Midpoint:
Midpoint is one of the three events that AIF uses to bring the Service Corps together (the other two being orientation and end point).
While orientation was held in busy Delhi and our schedule was packed with speakers and activities, midpoint was decidedly different. Our midpoint was held in Anandwan in Maharashtha. It was quite a fitting place geographically for midpoint, as we were pretty much right in the middle of India.
The actual site was awesome. It is a self-sustaining community, originally set up as a home for lepers and other social outcasts.
I did not really actually learn too much about Anandwan because I was sick during the tour, but the place was peaceful, serene, and a perfect place to retreat to refresh and recharge.
I unfortunately got sick the day I arrived and was out of commission for the first couple of days. It was extremely frustrating because I knew I needed to rest to get better, but was so excited to see my fellow Fellows and hear about their experiences. I did however get reminded of the generosity and warmth of this family that I had in India. I don’t think I went 30 minutes without one Fellow or another coming to check or ask how I was doing. Fellows would bring me medicine, food, and even orange juice (where did Hamsa even get orange juice!?).
Besides reconnecting with the other Fellows and enjoying Anadwan, midpoint offered another recharge. The primary formal work was Fellow presentations. Each was given approximately 5 minutes to talk about their work and life at their placement. It was truly inspiring to hear some of the projects that people are working on, the commitment that the Service Corps has to development, and the common and unique issues and successes we have all faced at our different locations.
Back in Udaipur:
Since midpoint, I have decided to spend more effort at Seva Mandir. While it is often frustrating the pace at which things work, I resolved to be patient, interact more with my coworkers as much as possible and spend more time in the office and proactively seek to go out into the field. I will write more about Seva Mandir and the various projects I am working on later.
Another resolution is to be more active in Udaipur. It is such a beautiful city and it often becomes easy to just relax, slow down to the pace of India, and let time pass without even realizing it. As one step in becoming more active in the community, I have been volunteering on a weekly basis with a school for deaf children. It is something I look forward to every week and I always feel great no matter how tired I am when I get back. The first couple of weeks we spent cleaning up the school grounds. We cleaned one the walls, repainted with a basic yellow, and then painted mural-like pictures with the kids.
With the painting done, the past couple of weeks we spent our time just playing games. I tried cricket for the first time but was a little bit lost on the rules. I played like baseball and knocked the ball out of the field. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was supposed to do that because the kids then had to jump the wall the chase the ball back. This week I played volleyball with the kids. I can proudly say that I was on the team that won, but my favorite part was watching the kids “talk” trash and argue about points in sign language. It was the quietest game I have ever played in that sense but even though they don’t make sounds when they communicate, they would still laugh and were constantly smiling.
Besides reconnecting with the other Fellows and enjoying Anadwan, midpoint offered another recharge. The primary formal work was Fellow presentations. Each was given approximately 5 minutes to talk about their work and life at their placement. It was truly inspiring to hear some of the projects that people are working on, the commitment that the Service Corps has to development, and the common and unique issues and successes we have all faced at our different locations.
Back in Udaipur:
Since midpoint, I have decided to spend more effort at Seva Mandir. While it is often frustrating the pace at which things work, I resolved to be patient, interact more with my coworkers as much as possible and spend more time in the office and proactively seek to go out into the field. I will write more about Seva Mandir and the various projects I am working on later.
Another resolution is to be more active in Udaipur. It is such a beautiful city and it often becomes easy to just relax, slow down to the pace of India, and let time pass without even realizing it. As one step in becoming more active in the community, I have been volunteering on a weekly basis with a school for deaf children. It is something I look forward to every week and I always feel great no matter how tired I am when I get back. The first couple of weeks we spent cleaning up the school grounds. We cleaned one the walls, repainted with a basic yellow, and then painted mural-like pictures with the kids.
With the painting done, the past couple of weeks we spent our time just playing games. I tried cricket for the first time but was a little bit lost on the rules. I played like baseball and knocked the ball out of the field. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was supposed to do that because the kids then had to jump the wall the chase the ball back. This week I played volleyball with the kids. I can proudly say that I was on the team that won, but my favorite part was watching the kids “talk” trash and argue about points in sign language. It was the quietest game I have ever played in that sense but even though they don’t make sounds when they communicate, they would still laugh and were constantly smiling.
Fellow Visitors:
Besides work and new activities keeping me in Udaipur, another reason that I have not traveled much since midpoint is the constant stream of visitors that have been coming through to visit. it has been really great to share my city and life with the fellow Fellows that have come and I can’t wait for the others that are planning to come for future weekend trips, Holi festivities, and as part of other trips.
Because of the many fellows that have come through, I have decided that instead of writing about each case, I will just write about some of my favorite memories:
1. Party at the love nest - beer pong, music, and good friends.
2. Return to Jaisalmer - same trip I took in the fall, but new friends and new memories
3. After party at the love nest - hanging out with Fellows, friends and Fizzy making up songs and serenading us
4. Showing off Udaipur - taking friends to see the different beautiful views of the most romantic city in India (no argument)
5. Bombay Fabrics - taking friends to my tailor to get their own clothes
Work:
To come...
2. Return to Jaisalmer - same trip I took in the fall, but new friends and new memories
3. After party at the love nest - hanging out with Fellows, friends and Fizzy making up songs and serenading us
4. Showing off Udaipur - taking friends to see the different beautiful views of the most romantic city in India (no argument)
5. Bombay Fabrics - taking friends to my tailor to get their own clothes
Work:
To come...
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