1 Month Reflection

A little more than a month into our stay and we are finally getting settled in persa. It doesn’t mean we are comfortable all the time or have no further questions but it does mean we have an apartment that we can return to after a long day and relax. It does mean we no longer get stressed out in ricksaws or are wondering where to get food or other random goods. It does mean we are starting to know the neighborhood we are in and some of the people we see everyday. The ricksaw drivers on both sides of our travels know Anne and I and where we are going (to and from school).
One of the best things that has happened in the last two days was meeting more people and starting friendships. Tonight we had a Fulbright Scholar who has been working at the school over for dinner. He has been here (India) since the end of August and has been away from his pregnant wife and two kids ever since then. He lives in a hotel wherever he travels to and eats out for every meal. Anne and I invited him over and he jumped on the chance. We were so excited for the chance to be hospitable and have a conversation in solid English. Last night we met a whole slew of volunteers from all around the world that work with Deep Griha (an organization that has been partnering with the Sahara House to combat HIV and AIDS). It was so refreshing to meet people and to have splendid, interesting conversations. We both loved it!
After living in one of the biggest cities that we’ve ever had the chance to live in, Sara and I are going to try and pursue a different volunteer opportunity outside of city and more in the country. We both feel quite claustrophobic and miss the freedom of the countryside and clean, open air that a big city just doesn’t provide. After some initial searches into volunteer opportunities, we found one organization called WWOOF (WorldWide Organization of Organic Farms) that connects volunteers with organic farms across the world so they can work in exchange for food and lodging. We are hoping to find a farm further north near the mountains that we can work at after Andrew and Anne leave. We’ve heard good reviews from people that have done this in different parts of the world and are both excited for this change of pace. We’ll keep you updated on any new developments in this area. The website is: http://www.wwoofindia.org/home.htm if you want to check it out.