotary Blood Bank, a project of Rotary Club Visakha Port City. Again, the blood bank was established and is currently run entirely by the Rotarians. It provides blood at half the cost of the government blood banks. We next visited a school for visually challenged girls, also supported by Rotarians. After our visit, we drove north of the city to see the early stages of another IT area (Silicon Hill). Perched atop lovely hillls overlooking the Bay were the skeletons of countless new technology businesses and planned housing for some 100,000 employees. Despite the world economic slow-down, India continues to boom and expects to grow its GDP by some 7% this year. Construction is everywhere in this city.

We are having an amazing experience. Chaya told us yesterday that Indians believe that God visits your home in the form of a guest. We can certainly vouch for that. All of us are meeting wonderful people, eating delicious food, and seeing a glimpse of the real India. While all of the classic stereotypes are here (cows ambling along the roads, horns constantly blaring, colorful markets, monkeys, temples everywhere), we are also seeing the commitment to education and community service.

Carmen has become our language guru as he is picking up Telegu (the local language) incredibly quickly. We can always find Craig as he is usually the tallest person around for miles! Mr. Thomas (as he is called) is doing a great job of looking after us all.

Weather continues to be warm and steamy -- can't say we are missing February in Oregon!

Namaste.

Photos of week 2

Vijayawada & Visakahpatnam.

Vijayawada

Subhodayam! This means "good morning" in Telugu. We have been in Andhra Pradesh for one week now, and we are learning the language quickly. The trip so far has been a beautiful experience, as we have been welcomed with great hospitality and enthusiasm. India has been an eye-opening explosion, fillied with color and vibrance.

We made history by being the first GSE group to undertake a service project as part of our exchange. We distrubuted over 40 hands in Vijayawada to amputees who received them with joy. 75% of the receipients lost their hands through electrical accidents; the remainder from mechanical accidents. The Indian press has covered our every move. Google us on the Hindu Times.

Our host families are scattered in different neighborhoods throughout Vijayawada, giving us a great exposure to the different lifestyles in this colorful town.

A range of experiences.... hill fort death walk; Tom's prayer for Kingfisher Beer, answered within one hour; Ayurvedic message, facials and mehindi; toy making workshops; a home for street kids; dance rehearsals; swimming the Krishna.

Don't you wish you were here?