Initial Meetings

I was able to finish the look book yesterday, and now Angela and I are diving into the rest of our work. We've created a weekly schedule for the rest of our time here and have outlined everything that should be done before our last week here. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we have set up very casual sessions with the Chidiya women so we can get to know them before we start teaching them the business curriculum and taking surveys. We wanted them to feel comfortable with us, as well as with the translator, so we thought this would be a good way to meet them and just ask them questions, and vice versa.

In our first session yesterday, we were able to hear what they had to say regarding us being here and working with them. They are all so open to us, and are hoping that this experience will help increase the work that they get because they are so eager to improve their livelihoods. Hearing just this basic information about how our work can help them was inspiring. We are hoping to go deeper and hear more of their stories and backgrounds to get a better understanding of where each woman is coming from.

Other than that, we haven't done much else. We are still playing with the children and getting to know them. They LOVE pictures. Looking at them, taking them, being in them, you name it. Anything having to do with a camera, they adore. It is quite adorable. They are so friendly and sweet too. It's a joy to be around them.

This is a photo I used for the look book of all of the products the Chidiya women make for Nest. Below are a couple more:

Until next time!

Getting Started

Hello! I am coming to you all from an internet cafe just outside the colony. Our internet connection inside the colony has been so slow, it has been impossible to post on here! So, Angela and I decided to venture out, see our surrounding area a little, and try to update from here. So far so good, except I am still unable to post any of the photos I wanted to. I will try to get around that.

Two days ago we got the chance to travel into the city of Trichy and visit one of the temples the city and the state of Tamil Nadu are famous for, the Rock Fort Temple. The entrance was very unassuming, and situated on a busy road. Once we entered, we had to climb many staircases to get the to the top. According to a sign, it was around 200 but it definitely felt like more. We made it to the top, and while our feet were burning a little from the hot rock floors (we had to take our shoes off at the entrance), it was an amazing experience. We got a panoramic view of all of Trichy, and could see across the river where other large temples were looking back at us. There was a wonderful, welcoming breeze that rewarded us from climbing up all of the stairs in the heat, and it was a wonderful feeling.Afterward, we walked through a couple of markets, and experienced what a busy street of shops is like. It was nice to experience something else here in India and get away from the colony, however we definitely prefer the calmer environment of the colony. The hustle and bustle of the city was so much more than anything we had ever experienced.

It's been taking some time adjusting to life here in Trichy. The days are long and extremely hot, much hotter than what either Angela or I are used to back home in California. It's amazing to see the children from the colony running around and playing at all hours of the day, in the blazing sun, shedding no sweat and looking as if they are having the time of their lives. While the heat can be difficult to handle, we are getting through it! Today we fought through it and positioned ourselves in a breeze tunnel outside our bedroom, and it was perfect. Another thing about India is the government will shut off the electricity for hours in a day, so we can't use the fans to keep ourselves cool. Thus, we find other means. It is much different than being back home, but we'll eventually get the hang of it. If the people in the colony can do it, so can we!

We are slowly getting started with our work here at the Narikorovar Colony. It has been a bit difficult because the loan facilitator here is out of town for the week It is a bit had to get all of the women in the Chidiya coop together as well. Additionally, things in India are more laid back than in America and everyone runs on their own schedules, so it's been a bit of an adjustment period to this new way of life. However, yesterday, we were able to get started. I took photos of the various necklaces the women make for Nest to include in the look book I have to create for my first task. It was really fun to do this because I've been trying to get more involved in photography.I shot some really great angle of the necklaces. Angela and I also teamed up and I used her as my model for the jewelry, as I need to provide several angles of the pieces in the book and needed a way to get photos of them hanging. I can't wait to put it all together!

Today we met with our translator who will be helping us conduct the surveys of the women and implement the business curriculum. He was very nice and seems very easy to work with. We will start with having him translate the survey from English to Tamil, and then begin surveying the women from there. Since we have already come across problems with meeting all the women from Chidiya, we hope we don't have as much trouble going forward.

For now, I will start assembling the look book and production guide while we wait for our loan facilitator to come back Saturday evening. We hope to start the surveys next week and get down to business!

Until next time!

Hello from Trichy!

Hi everyone! It is 6.30 AM on Sunday June 19th, here in Trichy, India. I arrived two days ago, and have just been resting and getting to know everyone here at the colony. Everyone is so nice and welcoming! It was a bit intimidating at first since I was exhausted from my flights and a little bit overwhelmed from being in an unfamiliar place all by myself. However, it has gotten a little bit better. Angela (my fellow Fellow here in India) arrived yesterday, and we've just been settling into our little home they have provided for us here at the colony. We've also been getting to know a lot of the children that reside here. While the language barrier has been a bit difficult, as everyone speaks Tamil and neither myself nor Angela do, there are a couple people who speak English and help translate. Additionally, I think I've accumulated about 15-20 mosquito bites already! It seems no matter how often I spray myself with repellent, more bites keep appearing. I've always been a little prone to them, so I will just have to adapt and get used to them. My hydrocortisone will become my best friend!

We took a tour of the entire village yesterday. While we haven't formally met the women that work with Nest, we did walk by some women making the jewelry and handicrafts. It may have only been a glimpse, but it was interesting to see how the necklaces are made. I look forward to sitting with them more and seeing the process for a longer period of time.

The internet has been a bit tough to work with. It goes in and out, and sometimes the connection is very slow. It seems to be working best in the mornings, however. Hopefully we can get the hang of it more so blogging and keeping everyone up to date becomes easier!

I will check back in a couple days, hopefully with some great stories and some photos!