Dani's Views on the GSE Trip

My views of the trip to India were the flip side of the coin. Yes, we all had comfort zones that we were all forced to break through. I encourage breaking through personel barriers that we all have, I never did overcome my fear of the "squatter toilets" though. The memories that I have of India will not be of the toilets, the traffic or the food but of all the wonderful friends and people I met over there that I hope to stay in contact with for a very long time. I had the privledge of having some real heart to heart, no holds barred discussions and breaking down of cultural barriers with several Indians that I befriended. We truly were treated as dignitaries, if we ever merely asked about something, they would go out of their way to obtain it for us.
The family relationships in India are phenomenal, most people that I know would never want to live with their parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, inlaws. etc. but most people in India have very extended families that they reside with.
We all had difficulties, mine included a high stress breakfast ending with tears running down my face. Having a "type A personality" the Indian carefree ways regarding time was difficult at first, I was fortunately able to let go of this a little and hope to continue to let go now that I am back at home.
A needed survival tactic to travel to India is to have a very open mind, forget about all that you know in the United Stated and just "become Indian".

Thank you to Gib, Clyde and the rest of the Fort Dodge Rotary. Thanks to all the folks at Fort Dodge Foods that survived the month without me. Thank you to Tom, Molly, Kathy and Susan for playing a role in making this trip wonderful. Thank you to my Dad and Jan for making it possible to get away for a month. Thank you everyone for giving me the chance to have a great experience!

A few quick reflections on the experience

A few reflections on the experience:
In my opinion, this was one of the most amazing and one of the most difficult experiences of my life. So often during the month I was way outside my comfort zone—overwhelmed by so many different things. One friend warned me that I would experience sensory overload—boy was he ever right!

The hospitality and attention that we all received was much more than we dreamed and at times made us quite uncomfortable, especially when we had an upset stomach and we were offered more food—none of which was familiar and the sight and smell made our stomach pitch even more. The traffic in India is in one word—INSANE—I was sure we were going to be in a serious accident several times. I am very relieved that we were not, but we had several close calls and we saw the aftermath of what appeared to be a terrible accident between a motorcycle and a truck. The main mode of communication when driving is the horn—and there is a continuous symphony of various horns going at all times, the trucks and buses seem to have various tunes instead of a regular horn, and when a vehicle backs up different tunes are played instead of the traditional beep-beep-beep that we are familiar with. It’s almost like ring tones for cell phones, but horn tunes for vehicles. These noises are mixed in with the mooing of cows, the barking and sometimes fighting of dogs, cowbells, bicycle bells, and various loudspeakers blasting nasal, tonal chants or the nasal tonal speeches of political or religious leaders. It seems that everyone also talks louder—perhaps because of all the other noise.

The food is about as different from American food as you can get. It is again high on the sensory scale—both temperature wise and spice wise.

Although the month was a challenge for me—I feel it was a worthy beneficial experience. No culture is perfect and I believe we can always learn from others. The challenges that India faces in terms of establishing a better infrastructure and dealing with all the poverty and large population are at times overwhelming; however, their dedication to education and their families is truly inspiring! They are very proud of the joined family and the low divorce rate in their country. At one Rotary meeting everyone was introduced and we were also informed how long they had been married.

I thank all who made this experience possible, along the other team members, with whom I shared some incredible memories with!! We had some great laughs and some tough times but all tolled it was an experience of a lifetime that I am thankful to have had!

In "Indian Dress" at the Taj Mahal

Feb. 12 - 15

Tuesday, February 12, 2008: Arrive in Durg
Our last train trip was quite comfortable, we enjoyed the extra room with the beds that were only stacked two high—and the privacy curtains. It was also nice that our luggage all fit underneath our seats so we did not have to pile it in the aisle between us and on our beds. At our arrival in Durg we were greeted as usual, by a group of Rotarians with marigold Leigh, and then taken to our host homes. There we had time to get freshened up before we gathered at our coordinator’s house for breakfast.

After breakfast we visited a hostel near the hospital for family members of patients to stay. As is the custom we were offered tea and other Indian food but we were busting at the seams with chai and other Indian food and could not even force ourselves to politely taste anything. I think we had all reached our limit. We first visited a beautiful Jain temple and then we all had lunch at the home of a Rotarian. After lunch we went to a cow sanctuary where we were shown how cow urine and dung were used for a variety of products. One Rotarian drank a glass of cow urine to illustrate the benefits of cow urine. We were not at all interested or inclined to try it, but we did take the soap made out of cow milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung. After the tour we went to our host’s home to get ready for the evening meeting. It was scheduled for 8:00 p.m., but as is the practice here it began around 9:00 p.m. We gave our presentation and then after the meeting there was music, snacks and dancing. We were quite tired but some of the Rotarians had quite a bit of energy and enjoyed the dancing. Around 10:15 we gathered for dinner—another practice that we never adjusted to. We were as usual quite tired and ready for bed!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008: Travel to Raipur, Fly to Delhi
This morning we all gathered for breakfast at a Rotarian’s house in a nearby city and then loaded up vehicles with all of our luggage for a two hour drive to Raipur. In Raipur we had lunch and then gathered our extra luggage and items that we had sent back from the district conference. We finalized arrangements for our time in Delhi and got ready for our trip to the airport. Our flight to Delhi was uneventful and we were pleased to find our driver who took us to our “guesthouse”. We were pleasantly surprised by the nice accommodations—hot water, and western toilets with toilet paper were a very welcome sight. There were only two beds, but the caretaker (and we found out also our cook in the morning) brought in a mattress that Tom was able to sleep on.

Thursday, February 14, 2008: Visit to Agra
Our driver arrived promptly at 7:00 a.m. to drive us to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. We were just finishing breakfast which to our delight was omelets, and toast with peanut butter—yummy! The drive to Agra was at times slow going, but the roads in and around Delhi are an improvement from the other roads that we have traveled on. We arrived at the Taj Mahal around noon, and we were immediately descended upon by various vendors and tour guides. The competition must be quite fierce because they were very persistent! We walked to the Taj Mahal and purchased our tickets—it was nice to not be the only Caucasians and hardly anyone asked to have their photo with us. The weather was sunny and warm and we thoroughly enjoyed walking around the beautiful grounds at the Taj Mahal. After our visit we were quite hungry and very excited to go to McDonalds—they did not have hamburgers, but they did have chicken sandwiches and French fries that tasted just like what we remembered from home. Oh what a treat it was to eat food that we were used to. The next stop was a fort with a spectacular view of the Taj. Finally around 4:30 we headed back to Delhi, this time there was a lot of traffic, and we were all exhausted when we got back at 10:30.

Friday, February 15, 2008: Tour of Delhi and Flight Home
This morning we packed up and had another good breakfast. Our driver arrived as scheduled, and due to miscommunication we had to check out, so we loaded all of our luggage into and onto the car. We were very crowded but we knew it was just for one more day. We drove by the capital buildings, visited a museum and did some shopping. We also had lunch at KFC—it was quite similar but the chicken had a little zip to it that we didn’t remember tasting in the states. We did not have anywhere to go, and since we had our luggage we decided to head to the airport around 8:00 p.m. When we arrived they would not let us in until 3 hours before our flight left—so we had to pay to wait in another waiting area across the street—as is typical there were not enough seats and it was quite dirty and smelly but we knew it wouldn’t be for too long. Around 10:00 we headed over to stand in various lines and get checked in—the airport was very crowded, dirty and smelly. We finally found some seats and waited until we were finally able to board the plane for Amsterdam.

February 9 - 11

Saturday, February 9, 2008: Visit Bilaspur Rotary sites, and travel to Jabalpur
Today, we waited at our hosts for a while during the power outage—a seemingly common occurrence. Since I was at Susan’s house we visited the preschool next door that his wife runs. Then we went on a tour of a university—it was quite spread out. It was a Saturday so regular classes were not meeting but they did have an internet security conference that many were attending. After that we stopped at a few stores to shop at and then went to a wealthy Rotarian’s home for lunch. Our hosts had also prepared meals for us and were there to pick us up, but those plans were changed. After lunch we were able to go back to our hosts and do some packing. Next we gathered at Molly’s host and then toured part of the canal project that Rotary clubs had sponsored. The inner wheel also had funded the construction of a park with playground equipment. Even though it was dark out there were still a number of families out enjoying the grounds. Next we went to our hosts to pack up for our night train trip.

Sunday, February 10, 2008: Jabalpur
This morning we groggily got up around 5:30 a.m. on the train, and prepared to get off at Kitni at 6:00. A Rotarian from Jabalpur was waiting for us—he and several porters loaded all of our luggage and all of us into his vehicle, a small SUV. Then we stopped at his house where his wife and two kids were waiting to get in and join us. We were all exhausted from virtually no sleep and packed in the vehicle, the thought of piling three more people on top of our laps was out of the question. It was another example of the differences between our two cultures, we have learned that crowded to us, is extremely roomy to Indians.

After an hour and half drive to Jabalpur, where we passed many loaded bikes, trucks and ox carts heading to the market, we arrived at our coordinator’s house. The power was out; evidently it is shut off for two hours every morning to accommodate the power needs of various industries. After having tea, our hosts took us to their homes where we were eager to “shower” and put on clean (or rather cleaner) clothes.

Our first stop of the day was along a river where there are beautiful cliffs of marble rock. Since it was Sunday and a beautiful sunny day there were a number of people enjoying the day and the sites. It was very relaxing and beautiful. We went on a boat ride near to the falls along the cannon and we all found it striking and refreshing—being out in the fresh air in the sunshine was very enjoyable after several rainy, cool, dreary days.

Next we took a ropeway (a.k.a. cable car) trip over the falls—they were beautiful, our host called it India’s “Niagara Falls”. After reaching the other side, some other Rotarians met us and then took us in their vehicles to a village school where they were handing out toys and giving polio drops. It was very chaotic and seemed to be primarily a photo op for the Rotarians. Next we went to the “farm” of one of the Rotarians where we had lunch, and they had music playing. It was warm and after a night of little sleep we were quite exhausted and not very good conversationalists. We were ready to head back to our hosts. There we quickly changed and headed out to the meeting. Before the meeting Susan was able to see a dermatologist about her rash and he told her that she had a viral infection. He gave her a prescription (written on a napkin) and she felt much better knowing what it was, and getting something to help make her a little more comfortable. At the meeting we gave our presentation, and then had dinner—a huge crepe filled with a type of vegetable goulash. For dessert we had one of our favorites—ice cream! Even though it was early for bed by Indian standards we were all exhausted.

Monday, February 11, 2008: Depart Jabalpur in the evening—to Durg
This morning we gathered at my hosts house for breakfast—tea, fresh fruit, toast, and hard-boiled eggs. It tasted great, and we enjoyed the familiar tasting food that we were sure would not upset our stomachs. Our first stop was the school that my host owns—a boarding school outside of town with a large outdoor pool, basketball court, and some horses. Next we drove to a dam where we had a chance to again enjoy the sun and go for a boat ride. The other events that had been planned for the day had to be changed for various reasons—a trip to the high court (closed for an unannounced holiday), and a trip to the golf course (where we were not able to get permission for admittance).

We, along with many others, had other things to entertain us. Across the street from our host’s home a temple that had been illegally built and was burning torn down in preparation for an investors meeting later in the month. It had attracted quite the crowd and although it was peaceful the “Riot Police” van was there. We were also entertained at a “club” where we took a turn shooting snooker balls on the oldest snooker table in India—built in 1707. Next was a stop at a handicraft market and then back to our hosts to pack and have dinner before our last night train trip. I had to run to catch the train but was pleased to see that we were in fancier cars than we previously had been in—this time the bunks were only stacked two high, and we had curtains—it was also much easier to fit our luggage in—yeah!

Friday, February 8

Friday, February 8, 2008
This morning we had breakfast at our hosts and then were taken to Susan’s house where we met a legislative official who had made special arrangements for us to visit a “jungle” area and some of the local villages. Our first stop was at a nearby farm. The main crop for this area is rice, but this farmer grew vegetables—tomatoes, cauliflower, beets, some type of squash, and some other vegetables that we were not familiar with. We walked around to see various plots and were given some samples to try.

Next we drove to a guest house in the “jungle”—forest reserve. Here we had tea and snacks. Today Tom is not feeling well, and he decided to stay at the guest house and rest (and be near a bathroom). Our next stop was a site with a reproduction of a village home, for tourists to stay at when they visit. Next we went to a nearby village market, and “clinic”. Our host for the day, attracted large crowds and it was clear why he is such a popular politician in this area. He knew many by name, and was very open and caring. He also had an armed body guard with him at all times carrying an automatic weapon—not a site we are used to seeing.

The rest of day was spent stopping at various guests houses in the reserve for lunch, tea, snacks, and touring the reserve. The roads are quite good, by Indian standards, and there was not much traffic, only the occasional truck or ox cart. We also stopped at a site where some of the locals were preparing herbs for sale. We were given some to taste that was supposedly good for our digestion.

Molly and Dani went on a jeep ride to look for animals in the evening but were not able to see much—perhaps the cool, rainy weather has encouraged the wildlife to snuggle in for the evening. In the evening we were also treated to some tribal dancing and music, and were asked to join in. The villagers welcomed us into their dancing circle. After dinner we returned to our hosts where I think we all fell into bed exhausted.

Thursday, February 7

Thursday, February 7, 2008:
This morning we packed up at our hosts, and then Susan and I went to visit a college. It was nice to get to see a college after visiting a number of K – 12 schools. We were greeted by various school officials and a local media person who wanted to interview me about some of the differences in education between India and the United States.

We were also given a tour of their library, one of the largest libraries in Chhatsgar. We met with some students in an open courtyard on the campus, and then met with some of the faculty members. They were quite interested in our education system. While we were visiting the power went off—this seems to be common practice.

Next we went to our coordinator’s house where Dani was busy preparing our “American lunch”—macaroni and cheese, mash potatoes, and fried chicken. It smelled very good and some of us even had seconds. After lunch we loaded up the two vehicles for our trip to the next city—Bilaspur. The roads here are nothing like we have in the states, and we are not used to them or the way people drive here. We were not shocked, but we still jolted by a recent accident involving a motorcycle and truck. The motorcycle was crushed under the truck, and there was a large pool of blood—it is not surprising that a newspaper article dubbed the highways here in India “death traps”.

We arrived in Bilaspur around 7:00 p.m. and were picked up by our new hosts along a busy main city road—it was a little difficult and chaotic trying to unload, load and meet our new hosts while being passed and honked at by a number of vehicles during rush hour.

At our hosts we quickly changed and then went to the Rotary meeting, Dani was quite late, although in India that is often the norm, and she arrived in grand style—decked out in a beautiful turquoise saree complete with elaborate jewelry and make-up. There was not a computer projector available so we just used my laptop for our presentation. The meeting room had open windows to the street, so we had car honks as background music, and many extra guest—mosquitoes that we kept swatting.

After the meeting we went to out coordinator’s home for dinner. There we were entertained by several guests singing songs, and then were asked to sing also. We decided to sing the one song we have practiced—America the Beautiful. As seems to be the custom, we first had drinks and appetizers and then around 10:30 p.m. had dinner. We thought the appetizers were the meal so we had already filled up. The travel days are also quite draining so we were fading quickly.