Emotional Rollercoaster

This may be brief and the punctuation will be terrible because I'm in a car right now :) Tarun has this great little USB device that connects to the Internet anywhere and I'm taking advantage of it after visiting Britannia - the leading biscuit manufacturer in India. The factory tour was fantastic! I was very happy to hear they train and have HACCP, GMPs, and we spoke the same language. i felt at home there and saw equipment much the same as Chanhassen had. The processes are very similar but I was surprised to hear about their fantastic safety record even though all i had to wear was a hair net. It was great to see that they use the same standard Metal detector check pieces as well. I could go on for a bit longer but I'll spare everyone who is reading and not interested in all the details of biscuit making :)

Today started well - another freezing cold shower - very spicy breakfast washed down with fresh papaya. Then, papa took me to the temple (papa is the father of Tarun, I'm not sure of his real name at this point, but he said i was now family and could call him papa. he also invited me back and said out of the thousands of people and women he has met I'm the first one who doesn't drink alcohol...). I'm not really sure what type of temple it was but we did this thing called "pooja" (made me smile thinking of Pooja!) and everyone at the temple knew papa. he has been going since the beginning/establishment and he has special treatment. We were escorted around personally. we only spent about an hour there and did a few things that i completely don't understand and couldn't get any explanation for. we actually got gifts from them - fresh coconut, more flowers, bananas, and some little white sweets. it was interesting to say the least. I had a tough time because these people were literally worshiping idols and statues. i suppose i needed to experience this because i never did understand how one of the commandments could be to not worship any other gods. i always understood this as we had to put Heavenly Father first and although I had heard that people do worship idols, etc. it was an entirely different experience to see people literally worship them on 74 acres in beautiful, ornate, gold buildings while half a block down the street children are begging for money and the lower class is sitting in their makeshift houses. the contrast is truly mind-boggling.

So, today has been good and eye-opening but doesn't compare to yesterday. yesterday morning we went to the AIIMS cancer center. It was part of a hospital subsidized by the government. This particular building was started by a Rotarian and the board of the hospital meets with a board of Rotarians from the district once a month to discuss extra funding that is needed. The director we met with in a very humble office, was in charge of preventative research. He said that 5 years ago 70% of the people who came to the hospital were untreatable because of the advance state they were in. now it has reduced to about 60% because of the education they are working on. Much more work is ahead. They are looking for funding to get a van and equip it with a machine to do mammograms. Breast and cervical cancer are the leading cancers for women. head/neck is for men in India. they also have departments on drug research and others in the hospital. it is a teaching institute and of the thousand of applicants just a handful are admitted each year. So, i imagined a beautiful hospital - as it is the best in the area - people come from neighboring countries for treatment, even the prime minister and other diplomats use it - but i couldn't believe what i saw. there were so many people everywhere - they come in from miles away for radiation. they have 8 rooms that are constantly full. there are nearby hostels that they recommend for the people who come for treatment during the day and have to go back at night. the hospital is 200 beds and there is a constant waiting list. if that's not enough, we saw where the major surges take place..NOTHING even resembling what we have in the US. the beds that people come out of surgery on are like gurneys with a small pad. we saw someone come out...she didn't look so good. It was really hard....and then, at the end we were taking a few pictures outside of the building and I saw a lady with her 2 children. when I turned around again, I saw her son in her arms, his eye bulging, red - the size of a 3-year old's fist protruding from his little head. She was simply holding him, waiting. this is one of many. while we were also there a man was lifted from his rolling bed to a rickshaw. I have no idea where he was going but he couldn't even really lift himself.

So then, to continue the rollercoaster, we went to Haus Kaus (spelling?) - and it was a beautiful area built about 800 years ago - large structures that now serve as a tomb and a nice man-made lake. the area was beautiful and unlike in the states - you could walk anywhere. It was a strange change to just go wherever I wanted. I have great pictures from it I'll post when i'm not in a car :) We had a fabulous lunch in an award-winning restaurant that overlooked a beautiful park just minutes walking away from Haus Khas. This was our up...

but then...we were again taken to a heart-wrenching but inspiring area - an orphanage and school for kids from a leper colony. They are not allowed to go to school so this amazing man has taken them in. he started this school years ago (i will get the details and website up soon!) and now he has over a hundred people living there. As if it isn't enough to have these children, teach them, provide food and shelter, he also has an room for the mentally unstable. These are the people whom society has taken advantage of or neglected. They all have some kind of issue and are quite unpredictable. one girl - age 16 - was raped and left on the side of the road. She had already had 2 children. One of the babies - who is 3 year old - was so very cute but obviously underdeveloped. she looked maybe 18 months...maybe. She came to Carin when we were sitting in the hall with all the children. She was so cute but it was absolutely heart breaking. He also provides a rest home for the 'elderly'. basically, its a place where people can die in peace. i think he said they lost 2 people last week alone. They can be brought in from the government or just found on the side of the street. he takes care of them - no questions. right now he is working on funding for an adjacent hospital. it is under construction. I'll post pictures, you'll never believe them. He still needs more funding and is constantly looking for help. He quit his job and he and his daughters (his wife passed about 4 years ago) live on site. There is no running water. Food is all donated. he didn't have a bed until last year. he has much faith in Jesus and the children attend church. it was sort of sup rising to see a Christian amongst everyone of the different faiths.

there are so many opportunities here to help and some very good people devoted to making this place better. i still find myself surprised at everything - I think i won't be able to fully comprehend everything for quite some time. So, now I just document it.

Well, this is quite long and i better check my email again :) I change homes tomorrow and I am not certain if i will have Internet access. Hopefully - and I will post pictures. Tomorrow is a tour of the Hero Honda factory - they are the leading supplier of motorcycles over here - and trust me there are many! They look awesome and fun...I am excited. I saw Honda and was hoping we would see something on AI, but not so. that's OK!
AND we just pulled into our enclave so we'll be home soon! i hope everyone is doing well, i definitely miss things back home but this is truly an incredible experience!