Out of India

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Now that I have been back home for several weeks now I guess it’s time to update you about the trip seeing that my updates during the trip were almost non-existent. The primary reason for this was the lack of internet connection and what was had at times for spotty and not reliable, plus I was busy and I hated to stop what I was doing just so I could try and log into a browser and shoot off some emails. I can say that my Twitter updates were a little better, ok, not really, but I did Twitter more than I blogged which I guess some of you are saying isn’t much, so let’s just say I’ll try better next time.

Ok, so what did the trip hold? Much in many ways is the best response I can give and to keep things simple let me say things this way: we traveled to Trichy and dedicated 5 projects which were amazing in themselves. At each place we experienced the power of water and through our interactions with the villagers it was quite clear that what was accomplished in their village with water was truly a life giving effort.

After completing our village dedications we drove about an hour to a place referred to as an interior place and there we were greeted by villagers who had requested a water project. We spent time listening to their needs and documenting their current water situation. What struck me the most about this place was that when their tank was dry because they used all the water and there wasn’t any electricity to turn on the pump motor that the villagers would have to walk to the canal for water, so we went to the canal and like I expected it wasn’t much to look at. There was a lady washing clothes, another one washing a small herd of buffalo, kids were swimming and then there were 2, 6” flexible hoses running down the hill to the water’s edge and these were used for bringing the water up the embankment to the fields and to their buckets.
The harsh reality of this reinforced for me how desperate people really are for water and how much I take what I have for granted. The sad thing is that I didn’t even need to leave that village to be reminded mow much I take my water for granted for as soon as I climbed back in the car I was reaching for my 2 liter water bottle not even realizing that what I was drinking was much cleaner than what these villagers were left with.

The harsh reality in rural India is that clean water isn’t always easily accessible and if it is then one can consider themselves very fortunate for many in the rural parts of India don’t even enjoy that simple access.
I am trying to change this though and my final thought that I want to leave you with is this: what if the provision of water is just the beginning, the access point if you will to the rest of their life? What if we use the water and instead of saying goodbye and run off to the next place to bring water, we stay and see what else we can do to help alleviate their suffering? How cool would that be? I am thinking really cool.

Here’s to a new beginning, a holistic approach to saving lives. More to come later….

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In India

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Aug. 4, 2010

In India.

2 words packed with meaning and if you have never travelled with me here and been engaged in all that is going on these words might seem simplistic. The reality though is these 2 words are packed with meaning.

Just getting here has been a task. When this trip was booked it was done with thoughts of quick connections and flight times, no weather issues to be leery of, and hopefully no setbacks. Why was I dreaming or some might say what was I smoking? Sorry, I don’t smoke so that is out, but whenever you travel I have come to learn that obstacles always find a way of presenting themselves.

This trip was no different, just about a week before departure “things” started happening, team members suffering freak accidents, family members suffering from traumatic events, realizations that school calendars weren’t consulted when setting dates for the trip (thus 2 people will miss their kid’s 1st day back), and what else went on, oh, there were physical injuries and then the unforeseen airline flight delays and yes, even cancellations.

How is it that an airline decides to cancel a flight full of people on a weekday involving an important market, let’s say San Francisco to Chicago and LA to Chicago? No idea why this happens and yet it does but on the day we travel and to us? Nothing like running around covering last minute details before I head off to the airport when you get a call saying I am at the airport and they just cancelled my flight? SHUT UP!!!!!!!!! Is what I utter and the reply is no really, this time I am not messing, the airline just cancelled my flight. Fast forward 30 minutes and another call, Mike, they just cancelled my flight. What is going on? San Francisco and LA both cancelling flights to Chicago, you know how many flights they have and they cancel these with my team members on them? Disgusting I say, utterly disgusting.
Things worked out in the end; Valerie who was leaving from SFO was sent to Hong Kong and then got a connecting flight to Chennai and Michael was put on a series of planes and ultimately will arrive in India a day late, but none the less will arrive…just in time to get some sleep and jump back on another plane.

We all know the ups and downs of travel and no doubt we experienced our share of challenges and yet there are many out there who would say this is nothing and they are probably right. It all depends on one’s perspective which leads me back to my opening 2 words, in India.

India has a way of bringing perspective to life.

Life here is much different than in America. Hopefully in the next 10 days I and others can communicate how much different it really is but one thought to leave you with, maybe this is really the norm and what we have in America is unique.

Think about it.

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