The last two days flew like a kite flown by someone who actually knows how to fly kites...

Dede here. I don't have much time to write; im so conflicted cause i want to write about everything but i also hate the feeling of time in Bhopal wasted behind a computed screen. The last few days have been the embodiment of that struggle since we've had so much to do with our hands and on our laptops. Here's the brief breakdown

2 days ago on Thursday....

-woke up and headed downstairs with alizarin to weed in the garden. we pulled up blades of grass with our hands in a clever twisting motion we learned 3 days ago from one of the gardeners. we got more blisters and I thought of my grandpa who would surely be proud of me reflecting on my family's own agricultural background and telling little stories about how he had to pick potato bugs as a kid (100 = a penny).

-went to lunch and had spicy cabbage. sat with Shehnaz, the librarian and our BEST FRIEND, the gardener lady and a bunch of very sweet, gossipy community health workers

-worked at talked in the library with Shehnaz and Tilak Raj, a researcher.

-went across the street to Iram and Sufjan's house (friendly, hardworkin neighbors) heard about Iram's upcoming marriage to her cousin (!) and made plans to take them to Sanchi (nearby buddhist stupas) which they have not seen yet

-went home and tried to fly kites with Ashish and Jimmy, the cook Jayshree's little boys!we were horrible but it was so fun and after that we made chapatis with Jayshree, chopped veggies for aloo gobi, taught the boys 'up high, down low, to the side, too slow' and cats cradle and just generally fooled around. they took about a million pictures on our digital cameras, which they think are so fun.

-khanna and sleep

Yesterday- Friday!

-woke up and spent the morning planning for our december trip with Joey and Arjun in the south (karnataka, kerala and maybe tamil nadu). it was hard booking the trains and planning the timing.

-sketched (for our children vs. Dow carbide sculpture project) and scanned in the library

-ate lunch with Keith, a very interesting photojournalist who was covering Sambhavna and hoping to send pics to NYTimes of Reuters when they need them, inevitably, at the anniversary. He was an enigma to us as he had been all over the world (just came back from Afghanistan and Pakistan and was living in Delhi) yet seemed so unimpressed and jaded (that might be the right word. i cant be sure). He was nice too though; bought me a chai.

-went to Sambhavna's weekly meeting which occurs every friday from 2-4 (but lasted til 5) at which every member of the staff can put in their 2 cents about problems and concerns and ideas and expenses, very bluntly might i add. there were a few moments where the discussion exploded into a million little comments after a community health worker accused the ayurvedic doctors of not being thorough enough with an anemia patient who was not getting better. at various other times people got heated about supplies that they thought others needed or didnt need, or during the accusation the steering committee (who decides what action should be taken to fix problems) made that the sanitation workers werent cleaning well enough. anyway it was all very interesting and inspirational- so egalitarian and inclusive and productive (i thought). it was unlike anything i have seen before in the US; Sathyu who is essentially the founder and the head of the clinic had equal say with the cleaning lady who scrubs the floors and tiles and that was seen as normal, fair.  Anyway, we introduced ourselve, gave our backgrounds and skills and asked for projects (which sathyu translated into hindi) and we got SO MANY suggestions/ requests back! murals in the community with health messages, teaching staff members how to draw, making a map to illustrate what neighborhoods' residents are elligible for care and so much more. we even got one project to do immediately: make 20 posters announcing the upcoming YESMEN FIX THE WORLD SCREENING (go see it!!!! its awesome!!) 

-we then worked for a few hours painting the signs! it was harder than we expected mixing our paints and painting the same thing over and over again.

-Jimmy and Ashish came in and took pictures, finger painted, we played more

-we tiredly ate idli (little white pillowy breads made of fermented dough) with spicy dal and coconut chutney (which reminded me of guacamole with all of its cilantro and onion) then went right to sleep

 we'll put up pictures soon