The Beat Goes On--Delhi

And they left me. After all I did for those women--they left me. In the middle of the night, half a world away from home, they boarded a plane and left me. Even our trusted driver Javed, whom I made an honourary Canadian back in Kanpur, took my half pack of Vege Crackers and my bag of Uncle Chipps Spicy Treats and hit the road for Agra. And I was left standing in the cold, cold night, with nothing but my tears and an uncharged cel phone.

At the insistance of our dear friend and supporter, Mr. Shriya, I went to the Akshardam temple. Mr. Shriya was kind enough to arrange a VIP tour for me. My tour guide was a student of Architecture from California, so he was able to describe some of the features of the temple. Completed in 2005, the temple is one of the most authentically Hindi buildings in India. Many of the original temples were destroyed and future buildings incorporated different styles. The Akshardam temple, however, was built according to original texts and although photos were not allowed, it is an amazing structure to see. A highlight was the water and light show that evening--a show which attempts to summarize the stages of life.

Yesterday I looked at the buildings of Vijay Chowk--the capital buildings of India, and then walked to the India Gate. From there, I went to the Lodi Gardens, and then to the Old Fort. I will be back in Delhi on Feb 15, next stop Amritsar and the Golden Temple.

Our trip from Agra to Bareilly

Agra & the District Conference

We have finally arrived in Agra but it is late so Rahul, our host again, orders us in pizza so we can rest before the start of the conference.

We sat through the first day of the conference which, with the exception of our presentation and the speech by the RI Representative, was mostly in Hindi…RI Rep.Shastri gave a good talk and even mentioned “Indian Time". They gave a report on the state of their district….they had very impressive membership figures. The first 6 months of this Rotary Year they have had a 200 member increase in their district. Way to go district 3110!!!. India should be very proud of the fact that they have moved ahead of Japan in total membership and now sit #2 behind the US. They also are # 4 on the list of total Foundation Giving. Their focus this year is to end polio in their district, increase eye donations, and Literacy.

We finally got to give our power point presentation and it went really well and I think everyone enjoyed it. Got rave reviews from RI Rep. Team is representing us well.
We have met so many Rotarians and as always are being treated like royalty. Over the top hospitality!!

After lunch, we left and went to the Taj Mahal. We had a personnel tour guide so in addition to viewing one of the “seven wonders of the world” we got a bit of history of the area. It was spectacular!!!!!!! Too beautiful for words.

In the evening we returned to the conference to watch a cultural program of music and dance and have dinner.

The final day of the conference the keynote speaker spoke on “Eye Donation”. She was excellent.

After the conclusion of the conference we headed to the Agra Fort…and another personal tour….followed by some local shopping.

In the evening we had a meeting with the Agra Central Club. It was the first meeting we have been to that was all in Hindi. DG Dr. Raju and Arun were with us again.

The next day they moved us to a Hotel for our Isolation Day. On the way to the hotel Rahul took us to a craft center where we could see how they made marble into tables and crafts. This large elephant is all hand made out of marble. They also had many other crafts including rugs. After tea and snacks we were off to our hotel. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and wandering through the local markets….Pizza Hut for dinner!! Oh and we had to make a stop at McDonalds for French Fries!!!

The next morning after breakfast we were off to Mathura (the home of Lord Krishna).

Only a short ride and arrived first in Vrindraban where they took us to a local Temple where they had a large food facility, run by holy men (sort of like monks) where they made lunches and delivered to the surrounding village schools. The facility was extremely clean and well run. Everyone working with the food had to wear hair nets. Their focus was on getting a balanced meal to each kid. They felt that the kids would be better able to study in school if they had one good meal a day. They feel that education is the main answer to poverty in their country. They have facilities in about 7 states and feed about 1.3 million kids everyday. Their goal is to get to 5 million per day. The wheat and rice are donated by the government but everything else is paid through donations. Very impressive organization.

They then they they took us to their local art gallery of one of the famous artists. After lunch we were off to our hosts in Matura. We all stayed in the same home. His family is third or fourth generation in the town. Very well known in the community. That evening we went to the Lori Day Festival in town. Dr Raju and Arun joined us in the festivities!! It was outdoors in a large courtyard. They had a stage set up with lots of music and dancing and camel rides!! Then a rain storm came through and we all ran for cover till it blew through. Lori Day is the festival of the harvest. During the evening we were privileged to meet a famous Muslim freedom fighter that is out spoken against terrorism. He was the guest of the Rotary and surrounded by armed guards as the terrorists have attempted to kill him a couple of times.

The next day we toured a hospital where all services were provided for free and a private hospital run by a family of physicians. We also toured a planned housing community of town houses. These seem to be the new rage in India. Sometimes they are individual houses and sometimes townhouses. Apartment house is also being built. We had dinner at another celebration of the Lori Festival in one of the local planned communities. They had a big bon fire that you throw in a handful of peanuts, popcorn and assorted nuts. Then you have to pick up six pieces from around the fire and eat them for luck.

We soon had to leave our new friends and head for Aligarh (Lock City) where we were met by the local Rotary members at the Jain temple. We were given a tour and learned the history of the Jain. We were then pulled away to the DPS School next door. They wanted us to kick off the Kite Festival. I was asked to fly the first kite of the day to kick of the festival. The local newspaper was there to cover us. They seem to be everywhere. I think we have made the paper in every city we have visited!!!

After lunch we went to visit a literacy project being funded by a couple of local Rotarians. They teach basic reading and writing to local village women and children people. They gave a bonus for 100% attendance for a year. They are really trying to teach the villagers the value of an education. Afterward we went to visit two schools totally funded by one man, for the poor children. He spends all of his money on these schools. A true humanitarian. And of course we had tea and snacks!!

After we left we went to the Muslim University for a short tour.

In the evening we went to a dinner and cultural show….DG joined us again. It was Lori’s birthday and they surprised her with a cake. As was their custom they fed her cake and a little got all over her face and hair!!!

After breakfast we were off to Kashipur….long ride …five hours in our van. In Kashipur we were hosted in a hotel owned by a local Rotarian. Oh my …soft beds and hot showers American style!!! Had a light lunch with Rotarians in hotel

After lunch we took a tour of the local Glycols factory. They were a very progressive and environmentally conscious company. They also provided a lot of services to their employees and their families. They provided a medical clinic for the employees and families as well as to the local villagers.

We are now on day 17 and are having another vocational day. I was escorted to one of their high security manufactures locate near their military bases. I found very high tech security and a working fire system. They had their own fire response team on sight.

That night the local Rotarians had a great party outdoors under a tent. The weather has been so cold that they had big bon fires going under the tent. I was again asked to “garland “ Paul Harris and light the opening religious candle. Paul Harris had never looked so good!!! I keep putting garlands of flowers on him. They have a very active Interact club that I spent some time talking with. They had a great band.

The next morning after breakfast we toured some local factories. We went to a paper mill and a plastic bag factory. Both factories use all recycled products. This whole town is focused on recycled products and a green environment. We then toured a pea factory where they produced frozen peas. Then we toured a textile Mill and had lunch in their dinning room. We ha a new dish made from lentils…we all loved and our host said they would buys us some dried beans to bring home.

On the way back to hotel we stopped by the new building built by the Rotary Club. They provide Physical Therapy and artificial limbs. Then our host for the day…the club secretary…took us for a stroll through the local market. We walked among the cows, vendors, rickshaws and lots and lots of people. Lori found some shawls. I think Allen was only tolerating us and shopping!!! He is a good sport about it.

It is now

Day 18 and we are off to Jim Corbett Park and our Elephant ride!! This is our shortest trip …only an hour an a half. OH MY!!! This is the life ..Luxury at its best. Swimming pool, spa and it sits on the river at the edge of Jim Corbett Park. On arrival we were greeted by the cub president and secretary and had tea and then lunch. In the afternoon they arranged a safari by open jeep through the park. So sad no tigers to be found. Only saw monkeys, deer and birds but it was a beautiful ride.

That night the whole club and their families hosted us with a cultural show out on the lawn and music. They have 11 members…small but very active.

The next morning we were off for our Elephant ride. It was fabulous. We all rode on the back of an elephant for a couple of hours through the forest. Sometimes the elephant was making his own trail!! Again no Tigers but lots of spotted dear.

That night we were again joined by the Rotarians and we watched a movie on tigers in the recreation room and then had dinner.

So sad we had to leave our lovely accommodations….off to Pant Nagar.

We were hosted by the University of Agriculture a Technology. The University was started in the 1960”s in conjunction with the University of Illinois. One of the largest universities in India. It is a learning university. We toured the fish hatchery and farm. They are teaching farmers how to create a business with a fish farm. They come to school here and learn the correct way to produce a good product for the public. They also teach them how to cook the fish for sale. We were able to observe a class. They had 60 ponds…growing 6 types of fish. We had a dinner meeting with their club members. All employed by the university….most number of highly educated members (PhD’s)..Great fellowship. After dinner Allen and I accepted an invitation to a local wedding to take place that evening. It was quite spectacular!!! Husband arrives by horse drawn carriage…well decorated. They a half an hour later the bride is escorted by her family to the two thrones set at the front of the room. There are about 1000 people in attendance!! So much food…Indians love food. Then they exchange flower garlands and everyone takes pictures. Later in the evening they have religious blessing and lots of food and dance till wee hours of the morning!

Breakfast was early and we were off to our last stop..Bareilly.

We were met by local Rotarians and had tea at the Rotary Building. Dr Mehra gave us a tour of the basement where he built Prosthesis of amputees and Polio victims. We had lunch ad then were taken to host families. Betty Jo and I are being hosted by Sanjeev and his wife and two small children. We had some free time to get to know our families and then we were off to our first dinner meeting in Bareilly.
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The next morning after breakfast with hosts we were off to the Vetinary Institute. It is a very large teaching college. There they are doing research on cross breeding the Jersey cow with the Indian cow. The Jerseys produce more milk and the Indian cow has a higher fat content. They are also studying the effect of heat and humidity on the production of milk. Was fascinating to me as my Dad’s family had a dairy farm. All sorts of research on illnesses of cows, pigs, sheet and goats.

After lunch we went to another college where we had an outstanding presentation on India’s economy and future of India by the student body. Following program they had us sitting in front of audience and let the audience ask us questions on anything they wanted. They also asked us to comment on US and Canadian economy and health care system. Sticky…..but we got through.
Off to another dinner meeting with lots of good fellowship and food

Day 27….only 4 days left and the team is getting tired.

We had our last vocational day today and everyone had a great day. Erin got to sit in a class, Allen and Betty Jo both went to a very large teaching hospital, Lori went to a home for the mentally challenged run by the nuns of Mother Theresa and I went to a security & fire company that had been in business for 15 and had installed over 5000 fire systems. After lunch we had a short interview with local press and then returned to our host families for a rest before our dinner meeting. The sun is out today!!!!! I sat out on deck with my host family and enjoyed the baby monkeys playing in the tree! They liked the sun also!! Nobody buy me enjoyed the monkeys. They all think they are pests.

Another great evening of Rotarian love and hospitality.

Today Betty Jo and I awoke to the singing vendors…Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Beans!!! They bring their carts up and down the streets all morning singing!!

Today after breakfast…she is spoiling us rotten with good food. We left for a day of touring the manufacturing of Barielly. We stated at the Cane Furniture factory where they processed the cane and built all types of furniture. Really fascinating!! We were each given a tea strainer. Our Rotarians for the day said we were very blessed as he never gives gifts! We felt very blessed as we have been everywhere.

Then we were off to a bottle cap and bottle factory, a bakery where they produced bread and a factory run by a woman that produced a soy snack product.

We were then treated for lunch by the Rotarian’s club that we had been escorted by all day. Then we returned home to spend time with our families.

More good treats and played in the sunshine with the kids….Satvik (3) and Radhika (8) and Sakshe their mom and a couple of neighbors.

We are off for another evening of Rotary Fellowship!!

DAY SEVENTEEN - Jan 13th - Mathura

Today is our third day of vocational visits on our trip so far and many of the team is excited to see some of their tours. This day of vocational visits is all done as a team so everyone gets to stay together and visit each place as a team. Our first stop is to one of the largest hospitals in Mathura. It is a large facility offering free medical services to the poor, a free nurses school for the poor girls and mobile medical assistance to remote villages. The entire place is run by doctors of all ages that have commited themselves to the practice of helping the needy. Sort of like monks I guess. They run completely on donations from the public and corporations with no govt funding. Its another sign of humanity helping humanity, which is so heartwarming. Our next stop is to visit a college of technology and management, all the classrooms are very modern with state of the art equipment and facilities. On our way to our next destination they stop in at a local hospital that is run by a friend of the district governors.

As a treat the rotary club takes us to Pizza Hut for lunch and the entire team indulges in some good ole fashion PIZZA!!! Continuing on in our day we stop at a local rotary blood bank project which they have been working on for 3 years. They are just waiting for the govt permits to be given so that they can open their doors to the public.

Aligarh

Yesterday marked our first day without our team member Kristin. Due to health issues, she decided that it was in everyone's best interest that she return to Canada early. As we left Mathuras, Kristin packed for a trip to Delhi, and a subsequent flight home. We wish her a quick and full recovery.

We arrived yesterday in Aligarh, and we promptly met by a local Rotary club at a Jain temple. Our tour guide gave us a short explanation of Jainism--a religion emphasizing non-violence and the search to know one's own soul. After this explanation we were to see the rest of the facility, but were quickly stopped. A nearby school was about to start a kite festival and they needed us to inaugurate it. So, putting our shoes and belts back on (shoes and leather items are not allowed in Jain temples), we walked next door to the school. There we wished the students happy kite flying. I promptly crashed two kites, then resigned myself to taking pictures and drinking orange sodas. Following this we completed the Jain tour.

Following lunch with the three local Rotary clubs, we toured three schools run by Dr. P.C. Gupta. Dr. Gupta is the president of the Rotary Club of Aligarh City, and he runs literacy programs for children and adults. He devotes much of his own time and money to this cause, and is truly impressive in his dedication and humility.

We were graciously received at the dinner meeting of RC Aligarh, and had the opportunity to speak about our country and experiences in India thus far.

Today, we toured the IBN Sina Academy, the Aligarh Muslim University, and the Krishna International School. The Krishna International School put on a cultural program for us--with different dance routines performed in different styles. The performers were absolutely excellent and their program was a definite highlight.

We made an unscheduled stop at Life Line Emergency Services as well, and had the chance to see paramedic system that was roughly two months old. I found it interesting to see a service consisting of 8 ambulances--a service planning on growing.

We will be meeting with RC Aligarh City tonight, and will leave tomorrow for Kashipur.

Hello from Linda

Namaste…..

We are on day 11 and just finished the District Conference. We have not had good luck with internet connections so our blog has not been updated until today.

We are having a spectacular time. The Rotary Clubs have been treating us like royalty. My team and I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality of host families and the Rotary Clubs.

We arrived at midnight and were greeted with flower leis by Rahul, who was our host the first day and again at the District Conference as he has homes in both Delhi and Agra. He has been a terrific help to us.

We were then whisked off to the home of the home of the District Governor where we were greeted by his family with flowers and tea and then off to his club where they wined, dined, and entertained us with cultural dancers until the wee hours of the morning. Allen was drawn up to entertain us with his dancing skills and he wasn’t happy until we had all joined in the festivities!!!

The DG & his wife hosted three of us in their home where they fed us a great breakfast each morning. His wife makes the best potato treats!! He also has two children. His very bright young daughter told us how she was going to also be a doctor! The DG is a doctor and has his hospital and clinic under his home. Twenty-four hour doctor….what dedication. And then a DG in a district of over 100 clubs and a district that is about 1000 miles from end to end on roads that are under construction…or very rough! Our DG’s have it easy in comparison.

We have discovered the Indian tradition of greeting all of their guests to tea and sweets upon arrival everywhere. And then they feed us and shower us with gifts of love. So after eating several times a day our pants are getting tight!!!! Food had been outstanding everywhere….and those of us who did not like spice and liking more spice then when we started!! There are always so many choices…and always potatoes of some kind and their round flat bread.

Hathras brought us to our first great cultural shock…the roads!!! Oh my…it can not be described. You are traveling down the road, with left hand drive, but everyone drives on both sides of the road. Imagine driving at about 35 MPH (50 KL) with cars, trucks, tuck tuck’s (three wheel small vehicles), scooters, wagons being drawn by cows, camels, tractors and horses, goats, pigs, cows, dogs and people…. all on the road and no one drives on their own side. They just weave in and out using their horns!!! The cows just walk down the middle of the road everywhere including the highways.

The first full day we were taken to a local boarding school for underprivileged kids where we participated in the Morning Prayer rituals. The boarding school is supported by the local Rotary clubs. We also walked through an elementary school, were taken on a great tour of the local carpet factory, and a trip to an orphanage where we helped pass out saris and sweaters to needy women and children. That evening, not to be outdone by the DG’s club the Rotary Club Hathras Gold had a big dinner and local cultural entertainment. Since we had danced on stage the previous evening they wanted us to dance and sing again!! Great food and fellowship was had by all.

We were then off on our seven hour ride to Kanpur where we would spend about 5 days.. Upon arrival we were greeted by the Vinod Rishi Charter President of the new Rotary club of New Kanpur and her husband Past District Governor Rishi, who were to be my hosts. I was really impressed with the great work that Vinod Rishi’s brand new club was doing. They just jumped right in there and started projects in their community during their first year. Way to go Vinod! Their first project last year was a medical clinic that screened for diabetes and thyroid. They had doctors volunteering their time to the clinic. Her club is going to be really successful. I had a great time and a really enjoyed getting to know their son who had just graduated from medical school and will be taking His exams this month. I have now doubt he will pass. As this was New Year’s Eve we were treated to a “Rock’n” New Years Eve party with Rotary Cub Kanpur Industrial where we spent the evening with the DG and his wife dancing through the night.

While staying here, their son took me to the local market to try to get my cell phone working. We were with his friend who was home visiting from Virginia Tech. As we cut through the streets to the shop, his friend asked me how I felt about all of the stares!!! Since this is not a high tourist area, light skinned, blonds really stand out. My reply was that I now know how my son feels when walking through the mall as he is 6 ft 10 inches tall and people always stare at him!

We had a fast five days where we toured the local tannery (leather is a big export product of India), visited a village where they have a fluoride problem with the water, toured two orphanage’s (one boy’s and one girl’s) that the Rotary Club is supporting, had a vocational day and went to many meetings with presentations. The whole team was touched by the work of the Rotary Clubs and heartbroken by the problems being caused by the fluoride in the local villages.

I had my first vocational day and went out with a local owner of a security company. He took me to a couple of places where they had fire systems installed. Much to my horror….on the first one, I asked him about the broken sprinklers I could see and his reply…..Oh it does not work!! It seems the government requires them to put in the system but they do not have to keep it working!!! He said that was a big problem in India.

Everywhere we went we were showered with hospitality, love and lots of good food. We have made many friends.

Our next stop was Jhansi where we were welcomed at the bakery that had just opened that day by one of the Rotarians and of course had some tea. We then left for our host families and then treated to the cultural dances of one of their local celebrities.

We had our second vocational day here and I found hope that some of the fire systems in India worked!! I went to a plant that builds transformers and because of its location is very high security. I found a very sophisticated access and camera security system and working fire system and an employee who had participated in GSE! They also run 24 hours a day so have guards on duty all of the time to monitor. I also went to a local bank and visited with the bank manager about his security.

In additions to spending time with our hosts we were able to visit the famous Khahuracho Temples where we met up with and treated to lunch with Warren Crane. He is from the Seattle, Emerald City Rotary and spends half of the year in this small town in India. We met his adopted family and visited their home. They were very gracious and treated us to tea. The temples were a few hours away so we were entertained by our new rotary friends coming and going. It was nice to spend so much time with them to get to know them better. The Dr. had even brought along some games to play!!

The next day Allen and I went to Orccha, another great fort. Lori was still recovering from her infection from a bug bite so she and the rest of the team stayed back and spent some extra time with host families. Again, Allen and I were escorted by two of the local Rotarians and their families and we got to spend some time getting to know them which both Allen & I enjoyed. On our last night there we went to a birthday party for two of our hosts family member so we were able to see how they celebrate. They have these beautiful lotus flower candles that open up when lit.

We left our new friends in Jhansi and headed off to Agra, the District Conference and the Taj!

Will post more when I get internet connection again….

DAY SIXTEEN - Jan 12th - Agra to Vrindavan to Mathura

We all meet for breakfast bright and early so we can be ready to leave the hotel by 10am sharp!! Rahul shows up with our driver shortly after ten and we present him with our gift of thanks for all his hospitality and help. On our way out of town the driver stops at a camera shop so I can finally buy a camera but when I try to use it the pictures all turn out blurry, just my luck.. Then we leave behind the Taj Mahal and all its beauty to head out to our next town, Mathura. This is only a 1.5hr drive which is much easier to handle then the much longer rides we have had in the past. Today is the half way mark of our trip and it is really hard to believe how much we have done in such a short time, it feels like we have been here a month already. I am excited to see what else lies ahead for us. On our way to Mathura we stop in a small town called Vrindavan to meet with their rotary club members for a few tours of their local projects. Our first stop was to a Yugl Krishna temple which is also home to Akshaya Patra which is an organization that provides food for up to 150,000 kids per day in the local schools within 60kms. We toured there facilities and learned about their organization. They are operating in 7 provinces in India, feeding a total of 1.2 million kids and their goal is to reach 5million kids. They get all their rice and wheat donated by the govt but the rest of the costs are covered by donations from the public. There main focus is to offer a free meal midday at schools to encourage kids to come to school and to participate. Our next stop is to a famous art gallery to see the precious work of a famous Indian artist Krishan. These pieces are very famous and some are worth over $90,000. We carry on to visit a nearby home for widowers, that was created by a local man 15yrs ago. It offers women who have been abandoned by there families or widowers with a place to sleep, food, medical care and clothing. They have over 80 people living in this home. The owner gives us a tour of the home and many of the residents come out to greet us. The rotary club members that are with us ask us to give out food to the ladies. Each one takes their gift with such grace and appreciation. I am sad to see how the women are living here, 4 women to a small room, no heat, and large locks on the doors. It seems more like a jail then a home but I know it is the only way the owner can provide the space for so many in need.
Next we continue on to visit a local Ashram and guest house were foreigners from all over the world are here for peace and meditation and to take part in the practice of Hare Krishna. They have a wonderful restaurant here with a wide variety of foods from different parts of the world. The team indulges in some continental cuisine. After lunch we are taken to a nearby temple that is under construction. It is completely made of marble and has already taken 10years to build with over 1000 workers and it is still not completed. It is a work of pure art and an amazing sight. It is worth over 200 million dollars so far and owned by one man. By now our time with the Vrindavan rotary is coming to an end and we are due to leave for our next town so the rotary members take us to a nearby restaurant to have tea and say our goodbyes. Members of the Mathuras rotary are here to escort us to there club about 15km away. The entire team is staying together again at a Rotarians home and we spend a few hours resting with our new host family before we are taken to meet with the Mathura Rotary for a cultural presentation and a dinner. I am not feeling well after my nap so I stay home and the rest of the team goes out to the cultural dinner. They all arrive home shortly after 11pm and tell me about their evening. It was an entire town celebration for the Lourie holiday, which is the celebration of the sugarcane. The team all gets a chance to take a ride on a camel and take part in a grand celebration!!

DAY FIFTEEN - Jan 11th - Agra

Today is our isolation day, which means we are taken to a local hotel to stay overnight and we are not involved in any rotary work, meetings etc. Some of the team wants to do some shopping and others are trying to find out any other cool places to see locally, but for me, I just want to stay in and rest. It seems Lindas cough and cold has spread to me. On our way to the hotel we stop at a local artisans mall where we had a tour and demonstration on how they make designs in marble. Here over 300 families are employed to make beautiful pieces of marble using the same practices as they used to make the Taj Mahal, many of the pieces take months or even years to create. Some of the team indulge in a few momentos to take home, priceless pieces that I am sure they will cherish forever. Next we are taken to Hotel Amar for our rest day. After we get all checked in, I finally get some time to go online and post all the blogs I have been writing for the past 10 or so days. This hotel is filled with foreigners from all over the world, it neat to sit in the lobby while I am blogging and listen to all the different languages and accents. The hotel is nice and clean and I am most excited about the bathtub, something we have not seen here yet… After a long afternoon nap, the team meets up for dinner at the hotel restaurant and shares some much needed laughs and relaxed. After dinner some of the team head out for a quick walk to a few local markets to get Erin a battery for her camera (she forgot her charger) and me a camera (mine broke). The people on the street all hound us to buy things or take rides with them, but betty jo and I just link arms and begin speaking Spanish..lol… On our way back from the market we make a stop into Pizza Hut to indulge in a little treat!! Man I miss home cooking…. Today was a great day of relaxing, shopping and no commitments! We all really appreciated the break, plus now that Linda has a phone we have all been able to call home at least once which has helped with the homesickness., so our spirits are higher now!!!

DAY FOURTEEN - Jan 10th - Agra

Last day in the conference and Erin brings out her peanut butter to treat us with at breakfast. I try my first banana peanut butter sandwich and I am an instant fan… why didn’t I try this before. The conference today is filled with many great speakers and topics and we get a chance to learn about a lot of the projects that rotary is taking part in all over the world. After lunch Rahul comes to take us away again for a tour of the Agra Fort. The fort is a massive structure spanning a huge area of Agra, it is hard to describe in words, maybe pictures and video will help.. On our way home from the fort our driver agrees to stop at the mcdonalds close to our hosts home so the team can indulge in some food from home. Here a large fries and a medium drink is only $2 and yet a large fry in Amsterdam is $10… that’s crazyness!! We get home early with a few hours to rest before we are off to another rotary dinner mtg. Rahul takes Linda and Lori out to run a few errands while the rest of us try to rest. While they are gone the power flickers off and on dozens of times leaving us in the dark. This is a normal thing to happen here and has happened in every home I have been in so far. Most times the generator kicks in and stays on but this time it is struggling.. Betty Jo, Erin and I cuddle up on the couch to stay warm in the dark while Allan trys to take a shower by candle light. Once the rest of the team arrives we get ready and leave for our dinner meeting. Dinner was not as long as usual tonight so we are able to come home just after 11pm to get some rest. Today Linda was able to finally get a phone so we can all pay for refilling it and call home more often. Many of the team members haven’t had any chance to do this yet in the trip and take a few minutes to call their loved ones.

DAY THIRTEEN - Jan 9th - Agra

The first day of the district conference is today and the entire team is excepted to make a presentation. We are excited as we spent a lot of time preparing our powerpoint presentation and we have not had a chance to use it yet on our trip. We are assured that today we will get to!! The conference is setup at a beautiful high end hotel in Agra, not far from our hosts home. When we arrive we are greeted by many of the Rotarians we have met in the past 13days in other cities. It is so nice to see them again and I am impressed on how much they know about each of us. I see my host from Kanpur, he is very sweet and tells us that his family is missing us already.. Our presentation goes very smoothly and after a little bit of lunch our host Rahul arrives to take us for the afternoon for a tour of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is the 7th wonder of the world, a symbol of love and an amazing sight to see. The streets out front the entrance gates are soaring with young kids and beggars trying to sell you souveniours. We are mobbed by them as we arrive and our guide quickly ushers us through the entrance gates. Once inside I am in total awe of the beauty. Then I get some bad news.. I am not allowed to bring my video camera inside, only cameras. I try to explain that it has a camera in it and that is what I am using but it doesn’t help. SO once again I am stuck with no camera at a magnificent world famous structure… argh.. my team members are very gracious to take a few pictures for me which is awesome.. After the Taj Mahal we return home for a bit of rest time before we are to be back at the district conference for dinner and a cultural presentation. I realize on our way to dinner that I have lost my gloves somewhere on our tours today and I am frantic to find them. They were very special to me and they remind me of home. After much searching I am left to realize that they will never be found  At this point we have not had internet access since leaving Kanpur and I am anxious to get online to update the blog and send messages to home. I try to connect to the hotels wireless signal but no luck. One of the rotary members sees my struggle trying to connect and asks if I have had a chance to call home yet. I tell him of our struggles in trying to get a phone or internet stick (u can only buy one if you are a India resident) and he insists that I use his phone to call my son.. I am so thankful to him for his offer and I call home.. My dad picks up the phone, I don’t realize it is a weekend and only 830am, he is happy to hear from me but of course my son is asleep but I get him out of bed and spend a few minutes chatting.. I really miss home now even more… but I am very glad to have had the chance to at least here there voices. It is hard to have no connection to the world back home when we are travelling, its nerve racking and scary at times.

DAY TWELVE - Jan 8th - Jhansi to Agra

Today we are leaving for our next city on our journey, the city of Agra. This is where the Taj Mahal is and where we will be staying for 5 days and attending the district conference. The team is supposed to get up early to go visit a local monument but some of us decide to stay home as the long driving from yesterday was a bit much for us. Linda and Allan are troopers and head out to see the monument while I indulge in a few hours extra sleep!! Just after 1pm the team assembles out front my host families home and a large crowd of local rotaries arrive to say goodbye and see us off! After a lot of pictures and hugs we hit the road for Agra. The road to Agra is rough like many of the roads here, there is a lot of construction causing detours. We are now used to seeing the wildlife on the roadways here but this drive had us seeing something new! In a few areas of the highway there were men in loin clothes and some completely naked walking down the highway.. we all have a good giggle as we drive by! As the hours pass the team gets restless, we have been in the van for so many days traveling that we cant sleep anymore if we tried. Allan breaks outs another Kenny Rogers song and Betty Jo starts to sing a song of her own! The team has tried in the past and now to fill space with music but its funny we still cant find a song we all know!! It is getting dark and we finally arrive at our next town AGRA!! We will be all staying together here at the home of Rahul, the man we stayed with the first night we got here. He greets us at his home and introduces us to his family. Once we are all settled in he gives us an option of going to a dinner or staying in for the night. As a team we decide that it would be best to stay in and have a team meeting (something we have not be able to have yet). Rahul orders us Pizza and we all sit down to debrief about our trip! Today was a lot of travel and we are all tired so we get to bed early for a good nights rest.

DAY ELEVEN - Jan 7th - Jhansi

We all tried hard to be out of the house in time to leave at 8am for our long 4.5hr journey to the Temples of Love in Khajuraho. Some morning traffic and dense fog slows us in our journey and a few of the girls are panicked over the state of the fog and the dangers of trying to drive through it.. but soon the fog lifts and we are well on our way through a very bumpy journey… we arrive in Khajuraho alittle bit late and it is a shock for all of us to see so many foreigners… We meet with an American gentleman named Warren who is a local here for most of the year but also resides in Seattle. He has just helped to form the new Rotary club here and takes us to lunch at a local café.. the girls are delighted to have a cappuccino , something they have missed these past 10 days.. Many of us opt for more continental cuisine and are introduced to some of warrens fellow rotary members and his best friends 2 daughters, all of whom will join us for our tour of the temples..
The temples are a thing of incredible beauty and passion. The temples of love are filled with sculptures of men and women in sexual passion.. Kama Sutra was born here.. some of the sculptures are quite detailed and explicit… leaving some in our group a bit shocked and sheepish.. We tour one temple that is believed to have been attended daily by worshippers for over 1100years. The priest was not there to give us a blessing but a holy man was there taking offerings and giving blessings…..The girls that are with us are very sweet, wanting to hold our hands, take pics with us and practice their english with us.. sometimes they forget we don’t know hindi and start to speak in hindi, leaving me a bit confused. Warren is fluent in Hindi and helps to translate, but overall the girls know plenty of English.. Next we go into the village to see the little girls home. They live in a very small room with their other sister and brother and parents.. it is only big enough for one bed and some shelves with the kitchen supplies. All six of them sleep in this small space. Next we go back to the market to the girls fathers shop and are treated to tea and treats.. Warren, the girls and his friends are all very hospitable and I wish we could stay longer to see more of the temples and the town but we must leave as it is a long journey back to Jhansi. On our journey home a deer comes out of the bush and we try hard to avoid it but we cant and the poor deer hits the side of our van hard… the driver seems unfazed.. it is part of life here, he just keeps driving! When we finally arrive home at 930 we are taken to a birthday party for a local Rotarians daughter. Birthdays are quite the celebration in india and it is a great example of how close and connected families are here..

DAY TEN - Jan 6th 2010, Jhansi

Vocational day for all of us and the first clear sunny fogless day since we arrived in India. I get to spend my morning breakfast with my host family, which is nice cause in the past city we always had breakfast at a rotary meeting.. My host is an event planner herself so I get to spend the day with her. She takes me for a walk behind her home where there is the largest St. Judes Shrine in all of ASIA. It is so beautiful here and I enjoy getting some exercise and fresh air. Her husband and her own the only coffee shop in town and we go there to have a cappuccino. She takes me for a quick stroll through the market nearby so I can pick up a few gifts.. everything is so cheap here.. She knows how much I like to get involved in childrens programs so she introduces me to a 13year old girl she recently heard about that has been winning competitions for her science project on composting and recycling. The girl needs help to bring her project and ideas to life and we talk about some of the ways we can get her project and message out to the public.. She needs sponsors and Sanjeet my host is arranging to have rotary get involved. I ask about getting her on the radio or newspaper, Sanjeet calls and we take her over to the local radio station for an interview. She is a really amazing little girl, doing some great work for her age.. After the radio station I am dropped off at a restaurant to meet with the rest of my team for a rotary lunch. It is the first time we have gone to a restaurant for a meal since we arrived so some of us choose to order Chinese for a change of pace! We are then escorted to the local Jhansi museum to see some of the history of Jhansi.. Later we take a quick ride up to the Jhansi fort, it is only open till dusk and it is getting late so we don’t have much time.. Lori is in a lot of pain by this point as she has been a trooper all day suffering from an infection in her tailbone. She needs to go home to rest. I ask one of the rotary members if he will take us home and have the other team members continue the tour. He brings us to my host families and we make arrangements to get Lori back to her home. My host has arranged to teach me how to cook and asks what I would like to learn. I don’t know any names of the meals I have eaten so far so I stick with my favourites.. SAMOSA! She shows me how to make all the ingrediants and teaches me about the main spices of india. Later I am picked up by another Rotarian and his wife to attend a meeting and dinner hosted by the oldest rotary club in Jhansi. The oldest member of the club has been a member for 50 years and he has a lot of great stories to share. After dinner we are escorted home and I spend a bit of time with my host family and their guests before I go to bed early in order to be ready our loooong day of traveling tomorrow!

DAY NINE - January 5th 2010 - Kanpur to Jhansi

We were supposed to have our last morning in Kanpur to have breakfast with our host family, but the Kanpur club has arranged for a breakfast meeting. We had arranged with the club and our host to leave early to go to the leather factory to get our shoes on our way to breakfast. Erin and I say our sad goodbyes to our host family and leave them gifts as thanks for their wonderful hospitality. We stop by to pick up Linda on our way to the factory. We are all under the impression that it is close by, but it turns out we end up travelling for many hours to the factory and end up missing our breakfast. The rest of the team is able to attend and wait for us there. We arrive back at the breakfast at 12:30pm, 3hrs late and there are very few Rotarians left to greet us.. We gather our team together and begin our very long journey towards the next stop in our tour, the town of Jhansi, there we will stay for 3nights. The road to Jhansi is the worst I have seen so far, there is a lot of construction and detours, our driver at times gets lost and has to ask for directions. When we finally arrive we are very late, exhausted and I have spent most of the drive thinking of family back home and shedding a few tears.. It turns out the rotary club of Jhansi Rani has arranged for a special performance and dinner for us at 8pm so we rush to our host families homes to get freshened up. The village where the host families all live is a private community only 2 years old. The buildings are like townhouses and everything is very clean and modern. All the kids are very excited to meet all of us and some join me at the performance to ask me questions and help translate the songs for me. The performer is a sweet older lady that is very famous in india for doing traditional classical Indian dance. She truly is amazing in her abilities and the team gets together after to meet her and take a few pics.. After a late dinner we all separate to go back to our host families for the night.. All the team members are staying in this small community just a few doors from each other.. except me, I am staying with the secretary of the rotary club and his wife and they live in another area of the city. It’s a bit weird to think about staying on my own but they are so sweet and the grandmother is so excited to meet me I know I will be fine and given lots of love and comfort. The hosts take me home and I get settled in for the night. It has been such an emotional day for me and I feel so exhausted, I need some rest…

DAY EIGHT - January 4th 2010 - Kanpur

Erin wakes up sick today with fever, body aches, chills and throwing up. Apparently I slept threw her in the bathroom all night sick… I feel so crappy that she was up all night with no help. I go to ask our host for some medicine but when he finds out she is sick he makes sure to call a doctor right away. The host and his family all come into the room to see what is going on. The servants are there to help and the hosts daughter is told to stay with us until the doctor arrives. Today is our first vocational day of our trip and we call our team leader to arrange to cancel Erins plans as there is no way she can go anywhere today. I am picked up at 11:30 for my vocational tour by two great Rotarians… one of them I call mobile man as he is always on one of many of his cell phones. He is an event planner and he has a major event taking place tomorrow so I understand why he is so busy. They take me to tour a radio station and I learn about the strict govt controls of the communication that they are allowed to broadcast and how limited they are on what they can say on-air. There is no “NEWS” only updates that they can take from TV or papers. Next we visit one of the largest newspapers in India and I am interviewed about my trip and shown a copy of one of their newest publications called INEXT. Later we stop to meet more local media persons and I am treated to a special lunch at the home of the past Rotary club president. The day is long and I am supposed to be done by 3pm but my escorts don’t get me back till 5pm. When I arrive back at my host families home there is already a car there waiting to take me to our next meeting. We have an evening tea with a different rotary club, then a dinner at another rotary club. I am soooo exhausted and full from such a long day or running around and teas with each stop and a big lunch, I really don’t know how I will manage the rest of the night. At our tea we are once again showered with gifts, this time the girls are delighted with new leather shoes and boots. What a dream!! We are in a leather capital and getting treated to some of the best products they produce here! Unfortunately for some of us the shoes are a bit too small but they are quick to offer to get us new ones. Later after tea, we are taken to another rotary club for a great cultural show and dinner. When I get home Erin is awake and still feeling sick, she has been resting all day and the doctor is called in a second time to make sure she is ok. The hosts here are so amazing, so gracious and loving. They are so concerned for her health and well being it is very touching..

DAY SEVEN - January 3rd, 2010 - Kanpur

Breakfast was at funny mans house today. He is the sweetest man I have met so far on our trip, and such a character but it can be hard to remember all peoples names so I call him funny man.. At his home he showers us with gifts including scarves and shirts. We take multiple pictures with all the members and watch a movie about the new temple in Delhi that funny man says is the “Unique wonder of the world.” It is inspiring to see sucha n amazing project all done by volunteers out of pure love. Next we are escorted by anther Rotary Club of Kanpur to see one of the projects they sponsor in the city. They take us to a girls home, it is not an orphanage but a place that girls go to when their parents are in jail or die and they HAVE family but no one is able to or wants to care for them. Or they can be runaways that don’t want to or cant return home. I ask about adoption but because these girls have families still an adoption is not an option for them. I fall in love with all the sweet innocent faces and wish I could take them with me. Next stop is to the boys home, the club only began sponsoring this home about 1-2 months ago so the differences in the two homes are very noticeable. The boys never get visitors so they are very excited to see us there and push and shove at eachother to get to us to have their pictures taken. There is no electricity and not enough space for the 100 boys that live here, but the rotary club is working on fixing all these issues. We decide to hand out Canadian Flag Tattoos to all the boys before we leave and they are all extatic to receive them, putting them on and showing them of with pride!!
Next we are escorted to a beautiful country club where we attend a Rotary meeting and lunch. Some of the people here have travelled over 12hrs by train to meet us today. The food is very good and the company is even better! On the way home Erin and I get a chance to stop at the big temple in Kanpur for a quick tour. It is huge from the outside but not much space is available to the public to view inside. On our way out we are approached by a young Indian girl asking us where we are from and practices her English with us. Later as we are leaving she runs up and asks us if we will take a picture with her. We are happy to and she invites her more shy girlfriends over to join us. They are all very excited to meet us and she asks if she can kiss my cheek when we leave. It’s all very honoring to have people treat me with such respect and I feel kinda like a star. But what did I do to deserve this?
We are then brought to our next event, evening Tea with another club, which turns out to include a meal as well, but we are set to go for dinner at Another club in 1.5hrs so we all try to eat lite. Dinner is hosted by another rotary club across town and there we are treated with beautiful leather wallets and purses. The club surprises us with birthday cake to celebrate recent or upcoming birthdays so Lori and I are asked to come up to cut the cake. During dinner most of us sit together not really interacting with other members of the club. I realize that we are so exhausted from all the meetings and tours that we have no energy left to be social. I feel bad for the club as they have gone out of there way to host us and we are not the most lively of company. When we return home Erin gets some medicine to help her digest as she has been in a lot of pain for a few days now. Our host gives us some beautiful anklets and toe rings as a sweet surprise and we exchange facebook and email. I will miss this family a lot, they have been so amazing, I just wish we had more time to spend with them. We haven’t even had time to share a meal with them. I hope that changes soon, I would like at least have some time to play some badminton with the host kids as they seem to love to spend their days outside playing this game.

DAY SIX - January 2nd 2010 - Kanpur

I slipped in the shower today and hurt my knee. It is a very dangerous setup because after a shower the marble floor stays wet for hours, so if you need to use the toilet which is in the same place as the shower you must be very careful. The host gave us a buzzer to use to call the help anytime we needed anything but both Erin and I feel silly at the idea of using it but still we take pictures of us pretending to use it…Our schedule had us to be at a rotary club for breakfast at 930, we are ready but we don’t get picked up till 10:45. At breakfast we are treated with beautiful handmade bags with silk scarves inside. We then move on to visit a town called Onnao, where we meet with there local rotary club for tea and treats. They then bring us for a tour of the local leather factory, but before our tour the management have us gather for tea and treats AGAin… ahhh my thighs.. Allan decides to tell them that I have a love for cake and to serve it to me… BRAT! I am so full from all the meals they are serving us I cant even consider another thing. The chairs we are sitting on in the boardroom at the softest leather I have ever felt in my life. Its hard to believe that the couches I have at home were made in a place like this. We are later brought to a very poor village that is suffering from Flouride poisoning in their water system. The rotary club is trying to get funding together to help this village as well as many others to get a new water system put in place. It is very sad to see all the devastation that has happened because of the water. Some of the team members find it to difficult to hold back tears as Allan examines some of the physical disabilities that have been caused by the poison. We take pictures of some of the damage so we can better explain it back home. The kids all want their pictures taken and many of us pose with them and are surrounded with eager smiles and enthusiasm when we show them the picture afterwards. The Rotary Club of Onnao has asked us to consider bringing our experience from this village and the information about the need for better water back to our Rotary District to consider a matching grant. The current well here is only 60ft down and it needs to be 200ft down at least to avoid the fluoride. Linda lets them know that she will pass on the information to people back home. Next stop on our day journey is to a bird sanctuary for lunch. We take a nice walk around the property with our many hosts from Onnao rotary, and try to find the “White Tiger” lol.. There are not many birds to be seen but lots of monkeys and some deer. At lunch we meet the hotel/santuary manager and Betty Jo shows us her beer chugging skills…lol… just one!! We are far behind in the schedule again but the club insists that we stop on our way at a school that they have just recently adopted as a project, it is dark by this time and all the students are gone home for the day so we meet briefly with the principal and then carry on our way back to our host families in Kanpur. Erin and I are exhausted from a long day of meetings, driving, tours and we take a quick nap before we go for dinner at 930pm. Dinner is at Allans host families home tonight and it is first a meeting and then we are surprised to learn that he has planned a new years party for us complete with a DJ, decorations and dance floor. We all enjoy some good food, dance a bit and then end up going home somewhat early! We learn this evening the true appreciation of having Allan on our team!!

DAY FIVE - January 1st, 2010 Kanpur

Well so much for a day off and sleeping in! We are woken early by our host to get ready as he has arranged for 6 of his rotary friends to come join us for breakfast. The men are all really friendly and very excited to meet us! After breakfast we are given time to rest and catchup on emails and journaling. We arrange with our host to have our team members Lori & Betty Jo meet us to do some shopping. We are treated to a fabulous sweet pasta lunch then picked up and taken to the local mall. The malls are crowded and everyone stares at us as we shop. The deals are good here, cheap shoes, and jewelry but I just don’t seem to be in the mood to shop. I still haven’t replaced my camera but it seems to be to much trouble to find one today.. maybe in Agra I will try. We stop at a few street vendors to look for bangles, it is a very similar setup as they have in mexico, except the people here do not bother you or pester you to buy things which is nice! After our shopping we return home to get ready for our rotary dinner. At the meeting tonight we learn that in India, guests are like gods and are treated as such. So far I can say I have never been treated so well in any place in my life, India really knows how to host guests.