38 Days and Counting

Another of Jeremy's pictures. Can't wait to get there and take some of my own. This one is the main temples at Kanchipuram. I really expect to be overwhelmed by the sheer number and size of the temples I see.

I have been doing lots of homework on the culture and environment in India and am amazed at the diversity and history of the place. I am incorporating some of what I am learning in the talk I will give tonight at the library in Cascade. There were some very enlightening statistics on the economy, growth of personal wealth, health care providers balanced against health care consumers, education levels and the like. I hope my audience finds it all as fascinating as I do.

I ran the sari that Jeremy brought back through the wash yesterday so that even if I don't have time to sew my other outfits I will have something appropriate to wear getting off the plane and onto the train for the last leg of my journey to Tirunelveli.

I got terribly brave last week and emailed the Indian Minister of Maternal and Family Health. Her name showed up on an official website as having given a talk related to International Women's Day (March 8) so of course I couldn't help myself. I had to see if there is any kind of project going on near where I will be situated where I could offer my services training rural birth attendants. That was one of the things I have read they are trying to focus on. One part of their plan is to reduce the Maternal Mortality rate of over 300 per 100,000 live births (about 1 every 7 minutes). It seems that it is rare for any woman to receive more than 3 prenatal visits during any pregnancy. I will have to see if I can skew those numbers a tiny fraction.

I am amazed at how quickly my departure is approaching. Will I have time to do everything I need to do or will I have to relinquish control and let other people help? Stay tuned and find out!

D minus 47 and counting

One more shot and I will have all of my inoculations! Now All I have to do is give my talk, teach my workshops, make three outfits, sell a spinning wheel and get packed. Sounds simple, right? If anyone has still not signed up for the knitting workshops, there is still time. The first one: Knuts and Bolts Knitting, which will include 7 ways to cast on, 3 ways to end plus increases and decreases will be on March 10 at 1 pm at the Holy Rosary Chapel in Cascade. The only prerequisites are knit and purl and I can probably help you with that if you are rusty. The second workshop will build on the first and will cover how to read charts and how to re-engineer a pattern to accommodate different yarn or change to sizes that are not included in the pattern. The date for this workshop is March 31, same time, same place.

My talk Woman to Woman: One Woman's Journey, will be held at the Ute Pass Library on Monday, March 12 at 7 pm and will include a brief review of my experience in Afghanistan in 2002 after the Taliban was removed from Kabul and will then cover the things I am looking forward to in India.

I have been assigned to my family in India with whom I will be staying. The postal address is:
17 C/1, North Highground Road
Near Chinmaya School
Tirunelveli
Tamil Nadu
India

I should be there by April 21. The house sounds very nice and I will be sharing a bedroom with another volunteer, Jennifer from Vermont, I believe.

Mrs. Jhansirani and I have been emailing back and forth for a few days now. She seems very friendly and I have already been given a short shopping list of groceries to bring with me which are not found in the local markets. So far, I am to bring with me: Cheddar cheese, soft brown sugar, 2 bars of white chocolate, penne pasta and gummi bears. Sounds do-able.

I have also been assigned my workplace. The picture at the top of this page is where I will be working: the Annai Velankanni Nursing Home in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India. The chief doctor is Dr. Roy and his wife and mother are both also practicing physicians at the hospital. I will have a 6 hour work assignment every day, Monday through Friday. I just hope I can adapt to the heat quickly so that I can keep up at work. The hospital I am told is a 10 minute bicycle ride from where I will be staying. Since I don't think I will have room for my bicycle in my luggage, I think I will have to rent one when I get there.

I am trying not to get overwhelmed by how quickly my departure date is approaching and all that I have to do to get ready. If anyone remembers something I seem to be forgetting, please give me a holler before I take off, okay?


Until next time, then.