My journeys....

HELP!!!!!???? --- inspired by " The Beatles"

2010-11-09T03:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of the songs appropriate for Volunteers overseas...very meaningful.

HELP!!!!!?????

Yes!! the word HELP has been overused by almost all of us including international volunteers. I agree with Peter Woolf of VSO UK...quoting him....

By Peter Woolf: November 8th, 2010

"We’ve racked our brains and come up with the following list of Top 10 songs that sum up the volunteer experience or songs that should be on any volunteers ipod."

I agree with you!!! your suggested list of songs were really appropriate for us...different moods every hour of the day, every day of the week, every week of the month and every month of the year until we finish our tasks helping and sharing our knowledge and learning from everyone we meet and encounter while we cross this special road we have chosen.

I have LEARNED that when i give HELP to anyone including a co-volunteer--- never expect them to be grateful, otherwise, you get frustrated.

.... to be continued.....

Tastes of Ranchi, India

2010-11-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Another Forest Experience

I had the grand time touring Ranchi's Bharwan Birsa Biological Park which is about 18 kilometers away from the city proper. Maybe you will need more or less three hours to see the entire park. It's not a mere park but another forest of India where different kinds of trees and wild animals considered as endangered species can be found. Along the way, sights of spiders are awesome silently weaving their webs. Proper maintenance and cleanliness of the of the park was very noticeable. I observed here in Ranchi that the Jharkhand government gives importance in the maintenance of their forest parks aside from their military camps.

Many thanks to the family of Harsh ( Indian national ), married to Precious ( a Filipina) who were very accommodating "special tourist guides" with their smart 2-year old daughter Nathania nicknamed Ania.

this tree guide is telling us which way to go....

In this photo are: me, Maribel, Precious and her daughter Ania.

everytime live

2010-10-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Just want to be myself.........

2010-10-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ranchi, India- October 25,2010,

While im on my ISOLATION and IMMERSION period......alone...

....suddenly would just love to hear these songs....

.....and collected some inspiring quotes to uplift my spirits....

"The only way to get what you really want, is to know what you really want. And the only way to know what you really want, is to know yourself. And the only way to know yourself, is to be yourself. And the only way to be yourself is to listen to your heart." - Mike Dooley

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, I believe I can start from now and make a brand new successful and happy ending."

-----Author Unknown

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
----Walt Disney

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
-----Winston Churchill

Orchha, Madhya Pradesh Escapades

2010-10-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

DESTINATION:
ORCHHA, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

Purpose of Visit: Attended a 3-day VSO Conference and at the same time got the chance to see Jahanjir Mahal or the King's Palace , one of the tourists attractions of Orchha, Madhya Pradesh .and enjoyed the sight of beautiful riverside of the River Betwa surrounded by forests. I have also visited the town's market place.

The conference was about monitoring and evaluation and VSO India's strategy and way of working on major development issues in India - the challenges and strategies to adopt.

I am also very fortunate to have visited The King's Palace or Jahanjir Mahal. The King's Palace is an example of harmonized and organized execution of medieval Indo-Islamic architecture and what attracted me most was one of the building designs - the series of elephant brackets at regular intervals- i found these ancient designs awesome and very unique.

ORCHHA, MADHYA PRADESH

Orchha - upon reaching this place, what was very noticeable was its cleanliness. I have considered this place as a clean , quiet and refreshing place to stay. This small village of Madhya Pradesh is situated in the forests away from the main traffic and other busy places of India. I have learned that the meaning of the place, Orchha is ‘a hidden place’ which I totally agree. The road going to this village can be compared to my travel going to Tagaytay City of my own country, Philippines.

During my stay at Bundlekhand Riverside Hotel, situated beside the riverbank of the River Betwa of Orchha, I have experienced total serenity and relaxed feeling especially at night. I also found this place very romantic.

VENUE :
Bundlekhand Riverside Hotel

hote's lobby...

hotel's entrance...

hotel rooms...

hotel's rooftop...

the serenity you can feel at night....

the garden has enough space to accommodate parties and play badminton as well....

my hotel room overlooking the riverside...

The King's Palace of Orchha (Jahanjir Mahal)...

forests surrounding the tiny village of Orchha....

finally we 've reached the top of King's Palace...

Deoghar, Jharkand

2010-10-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is Jasidih train station, where i get off going to Deoghar, Jharkhand. Train is India's major transport

system.

Why I cried…..

Last May 2009, as I set foot in the rural town of Deoghar, Jharkhand, somehow remote and random place …I cried so hard for weeks!!! ..almost everyday while riding their manual rickshaw going to my new office.
Deeply saddened due to change of environment? being alone? a total stranger ? change of lifestyle? Is it the manual rickshaw ride? is it the severe hot weather condition? is it the cleanliness of surroundings? So many changes that I have to adjust----wondering who can help or initiate for everyone go to the next level of cleanliness….litters along the road , the market area, the neighborhood and everywhere.

The feeling was like i went back to the PAST--- about 50 years back...and asking myself, " why am i doing this ? for the love of what? it's like i have almost forgotten my real objective of "sharing my skills and changing lives " motto of VSO...

I'm not blaming myself for these reactions since my orientation during our In-Country briefing for almost a month was that I'll be posted in Kolkata--- India's oldest city -- so I was not really prepared to live in a somewhat remote and isolated place like Deoghar.

The manual rickshaw...

Sites you can see along Tower Chouck -- Deoghar's commercial area.....

in Tower Chouck, Deoghar-- men cooking their favorite street foods--

In Jamtara Village-- one of the villages(barrios) of Deoghar...

...these are cow's dung!!!! the villagers collect them for various uses...

a tribal village house made of clay...

In Jamtara village(barrio) with one of the woman leaders/ volunteers working on health / hiv issues.

My 3rd flat in Deoghar!!!! located at the ground floor of this 3-storey building--- i decided to transfer to this flat just in time for hot season starting April 2010 up to the time i left Deoghar on September 18, 2010.

my dining room and receiving area as well........

Some of NEEDS staff and the 3 VSO volunteers- me, Sangita and Jim during send-off party for one Program Manager, Niladri. Photo taken inside compound where our office is located.

More pictures of Deoghar...

vegetable market along the road....

this is where i buy my chicken....

one source of income for the poor...

a meeting with the village ladies...called self help group(SHGs) one example of women empowerment...

they like sugar-cane juice...an example of ingenuity...

delivery of goods ...via manual carriage...

palm tree.....

this is the process of how they construct houses or buildings...shown are their bricks...

SUMMER IN DEOGHAR, JHARKHAND, INDIA

2010-10-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

SUMMER TIME...........

Living in India especially during its summer season is perhaps the worst thing that ever happened to me.

Here are some of my unforgettable experiences:

Today, April 2, 2010, we 3 volunteers are placed in a very nice office, a newly constructed building.However, what do you expect!!!since we occupy the topmost floor, it’s like a huge furnace, a glass furnace where glass bottles are manufactured…and we are the bottles or the simplest similarity is an oven--- we are the cakes or breads being baked...hahahaha....this is one of the severe tests to measure your PATIENCE!!!!

I prefer to stay in the old building but what can we do!!!! We have no more space to stay in that office. But if you ask me…I can rearrange the old office and definitely all of us can fit in. It is also a waste of money renting this very hot place since almost everyday there are only about 4 of us staying here while the other staff are all in the field.

Life in India …is no joke….it’s a total sacrifice!!!! With the heat alone…..i bet....if someone who has no passion for the kind of job you are in or you have no personal reason why you have to stay in India…then you will not survive.

But it's amazing that I've completed the 2 summer cycles-- 2009 and 2010!!!! whewwww...I'm congratulating myself for that...

To describe how it is ---- Deoghar is like a big oven---- this is not an exaggeration!!!!! In my flat I sleep at night almost bare..nothing on, sweating a lot --- the ceiling fan is not enough-- you just go to sleep sweating and enjoy the hot bed - beside me is my Johnson's baby powder and towel to dry me up everytime i wake up due to severe sweating and unbearable heat--- you will only cry.

My most terrible experience in Deoghar was in the summer of 2009 since my first flat was not provided by any power inverter nor any power generator--- so i have to settle for totally no electricity during power off for at least more than 10 times-- i cannot count how often for the entire day. But at night , i can vividly remember how often--- it's like at least 3-4 times and each power off lasts for 2-3 hours.

I had this very uncomfortable experience because the flat that my organization contracted before i arrived was located on the topmost floor. It's a 2-storey house and on top of my ceiling is already the house rooftop. The house is made of Indian bricks...all made of stones and no part of walls are made of wood except of course the doors plus my house is directly facing west - where the sunsets.

I made some solutions how to address this very hot condition. Every morning, before I leave home for the office , I put my towel and clothes for the evening inside my fridge so that when I get home and have shower , i can use cold towel to damp my body and clothes cold enough to sooth my mind and body even for about 10 minutes.
For my 3rd flat, still so sorry for me-- as I cannot afford to have airconditioning unit - even if I want to buy one-- I will not be allowed -- it's useless--- since the power provider voltage cannot handle an AC--- only allowed to use at least 3 fans and my fridge is off everytime the power goes on and off at night and switched to the power inverter.

Not to forget-- in 2009 - hot weather started from April until September ( almost half of the year ) and in 2010- hot weather started earlier - in the middle of March and until September. Actually, months of August and September are supposed to be monsoon season -- however the rain is so scarce but humidity is too high!!!! You will almost wish to stay in your bathroom the entire night as the temperature goes up to 48 degrees !!!

The first thing i did when i had my vacation in the Philippines last December 2009 was to buy a rechargeable fan and lantern.

my first month in Deoghar...no rechargeable fan/ lantern yet..just candles during power off at night....

my first flat in Deoghar....a 2-storey house--- my flat is at the 2nd floor facing the sunset...

KOLKATA …..april to may 2009

2010-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

at Victoria Memorial Park, Kolkata, India - April 19, 2009...

My original placement was supposed to be in Kolkata hence my language training was Bengali. However, the NGO was perhaps not too keen on getting one International Volunteer or maybe not ready yet to move forward…..thus , as expected, my first day in Kolkata was sort of a “trauma." Actually, I have already foreseen this event to happen---sort of using my ESP - 6th sense…but VSO declined some concerns I have raised prior to my travel from New Delhi to Kolkata – maybe they thought I am rebellious ???

When I arrived Kolkata at around 2pm, I was brought straight to my NGO’s Office – was told to wait for about 2 hours, and observed them to be in chaos, I sensed something – and presto!!!there was no house ready for my accommodation – nothing prepared for my personal requirements. At 5pm, they brought me to a place which I immediately rejected citing to them the requirements and conditions of accommodation --- unsafe place to live-- and the day is running short - the sun bidding good bye. A stranger in this place is no joke - so I ran to Judith Williams, co-volunteer from the USA where I took refuge and spent the night in her flat---although reluctant to accept me as she also has some concerns in her accommodation – however , I insisted. As the two of us have no way to connect to our Home Office in New Delhi – cleverness and persuasion is the name of the game for us foreigners to buy our mobile sim card and get immediate approval ---lucky for us, that one Airtel shop --- considered our application. Normally, it will take 3 to 7 days .for a foreigner to buy a mobile sim card especially if you have no residence permit –strictness? the reason they said was due to Mumbai bombing.

This is an acid test to your decision – making , planning , composure and all related to your KSAs – knowledge, skills and abilities. Otherwise, you may think of giving up your target OBJECTIVES why you accepted to be a Volunteer.

With what happened to me, I am happy that policies and procedures of VSO India regarding Accommodation was improved and made sure that I was part of the team when asked to review, update and do some revisions.

While waiting for my new NGO - I enjoyed Kolkata for a month- visited some places of interests, visited my co-volunteers’ placement offices and met their Directors, as well as visited their flats. I was invited to watch a stage play at Kolkata's Academy of Fine Artds, with the Director of one NGO as the leading performer. Of course a must see place is Victoria Memorial. I had fun swimming too Gone to their malls and made sure have not missed their famous Park Street - especially attractive at night— best place where we can feel and see western style and a taste of various non-indian food – mcdonald, kfc, coffee shops and ice cram parlors. But you can also go to various places of Kolkata where you find market stalls for bargain items and see them around as the sunsets – you see them blossoming and sprouting like mushrooms - and lights flickering -- inviting people to buy their products. Huge crowd will cause the traffic jam. I have frequented the Gariahat Market since this is the market near my guest house where I stayed for two weeks. I used to frequent PANTALOONS Department Store, my favorite store …it’s like the smallest SM Department Store located in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines. This department store is already like heaven to me…. Usually hanged out in their small food court where I usually get my simple cake and favorite soft drink – coke.

Inside Pantaloons Department Store.. the modern shopping store

They described Kolkata as the old city and will always be a busy place to live. For me Kolkata is like a big Divisoria of the Philippines – Divisoria is a huge marketplace where you can buy anything – at very cheap prices – and you can be swallowed up by the crowd. This is our place where businessmen get their merchandise from wholesalers. So what do you expect? If you go shopping and bargain for the cheapest merchandise- the place is somewhat untidy – hot when it’s summer , wet and muddy during rainy day. But you can also go to their air conditioned department / grocery stores like Pantaloons.

Transportation


Kolkata bus

Indian taxi...

The TRAM...

In Kolkata, I am fascinated by their mode of transportation which is dominated by old buses, taxis and trams. This tram still exists – keeps on running on specific route even with less passengers around. I remember a toy train – it keeps on running when you press the button following a rail track , then go back and forth. There is also the auto rickshaw, somewhat similar to the “tuktuk” of Thailand - but Thailand’s tuktuks are clean!!!! Well, there is also the human rickshaw - which according to them are already banned by the government - but still existing --- running within the secondary road – I think you cannot blame these poor people used to pull the rickshaw instead of horses - --- their purpose is to earn a living.

CLEANLINESS.....

When we talk of cleanliness, I think , most part of India and not only Kolkata needs the kind of Imelda Marcos’project ….Green Revolution in the 70’s. Maybe my father's innovations how to implement cleanliness in our hometown. He being the townmayor was considered as effective implementor of cleanliness . His “CLEAN AND GREEN PROJECT” in Cajidiocan, Sibuyan Island, Romblon, Philippines - in the early 50’s up to the 70's was worth remembering. Maybe they need “think tanks” of Singapore or the Prime Minister of Thailand or implementation of Japan’s 5 S Program or the very simple Cost Reduction Program - where waste materials are given great thoughts – what to do with them – and the benefits from garbage materials.

With my experience, we sometimes incorporate all of these techniques – to be more effective . There was a time that Japan’s 5S Program worked effectively in our big organization – a glass manufacturing company by prompting everybody’s participation through Quality Circles. It also worked in a corporate setting, a multinational company where we launched this 5s Program and enjoined everyone to actively participate and instill in their minds the essence of cleanliness. Being organized , cleanliness and clutter-free begins from your backyard, thus, organizing personal things in the office – getting rid of your clutter, daily garbage, how will it affect your work efficiency , paper wastages – eventually reduce cost and you save. I look forward to seeing India as part of the honor roll in cleanliness - teamwork is the name of the game. It usually starts from your own backyard or from your own working environment , then actively participate to influence your neighborhood.

I strongly believe we cannot totally put the blame to the government, it is us who makes our own world running- be involved and courageous to speak up – being PROACTIVE is somewhat one complicated thing that everyone has to learn.

The Kolkata traffic policemen...

Electricity

I have not really felt the seriousness of this problem in Kolkata….maybe because, almost everyone owns a power generator.

But I have already experienced the on and off power supply when I was in the guest house provided by my organization.Suddenly the bellboy would knock on your door telling you not to use your airconditioning unit and instead use the ceiling fan, shouting like..." madam , AC nahi!!!!! ".... But there was no such thing as using a candle at night.

And while I was staying in a condominium unit with 2 co-volunteers, it seems the impact of power off is still not felt…not yet…have not pierced my senses. Maybe because it was not summertime and how often ….never bothered because there is less number of power cut offs in a day in Kolkata, i thought ...because of the power generator.

At New Delhi....March to April 2009

2010-03-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to write my diary about India since I arrived in March 2009...but due to some unforseen events, I have to settle my priority concerns such as: my assignment, location and accommodation.Finally, after two (2) weeks of negotiation with VSO India Office in April 2009, I was placed as Organizational Development / Human Resource Advisor for NEEDS , located in the rural town of Deoghar, Jharkhand State, India.

My "new journey begins" in March 12, 2009 when I left Philippines for New Delhi, India to work as International Volunteer through VSO UK----this is after my almost 25 years career in the corporate world specifically in the field of Human Resources.

To be honest, If I started my reflections about my new journey in life, tone will be extremely different - especially the fact that this is my first time to be with NGO and started in international level - in a developing country like India.

At New Delhi, it was a one month In-Country Orientation including a 3-hour daily Indian language training - Hindi, Bengali and other dialects depending on the state where the volunteer will be assigned.

The stay was pretty exciting for all 16 volunteers coming from different countries - the hot and spicy food, the tour , market hopping, discovering places where to get a nice and clean internet cafe, the manual and auto rickshaw ride - negotiating for fares with the drivers who can only speak Hindi. Visiting some of their temples was also a challenge for me - as I prefer to wear my socks than entering barefoot - am I antagonistic? maybe not, maybe yes...in my country, I am used to entering a clean place with shoes on where you attend mass and communicate with GOD.

Hot and spicy food is one thing that until now - been here for 12 months, is really my difficulty to adjust - since I have weak stomach digestion, even experienced the worst dysentery in my life, after eating various Indian food when I visited one of the villages in Deoghar, Jharkhand - but thanked GOD I survived and still alive. Really, I like to taste and eat Indian food, especially the mutton curry and chicken biriani- but maybe , I really have to be careful and learn to eat this whewwww...... unbearable...spicy ones....

Beautiful sights ....