In Awe: Conclusion

Things have really turned around for Rahul and the old man he has been in care for. Down the street from Jayeshbhai's house in Ahmedbad is a hospital called Mother Teresa. It has about 40 patients being watched after one phenominal nun called Sister Tessa. Rahul says she does hard core service, such as cleaning colon cancer wounds.

Under the Mother Teresa Hospital's care, the old man has drastically improved. He smiles and has started eating better. He doesn't have TB and will soon go to his village once he gains enough energy. Rahul's has a friend going to the old man's village in Rajasthan to find out the story on why he was abandoned.

...Thanks for all the comments and staying to tuned to Rahul's remarkable efforts. I am sure your wishes helped the situation.

Pakistan: Islamabad, FATA

The purpose in going to Pakistan was to meet my amazing friend and guru Walt (more on Walt Dada later) and to assist in a solar PV training for an upcoming solar water pumping project for the FATA portion of the Northwest Province and the Balochistan areas of Pakistan. (I thought the villages would be in the quake affected areas, but it turns out that the water in the quake areas is too contaminated to use.) The training was held in Islamabad at the National Univer. for Science and Technology. Hence, after the first night in Lahore, I took a bus to Islambad. The students were engineers and barefoot engineers from some remarkable non-profit groups working with remote communities in Pakistan, such as Islamic Relief, Community Mobilization and Development Organization, and Kurram Rural Support Organzation. ...I was so excited to meet the only woman engineer (from Islamic Relief) to attend the class.

The genuine respect I received during the visit...from EVERYONE I met was unmatched from any other place...I miss that special flow that Pakistan nurtures. Here are some photos of the field visits.



Village girls taking a break from carrying water up to their homes.


Elders looking over our shoulders as we inspected the well that needed the solar pump.

Pakistan: Lahore

Two loudly sirening police vehicles in the front, two in the rear, and two policemen inside the bus...we watched a Hindi film during the ride, but it felt like I was in a Hindi film. This is the "peace bus" I took from the Ambedekar bus station near Old Delhi to Lahore. The ride was about 8 hours, plus 4 hrs for breaks and border paperwork.

Once I reached Lahore, I realized there really was no need for such security. I call Roop, a friend's friend and a phenominal volunteer for Friends Without Borders (www.friendswithoutborder.org) , from the Lahore-Dehli bustop for directions. Never having met, she openly welcomes me into her home...and into a dream. I was expecting to find a city much like any city in India dealing with over population and lack of the Western world's definition of infrastructure. I found the complete opposite.

Lahore has a center which has its fair share of slums. I didn't get a chance to see this part of the city in my 24hrs there. Roop's mom is head of the Microbiology Dept. at the University of the Punjab, the largest university in Asia...as I was told. The campus could have been Stanford...and Roop's family could have easily been a Bay area family.

Her mom is extremely outgoing. Her Nanima is extremely open. Her Aunt is professor of Environmental Studies. I was showered with so much love. Nanima non-stop told me of her Indian friends and memories she treasures of them. ...She treated me as if I transpired the priceless for her...again great showers of Love...in her thick Punjabji...me replying in my wanna-be Hindi.

...Roop and I tried our best to explain Friends Without Borders to Nanima....little did she know that she embraces the India-Pakistan context that Friends Without Borders wants to resurrect.