I have really enjoyed the last month in Asia, and I realized that I have not recently updated people. Here's a few short anecdotes that capture some fun(ny) experiences.
Ceramics: Each Saturday, I go to open studio at ClayStation. To get there, I walk for 10 minutes from my homestay to a bus stand, and take the bus for about 30 minutes (6 km) for 14 or 19 Indian Rupees (the price varies per bus, and equates to $0.25 USD). For one of my courses (and my last art minor course!), I am researching how social issues and "merging cultures" are expressed locally and internationally in art, here in Bangalore. I will emphasize Scandinavian and Indian patterns and designs in the forms of tiles and tea sets. | |
| MAYA Health: I have been working with the MAYA Health NGO for the past two months. Here, I've focused my work on developing an application through CommCare that captures the registration and follow-up health information that is currently being recorded my Health Navigators in notebooks. |
The application will allow for more efficient and robust data storage and reporting. Also, I have been understanding the local public health needs of the pilot rural community, and I am writing and illustrating educational and culturally relevant health books. This experience and the MAYA Health team are amazing, and I look forward to working more with them.
Wedding:
My lovely MAYA Health co-worker, Ronika, was out of the office for a week preparing for her sister's wedding. I was invited, and planned to go with two other co-workers. I was running late for a wedding, so I purchased a dress without trying it on, and hoped to change in the McDonald's bathroom. Unfortunately, it was not available. After asking an employee for an alternative, he threw me a hairnet and lead me behind the counter to the employee changing room. This was fantastically awkward. To top the night off, I went to the WRONG wedding (who knew that a wedding could be going down at two different Taj Hotels???). At wedding #1, I ate, drank and talked with people before getting a call from my co-worker Alex...and realized I was at the wrong venue. I did eventually make it to the correct wedding and had quite a fun time :)
Food:
I was able to make a few different dishes for my host parents and my friends in Nepal. Apple crisp was a big hit. Apparently, cinnamon is only used for main course meals in India, so I enjoyed gifting them with a new dish after trying so many different Indian dishes. I have also made Swedish pancakes and stir fry. It is uncommon to have ovens, so I am missing foods like lasagna and pie. I got to try 'buff' (water buffalo) momos again in Nepal, and they are JUST as fantastic as they were two and a half years ago.
Nepal:
Two and a half years ago, my team (Mary, Noelle, and Danae) and I had the chance to make bio-sand water filters with Chandan in Surkhet, Nepal. I am so happy to visit Chandan again, and to meet Margaret and 4-month-old Elias - as well as to be a part of a few Christmas celebrations. Because of many foundation and structural problems in Nepali homes after the spring earthquakes, one of Chandan's newer project is to rebuild a school in Malemchi, Nepal. Chandan and I took a motorbike to the site, and a group discussed the rebuilding steps. Also, I got to teach the kiddos "Obo shin otten totten" hand clap game (unfortunately, I realized that I have no idea what most of the words mean, so it's kind of useless).
Thanks for reading!