At Shanti Ashram right now. Feeling frustrated with how this field trip has gone. But before I write my frustration, let me name the good parts.

On Wednesday afternoon, we visited two of the schools supported by the Ashram. It nice to be in the villages and see the people, especially the children. I cannot help but love children; they make me aware of my paternal that are dying to get out . I will wait though, I don’t need a baby just yet. I think the morning session was about human rights, but I don‘t remember. It was the first time this year that I completely zoned out. Perhaps the crossword puzzle I was working on had something to do with it.

The Thursday session was about human development. It was excellent! They emphasized the importance of integrated development, something I believe strongly in. Telamon Migrant Head Start, where I worked this summer also emphasized integrated development. First, people who participate in development projects must be involved in planning them. They must be able to articulate their own needs and opinions. Second, the development strategy must address all areas of a person’s life, not just economic prosperity. There should also be a focus on health, nutrition, education, and even spiritual well-being. Third, development projects must build trust--both among the participants and between them and the rest of society.

Thursday afternoon we went to another village to see self-help groups.

So, there have been good parts about the fieldtrip, but right now I am very frustrated about it. The lack of co-ordination means that there is a lot of wasted downtime. This morning we drove half an hour to the ashram to be here for twenty minutes before driving forty-five minutes back to Bangalore to the Gandhi museum which was nothing more than pictures of Gandhi with explanations written in Tamil. We were there for almost two hours, far more time than necessary! We were supposed to see a hospital too, but for some reason the doctors didn’t showed up. Then we drove all the way back to the Ashram and when we arrived we sat in for more than an hour on an Ashram meeting without a translator. Then, after doing nothing all day, we spent the afternoon sitting around the ashram too.

In addition to the poor planning, there is hardly any attempt to follow the schedule. I get the idea that it was thrown together to appease some bureaucrats in New York.

Another frustration is the lack of continuity between the fieldtrip and the area studies classes up to now. For some reason, US-based bureaucrats decided that faculty members weren’t allowed to accompany us on the fieldtrip. This decision is, well, stupid. There is even lack of continuity between the classes at the ashram--about five ashram people work with us, but it’s impossible to tell who is in charge. Another frustration is the communication barrier. People find it difficult to understand our English, and we find it just as difficult to understand theirs. Often, not even the translators from Shanti ashram understand us. That is, if Shanti ashram sends translators at all! Having a faculty member with us would help rectify this issue!

Ok, that’s my bitchfest.