June 14th was amazing! The UMB women (UMB5) in the house got up at 4:15 am to get a ride to the train station to catch the 5:50 train to Trivandrum, the capitol of Kerala. The
UMB group was invited to attend an AIDS awareness day at the Kanakakunnu
Palace. It was a day of health promotion and support for children infected and affected by HIV.

UMB5 made the four hour journey from Cochin to Trivandrum. We were all able to sit together without a hitch...stress free is great! We arrived at the station and it was like a mad-dash to the stairs; however, my laid back nature does not work well when there are fifty people to the
right, left, back, and front of me pushing and shuffling there way up the stairs. I am not a fighter and fighting to get up a flight of stairs just does not seem a battle worth stressing over. Outside the train station we caught an “auto” rickshaw and to conserve rupees (money) we piled five people in one rickshaw. It was hard to make out the sites but what I have
come to realize about Kerala is that it is just beautiful everywhere. Even in instances where the poverty is evident the natural landscape of the land remains breathtaking.

We arrived at the palace well prepared and ready to observe and interact with
the children. Walking in we were greeted by the Rajagiri staff that were collaborating with the organizers to run the event. Sweaty and dusty we walked in and were whisked to the front of the room and placed in the front row. As a part of the greetings the speaker on stage thanked the “European delegates” for taking the time to attend. I was sitting thinking this is
great, they are receiving international support for the fight to empower the
children of Kerala that are HIV positive. It turned out that we were the European delegates…who knew.

The children were amazing because whether they were shy or bold they were
all curious about us. Some would walk up and tap us and ask our names while
others waited for a smile and then would pause and smile back. The art contest
that the children participated in was great, the children that participated are all budding artist. UMB5 got the chance to help in the judging process. It was difficult but we came to a consensus on the five or so that were really good. We were somewhat like celebrities because cameras were recording, clicking, and capturing everything we were doing. Sara and
Ingrid were interviewed for a radio station…I was really proud of them, they handled the situation nicely. The opposition leader who was formerly in office donated money for all of the children so that they could receive food and education. The organizers of the event are incredible individuals. The Global Kerala Initiative started by Keraleeyam an organization that formed three years ago to combat social issues has done phenomenal work to bring
attention to the issues of HIV infected and affected children. The organization is made up of people from many different professional backgrounds but come together to address the needs of the disempowered and disenfranchised. I was totally inspired by what they did yesterday and what they have managed to do in three years. While handing out the checks to the
children (which were handed directly to the children one by one with their
names being read aloud—amazing idea because the children got a chance to
walk on the stage) we were asked to have one of us go on stage and hand out
the checks. Sara our global health rock star went up and handed out several
of the checks to the children. Afterwards the organizers took us to lunch
and then drove us to the train station.

The train ride back to Cochin…YIKES! We got our tickets and found our train
but we got on the sleeper train rather than the standard car. An hour into
the ride we are told we either have to pay more or move to the last car. We
decided to move. Walking from car to car we get to the last of the sleepers
and realize we cannot go any further and maybe what was meant was that we
had to stay in the last sleeper car. An hour later we are told we had to
get off and get back on in order to get to the last car. We got off and ran
to the car and started realizing that all the cars are packed full and
mostly of men. UMB5 got on and were only able to get as far as the toilet
area…

Posted by Ericka at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The hardest part of trying something new and different is getting over what is old and familiar. It is a long journey from the US to India but one that is well worth the jetlag, time zone differences, swollen ankles, and non- Western toilets. All six of us have arrived safely and are awaiting classes and field. We are staying off campus at a guesthouse of a family from the community. It is about a seven minute walk to and from campus and easy enough to navigate without fear of getting lost. We have another student in the house with us; she is in an MPH program in Michigan. There will be another lady moving in on Saturday who is also from Michigan so we have a very nice mix of people in the house. Jeremy, the only guy in our UMB group has to stay on campus in the men’s hostel; he is rooming with the third student from Michigan.

Juniata College has two undergraduate students and their professors visiting Rajagiri University for two weeks. They are from the Peace and Conflict Resolution program and have been kind enough to allow us to sit in on their seminars with the various presenters. They also graciously invited us into the city to go shopping at Fab India, a clothing store, where we were able to buy a couple of Indian outfits. If you want to see something hilarious get four female UMB students in clothing store to buy clothing that they are unfamiliar with; it was like the blind leading the blind. But in the end we managed to come away with some really nice outfits.

Rajagiri University is inspirational. Not only do they care about working to empower the community but they also do extensive work in developing new ways to protect and preserve the natural environment. The school makes great use of its land, materials, and the expertise of its faculty. I cannot wait to get started with classes and field. We are well fed with meals that are aromatic as well as flavorful…thank goodness for our daily walks to and from campus. There is so much more to say about this place but I cannot get beyond the following: breathtaking, awe-inspiring, beautiful, and serene.

Even with all the amazing sites, people, and food I cannot help but be reminded of all that I miss first and foremost being family and friends followed by all the little things I have taken for granted such as bathrooms, toilet paper, and shower curtains/doors…can you tell what my biggest hang up is? But even with all that I miss I am so thankful for this opportunity and look forward to my personal and professional growth.

Posted by University of Maryland School of Social Work at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)