two more days in jamkhed

i leave jamkhed in two days, on a night bus to mumbai, where i will spend three days in the city that shook me the first time i went there eight weeks ago. since the last time i wrote, i have spent three weeks working on a study of how alternative, herbal, and complementary medicine is used here at CRHP. it's been so interesting, and i can’t wait to continue working on it when i get back.

it will be hard to say goodbye to my friends here – rinske from holland, kate from australia, bernie from California (the new Mabelle Arole Fellow who will be here for the next ten months before starting medical school), and the community at CRHP. but i think i will come back in the future because this place is incredible. i've learned to be much more optimistic when approaching problems here; instead of anticipating obstacles, i should respond with solutions when, and if, i arrive at those obstacles. i've spent time on the farm, where they grow “diesel trees” – the oil from the leaves of this tree can be used directly as fuel – and moringa – a type of pod with seeds that are used to purify water so that water-borne illness has been cut way down in this area (it’s also used to purify the Nile in Sudan and Egypt), and the pod has more calcium than an equal weight of milk and more iron than most dark green vegetables, so a powder can be made from the pod and used to fortify the diet. they’ve brought access to water to the people of the drought-prone areas. and they’ve made jobs for people by teaching the trades that produce these potential means of livelihood. on the last day of the course, they gave us a quotation from Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism:

Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say "We have done this ourselves.

this is exactly what CRHP does and it’s really refreshing.

dave and i (dave is my classmate from mt sinai who has been here all summer, did the course with me, and has been working on TB research the past few weeks) have had some great existential conversations the past few nights. they have been illuminating because they are in the context of development and health work. this summer i wanted to do a bit more soul-searching, since i’m searching for a spiritual side to life that suits me. many of the people at CRHP are christian, and thus have morning prayer and sunday services. i was raised catholic, so it’s not foreign to me, but at the same time there is a faith in god here as a means to give strength to the work they do. they say wonderful prayers like “god, give us the strength to continue our work, building communities, improving health, and empowering those who can’t now stand on their feet. we spread your love through the work that we do.” this is the reason for religion: to do good to and for others. and so i don’t get the sense in religious ceremony here that people, as at churches back home, are lost in ritual, mumbling a memorized prayer, thinking “god, help ME, bring ME this, make sure I achieve that;” instead, god is a symbol of love and goodness that one who does service brings to others. i think a community of others who believe people are good and that the purpose of life is to do good for others is all i need to develop that part of my life i feel is lacking. i have found some of that community here in jamkhed, and it’s very exciting to find kindred spirits, even if they are practicing religions (which i’m not sure i want do), who share some of my values.

in parting, though i'll post one more entry in mumbai, i will see you all soon! i arrive home on august 22!