Saying Goodbye

Leaving Amar Seva Sangham was difficult; bitter-sweet . Wanting to stay and to go home to be with my family.  Reminding myself that change is everywhere, impermanence is to be celebrated,  it allows for new possibilities...
 I found it difficult to leave the people I had shared my time with as well as my knowledge and goals.  I learned so much from them all... The students, the clients, the staff and my room mate  all had quickly made their way into my lives and my heart.  I could not imagine being on vacation alone at light house beach,  doing yoga and shopping!  Besides so many things were unfinished; my students were not finished their placements,  there was a poster to work on,  not all my seating  interventions were complete...  Maybe I should cancel the vacation... No,  maybe I should just "come again". I will return!
I received many thanks, gifts  and invitations to return ....

An unexpected gift from ASSA (framed art)

The Doctor and Head of rehab ,Ram presented me with a gift.  They had so many nice things to say...  

Muttu Kumar will be continuing with the pressure mapping system.

Saying goodbye to the clients from the spinal cord unit 

 

 

 

 

The girls took me out for diner on our last night and offered me gifts and henna....After I had made them work so hard on their projects...

Ai-vi and Sitara doing their art!

My new room at Merigold mini house, in Kovalem.  The sound of waves fills the room,  the view is superb.  I can get used to this .... I am still in touch with ASSA daily thru the internet. It's a transition.... towards the west, towards Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The elephants story

Now let me tell you about a young girl , maybe 7 or 8 years old, who went to the Shriner's Circus with her family and wanted to go for an elephant ride or after the show.  For whatever reason, the wait was too long or price to high, she was told to get back in the car and went home without the elephant ride.  It  felt like a great injustice, she never forgot that moment.    That little girl finally got her wish today, 40 years later, in the mountains of India.

 

  Barely holding back the tears of joy and wonder  sitting atop the beast.  I was in touch with this little girl and noticed also the adult in me becoming  nostalgic about the fact that I had waited 40 years for this occasion to present itself and it only lasted 10 minutes. (mindful of every second!).
   The desire to sit atop a large scary beast in safety is a common theme that comes back in stories , ''Where the wild things are'' and legends . Many others wanted to ride the elephants today.  Some did and probably  some didn't because the wait was too long...

The Elephant rehabilitation center also offered me the opportunity to assist in the bathing and observe the feeding of elephants aged one to 70 years old!  These elephants are here for treatment or just to retire from service.

The blue shirt make the ball of rice, pass it to the handler..

He shoots it in , he scores!!!

They also like to eat tons of foliage...

For obvious reasons , this little guy packs his own lunch.

tea shop

The western Ghats again!

Washing the baby elephant

The handlers scrape down the skin daily,  they talk constantly to the elephants and observe their every move.  They must be in tune with the animal to survive.

 

when an elephant roars you notice and shake a little.

Special thanks to my driver and guide , Sadish, who got us there first thing in the morning so we avoided the crowds and got to ride the elephant without a 2 hour wait! Then I visited Neyyar Dam and the nature reserve... A great day

Indian '' Marriage function''

the bride, her sister , UBC and McGill volunteers

For the first time a couple wished to celebrate their marriage at Amar Seva Sangham.  We were thrilled to learn that we, the Canadian volunteers, were invited. The celebration was grand and no doubt  an immense cost to the families.

The happy couple! Indians do not smile in photos

 All the girls bought saris for the occasion as well as ankle bells , earrings, bangles, henna and general Bling!  It was an occasion to celebrate two families uniting  but more personally it was an expression our feminine nature.  Lots of fussing over  how to wear a sari.

                                                                            

International collaboration at its best!

Beyond O.T. preceptor

The ceremonies lasted two days.  it was accompanied by by music, rituals, gifts and loads of flowers, food...

the music was loud, rhythmic, intense and commanding

Offerings

Blessings

My new friend and room mate Caitlyn

We did not get much work done but we learned so much about a very different culture.  200 guests arrived by bus , slept on the floor and shared bathrooms without a fuss. The meals were served 3 times a day with service at one sided tables.

The kitchen

The food in southern India is healthy and nutritious but it's preparation is foreign to me so I decided to explore the kitchen to see what I could learn from observing the staff at the Amar Seva Sangham kitchen.  They serve about 1000 meals a day to the clients and staff that live on the premises . The food in vegetarian and no one has gotten any food born illness in our group.  

They have power and water cuts on a regular basis.  They have one  standard fridge , no tables, counters or dish washer They work 6 days a week and get paid less than 1$ per day...

Everything is fresh or dried and needs no refrigeration.  The milk from the cows is heated and fermented into curd and usually consumed immediately (no cheese).

These are the grinders: electric pestle and mortar to grind the lentils, chick peas, rice , spices....
This is the basis of the chutneys eaten daily. 

These are the rice makers ...
Most  meals revolve around rice ; breakfast, lunch and dinner.
there is no oven indoors,  but a tandor and wood outdoors that is rarely used.

The food is vegetable based.  The only fruit served is bananas because they keep well without refrigeration and they are not expensive.  Here they are preparing the banana flower for a meal.  Everybody sits on the floor to do anything, they stay fit...

everyone washes their own plate and hands after the meal

Pot washing. 

I have learned that food can be simple to make and serve without compromising taste and nutrition.  Coconuts are a Super Food eaten everyday. Finally, everyone should was their own plate and hands at the end of every meal.

  Ken this post is dedicated to you and your staff in Dawson creek.  Just as I am learning from working in this environment, I am sure you and your staff would find the culture fascinating.   It's  so very different.

Working in India

It has been a busy week so I haven't had time to post.  With the support of the staff at Amar Seva Sangham I finally overcame all the compatibility issues and technical difficulties of  calibrating and  running the pressure mapping system last weekend . Pressure mapping involves using a sensor mat  to quantify the pressure between  a person and the cushion.  It is particularly useful for people who cannot feel pressure when sitting by offering them a visual feedback in real time.

 the blue sensor mat goes between the cushion and the client

This week we achieved the goal of having every client the spinal cord unit undergo an evaluation and training session on pressure sore prevention.  All but one client (out of 16) have had pressure ulcers .  It's a huge problem that can lead to months of bed rest and even death.  So we were all interested in finding ways to prevent these sores from occurring.  With the pressure mapping on the computer screen we demonstrated the impact of weight shifting and push ups on pressure distribution.  No translation needed.  Pictures speak volumes...

for  7$ this is a good water overlay on a foam and plywood

The importance of diet, hydration, humidity and monitoring skin integrity were discussed with the help of our translator Gopal.  We also evaluated and documented  the weight distribution properties of local cushions and suggested changes as needed.  Most of the donated cushions I brought from Canada were attributed.

an inner tube is bad for pressure!

standard chair and cushion for spinal cord clients at ASSA.

Special thanks to the care givers that lifted the clients as often as requested so I could try different cushions and to the students that will continue this work after I leave next week.
 I am happy to have the occasions to present the findings at the first McGill global health conference in March.
Word got around about the pressure mapping and many wheelchair using staff requested to be seen.  It's amazing to have such technology in a low resource setting.
 

Things I love in India

Here are some of the things I love about India

I find it easy to do yoga every morning here

It's cool at dawn

The air is cool and sounds of birds and temple chanting surround me.  It's a good start to my busy days.  This morning Katy from B.C. joined me on the roof.  She has just arrived with 3 UBC students  for their placement. 

TEA TIME

Dig the wheelchair!

Around 11am and 4 pm every day this man does the rounds serving tea to every one.  The tea is what we would call Chai Latte.  A hot ,spicy, sweet tea made with lots of milk served in 3oz cups.  So civilized ...




















INGENUITY
Some of the "differently abled" staff have adapted scooters .  This is my favorite because he can ride in his wheelchair , crossleged.

The wheel chair is chained to the front and someone lifts the ramp or lowers it for him.

 Amar Seva Sangham truly is a remarkable place; empowering people despite the odds against them, in the "sea of humanity ", that is India.


The roof is calling. This time for stargazing ....
Namaste,