Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Things that fly
Sunday was kite flying festival in Mhaswad. We had arranged to meet with our little friend Chetna at 4 in the evening to go to the river together and fly our kites. When we went there at sharp 4, very few people had shown up. It seems we got there earlier than we were supposed to, and we hadn’t heard from Chetna either. We then thought of visiting the nearby temple rather than hanging out in the river. So we went to the nearby Siddheswor temple. It was nag panchami, the day of Snake God. There were more people in the temple than usual. All the women were dressed in colorful clothes. In the temple, the priest offered to put tika on our forehead. While I was used to this in Nepal; Kris, Alexis and Tizi were fascinated. We went around the temple, observed the statues of various gods, and watched people who had come there motivated by their faith. We then went to meet Chetna and Leena who had called us eventually. We bought kites and thread before we head off to the river. There were more people in the river now. Boys were flying colorful kites and little girls in pretty clothes were hanging out with their parents or friends. It was fun flying our own kite. Alexis was a pro Californian who knew how to fly kite really well. She again had her little friends, who were hanging around her and teaching her what needs to be done when you fly kite in Mhaswad. Some of the kids were really funny. They were trying to hit on us (mostly on my friend), asking if we were married, if we had boyfriends, what our phone number was, etc..Some kid from the crowd suddenly shouted, “I love you”. We couldn’t help but burst into laughter. I wonder if these 12-13 years old kids knew what all these meant. It’s funny to see how you can put their westerner’s image within a frame of these few questions. There were also other little girls who wanted me to take their pictures and were kind enough to tell us that we were fun and we should come to their village again. They thought those guys were crazy and had nothing else to do but to say stupid stuffs. It was hilarious. These cute little girls, crazy young boys, our kites, colorful dresses, beautiful Indian women, food stalls, nothing could have made our time better. We then met Babulal, one of the helpers in the house, when it was almost time to stop. We decided to walk over to the house with him. He bought us pineapple slices on the way back. The same night we decided to watch “the kite runner”. It was mere coincidence that we were watching the movie the same day we had learnt the techniques of flying kite. Though our kite fight was not as intense as that of the movie, it was still a lot of fun.
Friday, July 24, 2009
henna and palm reading
We had mehendi time today after office. We went to little Chetna’s house for putting henna on our palm. (The chair of the bank I am interning at is also Chetna. So we call this friend of ours little Chetna.)
As soon as we reached her house her mom served us hot chai. After having chai we were invited to one of Chetna's friend’s house. We went there and then had another cup of chai. It’s fun being offered chai everywhere we go in those tiny china cups.
It was then time for fortune telling. Chetna’s mom would read our hand and predict our future husband and future kids. Apparently, I would have two boys and I would constantly fight with my husband. Not a good sign, though it does support my argument for not getting married, even more. I don’t want a nagging husband and I am still not sure about two boys. Having lived with girls all my life including my two sisters and friends at school (which is an all girl’s college), living with guys might be little hard. I don’t know.
But I didn’t tell her anything. I just laughed at the prospect of chaotic married life with two boys and constantly fighting husband and got ready for the henna.
As soon as we reached her house her mom served us hot chai. After having chai we were invited to one of Chetna's friend’s house. We went there and then had another cup of chai. It’s fun being offered chai everywhere we go in those tiny china cups.
It was then time for fortune telling. Chetna’s mom would read our hand and predict our future husband and future kids. Apparently, I would have two boys and I would constantly fight with my husband. Not a good sign, though it does support my argument for not getting married, even more. I don’t want a nagging husband and I am still not sure about two boys. Having lived with girls all my life including my two sisters and friends at school (which is an all girl’s college), living with guys might be little hard. I don’t know.
But I didn’t tell her anything. I just laughed at the prospect of chaotic married life with two boys and constantly fighting husband and got ready for the henna.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Identity dilemma
My typical day in Mhaswad starts at 9 in the morning. We usually get up at 9, wash ourselves, have breakfast that Tinki prepares for us every day and then head to the bank at around 10:30. It is usually a relaxed morning. We don’t have anything else to do in the morning and it is usually hot outside, so we sleep in the artificial coolness that our ceiling fan provides. Chloe`, Chris, Rama and I walk to the bank together. It is about 5 minutes walk but the scorching heat of mid June sun makes it worse. I was complaining about my exposed skin to Chris today. It has gone darker than it was before. It is not a tan as I am already dark enough, but with this heat my skin is getting reddish dark which makes my complexion look worse. Once we get to office we settle down in our marked territory. Chloe` and I usually sit in the conference room since it has inverter and we can use electricity even when power is down.
Electric power goes off for more than 12 hours every day in Mhaswad. I have not yet thought of a way to react to this phenomenon. I cannot complain for I know in my country they don’t have electric power for more than 18 hours daily, that also in capital city. How could I complain for not getting electricity when Mhaswad is supposed to be a very rural part of Maharashtra state in India and we have the luxury of using inverter whenever power is off? However, I have not lived in Nepal for two years and I came here directly from New York. That does make me partially American if not fully giving me an excuse to talk about it as my other American and European friends do.
Sometimes I find myself in a very awkward position. I find myself struggling between two opposing ideas, two different cultures, and two different ways of life. We get to eat authentic Marathi food for each meal here. That includes chapatti, rice, dal, kadi, curd, fresh mangoes, pickles, spicy curry and other delicacies I was craving for when I was away from home for two years. But now when I get to eat it every day, I crave for chocolates, chips, wraps (that I used to hate with all my guts), French fries (something I would avoid for the fear of gaining weight) and coffee. It is a strange world.
Then there is the issue of nationality and color. I am usually accompanied by fellow interns who are mostly white. People here love their color. Kids never fail to say hello whenever we pass. It reminds me of the time when we used to do the same as kids if we saw any white foreigner in our vicinity. It was considered to be cool among our group of friends if the foreigner replied to our hello. Hello would be followed by ‘how are you?’ and there was very less possibility that the foreigner would ever answer.
Shopkeepers love talking to us and offering help. People tend to be super nice. I would not have expected to get similar treatment if I were alone. My skin tone passes me for an Indian. And whenever I go around the village on my own people first try to talk in Marathi and then Hindi. When I fail to answer in Marathi and start my broken Hindi, they would ask me where I came from. I would give them the magic word “America”. They love it. If I say Nepal, I would be just another South Asian there who is expected to know Hindi and much about India. And why not, I grew up watching Indian movies and eating Indian brands of food most of my life. But the word USA puts me at a higher stand. People start liking me as well. It does hurt my national pride. I guess I have to lose something to gain the same respect a westerner would otherwise get. I am a foreigner in brown disguise and they still like me. It is a great thing to be liked and not be despised.
The other thing that stands as a proof of my deviation from my origin is toilet paper. I spent 19 wonderful years of my life without using it. It was great and I was totally fine with it like any ordinary Nepali kid. In US it took me months to adjust to the habit of using it. In the beginning I used to feel gross and dirty. To me it was also a waste of resources. And as my friend once told me, ‘why should we waste trees when we have abundant water available that can be recycled again and again’. It was true. But I did get use to it. Two years of toilet paper use was enough for me to be one of the users myself. Now that I am in India and do not have the privilege to use toilet papers, I find it unusual and strange. I have brought my own roll of toilet papers. But there is a notice pasted on toilet door requesting not to use it. I feel dirty if I don’t use it. I now realize that toilet paper has become integral part of my life for two years and I find it hard to let go of the habit now.
There are many other small yet important things that challenge my identity. I am proud to be a Nepali. Things I learnt for the 19 years of my life are as dear to me as anything else. I am what I am now because of the culture I was brought up in. But the exposure to the modern world and different ways of living sometimes puts me in a threshold of ideas where I find it hard to choose either of them.
Electric power goes off for more than 12 hours every day in Mhaswad. I have not yet thought of a way to react to this phenomenon. I cannot complain for I know in my country they don’t have electric power for more than 18 hours daily, that also in capital city. How could I complain for not getting electricity when Mhaswad is supposed to be a very rural part of Maharashtra state in India and we have the luxury of using inverter whenever power is off? However, I have not lived in Nepal for two years and I came here directly from New York. That does make me partially American if not fully giving me an excuse to talk about it as my other American and European friends do.
Sometimes I find myself in a very awkward position. I find myself struggling between two opposing ideas, two different cultures, and two different ways of life. We get to eat authentic Marathi food for each meal here. That includes chapatti, rice, dal, kadi, curd, fresh mangoes, pickles, spicy curry and other delicacies I was craving for when I was away from home for two years. But now when I get to eat it every day, I crave for chocolates, chips, wraps (that I used to hate with all my guts), French fries (something I would avoid for the fear of gaining weight) and coffee. It is a strange world.
Then there is the issue of nationality and color. I am usually accompanied by fellow interns who are mostly white. People here love their color. Kids never fail to say hello whenever we pass. It reminds me of the time when we used to do the same as kids if we saw any white foreigner in our vicinity. It was considered to be cool among our group of friends if the foreigner replied to our hello. Hello would be followed by ‘how are you?’ and there was very less possibility that the foreigner would ever answer.
Shopkeepers love talking to us and offering help. People tend to be super nice. I would not have expected to get similar treatment if I were alone. My skin tone passes me for an Indian. And whenever I go around the village on my own people first try to talk in Marathi and then Hindi. When I fail to answer in Marathi and start my broken Hindi, they would ask me where I came from. I would give them the magic word “America”. They love it. If I say Nepal, I would be just another South Asian there who is expected to know Hindi and much about India. And why not, I grew up watching Indian movies and eating Indian brands of food most of my life. But the word USA puts me at a higher stand. People start liking me as well. It does hurt my national pride. I guess I have to lose something to gain the same respect a westerner would otherwise get. I am a foreigner in brown disguise and they still like me. It is a great thing to be liked and not be despised.
The other thing that stands as a proof of my deviation from my origin is toilet paper. I spent 19 wonderful years of my life without using it. It was great and I was totally fine with it like any ordinary Nepali kid. In US it took me months to adjust to the habit of using it. In the beginning I used to feel gross and dirty. To me it was also a waste of resources. And as my friend once told me, ‘why should we waste trees when we have abundant water available that can be recycled again and again’. It was true. But I did get use to it. Two years of toilet paper use was enough for me to be one of the users myself. Now that I am in India and do not have the privilege to use toilet papers, I find it unusual and strange. I have brought my own roll of toilet papers. But there is a notice pasted on toilet door requesting not to use it. I feel dirty if I don’t use it. I now realize that toilet paper has become integral part of my life for two years and I find it hard to let go of the habit now.
There are many other small yet important things that challenge my identity. I am proud to be a Nepali. Things I learnt for the 19 years of my life are as dear to me as anything else. I am what I am now because of the culture I was brought up in. But the exposure to the modern world and different ways of living sometimes puts me in a threshold of ideas where I find it hard to choose either of them.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Mid Project Self Evaluation
Today at office I thought of filling the mid project self evaluation form which I was supposed to fill few weeks earlier. Here is an excerpt from my self evaluation.
-Why are you doing this internship?
To see how micro finance works and to gain experience in non-profit world.
-What do you like most so far about the experience?
Meeting clients and observing how bank’s services have affected their lives.
-What is most challenging?
Getting things done promptly, communicating with people who know only Marathi, having clients express their opinion on certain things which, trust me, is really hard.
-List several people with whom you have networked (informally or formally).
Bank’s CEO, other staffs, other interns who are far more experienced than I am.
-Who would you like to have more contact with or what area would you like to know more about?
I would like to know more about research works in development sector.
-What are you getting out of this experience?
A lot of things including firsthand experience of working in a microfinance institute in rural India, opportunity to see social and cultural settings of rural India, and meet people who are motivated to make a difference in other people’s lives.
-Is it what you anticipated?
Not quite. I expected the program itself to be more organized and formal. But it’s still a very good life experience for a starter.
-Are you learning more or less than you imagined?
More in a very different way, without having anyone as a mentor (it’s more like self learning).
-Look at your initial learning goals and see if you are meeting or exceeding your personal and or professional goals.
Now, I have got an insight of working in rural settings. I have realized the fact that everyone is not equally privileged. This for me is very important lesson. I am doing impact assessment out of classroom now and it’s actually being used. So the purpose of my work has shifted from getting good grades to making it useful in real world.
-What changes can you make to your within or outside of your position to improve your satisfaction with your summer experience?
Not much. I will finish what I have started, prepare my final report and try to make some policy suggestions.
-Why are you doing this internship?
To see how micro finance works and to gain experience in non-profit world.
-What do you like most so far about the experience?
Meeting clients and observing how bank’s services have affected their lives.
-What is most challenging?
Getting things done promptly, communicating with people who know only Marathi, having clients express their opinion on certain things which, trust me, is really hard.
-List several people with whom you have networked (informally or formally).
Bank’s CEO, other staffs, other interns who are far more experienced than I am.
-Who would you like to have more contact with or what area would you like to know more about?
I would like to know more about research works in development sector.
-What are you getting out of this experience?
A lot of things including firsthand experience of working in a microfinance institute in rural India, opportunity to see social and cultural settings of rural India, and meet people who are motivated to make a difference in other people’s lives.
-Is it what you anticipated?
Not quite. I expected the program itself to be more organized and formal. But it’s still a very good life experience for a starter.
-Are you learning more or less than you imagined?
More in a very different way, without having anyone as a mentor (it’s more like self learning).
-Look at your initial learning goals and see if you are meeting or exceeding your personal and or professional goals.
Now, I have got an insight of working in rural settings. I have realized the fact that everyone is not equally privileged. This for me is very important lesson. I am doing impact assessment out of classroom now and it’s actually being used. So the purpose of my work has shifted from getting good grades to making it useful in real world.
-What changes can you make to your within or outside of your position to improve your satisfaction with your summer experience?
Not much. I will finish what I have started, prepare my final report and try to make some policy suggestions.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Lonely weekend
I am all by myself for the first time in Mhaswad. Some of my friends have gone to Mumbai for some office work and others have gone away for weekend. There were as many as 9 people in this flat once and now there is not a single person. It looks pretty empty and deserted. I find awkward not to have anyone to talk to. My friends left at around 4 yesterday. So I was alone yesterday night too. Last night I watched a movie called Juno that keyur had transferred to my flash drive. It was a good movie. I loved it. I have been watching some heavy movies from Keyur’s list these days. Into the wild is my favorite so far. I might write something about the movie some other day. But for now let me tell you how sad it is to be alone in a village in middle of nowhere on weekend.
I sometimes go to Archana’s shop to give her English lessons. But our class has been discontinued for some time since she is really busy in her business. So I don’t go there regularly these days and I didn’t go there today either. I sometimes hang out with Babulal’s kids. However as I came back from work today I was too exhausted to do that. I didn’t want to go for a walk alone either. So I was left with nothing to do but read my book today after office. And let me remind you, it’s a Saturday.
So I got up at around 10 in the morning (I went to bed at 2 last night), had light breakfast and went to office. I worked on my data analysis for a while. It was strange to be alone in office where there used to be at least 4 or 5 interns at other normal days. By 3, I was exhausted staring at the spreadsheets and stata results and figuring out patterns of different numbers. So I went downstairs to get my regular dose of frooti. (I have developed this compulsive habit of drinking frooti everyday from Leena. In fact everyone in office loves frooti now. It is our favorite junk diet after bada pau.)
I left office earlier than usual. Once I reached home I passed out in my bed. It’s cooler outside after some showers this afternoon. But I don’t feel like going outside. There are mosquitoes and they have started attacking me recently. Before I was the only one immune to their bites. It seems I have turned sweeter these days.
I went through few pages of Kafka on the shore; I have been trying to read that book for a long time. I just can’t get into it. I don’t feel like reading now. I have another movie to watch, Thank you for smoking. I am wondering, what after movie? I have whole day on my own tomorrow. 6 days week have made me tired and I need to rest. But it’s no fun to be alone all day in Mhaswad.
I sometimes go to Archana’s shop to give her English lessons. But our class has been discontinued for some time since she is really busy in her business. So I don’t go there regularly these days and I didn’t go there today either. I sometimes hang out with Babulal’s kids. However as I came back from work today I was too exhausted to do that. I didn’t want to go for a walk alone either. So I was left with nothing to do but read my book today after office. And let me remind you, it’s a Saturday.
So I got up at around 10 in the morning (I went to bed at 2 last night), had light breakfast and went to office. I worked on my data analysis for a while. It was strange to be alone in office where there used to be at least 4 or 5 interns at other normal days. By 3, I was exhausted staring at the spreadsheets and stata results and figuring out patterns of different numbers. So I went downstairs to get my regular dose of frooti. (I have developed this compulsive habit of drinking frooti everyday from Leena. In fact everyone in office loves frooti now. It is our favorite junk diet after bada pau.)
I left office earlier than usual. Once I reached home I passed out in my bed. It’s cooler outside after some showers this afternoon. But I don’t feel like going outside. There are mosquitoes and they have started attacking me recently. Before I was the only one immune to their bites. It seems I have turned sweeter these days.
I went through few pages of Kafka on the shore; I have been trying to read that book for a long time. I just can’t get into it. I don’t feel like reading now. I have another movie to watch, Thank you for smoking. I am wondering, what after movie? I have whole day on my own tomorrow. 6 days week have made me tired and I need to rest. But it’s no fun to be alone all day in Mhaswad.
Friday, July 17, 2009
When I arrived in India
I had almost forgotten to post my experience on arriving to India. It's actually worth a read. Enjoy!!!
The first day in India has been an amazing experience. Amazing is not the right word. But right now I don’t have a perfect word to describe it. It is a mixture of enthrall and some unexpected events. I landed on the Mumbai airport at 3:25 in the morning. Airport customs and immigration stuffs were much easier than expected. The immigrant officer took me for an Indian and was shocked when I showed him my Nepali passport. He was a congenial and happy person and only laughed at the matter, a laugh with good intentions. I thought I had brought enough dollars with me but once I was in money exchange counter I realized that I had not drawn enough money from ATM in America. This was the result of my very last minute planning of everything. I then called Suzanne to let her know about my arrival in India. It was quire early and I was feeling sorry for waking her up so early. I took a prepaid taxi to Mumbai central to catch a bus to Satara. On my way to Mumbai central I could see kilometers of slum settlement. People were sleeping on pavements like some brown logs thrown in the street. It was early morning and there were lines of people defecating in the open area. I had heard of the slum and slum dwellers in Mumbai. But I had not expected to be welcomed by them at least on my first day. I was welcomed by the tragedy of Mumbai and it did send some chill through my spines. Then there were the sky scrapers of one of the busiest cities in the world. It was sad that Mumbai couldn’t hide its tragedy and its duality becomes quite evident to whoever visits there for the first time. Getting on to a bus to Satara was supposed to be an easy task and little in my mind had I expected Mumbai central to be so overwhelming. The security in the station told me that I could not get a bus to Satara there and that I had to go to Dadar to catch the bus. I then took a local train to Dadar. So I was in a local train in Mumbai in a general compartment where I was the only girl. I was carrying a big suitcase and there was this bewildered expression on my face anyone could easily read. It was kind of awkward and scary. I was praying throughout the time that I would not be kidnapped or robbed in the train like in some Bollywood movie. A gentleman guided me to the Dadar station and after some hassle I went to the right bus station. I then took a bus to Satara. The bus conductor was shockingly very nice to me. My smile and little flirtatious gestures must have done the wonder. Then it was a very long ride to Satara. Along the way I saw a very different India and I liked it. I liked the landscape, winding roads along some hill station, rural people who had just learned some traits of modern world, some cities, co riders and everything. It was pretty nice. Once I reached Satara I had to call Suzanne again to call the car that was hired for me. The driver who picked me up went for lunch and then there was a new one. Satara to Mhaswad was about one and a half hour ride in car. It would take longer in bus, Suzanne told me when I reached Mann Deshi. With a random chat along the way with the driver I reached Mann Deshi finally where I was welcomed by my colleagues and mentors. It felt nice though I was exhausted to the state of passing out. I came to the house of Chetna Maam, the founder of Mann Deshi, where other interns were also staying. I took a shower and slept for almost five hours before dinner. After dinner I again went to sleep. It was a long and tiring but exciting journey to India. I expect there are more interesting things stored along the way for me. I hope tomorrow is going to be another great day of my journey.
The first day in India has been an amazing experience. Amazing is not the right word. But right now I don’t have a perfect word to describe it. It is a mixture of enthrall and some unexpected events. I landed on the Mumbai airport at 3:25 in the morning. Airport customs and immigration stuffs were much easier than expected. The immigrant officer took me for an Indian and was shocked when I showed him my Nepali passport. He was a congenial and happy person and only laughed at the matter, a laugh with good intentions. I thought I had brought enough dollars with me but once I was in money exchange counter I realized that I had not drawn enough money from ATM in America. This was the result of my very last minute planning of everything. I then called Suzanne to let her know about my arrival in India. It was quire early and I was feeling sorry for waking her up so early. I took a prepaid taxi to Mumbai central to catch a bus to Satara. On my way to Mumbai central I could see kilometers of slum settlement. People were sleeping on pavements like some brown logs thrown in the street. It was early morning and there were lines of people defecating in the open area. I had heard of the slum and slum dwellers in Mumbai. But I had not expected to be welcomed by them at least on my first day. I was welcomed by the tragedy of Mumbai and it did send some chill through my spines. Then there were the sky scrapers of one of the busiest cities in the world. It was sad that Mumbai couldn’t hide its tragedy and its duality becomes quite evident to whoever visits there for the first time. Getting on to a bus to Satara was supposed to be an easy task and little in my mind had I expected Mumbai central to be so overwhelming. The security in the station told me that I could not get a bus to Satara there and that I had to go to Dadar to catch the bus. I then took a local train to Dadar. So I was in a local train in Mumbai in a general compartment where I was the only girl. I was carrying a big suitcase and there was this bewildered expression on my face anyone could easily read. It was kind of awkward and scary. I was praying throughout the time that I would not be kidnapped or robbed in the train like in some Bollywood movie. A gentleman guided me to the Dadar station and after some hassle I went to the right bus station. I then took a bus to Satara. The bus conductor was shockingly very nice to me. My smile and little flirtatious gestures must have done the wonder. Then it was a very long ride to Satara. Along the way I saw a very different India and I liked it. I liked the landscape, winding roads along some hill station, rural people who had just learned some traits of modern world, some cities, co riders and everything. It was pretty nice. Once I reached Satara I had to call Suzanne again to call the car that was hired for me. The driver who picked me up went for lunch and then there was a new one. Satara to Mhaswad was about one and a half hour ride in car. It would take longer in bus, Suzanne told me when I reached Mann Deshi. With a random chat along the way with the driver I reached Mann Deshi finally where I was welcomed by my colleagues and mentors. It felt nice though I was exhausted to the state of passing out. I came to the house of Chetna Maam, the founder of Mann Deshi, where other interns were also staying. I took a shower and slept for almost five hours before dinner. After dinner I again went to sleep. It was a long and tiring but exciting journey to India. I expect there are more interesting things stored along the way for me. I hope tomorrow is going to be another great day of my journey.
First day in office
June 4th 2009
Today was my first day at office. I could not sleep till late this morning as I had been sleeping for more than 12 hours since I came here yesterday. I got up early and read through few pages of Shantaram. I like this book. It makes me optimistic about everything in India. It is true that it guides some of my perceptions about Indian cities and Indian, but I won’t be able to make any judgment until I see enough of India on my own. At around 9 we had a breakfast of fried rice, curd, mangoes, banana and some kind of Marathi pudding. It was a good meal. I had Indian mangoes after almost two years and I loved it. I then headed to Mann Deshi’s office with other interns at around 10:15. I took a spot close to other volunteers and started observing the office. There were awards and certificates hung all over the walls that were given to the founder of the organization. Some people had already arrived while others were still to come. We were served tea as soon as we got there. Everything seemed so relaxed as Suzanne had written earlier. I was then scheduled to meet Chetna madam to discuss my interest and then I was told I would be assigned a project. I was talking to Rama, one of the interns from Delhi who was there since February, and he had told me to be aggressive and persistent on my interest. I only had faintest idea of what I wanted to do.
I told them that I wanted to continue on the impact assessment project that previous intern had done in 2006. It is a tough decision. I will be responsible for everything from designing the survey to interviewing people and analyzing the data on my own. I don’t know how I will make through it. I am very impulsive and that at times puts me at stake. I just don’t want to change my decision again.
Today was my first day at office. I could not sleep till late this morning as I had been sleeping for more than 12 hours since I came here yesterday. I got up early and read through few pages of Shantaram. I like this book. It makes me optimistic about everything in India. It is true that it guides some of my perceptions about Indian cities and Indian, but I won’t be able to make any judgment until I see enough of India on my own. At around 9 we had a breakfast of fried rice, curd, mangoes, banana and some kind of Marathi pudding. It was a good meal. I had Indian mangoes after almost two years and I loved it. I then headed to Mann Deshi’s office with other interns at around 10:15. I took a spot close to other volunteers and started observing the office. There were awards and certificates hung all over the walls that were given to the founder of the organization. Some people had already arrived while others were still to come. We were served tea as soon as we got there. Everything seemed so relaxed as Suzanne had written earlier. I was then scheduled to meet Chetna madam to discuss my interest and then I was told I would be assigned a project. I was talking to Rama, one of the interns from Delhi who was there since February, and he had told me to be aggressive and persistent on my interest. I only had faintest idea of what I wanted to do.
I told them that I wanted to continue on the impact assessment project that previous intern had done in 2006. It is a tough decision. I will be responsible for everything from designing the survey to interviewing people and analyzing the data on my own. I don’t know how I will make through it. I am very impulsive and that at times puts me at stake. I just don’t want to change my decision again.
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