A Day in the Field

Wow we had a very intents day in the field yesterday. The day, based around a potential grantee for my dad called ASHA, started out in their office. We spent a good three hours or so in there as Dad, his colleuge, and the two representatives of ASHA talked about the companies model and program. Suprisingly, i found parts of it pretty intresting, though it was still complicated... at least too complicated for me to want to write in this post. :) At around one yesterday, Mom, who had been bitten by a dog (which is another story ill have her write) went to get vacinations or something and Tessa, who was completly under dressed (flip-flops in the winter?!? Whos idea was that.. i mean even for India its getting to be around 11 C) was starting to feel sick so she left as well.

Another hour of talking and we left for the true field. Our destination: The slum of Ohkla and a neighboring slum.  The car ride through Delhi traffic, allowed me a nice nap, but on the way out i saw the      strip of road leading out of the slum area. People, both small children and adults, and animals, like the stray dogs and sacred cows, all openly defficated in the street, turnig the 100 yrd road into the worlds largest toilet. It was the same thing in the backstreets to the nieghboring slum; The roads were of black mud that bubbled eerily.

Some background on this slum: This slum, which Dad described as the worst slum hes ever been to, is illegaly located right on railroad property. Because of this they are not allowed to build on the land, even a toilet! The job that most of the slum does is sort through trash. Thats why on the the walk through the slum the ground litered with paper, Kukure Masala Munch bags, and plastic chai cups that had fermented into the black Earth. The huts were really made of cardboard and roofed with garbage bags. How they stood up or survived monsoons, i still wonder. Men played cards and few children studied on scraps of paper that tore when the tried to write. Women were solemnly seen on our visit; Only once was a young women doing laundry or some sort of house work.

The visit was very touch, and although at first the ASHA representitives thought i shouldnt see it, i feel life isn't complete until you have seen every aspect of life. The visit really helped me apreciate my life and the reason im in india. 

Here are some pictures of the slum and the TB clinic we saw: