All Settled In

Well, I think its safe to say I'm pretty much settled in to my life here in Udaipur! Classes were back in full swing after our most recent field visit, and we even had introductory presentations to let everyone know where our project stood and how we intend to proceed.

I wrote in my last entry about my experience in the field and some of the problem areas we had identified through discussions and interviews with the villagers. We have decided to focus on something a little different than the issues we originally identified. While we were in the village we heard some of the people say that their water (which is pulled from deep groundwater wells) does not taste good. We also noticed what looked like iron deposits on the cloth filter that covers the spigot. We have decided to look into this issue and see if we can't identify what might be making the water taste bad and try to find a community solution to fix it.

As it turns out, all 32 regions of Rajasthan are known to be endemic to fluoride, which is mainly influenced by the geological conditions in the region (as well as in other parts of India). The main point to note here is that the fluoride level in the groundwater is often quite high. The permissible limit recognized by the Indian Govt and the WHO is 1.5 mg/L; although, certain parts of Rajasthan have groundwater that tested as high as 37 mg/L!!! Ingesting more than 1.5 mg/L on a regular basis leads to dental fluorosis (including pitting, staining, and hyperpigmentation of the teeth). Ingesting more than 4 mg/L on a regular basis leads to osteoporosis and crippling skeletal fluorosis is seen in individuals who consume 10 mg/L on a daily basis for the majority of their lifetimes. Quite scary stuff!!

Long story short, we are planning to investigate this problem. Our NGO partner in the field claims that the government water quality reports put fluoride levels at somewhere around 7 mg/L, but we don't know where they sampled or how many sources they sampled. So, we are going to do the sampling on our own! We've got a water testing kit that we will be bringing into the field with us to try and find out what exactly is in people's water. Once we figure this out, we can work with them to recommend solutions that are feasible and affordable for the community. Luckily, there is an existing network of women's self help groups that have had success raising money for community projects in the past, so we are hoping to collaborate with them in hopes that they will carry this project forward after we leave the summer program.

My reserach adviser was also in town for the past few days to teach a few of our classes and to hold some meetings with Seva Mandir (our NGO partners). We've had some delays in scheduling due to factors outside of our control, so we are planning to re-adjust accordingly. This affects me as it makes it impossible to conduct my current survey any time soon, so I will have to find a new project that with have a similar focus (water & sanitation) and hopefully turn that into my thesis instead. Its okay though!! There is a lot going on here and I feel confident I can make something happen in the weeks I have left.

Overall, I am having a lovely time. The driving still scares the bejeezus out of me, but other than that I feel like I am becoming pretty well acclimated to India. Some lessons I've learned in the past few weeks:

1. The price is never fixed, even if they claim it is. Always barter. For everything.
2. Random men will ask to take pictures with me (and other foreigners) at public places. I have started asking them for 10 rupees before they take the picture. That tends to quell their interest.
3. Always ask "how much" before getting into a rickshaw. Refer back to point 1 about bartering.
4. Don't be afraid to act a little crazy. Crazy gets things done.
5. Keep reminding people that you are there (especially in restaurants) or they will just ignore you.
6. Lines don't exist. Someone, often multiple someones, will always jump in front of you while loudly airing their issues. You gotta get pushy and a little crazy to get help around here (refer back to point 5).
7. Always watch where you are stepping. In general, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are always a million things going on.
8. NEVER stick your hands or legs outside of a moving rickshaw. ALWAYS hold on to the side or top bars.

I'm including a few pictures from my latest forays into town (including a trip to the Moonsoon Palace today).

I leave for the field tomorrow afternoon and I won't be back until Saturday afternoon. Looking forward to sharing more experiences and pictures with you guys then!