The title to this blog post is kind of ironic given that yesterday was day 10 out of 16 of being on the farm, and was the first day that I did any kind of actual farm work. But here I am! I arrived on November 12 to Melkote, Karnataka, India, and I'm here for about a month to work for Janapada Seva Trust (janapada.net). Their website describes the NGO and what they do and is actually a great website if you feel like checking it out!
I am sorry it has been so many weeks since my last blog post. I went on my 3-week vacation which was wonderful! I traveled with my friend Justin and though our plans changed a LOT, it ended up being great. We went to three beaches in Goa, then to Mumbai, Amritsar, Shimla, and Manali. We were also in Delhi for about a day. I will write more about that at another time, and post pics eventually!
So, my intention in coming to Melkote was to learn about organic farming. My organic guru is named Santhosh Kaulagi, and he runs Janapada, which his parents started some 50 years ago. Most of his family lives together in Melkote, and I am staying in an empty family member's house just a five minute walk from their house. Santhosh and his wife and three children live a few kms away on their own farm. As I said, the first ten days I did no farm work. Santhosh seemed more intent on teaching me more about holistic, sustainable living. At least that's what he said. This translated into over a week of me doing rather menial chores: sweeping out rooms, learning to spin thread on a hand loom, and chopping vegetables. This wasn't really a problem for me, but I am paying HIM $200 plus other expenses to do work on his farm. I don't know whether it's because I am a woman, or what, but he didn't seem to want to give me physical labor to do. Finally I started to yesterday. To be fair, it seems there isn't all that much physical labor to do. Plus, he has field hands who do it, he doesn't do it at all. Yesterday, me and two other guys named Naga and Gopalla weeded onion fields, and today we cleared land. Overall, I am much slower than them, but they are so patient with me, and as long as I'm not getting in their way I'm happy. It feels so good to be out in the sun doing work! I have been stuck in a classroom for too long.
I would say the biggest challenge here is communication. Santhosh speaks good English, and some of his family knows enough to make simple sentences with me, and then most people know a few words. My Kannada has gotten a lot better just in 10 days! I know a lot of important phrases now and can usually come up with a word or two to get what I want. For example, I got a sari today! I am really excited because a lot of women here asked me why I don't wear one. I didn't have a good reason besides the fact that I've been with Americans up until now. Coming to Melkote has sort of been like been thrown into shark-infested waters. I'm definitely the only non-Indian in the whole village. And it's been reiterated several times that Melkote is very traditional. It's a beautiful little temple town though, with the temple overlooking the village from a huge rocky hill. There are several sacred ponds scattered around, and it's not very busy. Most people are always barefoot and there are always baby goats in the streets, which are also my new favorite animal cause they are so adorable!
I try to challenge myself by asking people questions and things like that, but honestly, I am silent probably 80% of my day. In a way, it makes the days drag on, but in another way, it's really peaceful. It's good that I don't mind being quiet... but sometimes I feel a little bit like a bump on a log. I hate when I feel like a burden to Santhosh and his family, which is sometimes a lot. But I have tried to make myself clear that I want to be put to work, and that's becoming more frequent.
Another challenge is the food. Indian food is and always will be fantastic. But traditional South Indian food is an entirely different being.. a being which I have called: white rice. Generally, I am served rice three meals a day. And the amount that I eat is about half of what other Indians eat. It's served with a soup/sauce called sambar which usually has some vegetables in it. It has been so hard on my system though. The second night I was here I got really sick, and I have no idea what from, maybe the water. I was up all night throwing up for 8 hours straight. That was a blow to my positive attitude for sure. I recovered pretty quickly though, and I think the family has learned that I can't eat quite as much as them. I go out and buy my own cucumbers, tomatos, apples, and bananas too. Eating raw fruits and veggies, even just one thing a day has helped me so much!
I could probably write for another hour, there is so much to describe. I wish you all could be here with me. It's amazing the prolific cow poop, blaring horns, pushing to get on the bus, trash on the street, chattering Kannada, and tiny cups of tea have all become like characteristics of home to me. I'm sure that I'm going to think America is remarkably clean, quiet, and empty. You'd be surprised at the assumptions made about America here: that everyone is extremely rich, fat, and happy; and in some cases, that it is the same place as England! I cleared up that last one though.
Anyway, I miss you all so much. I can't wait to be home... only three weeks! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! Save me some turkey.
Love,
Julia
