This is an image from a recent festival where participant's try to build a human pyramid big enough to smash a pot containing cash overhead.
This year 3 teams from Spain came to take part.
Pots are set up all over India, and teams compete all day.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Adam's sister's trip
Hi, Adam here,
By the way, we still don't have internet at home. I've just taken a few photos to work on my pen-drive, so that they don't go too much out of date!!
I've already told you a little bit about my sister being here, but here is photographic proof!
Inga, Alice, Robert and Andrew all went on an elephant ride while they were travelling in the north of India. Now Alistair says "I want to go an an elephant"!!
For our 6th wedding anniversary we went as a family to a posh hotel nearby. It was for 2 nights and 3 days, and we had a great time. Jo arranged for our room to be filled with red love-heart baloons!!, and she also had the waiter bring out a surprise chocolate cake on the evening of our anniversary!
The hotel was lovely, with great buffet meals, and a water park with some kids slides, that Alistair loved!
The photo you see here is taken at the doorway of the largest temple carved out of the rock in India (I think that's right). You may think "that probably isn't saying a lot"!? However there aer lots of these cave temples in India, and this one was MASSIVE, and very impressive.
It was a hot day, and we had to climb several hundred steps to the temple, so please excuse my sweat marks!!
One Year on........
Hi, Jo here, it’s been a while since I added anything to this blog (mainly because we’ve had no internet access at home since we got back from the UK in July) so now, just over a year since we arrived in India, seems as good a time as any for an update. Our ‘anniversary’ prompted us to do a bit of reflection on the past year. Although it has been hard at times and there is a touch of relief that we did it and survived (!), we are glad we came and glad that we are still here! We’ve learnt so much about the country, the culture, people and language and also about ourselves.
Some highlights:
-Arriving in India, finally, after months of preparation, packing and goodbyes. Coming out of the airport and remembering what we loved about India
-Settling in to our own flat and making it home and, in March, settling into our new, improved flat which has made life so much easier.
-Shopping. Learning how and where to shop and what we could and couldn’t buy.
-The fruit and vegetables, which are fantastic and fantastically cheap. We will struggle to part with our cash when we return to the UK after such luxuries as a box of 24 mangoes for 2.50!
-One month in Mussoorie in Oct/Nov studying Hindi. Walking to ‘school’ everyday looking at the snow-capped Himalayas was something we will never forget. It has been great putting our Hindi into practice and becoming, slowly, more confident. Folk are always pleased, and often surprised when we talk to them in Hindi.
-The animals, which you both love and hate. A trip anywhere generally includes pigs (a family of which live on the rubbish tip in our street), chickens, lots of dogs, a goat or two, cows and the odd elephant thrown in for good measure! For all that I worry about what the children miss out on, experiences like this are unique and great for language development!
-Speaking of language development, Alistair’s expanding Hindi repertoire delights and amuses us. He has really adopted the ‘Indian way’ with the head wobble, hand movements, intonation and ‘Hinglish’ grammar! I love the fact that he and Freya are absorbing a different culture which will hopefully broaden their views of the world and make them more tolerant and versatile in years to come.
-Being out in the early-late evening and experiencing the buzz on the streets as everyone emerges from the heat to buy, sell, play, chat, walk…. Watching the wee man ride ably along on his bike with 20 trays of eggs tied precariously onto to the back, or the 2 men on their scooter carrying a huge pane of glass while chatting on their mobiles.
-Driving! I never thought I would drive a car in India! There is actually a bizarre logic to the chaos once you get used to it and learn never to stop or give way to anything!
-Adam’s family visiting us for Christmas, and New Year’s Eve spent with them in Mumbai. We brought in 2006 in a rooftop restaurant looking out over the harbour with the Gateway of India in full view.
-Freya’s arrival on the 15th January has to be a highlight for all of us. I certainly won’t forget the experience (!). It’s hard to believe that a year ago we were here and she wasn’t when now she is such a part of our family.
-My parent’s coming to visit when Freya was 3 weeks old. It was really special to be able to share our excitement with close family.
-Adam’s sister and friends coming in July/August.
-All the other visitors that we’ve had. It’s as though we’ve got to know more people and more people better by being here than if we’d been in the UK!
-Our anniversary weekend at a posh hotel, complete with big red love heart balloons!
-Of course our work here which you can, if you haven’t already, read about in more detail in previous entries.
I could go on but won’t, except to say that we are looking forward to the next 2 years. Now that we’ve already hit the one year mark, we realize how quickly our time in India will go and want to make the most of our experience and roles here.
Some highlights:
-Arriving in India, finally, after months of preparation, packing and goodbyes. Coming out of the airport and remembering what we loved about India
-Settling in to our own flat and making it home and, in March, settling into our new, improved flat which has made life so much easier.
-Shopping. Learning how and where to shop and what we could and couldn’t buy.
-The fruit and vegetables, which are fantastic and fantastically cheap. We will struggle to part with our cash when we return to the UK after such luxuries as a box of 24 mangoes for 2.50!
-One month in Mussoorie in Oct/Nov studying Hindi. Walking to ‘school’ everyday looking at the snow-capped Himalayas was something we will never forget. It has been great putting our Hindi into practice and becoming, slowly, more confident. Folk are always pleased, and often surprised when we talk to them in Hindi.
-The animals, which you both love and hate. A trip anywhere generally includes pigs (a family of which live on the rubbish tip in our street), chickens, lots of dogs, a goat or two, cows and the odd elephant thrown in for good measure! For all that I worry about what the children miss out on, experiences like this are unique and great for language development!
-Speaking of language development, Alistair’s expanding Hindi repertoire delights and amuses us. He has really adopted the ‘Indian way’ with the head wobble, hand movements, intonation and ‘Hinglish’ grammar! I love the fact that he and Freya are absorbing a different culture which will hopefully broaden their views of the world and make them more tolerant and versatile in years to come.
-Being out in the early-late evening and experiencing the buzz on the streets as everyone emerges from the heat to buy, sell, play, chat, walk…. Watching the wee man ride ably along on his bike with 20 trays of eggs tied precariously onto to the back, or the 2 men on their scooter carrying a huge pane of glass while chatting on their mobiles.
-Driving! I never thought I would drive a car in India! There is actually a bizarre logic to the chaos once you get used to it and learn never to stop or give way to anything!
-Adam’s family visiting us for Christmas, and New Year’s Eve spent with them in Mumbai. We brought in 2006 in a rooftop restaurant looking out over the harbour with the Gateway of India in full view.
-Freya’s arrival on the 15th January has to be a highlight for all of us. I certainly won’t forget the experience (!). It’s hard to believe that a year ago we were here and she wasn’t when now she is such a part of our family.
-My parent’s coming to visit when Freya was 3 weeks old. It was really special to be able to share our excitement with close family.
-Adam’s sister and friends coming in July/August.
-All the other visitors that we’ve had. It’s as though we’ve got to know more people and more people better by being here than if we’d been in the UK!
-Our anniversary weekend at a posh hotel, complete with big red love heart balloons!
-Of course our work here which you can, if you haven’t already, read about in more detail in previous entries.
I could go on but won’t, except to say that we are looking forward to the next 2 years. Now that we’ve already hit the one year mark, we realize how quickly our time in India will go and want to make the most of our experience and roles here.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Children's work
Many of you are especially interested in the children's work that we do. I guess that children hold a special place in the hearts of most of us. Especially those who are severly disadvantaged in this cruel world by no fault of their own.
The work we do with children is in many ways difficult to pin down, as we really see most of our children in the day to day clinics and visits, and they are seen in with our other patient's mostly, and so it can be difficult to quantify and tie-down.
Currently children do not recieve any HIV/AIDS treatment free from the Government, but that is hopefully going to change. There have been some meetings to discuss setting up government clinics for free medicines and treatment for children, and so all local charities have been asked to compile a list of children with HIV, or who are at risk of contracting HIV.
Thankfully only a small percentage of children born to HIV+ mothers actually have HIV themselves (10-30% depending on circumstances).
Here is a little summary of the children we see
1) JEEVAN SAHARA KENDRA- We currently treat 16 HIV+ children Here in our clinic as our own patients. However we have 40 Children that MAY have HIV, but have not been tested yet. If the children are well, it is often difficult to persuade parents to have them tested.
2) GROWING ORPHAN CONCERN- We also have 4 orphans, but another 16 children with only one HIV positive parent left, and 31 children who have both parents suffering from HIV. Many of these children will become orphans, and there will also be many more as time progresses, and more and more parents die of HIV, leaving healthy HIV- children behind. These children are the future of India. We believe that it is best for children to be with family/relatives where possible, with support if necessary. However sometimes relatives are estranged, or cannot cope. In this circumstance we would like to start a mid-week orphanage, where children stay in an orphanage during the week, but still go back to relatives at the weekend. This project is still only a dream, and not even on paper, but a real desire, and will hopefully come to fruition during my time here in India.
3) PURNATA BHAVAN PATIENTS- Another 14 HIV+ orphans travel from an orphanage 3 hours away to recieve treatment from us. We have been providing this service for 7 months, and when we started, many of the children were on the wrong treatment rom elsewhere.
4) JEEVAN ASHA PATIENTS- A month ago we started treating 55 children who are not HIV+, but attend a pre-school in a local church nearby. They are all from very poor backgrounds. Some may have HIV, but we do not know of any at present.
5) MULUND CHURCH- A nearby suburb has a very motivated house-Church who currently have a small orphanage with 2 of our children, and one of our HIV+ rescued prostitutes acting as warden/mum. 2 of the church members have recently left well paying jobs to seek god's will for their lives, and the Church have a real heart to expand their HIV work.
I hope this gives you some idea of what we are involved in with children. It has actually been quite encouraging for me just to write this out and see all the kids whose lives we are impacting!!
The work we do with children is in many ways difficult to pin down, as we really see most of our children in the day to day clinics and visits, and they are seen in with our other patient's mostly, and so it can be difficult to quantify and tie-down.
Currently children do not recieve any HIV/AIDS treatment free from the Government, but that is hopefully going to change. There have been some meetings to discuss setting up government clinics for free medicines and treatment for children, and so all local charities have been asked to compile a list of children with HIV, or who are at risk of contracting HIV.
Thankfully only a small percentage of children born to HIV+ mothers actually have HIV themselves (10-30% depending on circumstances).
Here is a little summary of the children we see
1) JEEVAN SAHARA KENDRA- We currently treat 16 HIV+ children Here in our clinic as our own patients. However we have 40 Children that MAY have HIV, but have not been tested yet. If the children are well, it is often difficult to persuade parents to have them tested.
2) GROWING ORPHAN CONCERN- We also have 4 orphans, but another 16 children with only one HIV positive parent left, and 31 children who have both parents suffering from HIV. Many of these children will become orphans, and there will also be many more as time progresses, and more and more parents die of HIV, leaving healthy HIV- children behind. These children are the future of India. We believe that it is best for children to be with family/relatives where possible, with support if necessary. However sometimes relatives are estranged, or cannot cope. In this circumstance we would like to start a mid-week orphanage, where children stay in an orphanage during the week, but still go back to relatives at the weekend. This project is still only a dream, and not even on paper, but a real desire, and will hopefully come to fruition during my time here in India.
3) PURNATA BHAVAN PATIENTS- Another 14 HIV+ orphans travel from an orphanage 3 hours away to recieve treatment from us. We have been providing this service for 7 months, and when we started, many of the children were on the wrong treatment rom elsewhere.
5) MULUND CHURCH- A nearby suburb has a very motivated house-Church who currently have a small orphanage with 2 of our children, and one of our HIV+ rescued prostitutes acting as warden/mum. 2 of the church members have recently left well paying jobs to seek god's will for their lives, and the Church have a real heart to expand their HIV work.
I hope this gives you some idea of what we are involved in with children. It has actually been quite encouraging for me just to write this out and see all the kids whose lives we are impacting!!
Jo's work
Jo has been doing 2 afternoon's a week in the hospital for a couple of months now, and it is going well. She has had some successes, and some failures- people's expectations are often unrealistic. They don't realize that actually they have to do most of the work, and Jo can't just wave a magic wand or whatever! There is a lady called Denyse coming here in Dec. Jan. to help set up a better service. She runs the Adults with brain injury unit in Glasgow, and Jo is very excited.
I'm perhaps going to babysit a bit more During the time that Denyse is here, so please pray for work not to suffer. It is feasible that we might even have internet at home by then, and that I'll be able to update this blog a bit more easily and frequently, and actually update with some pictures as well! (Actually I'm being a bit facetious, (did a spell-check on that word, and it was correct-WOW!) Although Jo and I have spent many man/woman hours trying to sort out internet with 2 other companies since we returned to India in July, we are now hopeful that the third company should actually have us on-line within a fortnight).
Anyway, your prayers for Jo would be greatly appreciated.
I'm perhaps going to babysit a bit more During the time that Denyse is here, so please pray for work not to suffer. It is feasible that we might even have internet at home by then, and that I'll be able to update this blog a bit more easily and frequently, and actually update with some pictures as well! (Actually I'm being a bit facetious, (did a spell-check on that word, and it was correct-WOW!) Although Jo and I have spent many man/woman hours trying to sort out internet with 2 other companies since we returned to India in July, we are now hopeful that the third company should actually have us on-line within a fortnight).
Anyway, your prayers for Jo would be greatly appreciated.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Update on my father
Hello all, thanks for all you support and prayers for my dad. He remains upbeat, hopeful and only a little frustrated with the NHS!
My dad goes to see his consultant again on the 2nd of November for another bowel test. Hopefully his problem will be completely healed as this is what a lot of people are praying for. This is also what I'm praying for, but I know I lack the faith! Maybe if we're all praying, all our little bits of faith will add together and we'll see a miracle happening!!
Even if he needs a section of bowel removed, it seems likely from his reports so far that this will be curative, so all in all we are hopeful. Thanks for your prayers and support at this time,
Lots of love, Adam
My dad goes to see his consultant again on the 2nd of November for another bowel test. Hopefully his problem will be completely healed as this is what a lot of people are praying for. This is also what I'm praying for, but I know I lack the faith! Maybe if we're all praying, all our little bits of faith will add together and we'll see a miracle happening!!
Even if he needs a section of bowel removed, it seems likely from his reports so far that this will be curative, so all in all we are hopeful. Thanks for your prayers and support at this time,
Lots of love, Adam
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