Outrageous…

After a truly exhausting day of sitting around doing nothing yesterday, Jacqi and I decided to take it easy and read/sleep on this hot, humid Sunday. We went to Oberon Mall to eat some delicious (makes me sick afterward) pizza. To get to this amazing haven we have to take a death trap for a once fearful, but now enjoyable ride.

(actual view of a passing death trap from a death trap)

The entire cost of a one-way trip costs 60 rupees ($1.27). However, on our return trip the ‘cabbie’ tried to swindle us for an outrageous 90 rupees!!!! Jacqi and I proceed to argue with him over (if you can’t do the math) .43 cents. That’s right, I’ve become ‘that’ girl who argues over .43 cents. I’m totally fine in the States paying outrageous amounts of money for the Office Season 7 (HD), but I will not be had over .43 cents.

(picture of a 'nice' death trap complete with tarp to keep out monsoon)

Somasa...

Yesterday was a very exciting day…lies. I was going to go visit safe-house for children, but they canceled it at the last minute so I was stuck on campus all day ‘researching’. However, I was able to pick up the rest of my new India clothes that I’m being forced to wear and found a cute little India shop where I can buy snacks. I bought some Cheetos (which expired in May, but were still great), crackers, a samosa, and some sort of chips….all for only .88 such a steal. The samosa was great!!!

(actual street somosa)

Caitlin and Kim (along with Kim’s dogs Winnie and Asia) were able to Skype with me the other night (morning for them). We had a nice time chatting and I was able to watch them eat a frozen India dinner! It was great chatting and catching up with people from home. I’m really loving this Skype situation.


(Winnie)

Train Rides...

Yesterday, we woke up at 3am to travel 4.5 hour (just one way) on a blue, bug infested, ‘air-conditioned’, cramped train to the southern most tip of India to the city of Kovalam. We then took a 30-minute bus ride to random bus stop in the middle of nowhere and then caught an auto rickshaw to travel down a mud road to a small fishing/coconut village. Sidenote: auto rickshaws are small three-wheeled taxis that we take to get around when buses are unavailable. I would like to refer to them from now on as a ‘death trap’.

The fishing/coconut village itself sits about 10 feet from the Arabian Sea. We were all able to sit and take a moment to enjoy the ocean breeze before we began our work. The village has also experienced severe tsunamis in years past and has since barracked the beach with huge boulders to try and protect the village.



We were there with the organization OutReach to assess the village and the needs of the family to send their children to school. It was a long process, but now at least one child from each family in the village will be ‘sponsored’. It was emotional to see some of these families and what little they had to live on. Our guides told us that when fishing is doing poorly that families will ‘harvest’ coconuts and make the thready inside of coconuts into twine to sell at the market. A typical day of a coconut worker would be working from 3am-7pm.

baby coconut tree.

After we were done we took the train back (another 4.5 hours) home. It was a looooooooooong day, but well worth it.

Envy...

Today was a very special day after a rigorous session of learning Malayalam (the language) Biji brought me my first package!!!!!


I was overjoyed to open my mail and find nothing other than a book...and a vampire book at that!! Life could not get any better today. Caitlin you are one amazing person!!!


I also had an awkward encounter with a our local chef. I was watching him butcher some fish for what I assume will be our lunch later on and I witnessed a cat stalking the fish. I tried to inquire if they were going to feed the cat the scraps of fish, but I think he thought I was asking if he was going to cook the cat with the fish. He shook his head back and forth saying 'Oh no!!'. However, later on I saw him feeding the cat the leftover fish. I hope he doesn't think I'm a weirdo now.

Mongoose and Boredom...

India has proven to be slower than I expected. We have yet to begin our classes/internship and we are having trouble just trying to fill our days with activities. We live in a fairly small village so it is difficult to do anything unless you take a bus to the mall. Also, due to the MASSIVE amounts of rain it's difficult to step outside to do laundry or any other outdoor activity. The last couple of days we have been stuck inside watching American TV on the internet.....so we are super bored. However, we have come up with a plan.....catch the mongoose. We've researched online (http://www.howtogetrid.org/pest-control/ways-to-get-rid-of-mongoose/) and conversed with experts (the locals) on ways to catch this dangerous creature. Our days now will be filled with building traps and stalking the campus mongoose. All to say is that we are really bored and ready to begin our studies here in India.


(Not the actual mongoose)

Just another day in India...

Yesterday we all had an exciting adventure!!! For only 200 rupees (the equivalent of $4) we were able to ride an elephant!! It was a crazy experience to be on top of something that could literally crush you to death at any moment, but it was well worth the $4 and fear of death.



As you can see it rains most, if not all the time here. It's an odd experience to be caught in this rain at any moment. The rain starts off not as a light drizzle, but an all out downpour without so much as a warning.

Today has been a lazy Sunday of hand-washing laundry, towels, and sheets. It's amazing how much you get done when you get up at 5am because birds are screeching outside your window...another story for another day.

I feel like I'm surrounded by the nature. Just the other day Jacqi and I witnessed a mongoose run across the path we walk to school. I told Biju (the guy who is in charge of us over here) and he has a long-standing goal to catch this particular mongoose...maybe I'll try to catch it for him while I'm here.

Number

So the people messed up my phone number!!! Here is the new one!!

9633791889

Here is a picture!!!

HOT!!!!

After almost 48 hours of travel we made it safely to Kochi, India!!! We are living in a small town outside of the city limits called Kalamassery. I have no idea how big this town is, but it seems to be that everyone already knows that the Americans have arrived!

It’s difficult to write down all the emotions I have felt in the past couples of days. I often fluctuate from overwhelming anxiety to excitement. We have a contact here named Biju, but because of India culture we are often just waiting around for people to show up and tell up what to do. We have had ‘full days’ of appointments since arriving, but have waited HOURS for someone to meet with us for a 10 minute meeting. It’s frustrating just waiting around, but at this point we have nothing better to do.

The house we are living in is really an apartment above a house where a family resides right outside the campus gates…..and by right outside I mean the campus gate literally hits our house when it swings open. Currently, we have to use the family entrance which means knocking on the doors each time we want to come home, but a private entrance is being constructed for us…who knows when it will be done if ever.

My address is
Katherine Todd
c/o Biju Chottupuram
Rajagiri
College of Social Sciences
Rajagiri P.O. Kalamassery
Cochin - 683 104, Kerala, India

I do have a cell phone number:
(0091) 963-3788-0764

Many websites have phone cards available to buy online if you feel the desire to give me a ring and if you find a good one let me know so I can post it here!

I promise I’ll write with more stories soon. Until then here are some pictures.

My bed complete with bug netting to keep me safe from the Nature.


My laundry drying outside after I hand washed it in buckets with TIDE!!!


Monsoon rain!!