Yesterday was a day full of adventure! We made it out of the classroom and back into the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. The chaos of the streets and the amount of people always leave me exhausted by the end of our day. However, in the midst of it I feel like I am missing so many things due to the shear amount of activity happening around me. There are just not enough adjectives to describe this city and this is really apparent because my blogs are getting longer every time, when I promised them to be short. There is just so much I want to share!
Over the last few days, when we have been out in Mumbai we have passed different slums in our travels, but have only been able to see them through a bus or car widow. The idea of slums is one I could not understand while living in my 1900 sqft home with running water and a comfy bed. When I would see the pictures or media representations of the slums my thoughts were never focused because the people living in slums never really affected my day to day life. Why would it right, I mean those were not my streets or people I actually knew? Well I can officially now say the Mumbai slums are my streets and people I know live and survive there.
Our visit was directed by one of the local YMCA organizations. We were first able to see different classes, within the community center, that were set up as empowerment tools for members in the community. There were classes women could take in: henna application, fashion, beauty school, jewelry making, etc. All in hopes of providing them a way to earn an income for themselves and their children. They also offered computer and typing (on a typewriter) courses, as a way to provide the community members a place to build the vocational skills for government employment opportunities. Each of these classes is provided at very little or no cost. I did have concerns about this excursion however because the tour of the campus was awkward, at best. I actually really struggled. I didn't like the idea of standing in front a classroom and talking about students as if they weren't all sitting in chairs right in front of me. We were barely introduced, there was a language barrier, and we were not given an opportunity to build relationships. It felt very intrusive to me and I couldn't imagine how I would have felt if I were in their shoes. I couldn't imagine being in class, having foreigners come in front of the room, speak a different language and dig through my assignments. It made me very uncomfortable. However, I cannot take away from the fact that the agency is doing amazing work!
The community center location is in the heart of a slum, occupied by a Muslim community. The reason this is important is because, India has the 2nd highest Muslim community in the world and there is great discrimination and oppression for this population. The problems for Muslims in this country goes way back in history, but the results of it are written through every small shack in this slum. The 10x10 rooms hold 8-10 family members, however there can often be rooms built above the original structure if family needs the space. There is no running water or sewage system and they are charged roughly 400 American dollars a month. The most shocking part isn't the cost, but instead people can come from very little money or can be doctors and engineers making good money. This is all do to a lack of housing and/or discrimination and oppression in Mumbai. Man, have I had this all wrong in my head and my heart broke when I heard this! Some even consider it a privilege to live in a slum. It is hard to understand, but again it isn't wrong. The piece for me was I couldn't imagine beginning treated so poorly for my faith? Every night we hear the Muslim call to prayer as we sit in our rooms and now with each one of the calls I too have begun to pray for the changing of hearts in Mumbai.
Our final stop was in a day care center, run by the YMCA. This was probably my favorite part of the day. As we walked in and saw kids ranging in age from 5-16 (I am guessing) we were greeted with giggles and astonishment over how different we looked. We were asked to come over and hear the youngest members of the group sing a song. Their faces lit up as they jumped around and smiled through the music notes. We couldn't understand the language, but we understood the pure joy! After they were done we were asked to sing to them. It was fantastic to see the shock on our faces, but we gathered the courage to belt out the ever famous Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. As we sang the entire group of students (old and young) turned to look at us and each of them began to sing along with us. It was a life changing moment of human interaction. I loved that one little song could bring two parts of the world together in the most unlikely place, a small community center in the heart of a Mumbai slum. The best part, it was all watched by a bull that stood outside the open door as we sang.
Over the last few days, when we have been out in Mumbai we have passed different slums in our travels, but have only been able to see them through a bus or car widow. The idea of slums is one I could not understand while living in my 1900 sqft home with running water and a comfy bed. When I would see the pictures or media representations of the slums my thoughts were never focused because the people living in slums never really affected my day to day life. Why would it right, I mean those were not my streets or people I actually knew? Well I can officially now say the Mumbai slums are my streets and people I know live and survive there.
Our visit was directed by one of the local YMCA organizations. We were first able to see different classes, within the community center, that were set up as empowerment tools for members in the community. There were classes women could take in: henna application, fashion, beauty school, jewelry making, etc. All in hopes of providing them a way to earn an income for themselves and their children. They also offered computer and typing (on a typewriter) courses, as a way to provide the community members a place to build the vocational skills for government employment opportunities. Each of these classes is provided at very little or no cost. I did have concerns about this excursion however because the tour of the campus was awkward, at best. I actually really struggled. I didn't like the idea of standing in front a classroom and talking about students as if they weren't all sitting in chairs right in front of me. We were barely introduced, there was a language barrier, and we were not given an opportunity to build relationships. It felt very intrusive to me and I couldn't imagine how I would have felt if I were in their shoes. I couldn't imagine being in class, having foreigners come in front of the room, speak a different language and dig through my assignments. It made me very uncomfortable. However, I cannot take away from the fact that the agency is doing amazing work!
The community center location is in the heart of a slum, occupied by a Muslim community. The reason this is important is because, India has the 2nd highest Muslim community in the world and there is great discrimination and oppression for this population. The problems for Muslims in this country goes way back in history, but the results of it are written through every small shack in this slum. The 10x10 rooms hold 8-10 family members, however there can often be rooms built above the original structure if family needs the space. There is no running water or sewage system and they are charged roughly 400 American dollars a month. The most shocking part isn't the cost, but instead people can come from very little money or can be doctors and engineers making good money. This is all do to a lack of housing and/or discrimination and oppression in Mumbai. Man, have I had this all wrong in my head and my heart broke when I heard this! Some even consider it a privilege to live in a slum. It is hard to understand, but again it isn't wrong. The piece for me was I couldn't imagine beginning treated so poorly for my faith? Every night we hear the Muslim call to prayer as we sit in our rooms and now with each one of the calls I too have begun to pray for the changing of hearts in Mumbai.
Our final stop was in a day care center, run by the YMCA. This was probably my favorite part of the day. As we walked in and saw kids ranging in age from 5-16 (I am guessing) we were greeted with giggles and astonishment over how different we looked. We were asked to come over and hear the youngest members of the group sing a song. Their faces lit up as they jumped around and smiled through the music notes. We couldn't understand the language, but we understood the pure joy! After they were done we were asked to sing to them. It was fantastic to see the shock on our faces, but we gathered the courage to belt out the ever famous Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. As we sang the entire group of students (old and young) turned to look at us and each of them began to sing along with us. It was a life changing moment of human interaction. I loved that one little song could bring two parts of the world together in the most unlikely place, a small community center in the heart of a Mumbai slum. The best part, it was all watched by a bull that stood outside the open door as we sang.
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