Most interesting day!

Today was the most interesting day! Hannah and I went to Dehradun first thing in the morning, expecting to meet Piyusha at the farmer´s market. It took us over an hour to arrive, and when we did, it wasn´t anything like we expected! Piyusha hadn´t made it, but we were welcomed by Navid, who showed us into this house. Inside was a woman, Mona, who is a 75 year old jewish woman from Florida who runs this market from her house! There was a man selling apples, some onions and potatoes, and inside, there was a whole lot of organicly grown products, like rice, soy, tumeric, spices, breads, etc. We spent the whole morning just chatting with Mona and experiencing her market! She fed us baked samosas and homemade veggie burgers. We learned lots, she intrigued us to return, and I have agreed to help tutor a young woman who works for her in computer skills. She wouldn´t tell us how she had arrived in India, but she is very wealthy, and has lived here for 27 years now! She is such an interesting and funny woman!
I´ll go back this week, with other interns and to help out some. Maybe learn how she got here!
I will go to Rishikesh on the 3rd,. maybe earlier, spend some time with Meera and talking of our projects as well as doing some yoga. Hannah will come up on the 6th and we will spend a week up there, yogaing and stuff. Then off to the Punjab!
We are having some difficulties here at the farm, so we are looking for other ways of learning about the organic and sustainable agriculture/sustainable development movement throughout India. I have some things I still want to do with Navdanya, but I think this might not be the time.
So we will take a break. Meet new people, new projects, new places...then return.
Good night!

Nina and Abhyudai walking down the river to the road to catch the bus. The same river I walked Raquel down to catch her taxi that never came.

Since yesterday I didn´t add any photos to the blog, I thought today that I could.


This is Abhyudai hanging out of the bus as it passes the overflowing river. We later got off the bus because it couldn´t get up the hill and caught an auto-vikram into town. The bus was packed, this is why he is outside of the bus, and he seemed to enjoy it.

We had rain again last night, but not nearly as much.
It´s looking pretty bad for Pakistan though...good to see that the Canadian government is matching donations to the cause...at least through the Humanitarian Coalition...maybe others?
It´s Rakhi tomorrow...another festival!
Here are the rice paddies, looking good! They have labels now...I helped paint them! And to the right is Sheela, weeding in between the rice.

Rain!

Today I woke up at 3am to make sure Raquel, a Spanish volunteer made it okay in her taxi to the train station. It was pouring rain when we woke up, and when the taxi didn´t arrive by 4am, we walked to the end of the road and waited a few minutes, but it didn´t show up. We walked through the river at the end of the road, that appears when the torrential rains pick up, and back up the farm. Apparently the taxi couldn´t cross another spontaneous river that had formed further up the road, and never made it to us. So we went back to sleep, Raquel a little concerned about having missed her train and about her clothes in her bag that were now soaking wet. We woke up for breakfast and she set off to take the bus that thankfully was passing the rivers, to the interstate bus station where she was to catch a bus to Delhi. Luckily her flight isnt until Tuesday, so she wasn´t missing that and the train was really cheap so she didnt feel too bad about losing her ticket.
The rains apparently are really late and really heavy for this region. Some of the rice even looks tired of it!
Many of the roofs are leaking, luckily not my bedroom one! And as long as the rain continues so continuously, the mosquitoes aren´t bad, but I can only imagine how they will be once the rain stops!
Things are so moist all the time too that I think I will send home some of my clothes and some of the gifts that I have purchased already. Sending things is fairly cheap (compared to Canada Post) and I think it will be the only way to avoid them ruining by the mold.
The temperature is something that now one is complaining about! It´s so lovely and fresh. Even working in the fields isn´t bad, if you don´t mind getting wet. I have to admit that I haven´t been out there as much as I should though...
This Tuesday, the 24th is the Raki festival, where girls give bracelets to their male friends and it means that they are now brother and sister and the brother has to protect the sister. In return the brother has to give the sister sweets. Hannah and I bought enough bracelets for everyone on the farm (and looking forward to so many sweets! haha)
The guava trees, all three varieties are ready to be eaten so today we are picking them and maybe make something out of them. There are two white varieties and one pink one.
We might also set up the badminton/volleyball net today!
As for work, the job descriptions for future interns is ready to be posted on the website. I have to learn/figure out how to do that and then its all ready. We have changed the system slightly, but those who reviewed it seemed to think they were good changes, so we´ll go ahead with them. The system they use, for the website, is Jhoomla, so if anyone has any tips or crash course sites I could go to, that´d be helpful!
Off to help pick those guavas!!

Interesting Christmas Ideas (maybe a little early, but doesn´t hurt to think ahead!)

Dear friends,

As you all know, I am in India right now. I have been working for an organization that advocates food sovereignty and although I have been busy learning about organic farming and other aspects of the organization, I have also met some really amazing people outside of the organization who are pursuing their own endeavours.

One such girl is Meera. She is a 24 year old whom we met at the yoga Ashram that she manages in Rishikesh (a town just north of here). She is a graduate of the Master in Social Work program and has focused on community development. Her desire to work in this field stems from the work her family, driven by her mother, have done in her home village of Mussepur. Mussepur is nearby the holy city of Haridwar. There they have opened a children´s centre for physically disabled children and for abandoned or orphaned children of the area. Meera herself grew up at the centre and her family continues to live within the children´s centre.

I have just come back from visiting the Centre (ASSA) and have met the children. I plan to return for a longer period of time maybe in October, when I will run a type of children´s camp for the children. We tried some of the games this weekend (all have to be seated games as many of the children cannot stand) and they all really enjoyed them.

Due to their lack of mobility, and being creative children, many of them have become very talented artisans. They have perfected many skills such as embroidery, painting, sewing, etc. and would like to be able to continue to use these skills. Meera has set up a shop on site where these products are sold, but unfortunately they are out of town and few people stop in.

So, I have talked at length with Meera about this and have decided to purchase an order of crafts and try to sell them in Canada. I haven´t worked out how I will do that, but thought I would start with you, people who I know, who know me, and can trust me when I say this is a good cause and the most direct fair trade there is. It is important to know the children do the arts and crafts as an after school activity, they are not made for production and sale in the industrial sense. The idea to take advantage of such talents and be able to sell the finished product was somewhat of an after-thought, but most certainly helps with necessary operations for many of the children, daily costs of the centre and projects for upgrading the centre.

I have attached a list of items that I have purchased and which you could buy from me along with photos of some of the things. If you (and I would love it if you did) want to purchase more than I have purchased already, I can buy more. I will cover the costs of transport (bringing them with me at the beginning of December, in time for Christmas!) and all mark up cost will be re-invested in specific projects for the Children´s Centre and will be discussed between Meera and I.

Please take a look at the products and if anything interests you let me know! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. (julia.ey.norman@gmail.com, julia-in-india.blogspot.com) Finally, if you feel you could pass this on to anyone else, please do!

Thank you so much! Love Julia

Item	Photo/Description	Price
1. Square cloth painting		$6.00
2. Rectangle cloth painting (without frame)		$8.00
3. Gift tags – Christmas theme	Gift tags the size of a business card, embroidered with a Christmas design.	3 for $2.00
4. Gift tags – other themes	Gifts tags the size of business cards, embroidered with various designs (flowers, Hindu symbols, etc)	3 for $2.00
5. Greeting cards (medium size) – painted		$2.50
6. Greeting cards (med size)-embroidered		$3.00
7. Mini greeting cards with envelopes		$2.00
8. Christmas greeting cards		$3.00
9. Bookmarks (painted)		$2.00
10. Make-up bags	Fabric make-up or bathroom bags with an embroidered design on the corner and a zipper opening from on top. Size is roughly 20cmx15cmx5cm.	$10.00
11. Placemats with cloth napkins (set of 4)	Various fabrics and designs. Napkins have embroidered design in the corner.	$10.00
12. Christmas tree ornaments (hanging)	These are made of felt or other fabric.	$2.00
13. Christmas wreaths (green and red)	These are similar in material and design to the picture below, but obviously in the shape of a wreath.	$10.00
14. Red and green garlands (toran)		$14.00
15. Gift pouches – red	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
16. Gift pouches – green	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
17. Gift pouches – gold	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
18. Gift pouches – other colours	These are different coloured gift pouches that close with a draw string. They are about 15cmx10cm. The material varies, but I have seen them made with a lace-type fabric.	$1.00
19. Dolls with sari	These dolls will be made from felt. The size will be about 5 inches, so a toy doll size.	$6.00
20. Key chains (assorted)	Assorted key chains with figurines and symbols made from felt and stuffed.	$4.00
21. Picture frames	These are standard size picture frames made with cloth that are either painted or embroidered.	$7.00

Home again, home again

Bija Vidyapeeth is very quiet today. It´s Independence Day here in India, and so everyone is on holiday at their homes. Anand brought his little boy Arien this morning, and Bindu brought us sweets (sweet meats they call them but really they´re just sugar and milk). Nobody from the office came in today, and none of the farm workers who don´t live on the farm came either.




Bindu then invited us (Hannah, Raquel and I as we are the only volunteers on the farm now) to see her three girls perform at the school. We didn´t make it in time to see the performance though, so she invited us to her home, and then for chai at her parents home. Bindu´s sister Poonam was there visiting. She met a Belgian volunteer here and they got married last year, so now they live in Belgium, but she is here for a couple of months. Bindu also has a younger sister named Chandni (moonlight) and a brother Sunu. In total they are 5 girls and 1 boy and the parents. We might get to meet her other sisters too because one comes from New Zealand and another from Delhi tomorrow.

After chai, we caught the bus back to the farm, but as we got off the bus we picked up the clothes from the tailor! I just tried mine on and they look good…just the pants are a bit big…I have to go see if he can change them a bit and perhaps the sleeves too…they are really small.

Hannah and I came back from Mussepur last night. We spent two nights at Meera´s family´s orphanage/centre for physically disabled children. Our stay was really interesting. Meera and her family are lovely, and we felt very comfortable and at home. The dormitories of the children were a bit gloomy, quite different from what I experienced at Casa Guatemala. I am thinking of making a project for next time I go, to paint the dormitories and brighten them up somehow; Maybe the dining hall too.

When we arrived on Thursday night, the children were all lined up on the courtyard and we greeted them by walking up and down the lines. It seemed so institutional and formal. This gave us an odd first impression. In the morning they also were all lined up and singing their morning prayers. It seems like they are very disciplined. After their classes we were able to interact more informally with them. We arranged a few games and songs and they sang and danced for us too. Rachel and I sang the Princess Pat and they loved it! We played games sitting down, as many of them cannot stand. They enjoyed them though I think. Even one boy who can´t stand did a dance. Many of their dances seem to be interpretations of the songs, so he was able to act it out. It was really neat.

We talked a lot about the arts and crafts that they do and how we can sell them. They have a shop, a very nice one, but because they are out of town, and not well known, they have very few customers. Some of the children are amazing at embroidery, painting, and so many other things! Suman, one girl who has just received surgery on her legs and is learning to walk, is the “expert” embroiderer. They make cards, wall hangings, etc. and also made some neat make-up bags and other things.

Apparently a couple of the boys are really good painters. They paint on cloth, and some are made into bookmarks, and others are framed for wall hangings.
I ordered a number of things, a variety, and hope I can sell them back home. I ordered some gift tags for Christmas, as well as greeting cards. They will be a variety of embroidered and painted.

I got many ideas of activities and projects I can initiate if I spend time there in October. They only thing is the language barrier. If Meera is not there (which is quite often as she is the manager of a yoga Ashram in Rishikesh), there is no one who speaks really good English. Oh well, we´ll have to figure something out.

The night before we left for Meera´s place, Hannah, Abuydeh, Raquel and I arranged a treasure hunt for Amy, Rachel and Benedetta as it was their last night on the farm. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we got a lot of great pictures!

Just some thoughts

photos are courtesy of HANNAH!!! i dont appear in my own photos....

Food!!

Transplanting Rice

Rice bundle

Rice varieties

"forest"

oooo

Pretty Flowers

shelling peanuts

yucca..HUGE

the Mountains!!!

sorting rice   

Today I think I sweated more than any other day in my life. It was so hot and so humid!! I went for a walk into the field and was sweating profusely just from the walk that the thought of working in it was unimaginable. We found the women working though…in the heat of the day in the sun, and Sheela has a fever! I couldn´t believe it! She has an infection in her arm and it has given her a fever, so Hannah and I gave her some Tylenol. Her sore was bandaged with a corner of a newspaper, so we also helped her wash it with clean water and gave her the sterile gauze that we have with bandages. Hopefully it helps.

Last evening we walked to the market and Raquel (from near Burgos) and I bought fabric for suits. We haven´t decided on the design yet, but when we do, we will have to visit the tailor.

The dogs are now permanently guarding Hannah and my door because we give them treats! We bought dog treats in town and give them to them. The littlest one, Bean, doesn’t seem to have many teeth, so the “chew” toys are kind of hard for him to eat. He kind of gums them I think. Haha.

Dr. Shiva was here today and they had a policy meeting with some “learned” people about how to mainstream organic farming in policy. It was kind of interesting, but I didn’t attend in the afternoon. Matt has also arrived with many projects for us who have time! It is an interesting dynamic now…it´s always changing, the community and dynamic of the farm, so it is really neat to see what each person brings in terms of character, personality, energy, ideas, etc.

There are some neat school gardens ideas, and also the Bhoomi festival sounds fun too.

I had a good conversation with Dr. Shiva about gender and eco-feminism today. The conclusion I drew is that the feminist movement has been kind of pushed aside due to lack of resources and time, but she welcomed me to rejuvenate it. So I have some ideas for that, and now I just need to figure out which projects I will focus my energy on.

We had a mouse in the room the other night! Hannah and I both got up and Hannah picked up the bag where we heard the noise and it ran out! Right over our feet! It was just little, but so quick! Where´s that cat when you need him!

We had a really nice guitar session and sing along the other night too, with feet soaking, lotioning, and toe-nail painting, a very relaxed evening.

New people at the farm

I have to still get the photos from Hannah and Amy of our trip to Mussourie, and when I do that I will post them and a bit about our visit there. Since then the farm community has grown with many french women, and a few others arriving for short times. Nina, a girl from Australia has arrived however for 5 months, and Matt, the volunteer coordinator is supposed to arrive today. House hunting in Delhi was too crazy for them so they have decided to spend their time here at the farm and work from here. I like that plan! Means that Hannah and I can also do that! Matt is bringing some projects with him from the city. So we will have some direction and motivation in him.

I got a couple of projects from Dr. Bhatt, who is the official Intern Coordinator I think...I dont really know what his role is. He comes to the farm periodically but has many conferences abroad I think and other lectures at schools, etc. I am to translate a development project from the city of Valladolid, Spain, from Spanish to English, and also update the website, the volunteer and intern portion, and advertise for the Intern Coordinator Position (Matt is only staying until December) so if anyone has any ideas of where to post this position let me know!

The other day, maybe 2 days ago, as we were on our way to the dining hall for lunch, Jai Singh, a farm hand and kitchen helper, told us to get into the car, we were invited to Anand´s house for lunch. Anand´s father had passed away not long ago, and this lunch was the breaking of a fast they do after the death. It was really amazingly good food. Hannah, Amy, and a girl Gael, and I went as well as a few other staff. There were lots of people there, and the food was endless! We didn´t stay long, but it was neat.

This weekend Dr. Shiva comes again, we´ll see what she says...I don´t think anyone has maken any headway on the last project she suggested, about the school visits...we, as volunteers, attempted to plan something, but without knowing the ages of the kids, how many they are, etc it is really difficult to organize or plan any type of activity. So we were waiting for further information that never arrived...oh well.

On the 12th a group up us are planning to visit Meera´s orphanage just for a couple of days. On the 11th I think Hannah, Amy and I will stay overnight in Rishikesh, where Meera works and then head up to Haridwar with Meera. Amy will leave then after the weekend, so we wanted to take her out for dinner at the Flying Tiger Cafe in Rishikesh.

I am focusing on finishing my paper these days, but managed to get out into the field and chat with Sheela and the other women yesterday and a bit the day before...they are always so cheerful!

Tomorrow, at the Friday market, we will go and buy fabric, and on Saturday will take it to the tailor. I think Sheela will help take it to the tailor on Saturday, because I doubt that the tailor will speak any english, and Sheela does speak some.