JESS THE WANDERER

Red R came to talk to us today. The work they do in emergency situations is really inspiring.
To be able to completely leave your life behind and help those in need at the drop of a hat is something most people could never do. People have too many commitments and attachments back home. I'm starting to think that I'm the same.  Just thinking about taking a full year off to work overseas would be a huge commitment. But it would also be a fresh start.
If you would like to know more about what RedR follow this link to their website:
http://www.redr.org.au/

We had our first taste of dialogues with the community today
We went to a inner suburb in Pune where a woman's self help group (SHG) was meeting. We were greeted with the Hindi dot and sugar grains placed in our mouth.
This group spend most of their loans on rebuilding their houses and wedding costs.
We asked questions through a translator about why they joined and if they thought the group was a success.

I did feel like an outsider and it didn't help that all the EWB people had to sit on chairs, while the SHG sat on the floor. They could not quite understand why we, who come from a rich country, would want to come to learn from them.
We moved on to another self help group in the slum area of Pune. These slums were nothing like those in Mumbai, they were government apartment blocks. Yet they still didn't have any toilets.
This group spent most of their loans on midwifery costs and growing their fruit and veg businesses
I found it very sad that most of the women who join the groups that weren't there for a loan, want to share their domestic violence. In the open space we were in it was not appropriate to talk about these issues as there were men around. I think this disturbed me the most
We had mango juice with the leader of the SHG in her house right after the meeting. We met her family of 8 who all lived in a tiny one bedroom home. The people were very beautiful and were very welcoming. Although they didnt fully understand why we were there. There is so much our society can learn from there community and family values.

Today community development was the topic of discussion. Mike talked to us about the different generations of charity, the first being donations and such which is seen by most people in the western world. This is mainly to raise awareness and generate money. This is not long term, however community development is.
Our next speaker was gary from DST who gave an amazing workshop on sustainability. We participated in activities which got us thinking and our spirits awake.
We continued our talk to a bar in the center of pune when we drank beer and ate french fries, very indian.
And to add to more food adventures we went out for dinner straight after. The food was great but more curry. Im nearly sick of curry, but not quite. 
My roommate went missing for about 45 minutes without telling anyone where she went. She is very nice but just completely zoned out haha

Today we learned the social and political history of India.To say that it is confusing and messed up is an understatement.  There is so much corruption in India especially when it comes to the caste system and dowry.
I also learnt some basic marathi. I definitely wont be fluent anytime soon though.
Between the meetings and dinner we explored around pune. I went to an internet cafe for a bit because there was no wifi anywhere just to check in with my parents and tim. Then we all went to a coffee shop. I have missed lattes so much. It is a funny sight in India, that cows are just allowed to rome the streets however they please.  Herds were just walking past as we were having coffee.



I bought a tunic for about $14. When in India!
Dinner was at a hure krishna restaurant and oh my was it good. I am going to be so fat by the time i leave here.

Before we left fort Mumbai for Pune we got a few hours to explore the area. A few of us went to the markets located around outside of a cricket pitch, then to some local buteques. The clothes are absolutely exquisite but i definitely could not afford them.
 We also went to the modern art gallery which was located right across from the YWCA. One of my favourite things to do in another country is to go to a local gallery or museum, even if their cultures history is very confusing. The exhibition was on Chinese influences in Indian culture.
Later on we hopped on the train to Pune in the 2nd class carriage. This train was a lot different to the local trains and actually had doors that would shut. I spent most of the trip playing cards with friends and watching men selling deep fried snacks walking up and down the aisles.
My first impression of Pune was very different to Mumbai. The poverty is much more evident. Groups of children begging as soon as you got off the train and hundreds of people sleeping on the ground just outside the gates. I am assuming that this will only get worse as we move further into the country side.
I had my first rickshaw experience too! We managed to fit 3 people and 5 pieces of luggage into it, plus we won the race to the YMCA haha

We met our tour guides at the local train station. The tour was run by reality tours which was a NGO that gives 80% of the tour money back the the Dharavi slums by holding classes for young adults The first crazy experience was the train ride. Quiet at first however just before our stop heaps of locals got on and we had to fight our way off the moving carriage when it arrived. It is also ok to hang outside the carriage while the train is moving since there are no doors.
When we arrived at the slums we were first taken to the industry district which takes all the waste including plastic, aluminum, wood and recycles it. Nearly nothing goes to waste.
The process of recycling each material is very interesting as everything can be washed and changed or melted into something new. Everyone was working so hard too and no one was slacking off.
The work conditions are horrifying, there was one man smoldering aluminum in a closed room with not ppe. I was pretty scared walking through some of the workshops, just waiting for something to fly off and hit me in the face.
But people are so happy. The kids are absolutely adorable, high fiving me as i walk through the narrow alleys.
Poppadums were one of the main sources of income for the women in the Dharavi slums.  They were made by hand and then places on baskets to lye out in the sun and dry whilst stray dogs and cats walked around them.
After we discussed our own thoughts on the slum and how we though we could go about changing it. So many long winded discussions, often with very confusing topics.
Overall, The conditions are a lot better than i expected. Apart from the major sanitation issues (and the smell) and health issues that are caused from this, crime is low, people have access to clean water and electricity and the community is just happy.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the Dharavi slums and what it is like from an outsiders perspective, Kevin McCloud does a mini series on his experiance staying there.  The following links are for his videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im0tHRs9Bng&feature=youtu.be


When we came back the the ywca we had a talk by a local working for an ngo working on polices to protect the people living in the slums and on the street. We learnt about his fight for a policy to allow street vendors to legally trade.
A short while after dinner a group of us went out for a walk to the gate to India. We didn't realized but there was a concert playing there where we got to see a few song in Hindi. Even though i have no idea what they are saying the language still sounds very beautiful.
Apparently one song was about a drunk India who wouldn't stop falling down and the crowd loved it haha

We kept walking to a few street food stands with chicken kebab type thinks and then followed on to this seedy bar where we spent about 2 hours just talking and drinking beer. The place wasn't too bad but occasionally you got a smell of something very strange...