Day Twenty-One

Today I started my Kathak Workshop with Guru Rekajii. It was pretty intense but really enjoyed it. Everything moves at a much faster pace than Bharatanatym. I really like comparing the differences between the two classical dance forms, its pretty exciting. We went over a lot of steps already and she even said I did very well and had a lot of stamina. In the next 4 days I should have a 5 minutes Kathak performance with music put together! I'm exciting to learn it!

Day Twenty

Today was quite productive. I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by Arundati titled Constrained Choices that was about It was about "understanding help-seeking behavior of young unmarried women for sexual and reproductive health problem in Mumbai." It was quite interesting, especially when I asked the presenter why the mothers of these girls wouldn't allow their daughter to be interviewed. The answer was some what surprising when she told me that the mothers don't believe their daughters need to be learning those kinds of things, that it was only for the "bad girls."

As much as I wanted to stay for the Q&A portion of the presentation I had to begin working on finishing up my report...which I successfully completed the rough draft just before leaving for the day. All that needs to be done now is some editing and polishing, then I can have Garima take quick look at it before I make corrections for the final. 

As soon I was done for the day I headed over to Apsara to have  quick massage since my body was aching me from the horse riding yesterday. As much as I would like to say it was good and relaxing...it wasn't. In fact...I felt like one of my friends with no real massage experience was giving me a massage on my bed. There was no synchronization to her movements whatsoever...and I when asked if I liked it...well I told them the truth...I did not.

Following the 10 minutes massage I caught the rickshaw to Juhu beach where I met up with Nikki, Delphine, and later Preethi, Joanne (and her husband), and a new girl I was introduced to named Laila, and one other guy I forgot him name. We went to this short movie film festival at Prithvi House, which I thought would be a pretty good experience since I never really been to one before. I will say the first movie really need some kind of warning before it was shown. In the U.S. there is usually some kind of graphic label on any time of film that may cause a person to be nauseous or uncomfortable...and this film (Qana) definitely needed one. It really hit hard...and left me with my jaw dropped. So did the film dreadful fate, which followed people in Andra Pradesh who were and still are effected by fluoride in their drinking water. 

QANA (33 min)

Produced by: Mohammadreza Abbasian

This documentary from Iran is a renewed unfolding of files related to the massacre of civilians of a Lebanese village named Qana who had taken refuge in a UN base in 1996.

DREADFUL FATE (22 min)

Produced by: Lavanya Krishnan

Directed by: Dulam Satyanarayana

This film is an insight into the hideous lives of those innocent people who fall prey to the most basic need for survival – water.

A FAMILY DRAMA (20 min)

Produced and Directed by: Tanmayee Deo & Dnyanesh Zoting

This film is an attempt to interpret the traditional Indian family and marriage systems within the context of the modern scenario. In the film, Mugdha, the 21-year-old protagonist, rejects to be a part of the marriage system and rebels in her own way. 

TRISHANKU (17 min)

Produced and Directed by: Dnyanesh Zoting

The protagonist of this film, Vivek, is an elite class engineering student who belongs to the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category. Vivek faces a dilemma between his caste identity and his higher economic status.

The dilemma turns into a mental struggle when two persons come into his life; first is a sophisticated Brahmin girl and the other is a Dalit student activist.

 LAPANDAV (Hide and Seek) (13 min)

Produced & Directed By: Tanmayee Deo

Manu, a 10-year-old girl from a typical Maharashtrian Brahmin family, is entering adolescence. She happens to come across a Kathakali artist. His colourful appearance and gestures fascinate her. But as she moves deeper into this space, unexpected things start to unfold. Just as the game of Hide and Seek where you never know what you will come across.

Afterwards we at at Alfredo's this Italian restaurant right down the street where I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo of course...and it was actually pretty good. We chatted for a while and took lots of pictures, and that pretty much concluded my night!

Day Nineteen

One of the most adventurous days I had in Mumbai was today when I visited Matheran with Delphine. We began way early in the morning and took a cab to Dadar station where we caught a train to Neril. Then we had to take another cab up into the mountains to Matheron. When we reached we paid 25 rupees to get in and then haggled with one of the people there offering horse rides to the different look out points. We finally agreed on Rs500 each for 4 hours. It was beautiful! I was ecstatic to be riding a horse through the wilderness in the mountains. This would be the 3rd animal I got to ride for the first time in India! My horse was cute but Delphine's was cuter! There were lots and lots of hotels around and there was a market area which was busy with people, lots of restaurants and shopping. We really wanted to take the mini train down but, probably should have bought our tickets ahead of time because the line was super long. Instead we followed the train tracks down the hill to the entrance of Matheran. There were people selling fruits and other things along the way. I bought guava and not too long after the monkeys began harassing me. It was actually pretty scary...One monkey started showing me his teeth and then jumped on me and tried to take my guava. So I through a piece down and he still came after me swinging on my arm. It was funny and scary at the same time! It was such a long day. We got back to Mumbai between 7 and 8 in the evening. It was well worth the trip. It really is a lot more fun to travel with someone, rather than alone. The experience seems to be so much richer. 

Day Eighteen

SNEHA DAY!

Today was SNEHA's 11th year! I'm so happy I was able to be here to celebrate...my internship period couldn't have been at a better time during the year. It was an early start...I woke up at 6:30am only have going to sleep at 3:30am, from skyping with the hubby on the other side of the world. It was an awesome day...full of lots of entertainment and food! I glad to be able to meet new people from the other sites and also interact with the community workers and program facilitators. I think my favorite part was the very beginning when the DJ was putting on all the latest Bollywood Hits. I actually knew almost all of them. This was for sure the first time I ever free-danced to Indian music in public...and not to mention wearing a Sari.

Today would have been the 2nd time wearing a sari (the first being at the Taj Mahal) I got a lot of compliments which was really nice...every was suprised to see me wearing one, and I was a bit worried because I totally forgot to buy a petticoat and used a big baggy drawstring pants to hold in. And for the most part it worked out quite well thanks to Nina, who helped me assemble it...pins and all. Everyone seemed to have a really good time and enjoyed themselvs quite a bit. I will say my nap on the hammock was very relaxing, since I could hear the waves crashing on the "Extremely Dangerous" beach behind me. I really fell asleep and was quite out of it...which began my pounding headache. But fortunately enough...it was towards the end of the day and not at the very beginning. We also got a nice surprise when Dr. Fernandez made a quick appearance. So quick I was not able to take a picture with her! But I did manage to get one with most of the staff members throughout the day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today. I was looking forward to the picnic since I heard about it last week. It was a nice opportunity to talk with everyone outside the office and and just be around those people who make SNEHA what is.

Day Seventeen

End of the week already!

Time flies by so fast! Today I finally printed out the chart I made with the NGO's that have similar Life Skills Education Programs and began working on the actual report. I hope to finish this by Monday but we'll see. I would really like to visit the other centers and work on something else that can contribute to SNEHA. I just want to do so much with so little time. I really wish I was here for half of the whole study abroad program... I feel like I can contribute so much more...not to mention I am totally loving Bombay. 

Right after leaving SNEHA, I met up with Preethi to try and get the choli's made for my Sari's but I was a little disappointed in his asking price of 600 rupees so I decided to not have him do it for me...unless of course there is no other option. After that I went to meet with the Kathak Guru, whose name is Keka. We decided to begin classes this Tuesday where I'll be covering some basic steps and she also said she can put together a little routine for me as well. She also put me in touch with the Odissi Guru, Subdha, who I'll contact sometime tomorrow!

Later on that night I met back up with Preethi and Nikki and we went to a lounge and and chatted for a bit and then went next door to Bonobo where there was Reggae Night. It was such a coincidence since I just got finished explaining to Preethi and Nikki my favorite music to dance to is Caribbean music like reggae and dancehall, which is exactly what they were playing. It was totally packed and there were so many different kinds of people. The overall atmosphere was really upbeat and fun!

I can't wait for the picnic tomorrow, I'm really excited to where the Sari I just got the Choli made for!

Day Sixteen

Managed to get much work done today even though Delphine was at the office, and we love to chat it up. I completed the chart of NGO's and printed it out. So now it's just the matter of comparing and contrasting and writing up a report on my observations and recommendations for improvements. Ideally I would like to have this quick project completed by the end of the week, so by Sunday So I can start something new and exciting on Monday. I would really like to visit another office and hopefully get to experience the "slums" in real life...and not just from looking outside or passing on a rickshaw. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity...it's just the matter of time and finding someone who will be willing. 


On a different note, I met up with Preethi and Nikki who accompanied as I checked one of my things to do on my Bombay checklist, which was get my nose pierced! For Rs350 I chose the gold wire and the shop keeper pierced my nose the "Indian way" with a gold wire which he pushed through my nostril...Quite a different experience from the first time which was done with a needle. I'm glad I had their support thought...it was nice since I was planning on finding someone on my own. This way I was actually able to catch the whole process on video and camera. It actually doesn't hurt at all, right now anyway. 


The night didn't end there, when as they invited me to see my first Circus in India. It was Rs150 and very big inside. It was pretty good show, but also had a couple of weird acts thrown in between. The skits were pretty much useless since there wasn't any microphones so it sounded like a bunch of yelling. In any case I had a great time, and was so happy to have yet again another fantastic experience in India...and In Mumbai more specifically. 
 


I have so many things to look forward to this weekend, I can't hardly wait...

• Tomorrow I meet with Reka, the Kathak Guru, taking my Sari's to be stitched and have Choli's made, and then I have plans with girls to finally check out a disco! 
• Saturday is SNEHA's annually picnic which I am extremely excited about, where we will be taken by bus to a beach that is about 2 hrs away from Mumbai with catered food, entertainment, and those Oh So lovely tea breaks. Following that perhaps a movie? or maybe another disco?
• Sunday is Delphine and I's plan to ride horses in Matheron which is this place about 2 hrs away that is supposedly really beautiful with many look out points and one of the few places in the world where motor vehicles are not allowed. 

I'm really looking forward to the next 3 days as you can see! 

Day Fifteen

A quiet workday...by myself! 


There weren't much people today at the Santacruz office...but I think that is because most of the staff were at the Dharavi office today, including all the interns. But it wasn't too bad because I was able to get a lot of work done. I hardly took a break to eat lunch!


I did manage to get a hold on Nandini the coordinator for the dance workshops who put me in touch with Keka (the Kathak guru) and she seems like a really sweet person. Lucky for me she holds her classes literally right down the street from me. I'm going to meet with her on Friday and talk about everything I can accomplish in the short 2 weeks I have left in  Mumbai. 


Today I started a checklist on my phone of everything I would like to accomplish while I'm here including a what is required as apart of my internship...In no particular order of importance I would like to: 

1. Complete my comparative analysis chart and report on the Girls Gaining Ground program 
2. Help pick up where another person left off on the Evaluation Report of the GGG program 
3. Learn to thread
4. One day trip to Matheron- Ride a horse 
5. Take a walking tour of south Bombay 
6. Attend a few dance sessions on Odissi and Kathak classical Indian dance 
7. Get my nose pierced 
8. Visit each SNEHA site 
9. Visit Darhavi with someone from the org. than can show me around 
10. Put together media package of video/pictures for one of the programs 
11. Sit and chat with Dr. Armida again, one-on-one...she's an awesome person!
12. Meet a bollywood star 

and I'm sure I can add to that list but for now that's all I got...and I really only have 15 more days left. Today is the half way marker!!! 

Oh I'm so excited because on my way home I saw the Grand Opening for Mad Over Doughnuts...and I really should have stopped so I can grab some...I remember first tasting it when I was in the mall in Delhi...It was really yummy! 

Day Fourteen

Today was rather interesting 


Priya shared with us her aggravation with a book she was reading about an American women who lived in India for three years that made all these irrational remarks about Indian Women and culture. I thought it was pretty ridiculous myself. It's amazing how some things actually get published these days. It's embarrassing that it was she was American too...makes us (Americans) look bad. 


I also found myself asking a lot of questions today as well...Like where I can go to see Classical Indian Dance Shows, and apparently this is the season for all the concerts, Priya was telling me, because she invited me to her daughter Bharatanatym performance a couple weeks ago and it totally passed me by. She also told me that she knows of a lady who does five day workshops that introduces 3 classical styles: Bharatanatym, Odissi, and Kathak. She gave me her number so I'm going to try and call her tomorrow some time and find out more about it. 


After a full day of work, Delphine and I decided to catch a movie at PVR Cinema at Shopper Stop down by Juhu Beach. We got tickets to see The Social Network at 7:30pm. We grabbed a bite at at the Cafe Coffe Day after looking around the mall. The movie was really good except it left me a little confused. The funniest thing happened when Right in the middle of the movie, the screen turns black and people start walking out. I start getting upset and blaming it on the power until on the screen appears "Intermission" I couldn't stop laughing at myself.

It was a great night! 

Day Thirteen

Just a regular work day :) 


Using Garima's advice and researching other NGO's through their funders. It's working out quite nicely! 


I actually walked home today, which wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm a lot closer than I thought. Well I actually ate dinner first at a restaurant called Bonobo, and then had dessert at the cafe across the street. On the way did a little bargaining and managed to snag a couple "MAC" cosmetics...3 lip sticks and 2 eye shadow pallets.







Lucky me!

Day Twelve

The perfect ending to a fabulous weekend!


Of course the highlight of today was visiting Dr. Fernandez at her flat in Bandstand...Did I mention several Bollywood actors and actresses live here as well...In fact, Rekha who is a well known actress lives in the bungalow right below her! And Shah Rukh Khan across the street. We had a great time with lots of conversation and delicious snacks and chaats. I had amazingly fresh guava juice. Dr. Fernandez is an exceptional individual and I was just so honored to be able to sit down and talk with her and the other girls about not one thing in particular. She's so intelligent and filled with so much knowledge. I found out she loves to travel which is a passion I share as well. This experience in India has definitely made me more adventurous and wanting to visit other continents and countries all over the world. She even shared some of her adventures and advice with us. We also got the opportunity to meet her husband who had just came in from a meeting and he talked with us for a bit. They were very humble and welcoming, and I had an overall great afternoon. 

Afterwards, we met Preethi (whom I heard much about over the past couple days) at a Cafe down on linking road that I passed sometime last weekend, but had no idea how good/beautiful it was inside. They had an extensive menu of all types of food and a drop dead gorgeous dessert selection. As much as I wanted to try their white chocolate brownie...I got dinner, which was more like breakfast. Fried egg whites, hashbrowns & toast, with butter apple french toast...It was delish! A little piece of America...which I was craving for some time now. It was nice to finally meet everyone (well that I've heard about over the last week) and for all of us to be together and getting to know one another. It's nice getting to meet other people and making all sorts of connections. We all had a really great time together...hopefully we'll do another "coffee date" soon! 

Day Eleven

One of the best days I've had in Mumbai so far,
It started off with Coffee and Fugias (these really yummy balls of dough...most likely fried, that you dip or eat with a hot beverage) from Andora. Then I hopped a rickshaw to Linking road and got off at Apsaras which is this small salon that does about every service for the best price I've seen so far in India period. Delphine came only a few minutes later and we both got a mani and pedi. The girl that was doing mines must have been not more than 16 years old and was small and frail looking. Looks are deceiving because this little girl was strong...she did a really nice massage on my hands and feet! After that I decided to try their facial, which I must say was totally worth the Rs.350 I paid. I got a face, neck, shoulder, and partial back massage along with all the other features of detailed facial. She went across my t-zone with the black head remover...which was the part the hurt the most. It was pretty intense...I'm not gonna lie. She applied a scrub and massaged that in, and then had steam applied to my face for some time. After that some more massaging and lathering and then a mask was applied with a really cold "thing" put over my eyes...so cold I felt like it was ice cubes! I kept myself from taking it off though...There was also some really ice cold cream she applied to my face too...it was really freshing but  I wasn't even prepared for that! It shocked me actually. That was the spa in a nutshell. All my services cost a total of less than Rs700....which is amazing...I got just hair cut, deep conditioned, and blow dried for Rs1200 which is ridiculous when I think about it. 
 
After our spa retreat we both caught a rickshaw to the Sun and Sand resort down by Juhu beach where we spent Rs500 lounging poolside (and somewhat beach side) soaking in whatever was left of the sun from all of the clouds and foggyness there was. It was a really nice relaxing time. We swam for a bit in the larger pool and then jumped in the biggest jacuzzi I've ever seen and been in. We both ordered chicken ceaser salads, which were delicious and a brownie sundae for dessert. Instead of hopping the rickshaw back we walked down to linking road from Juhu beach stopping at Cinnabun on the way, since it caught my way on the rickshaw ride over. I requested that we take only from the fresh batch coming out which was the best Idea ever because they were warm and gooey and so yummy! I munched that down with a refreshing peach Ice tea. Also found out that there are two locations in Bandra! So can't wait to find out exactly where they are :) After Cinnabun we walked down to the road Delphine lives on and I caught a rickshaw from there back home, stopping at Birds on the way to pick up a croissant and another delicious looking piece of hazelnut chocolate cake. I think I may be developing an unhealthy habbit of trying a new piece of cake every time I step foot into that store. The night will probably end with me planning out my day for tomorrow (which includes a visit to Dr. Armidas house, which I'm very excited about) and working on project with SNEHA. 

Day Ten

Today was probably one of the best workdays I've had so far at SNEHA. I was invited to sit it on an advocacy presentation which was very informative and refreshing since it was a topic I never really discussed in depth about. There was some discussion as well which makes things more interactive. 


Today I also met another volunteer with SNEHA, Samantha Ritter who Delphine was dying for me to meet since she was from the U.S. as well. So we all sat together (Samantha, Nikki, Delphine, and I) and worked on our individual projects with SNEHA while doing some chatting in between.


I also met with Garima to quickly go over what I worked on for the week and she gave me some suggestions that would help in the research area of what I am working on. And sure enough, after talking with her I was finding more results on NGO's that provide life skills education programs to underprivileged youth in the Slums. Apparently it's better to go straight to the source (the funders of these NGOs) to find what I was looking for. Not to mention, SNEHA can benefit from finding other sources and agencies that fund similar projects! 


Later that night, Delphine, Samantha, and I met up at The Elbo Room to just get out, chat, and have girl time. The place was really popular and actually had a lot of tourist. It was nice way to start the weekend off right. 

Day Nine

Work was the same as usual...researching away on the computer. I ordered a chicken roti from Andora's this morning so I can have it for lunch! 

 The highlight of my day was definitely eating out with Delphine who introduced me to another volunteer name Nikki (she's a doctor from Nigeria) We had dinner outside on the Patio at The Red Box, which is on Waterfield road right in my part of town. It was really nice to be able to talk to other people that are foreign here as well...and working with the same organization. We concluded dinner with a delicious brownie with Kahlua chocolate sauce that sizzled as they poured it on the platter...my treat :)

This weekend we discussed getting together and checking out a lounge somewhere in town tomorrow night, where I'll be introduced to another girl, this time an American from Chicago, so that should be exciting! Delphine has been telling me lots about her already! Saturday we're thinking about going Apsara on Linking Road to get Mani and Pedi's and then going to this hotel I believed called Juhu (or is near Juhu beach) to lounge around in, hangout, and relax. I'm quite looking forward to it! 

Day Eight

Today I caught up with Delphine who is another volunteer at SNEHA from France. She had a short weekend get a way to Goa, which I was waiting to get details on, since I was there right before coming to Mumbai. We chatted for a while and decided to have a dinner date tomorrow with another girl that is volunteering as well. I'm suggesting red box since the atmosphere is really nice and laid back, with amazing food and lots options. 


I also got the pleasure of meeting with SNEHA's founder and director, Dr. Armida Fernanadez. It's funny because just yesterday I was wondering if I would ever get a chance to actually meet her. Everyone at SNEHA seems to always be busy with work or in meetings. Anyway, I mustered up enough courage to introduce myself to her , and she was so welcoming, friendly, and easy to talk to. It was a quick chat but I'm glad I got the opportunity to meet such an amazing women. I found out she also lives in Bandra West, and she said she usually invites volunteers over to her house, so I'm really looking forward to that. I gave her a quick run down of what I'll  be working on for the month and also suggested taking on the small project of looking for housing for volunteers in the future.


The day only got better as I found out what the meaning of Tiffin actually is. Thanks to Delphine, I will now adopt her method of obtaining an innexpensive home-cooked meal that will spread out over 2-3 meals per an order. I tried putting an order in today when I arrived home but it was to late, since tiffin is a lunch time thing and they only deliver during the lunch hour. 


On Friday I will meet with Garima to go over the research that I found regarding the various Life Skills Education Programs. So far the only bumps I've hit is actually getting enough information about each program to full in the chart completely. I guess that's one thing I'll bring up during our chat on Friday!

Day Seven

One week in Bombay, and so far so good. I'm really getting a feel for the city. It reminds me so much of NYC, except I really never traveled alone throughout NYC like I'm doing here. Work at SNEHA today was the as yesterday where much of it was just sitting and researching at the computer. I finally introduced myself to the girls that look about my age and younger that are working there as well. At first I though they couldn't speak any English because they never really talked to me, only to give me tea. From what I remember there is: Latika, Varsha, Rashmi, Laxmi, and one other that I totally forgot. Shame on me!  I'm not re'rally sure what they're role is at SNEHA but I'm sure I'll find out soon. I really enjoy the small tea breaks throughout the day, it makes the work day so much more enjoyable. I thought it was weird when I got off and was looking for a rickshaw driver and couldn't find one...I saw rickshaws....with no drivers anywhere to be found...until I looked down and they were all sitting on the floor having their chaay...noone spoke English but I got the message that they were on their "break" and noones was going to give me a ride. LOL until one of the women from SNEHA saw me trying to catch a rickshaw and she finally got one for me. I didn't think it would be that difficult!


Instead of going straight home I got dropped off right in front the house, and then ventured off to Hill Road looking for a beauty parlor, which I never end up finding..instead got my eyebrows threaded and bought some more candy at this store that has mostly imported goods next to the himalya store and yoko sizzlers. When I got back to the house I ordered delivery from lemon grass (which is right down the street) and had a delicious meal, I couldn't even finish myself. It was a cream corn soup with (no celery), these green dumplings stuff with cheese and spinach, and this Thai salad. The dumplings were my favorite and something I would def. try again. 

Until tomorrow...

Day Six

Today I began my research project with SNEHA. The objective is to compare what other NGOs and organizations do in terms of life skills education programming and compare it to the one SNEHA does called "Girls Gaining Ground." It's seems like a fairly simple task, but the research aspect of it can get pretty tricky. It was pretty long day, where I mostly sat in the same spot for  the majority of the day typing away on my Hp mini, and occasionally sipping on tea. I would say it was rather productive! 

Day Five

Spent the majority of my day at my computer sulking because I couldn't  find the outlines to my (2) 20 page papers that were created weeks ago. Until just now11:45 pm where I magically recovered them on a thumb drive I must have saved them to a while back. 


Relief...


I went up the street to get some fresh air and a bite to eat around 4pm at "The French Loaf", where I tried their chicken puff and next door at "Birdys" where I tried their lemon tart and took home a black forest cake...which I'm going to indulge in as soon as I'm finished writing this. 


After reheating my leftover sizzlers from yokos I had a pretty intense conversation with Sonali (Mrs. Gonsalves oldest daughter) I asked her lots of questions about things that I've noticed around the city and just questions about India's health care system in general since that is what my papers are about anyway and just for personal interest and information. She is a pretty good source of information since she's currently working with an NGO that caters to the needs of children. She answered lots of questions that been on my mind, for example

• what exactly are the people doing that walk down the street carrying a stretcher with a white sheet covering what appears to body with flowers on top
• is it common for children to be burning trash 
• and the small odd jobs that people take her that are so specfic. Like the guy who comes to iron clothes and deliver them back for only 3 rupee

I really enjoyed talking with her...I learned so much over dinner. 

Day Four

Out n About


I promised myself that I would explore the surrounding area of Bandra this weekend which is exactly what I did today. I started in the afternoon and didn't reach back home until almost 10pm! Time flies when your own shopping and wondering around. I really did loose track of the time. 


My first stop was Gloria Jeans, which is similar to "Starbucks." It was extremely hot out which is why I tried one of their cookies and creme chillers. It was delicious! From there I kinda of just went wherever I noticed more shops and less residential areas. I also promised myself I wouldn't just hail a rickshaw to take me to Hill Road or Linking Road, I thought it would be best to just get there by foot so I know where everything was. 


After sometime passed I didn't even really know where I was until I walked into a shop and asked what street I was on, and sure enough I ran into Linking road. I traveled up and down and did some shopping in the market/bazaar along the left side. It was pretty much organized into purses, then clothes, further down was shoes, and then some odds and ends. Around the corners there were several shopping malls that I briefly looked in, but didn't see much I would actually want to buy. I did find a store however called Arome which is a dried fruit and nut place with body care products mixed in. I bought masala tea powder :) 


Somehow I ended up on Hill Road (The other well known shopping street) and browsed the various malls and shops along the road. I ate my dinner at this place called yoko which is known for it's sizzlers...something totally new to  me and my tastebuds and it was absolutely delicious. They have all types of meat and bring it out on a sizzling platter with veggies and fries top with lots of sauce...I stopped briefly at Himalaya and pick up some toilatetries and a grocery store next door that had mostly imported goods (which reminded me of home) and hailed a rickshaw to take me home. Good thing too...because I would have walked the opposite direction of the way home. 

Day Three

Today it was my turn at navigating my way to the project site in Santacruz. I flagged down a rickshaw driver and showed him the map Aparna drew out for my yesterday and he took me right there...well close enough. I couldn't quite remember exactly where to turn into. All I knew was I had to get to Deepak Stores. After being a little lost for 10 minutes Aparna found me and walked me in. 

Since most of the staff personal were in a workshop for most of the day I spent most of my time researching various public health evaluation models, reading through the documents sent to me by Garima on the Girls Gaining Ground Program and taking notes, and I also began one of my readings for the internship. A book that was suggested to me by the book store keeper. The title is "Rediscovering Dharavi" by Kalpana Sharma. This is perfect since Dharavi is said to be the largest slum in Asia. 


Towards the end of the work day I had short meeting with each of the staff members that are helping me to formulate what I will be doing over the next 27 days. 

• Dr. Wasundhara Joshi-  Trustee and later a project coordinator
• Priya Agrawal- Director–Operations 
• Aparna Patil- Manager – Human Resources and Administration
• Garima Deveshwar Bahl- Program Director – Sexual and Reproductive Health

In the end we came to the conclusion that my main focus and projects will be two things: 

1. Creating a comparative Analysis chart on how similar NGO's tackle the topic of sexual and reproductive health to young adolescent women and the ways in which they disperse this information to these women
2. Continue work on a preparing a draft for Evaluating SNEHA's GGG (Girl Gaining Ground) program, that will be eventually carried out by a volunteer or staff member in the future to provide it's team leaders an idea of where take the program as far as improvements and changes are concerned

Today was most productive in that I was able to speak one on one with Dr. Wasundhara and   brief her on my personal background, ideas for contributing to SNEHA outside of what is expected from my internship objectives, and what SNEHA would like me to contribute to them during my time here and the experiences in my field of public health I can gain from working with them.

Day Two

I started my day with a quick trip around the corner to the Andora Bakery where I grabbed a couple of small bites to eat for breakfast and a cappaccino. As I was paying a warm voiced called for me who happened to be Aparna, my connection to SNEHA from the first point of contact.I was meeting her for the very first time, after several emails back and forth for almost 2 months. She was looking for me, so we could ride a rickshaw together down to the head office which is  the "Shashtri Nagar" area in Santacruz, Mumbai. 


My first day consisted of introductions to the staff members and volunteers, a presentation by a grad student from London going for her PhD, a shared lunch amongst everyone whom I had met previously in the morning, and one on one time with Garima ( The Program Director of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit) who shared a few project possibilities I could work on for my time with SNEHA. 


I would say it was a pretty productive day! Tomorrow I meet with my Internship supervisor who will be able to further guide in narrowing down project ideas etc. 


I'm really enjoying Mumbai, after only two days of being here. Transportation has not been an issue as of yet because everything is only a walk a way or rickshaw ride away. I'm excited about what I have to offer this organization and what kind of experiences and memories they will offer me! 

Day One

After 16 days of intense travels starting in Delhi then to Agra, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, and Goa I finally made it to Mumbai where I will spend my last month studying abroad in India. 

My name is Kesia Purcell. I am a 4th year student studying at Syracuse University located in Upstate New York. I am majoring in Public Health and minoring in Psychology and Entrepreneurship. I am completing one semester of my undergraduate studies in India through a Study Abroad World Partner Program at my University in conjunction with the University of Iowa.

I arrived in India on early morning August 11th in Mysore, Karnataka.  My studies are conducted at the Vivekananda Institute for Indian Studies (VIIS) under the program director. Dr. Nagaraja Rao, who also for sometime was the head of India's Archeological Survey. Our program looks something like this: 

2 months of courses

9 days of touring of North Karnataka provided by the program 

20 day vacation period 

1 month Internship 

Today,  November 10th 2010, starts my one month long internship with an agency called "SNEHA" Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action. The internship will be completed as of December 10th 2010 where I will return to Mysore, Where I will present on my internship experience and I will return home to the U.S. on December 15th, 2010. 

My experience in Bombay after being here for one full day has been great so far. The family I am staying with are very warm and welcoming. Ms. Gonsalves and her two daughters are the members who occupy the household. I have a room and bathroom decorated nicely with bright green and yellow. I'm certain I am going to enjoy this one month experience in Bombay. The streets are lively and theres much to do. Tomorrow is my first day at the agency and Aparna (my supervisor) will be picking me up first thing in the morning. I'm excited to finally begin working on my Internship project.