One month baby!

The mark of a little over one-month has arrived! One month anniversary with the country and things are going well. It's pretty baffling to think that time has already flown by this quickly. Today I was supposed to embark to Adilibad where the other project office is to do some field-work in the villages, but due to other factors I am staying in the city instead. Not wanting to stay cooped up inside all day, I wrapped my face and head with a scarf to explore around in the heat of the afternoon. Bad idea. My body turned into a radiating furnace. On the plus side, I came across relics of a centuries-old pool that was built for a former king of the area. What is crazy about this, is that this pool looks like some former (emphasis on "former") garden of Eden but it's hidden among the tangles and mazes of the slums! I sat at the temple overlooking this site for a good while and I'm pretty certain the heat got me into a really intense daze over it. The clashes/contrasts of old and new and the poverty and wealth cease to amaze me around here. Many of my days have been filled with writing a half-yearly progress report of the Tribal Permaculture Project, updating a new brochure, and still celebrating for having finished the UNEP Seed Initiative Application. Whether AAA is selected as a winner or not, I'm glad to have it done.
I'm starting to see that there will be some modifications to my diet when I get back to the states. For one, I am going to start eating yogurt everyday and maybe incorporate a little bit more chili into some dishes ;) Yessiree, my palate is getting more bold and daring by the day. I also have picked up drawing with charcoal. The other day I was in a stationary store with my friend Sneha and with 3 charcoal pencils for a dollar I thought, 'eh, why not?'. I've completed two pieces now....and I am super hooked. I think I'll start a series named 'The Many Faces of India'.
Just as every parent can usually remember their child's first words, mine in Telegu have been "jutu" (hair) and "toku" (peel, as in fruit peel). If you're thinking these are absolutely unnecessary words...you're right. But I do get way overexcited when I hear a hair company advertising shampoo. And with the word peel, haven't gotten to hear that one yet! Since then, I've picked up a few phrases and am starting to comprehend more and more. Oh, and one of the most exciting updates yet: I get to see mother in 4 days! It has been a year since I saw her last and I am thanking all 330 million Hindu deities that she is meeting me here!!

^Me playing an ektar

India thus far

It has been about a month since I left the states and have been in India. First and foremost, I will begin by saying that I really love what I've seen thus far. And I state that with the notion of including both the positive and negative aspects of my current experience. The poverty, wealth, colors, trash, beauty and food are always in your presence here, constantly reminding you of the many facets to life. The culture is honest, and it is that attribute which makes me appreciate it. Currently, I am stationed in Hyderabad which is quite the urban jungle full of horns, music and people yelling to sell their "CHAII" (the yelling has been my rooster in waking me up every morning). Only part of my week is spent in the city however. I haven't had very reliable internet when staying at different project offices which has thus allotted me much time to read (I've only been reading their books so my mind is full of water management reports, third world pesticides and the language of plants). So far, I've been helping edit reports and grants which contrary to what I believed before, can be very exhausting. These last several days I visited several villages to record their update on their Permaculture farms of Mango and Amla trees.The villagers were so friendly and astonished me with their ways of creativity. The children made these toy cars that successfully roll along the ground using sticks, bottles and their caps. The temperatures have been grueling hitting 116 degrees some days and without A/C your daily bath is SUCH a highlight! Squat toilets are a new thing, but I'm not too bothered by it because if they can do it everyday I don't see why I can't too haha! : p
Not only is it mango season, but marriage season as well. The streets have been full of horns and celebrations for the many marriages going on. I eat so healthy here and am almost force-fed mangoes due to my host family having a Permaculture farm that has a current surplus of them. It's great! Yesterday, out in a different project site called Adilibad, I saw a variety of animals crossing the road- several that induced some squealing from myself. Monkeys with babies the size of mangoes (is this my comparison standard now?), boars, dogs, chickens and humans constantly had us putting on the brakes.
The NGO (Aranya Agricultural Alternatives) is so inspiring with all that it achieves and genuinely helps out with. One project the NGO is in collabortaion with, the Water Sector Improvement Project, is being sponsored by the World Bank to improve irrigation systems that will in turn increase agricultural yields. Aranya will be working with the social and environmental component of this project ensuring that lands are not being encroached on and that the living conditions are in good shape. I will be helping document this as well as other reports which I am very excited about. The days I spend in the farms are wonderful too and it's so amazing to see Permaculture in practice first hand. It really is the most sustainable way to go concerning agriculture. And now, I am working hard in applying for a SEED award through the UNEP and so badly want it for them! I will write more colorful posts later. I have pictures up currently on my facebook if you'd like to get a visual image of the blog!