Thoughts

I was looking at photos from last years work camp in India (the trip I am part of is continuing work that was started last year). I guess I have to start off by saying...Wow. It really brought out a lot of emotions and thoughts, some of which I can't really even put into words. I have heard about the extreme poverty in India, and I have witnessed it firsthand in other countries, but these pictures really hit me pretty hard. Probably because I know that it will be me out there in a month and a half, stacking bricks in the hot sun alongside all the men, women, and kids of the village.

I know it is going to be intense, emotionally and physically. There is a part of me that is afraid I won't be able to handle it -- first of all, will I be tough enough to deal with the physical challenge? Doing manual labor all day in the hot sun is not exactly something I am used to! Can this pampered suburban chick swing it? I've had problems with my back for the past 6 months, and I am a total wimp when it comes to humidity. Add to that all the routine stomach problems that will come along with being in India ... crap! I hope I can hang is all I have to say!

But really, I wonder if the emotional side of it won't be the hardest part for me. I have been told that India can be a pretty disheartening place, with extreme poverty, filthy streets, beggars, aggressive men....it seems to be one of the most challenging places in the world to travel to. But I think the context that I am going in might give me a different experience ... I will still see all of those things, but having the opportunity to work in a village and interact so closely with the people ... I hope that the positive side of the experience will balance it out. Or perhaps it will make it harder. Because as a tourist, I think it is easier to put on blinders and harden yourself to the things you see, but when you actually have a change to get to know the people that are suffering ... well, that is a different story. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Here are some of the photos, courtesty of Rick Mickelson of Longitude (the parent organization heading up the project).