Chatfields in India

Saying Farewell -

2008-05-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

I understand what Shannon was feeling when she said, "Mom, I wish we'd never come here (India) because now we have to say good bye." While both of us are excited about returning to family, friends and our home in "America" (as the Indians refer to the U.S.) it is with sadness we leave behind so many dear people. We treasure the memories we will carry with us of this amazing place and our time here.
At a recent teachers' seminar organized by creche manager Hilda she managed to get me into a sari one last time!

Finally - A Permanent Home for Grace Kids Centre!

2008-05-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Grace Kids Centre, which has until now been housed in a variety of rental properties, will open following the annual school vacation at a new location in Kodaikanal on land purchased this spring. It was a pleasure to attend and participate in the ground breaking ceremony this month. Construction has already commenced and it is anticipated that the new building will be ready for occupation in June. Thanks to all the generous donors who have made this a reality!

2008-05-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Winding Down and Wrapping Up

2008-05-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

May brought the closing of the creches for annual "leave" (vacation). Each creche held a closing ceremony at which the five year olds "graduated", I was able to say goodbye, and the children performed dances and songs and made my day (and year!) by doing health skits on the three topics we had been working on (hand washing, tooth brushing and cough and sneezing etiquette). I was also able to do a final presentation for the staff and parents on HIV.
Little Lilies will remain open during the one month leave to provide lunch for the children in that community.

2008-05-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

Next stop was Kabini River Lodge where we traveled in a safari jeep."I want one of these (jeeps)!" said Shannon. Going out at dawn and dusk we spotted many deer, langurs and elephants and just missed a tiger which crossed the path of the vehicle ahead of us. His fresh print in the mud was most impressive. We wrapped up the trip with an elephant ride and a stop in Mysore to tour a silk factory before boarding the train back to Kodai.

Close Encounters of the Leech Kind!

2008-05-07T02:19:00.000-07:00

From Bylakuppe we traveled on to the Rain Forest Retreat near Madikeri in Coorg country. At this small establishment which is located on an organic spice plantation we stayed in a tent, took walks and joined the other guests for delicious meals. Due to recent rain tiger leeches were abundant and a popular topic of conversation.

Touring the State of Karnataka

2008-05-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

Shannon and I traveled to Karnataka in March where we visited Bylakuppe, a Tibetan refugee settlement where Shannon had spent a week on a school field trip last fall. Shops were closed while many residents were attending demonstrations. We were able to visit the elaborate Buddhist temple there.

Big Teeth A Big Hit!!

2008-05-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the American College of Nurse-Midwives Foundation grant I was able to purchase these "big teeth" which allow us to demonstrate how to brush. They were very popular with young and old alike and everyone got a chance to try out the big brush.

Shannon's Belated Birthday Celebration

2008-04-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Finally two months after her "real" birthday Shannon was able to host her much anticipated sleepover with five school friends. Arriving after a school basketball game the girls dined on Annie's Mac and Cheese and enjoyed brownie cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce while sitting around a camp fire, compliments of our neighbor, Bruce Peck. The next morning a breakfast of "Bombay" (AKA French) toast was served while the guests listened to music, watched videos and read fashion magazines.

International School of Geneva Students Brave Dreadful Weather to Help in Creches

2008-04-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Thirty 10th grade students and six adult chaperones from the International School of Geneva, Switzerland arrived in Kodai March 16 to volunteer in the creches. Now in its eighth year this annual opportunity for students to visit India, observe village life firsthand, interact with the creche children and participate in several projects has proven to be a most meaningful and enriching experience for all involved. Enthusiasm never wavered and spirits never "dampened" in spite of the cyclone-like weather that week which resulted in one creche being flooded and temporarily closed, trees and power lines down, and road travel difficult to say the least. Projects included painting, building tables and benches, writing and performing health skits, assisting with assessment of the children's nutritional status and helping with smokeless stove installations. Thank you International School of Geneva! It was a joy having you here!

More Visitors and More Travel!

2008-04-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Two more friends arrived at the end of February and off we went for a seven day road trip to Kerala on the southwest coast of India. First stop was Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, an elephant ride and the town of Thekkady where we enjoyed a performance of Kathakali, an ancient Indian dramatic art form traditionally performed by males who are heavily made up with paint and colorful headpieces and clothed in elaborate costumes. Using hand gestures called mudras and eye and facial expressions they portray stories to the accompaniment of drummers and singers.
Kerala is famous for its beautiful backwater boat trips. We enjoyed two such outings in Alleppey, observing village life along the river banks as we floated by.
Next we were on to Cochin, home of St. Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was initially buried. Dating from Kublai Khan's time are Chinese fishing nets still in use today along the shore of Cochin. Here near the nets we encountered this cat!
It was here in Cochin that I spotted my first snake charmer who entertained us with his cobras.
Last stop was Munnar and its beautiful tea plantations framed here by a blossoming jacaranda tree.
Back in Kodai my friends got decked out in salwar kameezs.

Shannon Places First in Field Day Events

2008-04-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Recently Shannon's school held its annual field days. The entire school body gathered and paraded to the playing fields. Shannon took first place in her division in long jump (pictured) and high jump. Not bad for her first attempts at track and field events! The second day concluded with the traditional chicken biryani luncheon served to all attendees Indian style on a palm leaf.

Creche Children Thrilled with Sound of Their Own Voices

2008-04-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Back in Kodaikanal we visited Little Lilies Creche where my friend recorded the children singing. With the advent of digital cameras the children are used to seeing their photos, but they were quite amazed to hear their voices played back. Their joy was infectious as they gathered round this newly discovered piece of equipment.

Guests Galore and Lots of Travel

2008-03-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are alive and well!! The past two months have been busy and full for both of us. In February I met two midwife friends in Goa on the west coast where we stayed in a lovely guesthouse on a quiet lane in picturesque Panaji, the former Portuguese capital of Old Goa, located at the mouth of the Mandovi River. We visited the many Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals in Old Goa, drove past vast rice paddy fields and toured an organic spice plantation where it is the custom to cool off the visitors with a ladle of cold water poured down the back at the end of the tour!

Where Did February Go??!!

2008-03-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

February brought my 57th birthday on the 19th and Shannon's 14th on the 27th. I expected my birthday to pass quietly without fanfare. Much to my surprise Hilda, our able creche manager, arrived on my doorstep at 8 a.m. with her family and two lovely bouquets of flowers. At 9 a.m. she returned with several creche teachers and gifts of a sari and a salwar kameez and an invitation to her home for supper. Later that morning a friend dropped by for coffee and a motorcycle ride around the lake. All in all it was a wonderful day.
Shannon was treated to a buffet dinner at a local hotel and several new manga books on her special day. She is planning a sleepover with several dormmates in the near future to continue the celebration.

We Ate All Kinds of Weird and Wonderful Food...

2008-01-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

Rice, noodles (buckwheat and white wheat), yakitori (skewered chicken and vegetables grilled), sushi and sashimi, sukiyaki and shabu-shabu (beef and vegetables cooked at the table in broth), tempura (of course!), fried oysters, lots of shrimp, hiroshima-yaki (an egg based savory pancake made with noodles, fried eggs and more), tofu, edamane (soy beans), miso :( ,wasabi, pickled vegetables...
We ate many unidentified foods too. As far as I know we missed eel and fugu, the notoriously deadly pufferfish.

2008-01-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Sing karaoke? You bet!

People Ask, Did We....? Yes!!

2008-01-19T03:50:00.000-08:00

Ride the shinkansen (bullet trains) that travel up to 300km/hour? Yes and they are safe, punctual, spotless and comfortable. In order to keep the trains running on schedule platform signs indicate where to stand for your carriage when it arrives at the station. The Japanese are masters of efficiency.

Japan-All and More Than We Had Expected or Hoped For!

2008-01-17T04:14:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Japan was the result of a "deal" Shannon made with me over a year ago. "If we go to India (mom's heart's desire), I want to go to Japan," she told me. Shannon's interest stemmed from an obsession with manga and anime (Japanese comics and animated films). Seems like a reasonable request, I reasoned, it's in the same region of the world. Well, not exactly. My geography was a bit off, needless to say. But I went ahead and booked a low-budget tour with G.A.P. Adventures.
We arrived at Narita Airport, Tokyo via Bangkok at the end of November and were met by the son of VT friends who lives there with his Japanese wife and son. Thank goodness we didn't have to find our way to their apartment that first day. Although we quickly learned how to get around on the trains and subways, initially the signage and routes were overwhelming to decipher.
We had our first encounter with the famous Japanese toilets (see photo) which include a warm seat (how we missed that on our return to chilly Kodai!), a bidet button or a more forceful spray option, built in deodorizer, and a "modesty" button which provides an electronic flushing sound to disguise any unsavoury bodily noises.
Within twenty four hours Shannon had fulfilled two of her trip goals - to buy a kimono (see photo) and to visit the Ghibli Museum (see photo) dedicated to the work of famed anime creator Miyazaki Hayao. His films include My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away. I am grateful to Shannon for introducing me to this amazing genre of films and urge you who are unfamiliar to see them.
We also began what was to be a journey of incredible culinary delight with a traditional dinner and breakfast with our hosts followed by our first sample of yakitori (charcoal broiled chicken and other meats and vegetables on skewers) at their favorite neighborhood restaurant.
The next day we joined our tour group at a Tokyo hotel. We were 14 with our group leader and a very compatible bunch from Australia, Canada, Germany, England and the US.

New Coats and Toothbrushes

2008-01-16T04:37:00.001-08:00

With Your Help...

2007-12-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

This little Hindu girl and her fellow students at the creche give thanks for YOU as well as their lunch every day!!!
As the calender year has drawn to a close I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you just how your contributions have made a difference here in South India. Surrounded by such profound and basic unmet needs it is tempting, but inevitably futile, to try to respond through charitable measures i.e. handouts of some type. In the long run improvement in living conditions occurs as a result of advocacy which in the case of the Creche Project takes the form of education of children, staff, parents, and the community.
On the other hand there have been situations which presented themselves where I felt a charitable response was warranted and I am grateful that funds were available. Twin boys were born (unexpectedly!) to a local village couple after five years of infertility. Although cause for much rejoicing in the family and community the parents did not have the resources to clothe the babies. A layette was provided. A creche graduate now in her teens suffers from tuberculosis (TB) of the kidneys and has lost one kidney to the disease already. Her mother, dressed in rags, father and three siblings go without to cover her medical expenses which are on-going. Her mother received an inexpensive ($4.00) sari in December and I was able to advocate for this and another family who had gone into debt due to medical bills and to obtain financial assistance from a local organization.
Two creche staff members had family medical emergencies with which I could help by providing financial assistance with transportation, diagnostic testing, and prescriptions. I am talking about $20 for a taxi ride for someone with a severe headache who would otherwise have had to take a hot, dusty, jarring bus ride of three times the duration to get treatment, $10 (yes, you read that right!) for a CT scan at the government hospital, and a few dollars for medication for someone's father who lay barely conscious on the floor of his daughter's three room house. I am glad to report that both of these people are doing well at this writing.
In appreciation of the two "granny" midwives sharing their stories with me I was able to purchase thread and razor blades for tying and cutting the umbilical cord. To encourage toothbrushing all the creche children went home with a new toothbrush one day and as the weather turned cool here in Kodai we were able to have 150 little red, hooded fleece jackets with pockets made at a cost of only $300. As you can see from the photo I was a bit off on the sizes, ordering Size 2-4 and 4-6 for our three to five year olds!
Advocacy-
The first three months of my time here was spent interviewing members of the health care system as well as consumers/community members as part of a community health assessment which helped me identify needs for education as well as services. In Porayar it was evident that people did not have ready access to primary health care services and were often seeking out the creche nurse for care. We were able to provide her with very basic supplies including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, scabies treatment, gloves, bandaids and dressing materials. In addition a British-trained Spanish midwife passing through Kodaikanal had given me her birthing kit complete with instruments and emergency medications and I was able to pass this on to the same nurse in Porayar where most births are attended by an elderly traditional birth attendant with the most rudimentary knowledge and supplies.
The focus for the remainder of my time here will be on continuing various educational programs with the children, staff, parents and community members. Hand washing and tooth care as well cough and cold etiquette will be reinforced. In-service educational topics for the staff will include health and safety issues in the childcare setting. Parent and community meetings will address issues which the participants have expressed interest in including women's health issues, HIV, family planning, and care of the sick child.
As you can see $10 can go a long way here so donations no matter how "small" can make a real difference and any amount will be gratefully accepted. For more information on the Creche Project please go to www.help-kids-india.org (That's dashes/hyphens NOT underscores.) Checks can be made out to The Betsy Elizabeth Trust and mailed to Ann Peck, P.O. Box 12, Topsham, VT 05076, USA
Thank you so much for your support-financial, emotional and spiritual, and keep those emails and blog comments coming!!
Happy New Year!!
Lora

Creches Receive 2007 American College of Nurse Midwives Foundation Community Grant Award

2007-12-24T01:26:00.000-08:00

Today (Christmas Eve) I received a wonderful Christmas gift. It came in the form of a letter notifying me that we had been chosen to receive the above grant of $500. to purchase teaching materials, supplies and equipment for the educational sessions we will be holding in 2008 in the communities served by the creches. In previous meetings village residents have shared with us topics of concern like women's health issues which we will be addressing as well as family planning and HIV. We will continue to reinforce hand-washing, tooth care and cough etiquette which we have previously covered with the children and parents in lively, interactive meetings. Thank you A.C.N.M. Foundation!!

Standing Room Only for Creche Christmas Program!

2007-12-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

The creche children have been rehearsing for weeks for their Christmas programs. In addition to the re-enactment of the Christmas story (see an expectant Mary making the journey to Bethlehem with Joseph!) parents and guests were treated to songs, Bible verses and readings, and beautiful, traditional Indian dances performed by their preschoolers. The programs culminated with gifts of new school uniforms, stuffed toys and sweets for the children, some kitchenware for parents, and new saris for the teachers.

Yes, We Are Alive and VERY Well!!!

2007-12-18T04:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from South India via Japan from Us to You!

The past several weeks have been full of travel, hence the lack of posts. We have lots to share with you including this beautiful Irish-American geisha recently spotted near a Kyoto teahouse!!!