In the Heart of India

from Darla Shaw, professor of education at Western Ct. State University in Danbury, Ct. Traveling as part of the Humanitarian Travel Group from WCSU.

In the past five days our group has traveled to the Taj Mahal to Akbar, Acra, to Delhi to Jaipur. The sites and scenes are fabulous but now I am where my heart belongs. I am in Calcutta where we are working with people of all ages.

Yesterday Rosalee, our leader in Calcutta, took us to visit an orphanage of disabled people from age 11 to 50. These were all people who were found family less on the streets and would have had no quality of life whatsoever if it were not for this program. There were probably about 3 in the group.

We were welcomed into the orphanage with a multitude of hugs and handshakes. We were shown the crafts and paintings and saw parts from their famous show. This group has been in newspaper articles and on TV because of the work that they do in regard to music and drama. Even with varying disabilities these people are able to put on huge productions based on the work of the poet, Tagore. The level of talent was incredible. Even the deaf, dumb and mute took part in a major role.

After a rather lengthy performance we now thanked them them through singing the Barney song with hand motions. We then involved them in the song and they loved.it. Next we sang We Shall Overcome together as a group. They sang in several languages. We sang in only one language. Finally we danced with the people in the orphanage to a wild drum beat and the girls played with the hair of our women. They hated to see us go and we also felt sad to go, but our bus, Priscilla was waiting.

As we left they gave us beautiful little Xmas trees that they had made. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful way to start the heart of the trip.

David's notes

Jeannie is too tired to think so I am writing for both of us. It's been a problem getting internet access at our hotels, thus the lack of information here.
In addition to the sights we have seen our local guide has taken us visit with several artisans (read "retail opportunities") that have turned out to be kind of nice. We went to a shop where craftsmen work with marble and semi-precious stones to create inlaid pieces from large table tops to small jewelry boxes, picture frames and other items. The workmanship is intricate and very beautiful. We succumbed to the rum and coca drinks that were served and bought some stuff. Then we were on to a shop that sells pashmina woolen goods (from Kashmir) - another buying spree. Today we saw a larger shop on the grounds of the royal palace where many kinds of crafts were on sale - paintings, enamels, textiles and woolens, marble inlay work and other things. After some sifting there were some very nice and interesting things.
Traffic was another matter. Dusty and dismal on the way to Agra from Delhi and not so good from Agra to Jaipur until we were many miles out of town. The guide told us we were on a "good road" today, which turned out to mean a road in the process of construction. It's a divided highway but many miles of it are completed only on one side, so there is two-way traffic. There were also sections where both sides were complete, and on those sections there were two lanes in each direction. The thrilling part was that there was no real indication which was which, so we would be barreling down the fast lane and look up to see a truck heading for us head-on. Mr Toad's wild ride. Last night was also a Muslim festival which apparently commenced at about 2am with a very loud concert near the hotel, lasting until about 5am. We racked up about 3 hours sleep. Tonight should be more restful.

India

Just a quick note. We have been so busy traveling that I have not had a chance to keep up. We have also had internet glitches and I have been so sick. I think the pollution has been so bad in Delhi and Agra that it has gotten to my lungs. Hopefully things will improve for me. We have been on a whirlwind tour traveling by bus from Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort then hopped back on the bus the next day to Jaipur to see the Observatory, the Pink City and Maharajah's Palace. We have now collapsed in our hotel. Will give more detailed updates later.

India January 5 2009

Hello to All-
This is Christine Wagner, Director of Hearts & Hands for Cambodia. www.heartsandhandsforcambodia.org We are again traveling. Jeannie Hatcherson has put together another group. Nine of us will be in India- Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Kolkata. Four of us will continue on to Cambodia to assist H&HC Sobbhana Day Care in Battambang where we will meet another four people coming in from the US. Our travel group will be introducing themselves throughout this blog.
I am from Atlanta, presently in Connecticut where it is freezing. I am visiting my mother and meeting up with our group who will fly out of JFK today. We have all been madly packing and getting ready for this big trip. I will be gone for 5 weeks. The last week for me will be spent in Singapore where I lived for four years. Check back for our periodic posts. We have some interesting experiences coming up!

The most important part of the trip for me was Battambang and the Day Care Center. So I would like to recap the highlights.

Darla Shaw did teacher training for the "child minders" specifically geared to preschool education. A few of the things she did were to set up learning centers like those typically found in Montessori schools, explained the importance of attaching words to pictures and how to put this in practice, demonstrated learning games and songs, and wrote the script of the Khmer version of Cinderella for the children to perform. There are approximately 100 children in the Day Care ages 2-6. On the last day we invited the parents and villagers including the Chief to see the children's play. The child minders adapted the script and practiced for only a few days with a core group of children. They did a wonderful job even building a stage. The child actors wore some of the Halloween costumes that I brought in November. The rest of the children sang songs- their favorite is "Where is Thumbkin" which I taught them last year. All the children wore new outfits that we purchased for them. They looked so wonderful that we decided to make the clothes their uniforms. All children in Asia wear uniforms to school and it helps to keep them all on the same level. Some of the children literally do not have more than one outfit and no shoes. We also purchased shoes, towels, and the students brought school and hygiene supplies to distribute.Our main project was to paint the two main buildings and do a mural on the inside walls. It was rather unrealistic to think that we could accomplish such a large task in 5 days. We did however finish painting the main building and started on the mural. The mural was sketched on paper by Jeannie Hatcherson, Associate Professor of Anthropology, who was the instructor for this interim class. The artist-painter, Chanti is a former resident of SFODA an orphanage in Phnom Penh that I have had an association with for 7 years. SFODA was the first orphanage I visited in Cambodia.

The students helped with the daily tasks at the Day Care Center. They played games with the children, helped with bathing, lunch, taught them some English, and helped Darla with the educational instruction. I also put them to work painting. If you read my blog on painting you can get an idea of how difficult a process it was. For many of the students this was their first experience in a developing country. Jeannie assigned each of them to interview one of the children for our sponsorship program. They were also able to go into the village and interview the parents. I think it really hit home when they saw the abject poverty these children live in. The Day Care takes children from 5 villages surrounding it so some of the children have a long way to walk especially without shoes.

The students also bonded with the children. The children melt your heart. They were definitely overpowered by their beautiful smiles, energy, and joy at having discovered new friends. They found themselves covered with children. Many attachments were formed and they had no choice but to hug and play with them. Everywhere they went they had a least two children by their side or attached to them- on their shoulders in their arms or holding hands. It was a very typical sight for me. Children are the same everywhere. They want love and attention and they need positive feedback. The Cambodian children especially are hungry for this.

The Day Care is a tremendous opportunity for us to change the lives of not only these children but of the villages where they live. I think this is what impacted the students the most. They did make a difference by brightening the lives of these children even if only for a few days. The impact is felt because their future is a little brighter and they know that someone outside their world cares about them and that gives hope. Several parents expressed their thanks after the performance. They came dressed in their best clothes and were so proud of their children. It has a ripple effect. My hope is to eventually take the Day Care and expand into other village groups. Studies have shown the importance of early education- look at our Headstart programs. We need to take these young minds and give them love, care, and knowledge so that they can become Cambodia's future. Just looking into the children's faces as they sit at storytime or learn a new song you can see how they soak up new knowledge. This is the main reason I keep coming back to Cambodia and continue to work hard to fundraise.

I welcome taking groups and have found that the Day Care Center benefits tremendously from the support and supplies. I have noticed changes at the Day Care. The Child Minders have implemented many of the suggestions I gave them for teaching. Songs, fingerplays, and story time are now part of the day. They have a medicine chest and a basic understanding of first aid. They are learning English. Sophal speaks very well and is now teaching the others. The playground equipment we donated is used continuously.

The Director, Sophal is a wonderful woman. She gets little compensation and worked for the first two years for free. She does it because she cares about the community, and also feels strongly as I do that education is very important to Cambodia's future. She is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge and was able to tell the students what life was like for her during that time. She has alot of plans for the center and I am trying to help raise the funds. Hearts and Hands (http://www.heartsandhandsforcambodia.org/) has started a sponsorship program. It is $100 to sponsor a child in the center, $175 to sponsor a primary school student, and $225 to sponsor a secondary student- these are students that have graduated from the Day Care. It is very important to keep these children in school. They must pay for uniforms, school supplies, and after school tutorials. This sponsorship is for the year.We also need donors who would like to sponsor projects. Some of our future projects include, expanding an existing building into a dining room, extending the roof to give shade and cover from the rains during rainy season, cementing part of the play and bath areas, biogas for cooking, well for water- presently they buy it and use rain water, expanding educational resources and supplies for a library.

*Donations can be sent to me: 3652 Brisbane Dr. Marietta GA. 30062. Checks can be made out to Hearts and Hands for Cambodia. Hearts and Hands is a registered charity therefore donations are tax deductible.

World Education (http://www.worlded.org/ ) is a wonderful resource for the Day Care and they are sending video copies of the Sesame Street show- Sabai Sabai ( Happy Happy) for them to use and would like a copy of the video I did with Darla. The manager of the Maddox Jolie Pitt foundation toured the Day Care and spoke to us about their Millenium Village in Samlaut. They dont have a Day Care and are interested in ours. The students went to Toul Sleng the notorious prison during the Khmer Rouge and talking with Sophal made it more personal. It was a great trip.

* I would like to say thank you to WCSC for their monetary donation that made the painting possible and of course for their personal contributions of their time and talent.

Eric's Blog

This is my last night in Cambodia and I'm sad. I don't want to leave. It's nice being here because I realize how much I take people for granted, like my dad. He and I haven't been getting along lately and I miss him so much right now. I want to have conversations with him like we used to. I'm more patient since I've been here. I've had to be very patient, with a 20 hour flight, 5 hour bus ride to Battambang, and a 7 hour boat trip to Siem Reap. After seeing the temples and walking through the structures and climbing the stairs it hit me that I'm in Cambodia. I've learned some of the language from Phala my friend who was our translator in Phnom Penh and Battambang. I felt a sense of pride in helping with the daycare by painting and just playing with the kids. And I know I touched some of the hearts of the children I've encountered. Whether it was playing soccer or eating dinner I know I bonded with people I would never normally have. I don't feel as awkward around the people that are on this trip. I've grown to like everyone here. I know we're all suffering from culture shock but we were there for each other and it made things easier. It's best to go to a foreign country with strangers. You have to work together and rely on each other so you make true friendships. I will miss Cambodia. This experience gave me a whole new outlook on life.

Jeannie's Blog

For me, as a humanitarian and an anthropology professor, a travel study is a way to bring students into a world full of sounds and textures books cannot provide. It’s a chance to go ‘backstage’ so to speak, and get first hand look, a personal perspective, on world events. This trip to Cambodia certainly fulfilled that role. With Chris Wagner as our guide, and with a fistful of email contacts I’d collected putting the trip together, we traversed the country South to North, East to West – and if you count the history and politics we learned about, through time as well. People are SO nice, coming in on holidays, weekends and nights to share their knowledge with a group of visiting students and teachers form WCSU.

In Phnom Penh we visited historical sites grounding us in the recent tragic events of Cambodia’s genocide: we also visited the offices of World Education and found out about programs to help support the arts, to help kids stay in school, and even how Sesame Street (there called ‘Sabai Sabai’ or, Happy Happy) is helping preschool children get a head start. We saw how Princess Marie, daughter-in-law of the King, is trying to also promote the weaving arts and help empower women in her country (and I had a conversation with the Princess about her lunch with Angelina Jolie – a little surreal, a little bit fun!). We met a young American woman working with the Center for Disease Control whose job is to work with the Cambodian government to formulate policies regarding HIV/AIDS. We visited HOPE International Hospital where people line up in the morning to get a lottery number for a doctor’s visit (unless they have a serious illness in which they will seen right away). We visited Sustainable Cambodia in Pursat on our way to Battambang and then we worked. Our arrival in Battambang coincided with a National Holiday and the US Embassy sponsored the “Trio Chicago” playing Gershwin on a stage by the river (kind of surreal!).

At the Sobbhana day care and school, full of children 2 – 6 years old, the poorest children from the poorest villages, WCSU university students played, laughed, taught, made friendships, painted shutters, walls and doors, (and even sanded latrine doors!). They got dirty, but always with a couple of kids in tow. I heard many a student laugh incredulously, “But I don’t like kids!” while walking the school yard with a child in each arm. Maybe it was just these particular kids, maybe it was just learning a little about something inside of oneself you didn’t know was there. I think the week in Battambang, working alongside Khmers, working alongside the school director Sophal, a survivor of the genocide, was amazing. I kept hearing Sophal’s words of her years under Pol Pot echoing in my mind; especially how, with a smile, she described the fear she felt every night, every long dark night, waiting for sun up when she thought, ‘I’ve lived another day.’

We ate lunch and dinner on mats on the floor at the school, and the school cook, a former restaurant chef, was pretty talented! What she can whip up in an outdoor kitchen over an open fire - morning glories, pumpkin, vegetables with pineapple, all kinds of soups and sauces, yummy! (I gained 3 pounds!).Another memory of Battambang - 12 year-old-girl looking about 8 guiding us through the Killing caves, telling of how Pol Pot would slit the bellies of pregnant women and make a necklace of the fetuses; how people were killed by a blow to the back of their heads and if that didn’t kill them, the snakes in the cave would finish the job. I thought about a course I teach where in one section I ask, “Who gets a childhood?”

We also visited the Maddox Jolie Pitt Foundation and heard about their plans for a Millennium Village – and their program and community development directors came out to our site to as well, very kind.

The last stop, Siem Reap, visits to Angkor Wat – and to Angkor Children’s Hospital where we got a tour and information on volunteering abroad. And to the land mine museum, kind of an ad hoc structure built on the lines of a field camp, where amputees are the guides, kids really, who lost limbs while playing in the rice paddies and the forest. Sobering.

And now, at home at my computer, a few days of reverse culture shock before returning to work.