Class Day #2, Cont.

Tuesday evening, 9:00ishPM. I fixed supper for me and the other volunteer on site -- Michael from Finland who had the Delhi Belly yesterday and has just regained his appetite. We had Top Ramen Noodles (for you Sam!), but whatever was in the seasoning packet had some kick to it! The drinking water is filtered, but I am still using the drops in what I drink (thanks Carlene) to be sure. We cook to boiling with the filtered water and all seems fine. I am constantly reminded that we are in a strongly Muslim part of India, as you can see with the first picture. A good Muslim prays 5 times per day, while facing Mecca. No matter where they are, they are obligated to perform this ritual, even if no one can hear the calls from the mosque. As I have noted before, there are 4 mosques within hearing distance of the office grounds, and the call has just finished. Sometimes, I hear the 4:00AM call, but most often I am able to sleep through it. I want to learn more about the Muslim faith, but like some church people who put on a good Sunday morning face, there are plenty Muslims who pray at the mosque on Friday afternoon only, just so all can see how good they are, and then they follow the world for the rest of the week.

The office is inside a walled compound, which is very common around most homes, or cluster of homes in this village. The wall is to keep the bad guys out. Titus has a dog that he lets loose at dark, and he does a great deal of night-time barking, often right in front of my open window. This gives me a bit of security, but also disturbs one's sleep. I will look forward to a hot shower, a cup of coffee in the AM, and a full night's rest.

Ladies, you will notice the JenAire stove/oven combo in the next photo. This is the mud cook stove that I mentioned before. Once cured, it is so sturdy that you can stand on it! It gets warm and heats the tent, as well as providing a 2 burner stove. This woman was very demure when I asked who had built it, (indicating that she had) and she agreed to allow a photo to be taken, but at the last second, she diverted her eyes as they often do. I did not want to dishonor her and ask for a 2nd photo. Notice the spruce boughs on the floor which keep things dry and adds a bit of air freshner to the scene (you will recall the odor is a mix of wet chickens, Maggie's ballet shoes, and spoiled milk!) You ALWAYS take off your shoes when entering a home here, including when you enter someone's camp/tent. The kitchens and the living spaces are also very tidy with things put carefully into place and a carpet spread out for all to sit on. Washing the dishes is usually with just water, but I did see that even the Gujjar had bar soap that they washed EVERYTHING with, especially their hands.
I must tell you about the dogs. (Note the custom made dog house). This dog was a bad one. They let him off leash during the night after everyone goes into their house/tent. He is to keep away the bears, and to keep the sheep/goats from straying. A dog that damages the livestock, or a dog who runs from predators somehow disappears (you get the picture). They are just not useful in this culture, and I did not see children playing with any dog other than a few puppies. We dewormed this one after I demonstrated the 'hold by the chain, lift the front legs off the ground, two hands behind the ears and hang on' (take 'em to the ground if you must -- and I did!) technique that Jenny C. is so good at!(EVERYONE was scared of him!) I knew I was going to get bit, but he attacked the deworming gun instead. He had more Albendazole ON him than IN him, but I am sure he got enough! Pretty exciting.... After the first one, the men then wanted to try my restraint technique on some pretty calm ones, which worked out quite well.

This last photo is of permanent summer houses that this same family has been visiting for generations. Notice the beautiful evergreen trees to the side. We are at over 7,000', and the air is crisp and the scenery magnificent. There is running water from snow melt nearby. This was by far my most favorite and the most beautiful campsite that I had seen. The sides of these houses are built of logs and mud, the roof is logs with sod put on top. As with the house in the foreground, when the roof collapses, they will recycle the materials and build another hut. I remind you that this area gets 8-10' of snow per winter, so the load is pretty intense. This is also the village where one old grandfather who was feeling his age and suspected that this would be his last summer on the mountain -- told Titus -- "See what God has provided for me? All the king's in their palaces, and all the wealthy of the world do not have such a fine home as this". This is truely a magnificent attitude. More of us should be content with what we have, instead of wanting more and more. The world needs more givers and less takers. These people could have another way of life, but they choose not to. This is the mission of Titus's work here -- to empower the young people to find contentment and a way that they will be able to continue to follow in their ancestor's footsteps, while not denying that they can better themselves by bettering their livestock. Titus and I have also talked about ways to deliver education to the children while living in the mountains for these 2 1/2 - 3 months since they have so much down time. Many, many possibilities. Losing this way of life for these people is much like more and more of our US farmers finding something else to do. Who will feed us? It is really tough to cook and eat computers!! Don't get me started....

The dog is already barking in the compound (LTS --she likes me, and the videos have been WELL received by Titus and the kids). I had the coolest thing happen this evening. Michael and I went for a walk toward the forest behind the village, and just at dusk, 3 jackals came sprinting out of the forest into the open and came up close! I tried a photo, and I am not sure yet if I captured an image or not. They seemed reddish, like a red fox, about the height of a coyote, but like most things in these parts, they were VERY thin, and VERY fast. I guess they didn't like my non-cologne, because as soon as they saw us, they were jetting on back into the forest.
We had a good 4 hour training session this afternoon with the men, and we will schedule another 4 hours in the morning. I had asked for time to go shopping before my stay here is over, and that is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I am not yet sure about Thursday's schedule, but I will be spending most of Friday packing and preparing to leave early Saturday morning. Has it been nearly 2 1/2 weeks already? I am certainly glad to have come for 3 weeks, because 2 weeks would not have been enough time. More tomorrow. BLN