Less than a month

As class wind down, papers abound, and finals approach I find myself more and more just thinking about India. I have been looking forward to May for so long, but now that the end is in sight I feel like it is entirely too soon. It's been a year of big changes for me, my first year of going to college and being away from my family has been difficult. I was hesitant at first to go to India because I was certain I would not be able to handle being away from my family for that long. However, with reassurance from my parents and buddies from field studies, I decided to go ahead. I am so glad that I did. I was devastated to hear that the field studies program is being eliminated. I am so grateful I was able to participate their last year. It is an amazing program. The loss will be sorely felt.

I prepare for yet another huge change, but this time more prepared. I may be in a foreign country that speaks a language I can barely understand, but I have learned so much from Venkat. I may not be able to speak to my family very often, but I can always pray to my Heavenly Father. I will not have many people I know, but I am so grateful for our great little India group. I am nervous to go, but I know I am prepared and will face my challenges with optimism and faith.

Annotated Source- Birth on the Threshold

Cecilia Coale Van Hollen. Birth on the threshold childbirth and modernity in South India c2003

I recently started reading an amazing book called "Birth on the Threshold". The author, Ceilia Can Hollen takes the generally western argument of home birth verses hospital birth and brings it to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She finds that while women amenable to western obstetric "interventions", there is still vast inequality in access to quality healthcare. Her aim is not to demonstrate the superiority of hospital birth, in fact she explores quality at home births. She explores the concept of sakthi, the idea the Tamil women derive power from their own suffering. She travels through these women's feelings contradictory feelings, namely their criticism of caste, gender, and class inequality yet recognize their part in perpetuating the system. I was thrilled when Ashley recommended this book. It is exactly what I have been looking for. I look forward to reading it more. 

In class Wednesday we discussed entering the community. We made social situation triangles to help us think about where we will find our target research populations and what we will be doing everyday. We then wrote about entering the community. I will include some of the questions and answers here.

1.  Which communities will you be seeking entrance to?
In short, I will be seeking to enter the world of women, especially mothers and mothers to be.

2. What is your primary project site/social situation?
My primary site is the Shanti Ashram.  I will also be interviewing women in their homes.

3. Is it suitable for your proposed project and why (consider logistical and safety concerns)?
The Shanti Ashram will be a great site to find women from all of the surrounding communities. They are accustomed to the NGO. As an intern I will be less intrusive than if I were to just enter their homes.

4. List possible sites (social situations within your primary site/social situation and whether they are open or closed sites (include those that would be appropriate for your project even if inaccessible).
Some open sites include the Shanti Ashram, the bus, the village, and various women's homes. It would be interesting to enter the community of a midwife or traditional style doctor. This may no be a possibility however.

We discussed how being able to answer these questions will prepare us to be able to still continue on with our project when things go wrong. If our plans fall through and our original plan are not panning out, being able to ask ourselves and answer these questions will help us be flexible and revamp our projects.

Here are some pretty pictures of saris.