Day 1

Last night’s drive was about two and a half hours from the airport to the clinic. I arrived late at night and unfortunately missed out on the scenic drive. This is the only place in India I’ve been so far where no city lights can be seen for miles and the stars are visible at night. This is the beginning of monsoon season and a storm had hit earlier that day so the hospital and rest of the town had no electricity. I woke up this morning from a sweaty slumber and practically ran to my window to get a glimpse of Dhenkanal. Yet another beautiful side of India! (Pics coming soon... I hope!)

Breakfast is at eight o’clock and I met the other volunteers here: Allie, Susan, and Peter. They have already been here a week and have gotten to know each other, so they introduced themselves to me. They are all sophomore pre-med/pre-op students. They are friendly and tell me what work they have been doing the past week. Allie and Susan have been designing and editing brochures, flyers, and pamphlets for Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre and Peter has been doing some grant writing (including one to the European Union!). I talked with the medical director yesterday, Sunil, and he gave me a tour of the clinic and told me some ideas he had for me. They are hoping I can take pictures of the new hospital, its rooms/facilities, and machines and medical equipment so that they can show these pictures to corporate companies and for grant writing. A second project they are hoping I can do during my short stay here is take pictures of the whole screening process from start to finish and turn this into a video/slideshow. Many of the patients brought in from the outreach camps (rural areas) are very fearful of the clinic (some believe the hospital is going to take their eyes) and this video will be shown to them while they wait in the lobby. This video is a great way to do this because many of the outreach patients are illiterate, so pamphlets and brochures are not helpful to them.

The power and a/c was out all day and night again, and with the previous day’s heavy rain, the mosquitoes have come to life with a vengeance. 48C (~120F?), very high humidity, and evil mosquitoes that make me understand why malaria is such a huge problem here. This is also India 

Hope the power a/c comes back soon!

Arrival in Orissa

It’s funny how some days you get a fresh new perspective on life. This was one of them.

As I was sipping chai in the Delhi airport, I reflected on my past month in India and thought about the week ahead of me. For the past four weeks I traveled all over India with a group of eleven other students and a professor from Hope College studying Indian religion and culture. I enjoyed my time with the group traveling and learning, but I have been looking forward towards this week since I arrived in India: the week I will volunteer at Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Orissa with Unite For Sight.

I collected my luggage and was greeted by a man holding a sign “UNITE FOR SIGHT: KALLIE E. WALKER.” He smiled, introduced himself and told me we had “veddy more distance.” On the long ride to the hospital we stopped at a roadside stand and I was offered some Gulab Jamun (Indian sweet). Boy do they know how to make me feel right at home!

I knew this was the beginning of the end, my last week in India, so I sat in the backseat of the van with my eyes closed trying to soak up my surroundings with my remaining senses: the hot wind blowing in my face, the dusty air filling my lungs, the honking of rickshaws and loud drumming of Oriyan music while the van gracefully weaved in and out of traffic.

This is India.
This is India.
This is India.

Update!

Hey everyone!

I apologize for not giving you a sooner update. Wi-fi is hard to come by and we’ve been running full speed here in India, but I’m enjoying every minute! The "May-term" part of the trip is officially over and in just about a half hour I'm on a plane to Orissa, India where I will be volunteering with a great organization called Unite For Sight for the next week!

The weather at the beginning of the trip was hot as expected (~47C), but as soon as we headed south, we experienced a positive effect of the small cyclone (that ran through a different part of India)- cooler temperatures, making our long days that much more enjoyable.

As one might expect, India has a lot going on- even at 4am I’ve seen twenty people standing outside of a shop sipping chai. India is chaotic, but in a weird sort of peaceful way. It's a country full of contrasts and extremes and that's what makes it India!

The people are friendly, hospitable, and generous. I've enjoyed my month here and am looking forward to the next week where several passions of mine will come together: India, photography, helping and working with other people. I've been preparing to volunteer with Unite For Sight and Kalinga Eye Hospital for the past few months now and it's hard to believe that the time has finally come! Thank you all again for all of your support, prayers, and thoughts. I will try and give you an update a few times this week if there is working Internet available!

Kallie

Celebrities

Being a minority here, we are becoming quite the celebrities... especially when dressed in saris (maybe it's because we can't figure out how to tie them properly). This was in a pic in the Times of India today, the "New York Times" of India :)

Impressions

Sorry for the pics only post!

My Adventure Book

Just watching the Disney-Pixar movie "UP" with my roommates and the "Adventure Book" in the movie was the inspiration for this post. People have big goals and aspirations, but life happens. Things get in the way and the things that should be #1 on our list get pushed to the back of the line.

I'm starting a new phase in life and am making "priorities" a priority, I encourage you to do the same- even if it requires sacrifices. "Life is too short to be comfortable." -Emma Biagioni.

I'm so thankful for the support of family, friends, and even complete strangers. So if you're reading this, I'm talking about you! Thank you!

There's a plan for you, for me. Use your talents. This trip is just the beginning of My Adventure Book, what will become of yours?

Namaste

Hello friends.

In less than three weeks I'll be in a world that couldn't be more opposite than Holland, Michigan. I, Kallie Elizabeth Walker, will be in INDIA! It will be hot, crowded, dirty, loud, smelly, and I couldn't be more excited to experience India the way she truly is.

I like to think that India is a country where culture, religion, and beliefs mix together to project a vibrant, saturated picture of life. The more and more I learn about India, the more complex and foreign it seems to me, and yet there is a strange sense of familiarity.

From May 10-June 6 I'll be taking a May-Term through Hope College and from June 7-14 I will be a volunteer photographer with an incredible non-profit organization called Unite For Sight in Orissa, India. I am unsure if I will have access to internet or be able to upload photos, but if I have the opportunity, I will update this blog whenever I have the chance.

I'm a terrible writer, so I'll save you the 500 other clichés I have up my sleeve and I'll let my pictures do the talking.

Thanks for following.
Grace and Peace,
Kallie