Amida Volunteers Blog

Its been a while since I wrote last. This has not been for a lack of trying as last week I spent 40mins writing a post only to have the connestion interuupted and my work lost - eeeeek!

I have had my great mate Eirk over from Norway. He left this morning and we miss him already. Despite being here for only 2 weeks, he felt like a part of the team contributing to the discussions and grammar classes. He has been impressed by the friendliness and openness of Indians, but like us has noticed how conctrete their thinking can be at times. They seem to struggle with abstract ideas and view the world in black and white. We had an intersting discussion about sterotypes and I was highly amused to find out Indians seem to think people from the West are all beautiful, confident, intelligent, free-minded, happy and apparently we all look the same! They also think we are socially immoral and selfish.

Inevitably the conversations turned to Marriage and Divorce. I was horrified to find out that the students reckon up to 90%of people commit adultery in Delhi! I have also been disgusted to find out that domestic abuse is tolerated and accepted although not condoned. When I told one highly educated middle class male that I would leave my partner if he ever hit me, his response was shock and....'what, even if it was once'! We also discussed the problems with the Dowry system. When women are 'married off' their parents are expected to provide a Dowry. Unfortunately many women are tortured by their husband so that the parents will provide a higher dowry and many women are killed or commit suicide. Someone quoted a figure of 5% of women in India comitting suicide every year, a staggering amount of women considering the population of India is over a billion.

I have taken a real shining to one of our female volunteers called Mansha. Mansha is a 25 year old woman who lives across the road from us. She has great confidence and a real individual streak, a strong woman with a good sense of humour. She will be getting married to an Indian man who lives in Hounslow, London. She has met him once and likes him but once they are married in January she will be expected to move to London to live with him forever. She has no friends or family over there and bearly knows her fiance yet she is optomistic about the future and as a woman has been brought up to expect to make great sacrifices in her life. I wish I could share her optimism but I cant help but worry for her. Im glad that at least I can be a friend to her in London and I cant wait to go to her wedding in January. She is taking myself and Viki Sari shopping next week - I CAN'T WAIT!

I turned 28 last Monday. I had a fantastic day and everyone made a fuss and made me feel really special. Cards arrived on the doorstep and I even had a birthday cake! The highlight of the day however had to be seeing the Indian volunteers show off their Bollywood dance moves - I cant remember when I laughed so hard.

Two days ago we went to Agra to see one of the wonders of the world...yes...THE TAJ MAHAL! WOW! All I can say is that its amazing to see in the flesh. Sometimes you see these sights on postcards and on tellie and then when you see them for yourself they dissapoint. Not this one! Its spectacular and eveyone must see it! Check out Jet Airays or Air India and book your flights now!

EIRK WE MISS YOU XX