My First Entry

Sorry I haven't written much. I haven't had much time on the net. The internet here is pretty horrible in the cafes and the keyboards are worse. They're sticky and gross. Oh India.

Anyways, I've been here for about 10 days and am starting to feel more comfortable with my surroundings. I also have coworkers who have been extremely helpful, so if I'm lost or confused, if I call one ask for help and I'm set. English is spoken by many people here and knowing Tamil helps as well. Most people know Tamil, English and Kannada (which i know none). Hopefully I'll pick up on some Kannada. I've noticed that if I speak Tamil and the other person only knows Kannada, we've managed to work around it. The words, in both languages, are fairly similar so I can understand general idea of a sentence or conversation. My brain is getting pretty saturated with information though, from thew languages, to my job and the area, I've just been trying to sink it all in. Some of it is sticking though...YAY!

So, I'm working for the Samata Health Study. It's an NIH funded study, and was a part of UCSF, but now if transferring to RTI. It's pretty amazing. In the last two years, they have done research to understand relationships between married couples in 2 slum areas here in Bangalore. The focus has been on women aged 15-26, married. They've interviewed about 750 women, total, and have found that 50% have experienced physical violence in their relationship. It's depressing and disgusting to know that women are suffering from this.

Now that we've got the data, we are working on a dissemination plan. This is where I come in. We want to include the community in the dissemination and we're trying to figure out the best way possible. This information is extremely sensitive and we don't want to offend any of our participants. It looks as if we'll be presenting the data to the participants/those in the community, though more action based. The women will be involved in the dissemination process. Basically, we'll present the information, explain to them what we think of it and then ask this what they think. It's such a great idea, giving back to the community in which you studied. Unfortunately, we're not finding many studies that have done this. The community has been included in the research gathering, but not the dissemination. This should be interesting and I'm excited to to be a part of it.

Other than work, I've been moving around the city. I finally ventured off on my own and I'm getting to understand the mess of this place. Unfortunately, during traffic hours, it can take 1 hour to travel 6 miles. Gross, huh? So I try and stay in during those times.

Currently, where I'm living is pretty far from the central city. It's annoying to get to the downtown area, but I've done it a couple of times. There is not much going around in my neighborhood, actually it's pretty damn boring, but it's shelter so I can't complain too much. Hopefully in the next week or so, I'll have a home. I can't wait. I still feel pretty unsettled, but better that a week ago. Man, when I first arrived, I for sure though I'm not going to make it through this period. From the pollution, to the crazy drivers, to being homesick, to the pollution...did i mention the crazy drivers? it's such an adjustment. I miss the smooth roads of the U.S., the clean water from the tap in Chicago, the fresh air.....the air here is about 100times worse than L.A. It's funny, the other day I saw, at the gas station, a emission testing site. Ha! I wonder how people pass? The black crap coming out of the exhaust can't be good. But bribery here, in India, can get you ANYthing.

I've also noticed the lack of work ethics for some. The taxi drivers are idiots and since there is such a huge market for them, they take complete advantage of you. It's frustrating to see people so damn lazy..though most Indians are not.

The men here are disgusting. Stare at women, make you feel completely uncomfortable..it sucks. I"m not comfortable ye to stare back at them or say anything, since I don't know how they'll react. Once I get this city some more, 'm sure I'll say something. I think it's completely disgusting and unfair that we (as women) have to deal with this crap. I'll need to do something about this problem. Don't worry, in time I will. I'll be talking back and yelling, I'm sure of it. I know by the time I get back to the U.S., I'll have a greater hatred for men. Sad, huh?

Now, the good things....Indians are amazing. There are so many people that I've met that are so concerned for me. One of my friends, who I just met 10 days ago, has taken me shopping for food, for shoes, had me over for dinner, I mean, INCREDIBLE. You only get this hospitality here in India. Another friend, who is a sister of my parents close friend, has made me feel at home. I went there for lunch and they said to come 'home' every Sunday. So freaking sweet. It's nice to have a few people, already, that I can count on. Feels really good.

Also, my family is an overnight train or bus ride away, so if I need to go home, i can and be taken care of. My aunt has told me time and time again that she will come and stay with me to help me settle. I love my family. I should be getting a few days off soon, so I'm going to see if I can head home.

That's it for now....I'll try and write soon. Once I settle into a home and have internet, I'll start taking some photos of my surrounds.