Namaste India, It's been Amazing!

 My last day in Delhi was bittersweet.  I was ready to see more of the city, but I was also ready to start the journey back home.  I packed early in the day so I would have the rest of the day to go sight seeing and shopping.  The last sights I wanted to see were India Gate, Parliament and the Presidential Palace and do a little more shopping at Jan Path.  

Diane, Sarah Stephen and myself took an auto rickshaw up to India Gate where we saw the Indian version of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The monument was very beautiful and the arch has the names of all the soldiers who lost their lives inscribed on it.  Below the arch there is a monument, covered in marigolds where the eternal flame is lit and a solider watches over it.  However, since we were the only westerners at India gate that day, we soon gathered a crowd of locals selling souvenirs and young girls waiting to draw henna tattoos on our hands.  Although we were used to the attention by now, this situation became uncomfortable because the girls doing henna started grabbing us so we decided to leave to go see Parliament.    Parliament was within sight, so we decided to walk there.  Although it was a nice day in Delhi and we were glad to walk because a 29-hour flight was in the near future, Parliament was a little further away than what we expected so we caught another rickshaw.  Our driver turned out to be a tour guide as well, which was fabulous!  He took us by Parliament and the Presidential Palace, making stops along the way to take our pictures in front of the buildings.  All the while he was telling us what the other buildings were and describing the inside of the Presidential Palace to us.  After we had seen everything we could, he offered to take us to Jan Path for a very good price, so we accepted.  


  Once at Jan Path, we did our last minute shopping for scarves and suitcases to bring back souvenirs.  However, we didn't stay at Jan Path long because a couple of us need to get back to the hotel to get massages.   Well at least I thought I was going to get a massage…it turned out the spa was booked so I opted to take a nice shower instead.  Yes, I did pay about $10 to take a real shower!  After my lovely shower, I went back to Pamposh for the last time.   


 At Pamposh, I started thinking about how weird it was going to be to be back in the states.  Over my three weeks in India, this world had become my reality.  The crazy traffic, the colorful streets and people, the sheer number of people everywhere, the music and honking and cows and other farm animals gracing the streets had all become normal.  I guess the saying "it only takes 21 days to start a habit" applies to reality as well.  Needless to say, I'm going to miss this place, but hopefully I'll be back to see the rest of incredible India!      


  -Sarah Broussard MPSA 2011          

Jamghat Family

Namaste!  Today was our final day of class with very interesting discussion topics!  After class we had the opportunity to visit an NGO called Jamghat.  Jamghat has three different programs designed to educate and help children who would otherwise have nothing.  The first program we visited was a girls home.  The home housed 10 beautiful young girls and also served as their school.  These girls receive education, counseling, theatre experience, and the opportunity to live life like a child!  Growing up in the United States I had always had my own bedroom and everything that I ever needed.  I walked into the room where these 10 girls slept and shared their dreams and it broke my heart.  The facility was great but the realization that these girls feel like princesses because they have their own bed under a roof humbled me.  They are so thankful with so little that they have been dealt with in life.  I intruded on their class time and had them tell me what they were working on and what they found the most exciting thing to do everyday.  I expected them to say their favorite thing was their theatre group or playtime yet they responded that they love to study!  It was so encouraging to see everything that this organization has done and the lives that they have changed.   Three of the girls wanted to dance with me so I hummed "Waka Waka" by Shakira and we did the recognizable dance from the music video.  


Next we drove to the boys center that was created for the same purpose.  The boys were in a more formal class setting and had many books in English scattered on the table.  I glanced into another room where I found 5 young boys all under the age of 6 years old.  They were playing a popular board game in India and they quickly taught me how to play.  These boys were full of energy and loved to demonstrate yoga stances and karate kicks for my camera.  The other center that the organization has is a day-time play center.  Fifty kids attend this center while their parents go to work. These children live in the street as well but return to their parents at the end of the day.  We asked the workers of the organization how they choose the children that they have to live in the foster centers.  They replied that the students they have were the most extreme situations out of the daytime center and many of them asked them to live there.  Some children their parents have died while others their parents have simply given them up for hopes of a better life.  


Dr. Gawande very wisely asked how much it would cost every month to house and teach one child.  He did this so we would realize the comparison of how we live our life everyday.  The figure was surprisingly higher than I imagined.  For $1,000 a month a child is housed, fed, and educated.  They responded that they insist on providing quality service for these children and is reflected in their extremely high success rate.  The organization is completely amazing and inspiring.  


 There are still millions of children in India who are homeless and in need of an education and their childhood.  


http://www.jamghatfamily.blogspot.com   


-Sarah Saunders