This week started off like any other week. Monday I came into the office and sat down to do some work. Anita called me upstairs to have a quick chat on what was going to happen when she went to the US. She then called each team upstairs to talk through the schedule with them also. It was going to be weird with Anita gone.
In the midmorning/afternoon I sat again with Anita as we attempted to summarize parts of our strategy and budget for the donor. They needed to have it done by 1:30 so they could Skype call and talk through any points that were vague or didn’t make sense. I am quickly learning that funding creates a lot of stress for practitioners. Having dedicated fundraisers would make life so much easier, especially if that dedicated person was really good at it.
The rest of the day was spent getting ready for the week without the boss. I had to make sure my work would be in line with what Oasis needed. Also we had to make sure the other volunteer in the office was not overlapping my work, but also had enough to do. I ended up taking on a lot of logistical office duties. This would give me a taste of what it was like to sit in Anita’s chair for a brief period of time.
Tuesday I went and sat in Anita’s office. It was a lot quieter so I could make my phone calls without broadcasting them to the rest of the office. Also there are fewer distractions so my work time can be more efficient.
This day went by very quickly. I made some calls, sent some e-mails, complied some documents then all of a sudden it was 5:00. At this point I decided to go downtown and walk around with Christine (the other American volunteer). We did a little window shopping and talked a bit. It was a good evening. The traffic was bad on the way home so I did not arrive until 8 PM. Vinu was ready for dinner already so I just sat down and ate.
The house has been a little different for the last 3 weeks. Auntie Nellie (the older scrabble auntie) has been away at her son’s house for a while so I haven’t seen her. Vinitha was gone to Goa for some time also. Plus I was in Mumbai for four days last week. So quite honestly I haven’t sat down to a meal at the house is some time. This day was different still because Vinitha was sick. So I pretty much ate alone. She still cooked for me but did not feel well enough to eat much.
Wednesday Vinitha stayed home from school. She cooked me breakfast but looked like she was very uncomfortable. She had a sore throat and would probably just stay home all day. I went to work at the normal time and went up to Anita’s office and sat in the quiet to answer some e-mails and get some stuff done.
Today was a day that I also noticed that I am very comfortable now. I work well with the people in the office. It is nice to have conversations about the work when I feel I know what I’m talking about to some extent. My cultural observations now are forced. I don’t notice things that are different from the US anymore. Instead I simply live normally.
The day was long and hectic. I finalized some more travel plans, and got caught in the middle of some financial messes. The logistics of the day ended up taking up a lot of my time so I was not even able to get to my work. It was just a crazy day.
The good part about the day is that I finally got my tickets for Shillong. I will be traveling up there (northeast India) Friday. Its supposed to be beautiful. Everyone tells me the culture is very very different than that of Bangalore. My friend Antonia is up there doing her Fuller practicum so it should be a fun time. I’m going to fly into Guwahti and then will take a 5 hour cab ride down to Shillong. I will be staying in a University guest house which is supposedly on a sprawling nature filled campus. I will be sure to update once I get there.
