On July 3rd we visited two health centers in the Bahraich area. Students learned about common practices in the area as well as some national health initiatives India is working on implementing.
Students receiving a tour of one of the health centers
Archna-ji, our in-country leader, shares information about women’s health with students.
Everyone learned a lot from the experience and left with a variety of emotions. Experimenter Imani wrote the following about her experience:
Listening . Probably one of the most beneficial things a human can do . We should always be listening . To music , to nature , to people . It’s one of the first steps .
Understanding . How many times have you had a conversation and every sentence starts with “I”?
“I feel like…” “I think…” “I believe…”
Usually in those types of conversations there are voices being thrown at one another through the air with no time to process and no real understanding . Therefore lies like
“I get it but … “I understand but…”
or things like
“You shouldn’t have..” “you know I didn’t mean it like that…” “you’re not listening…”
Are said
To understand one must do a couple simple things.
Shut up.
Listen.
Wipe the film from your lenses so you can see the other persons rain or rainbows.
Remove your mask so you can taste someone’s sorrow or celebration.
Break down your walls so you can feel . Everything.
Understanding . definitely the most beneficial thing a human can do . Yet , we stop ourselves from doing it . This time … mask off.
Experimenter Kyla listens to a doctor at one of the health clinic
______________________________________________________________
We enjoyed a beautiful morning at the Taj Mahal! The following shared their experiences:
“After spending the last week in a small town called Bahraich visiting NGOs, schools, health centers, and interacting with locals, we took a quick trip out to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. Tomorrow we will head to Palampur, where we will stay in an Ayurvedic treatment center and learn about traditional medicine! In just one week, we have become a family, and I can’t express the amount of love and respect I already have for these kids. They are bright, conscious, and intelligent students and I feel so lucky to be by their side as they experience India for the first time!” – Linsey, group leader
The whole group in front of the Taj Mahal
“It has been interesting understanding the Taj Mahal from a public health perspective, as this tomb was built for a woman who died giving birth to her 14th child.” – Anna, group leader
Experimenter Tony and Leaders Anna and Linsey explored the Taj Mahal and surrounding areas
“I told each of the people in the photo to look right. This picture represents how you can communicate something to a group of people and they each interpret it differently, as 3 people are looking right but in different ways and one person is looking straight.” – Khaya, Experimenter
Students Imani, Kyla, Faith, and Domini on the side of the Taj Mahal
The Experiment 