Research Assistant Training!

Last week was RA training time, full of fun participatory learning activities and pilot testing. First up was the quintessential activity of my focus group, the problem tree. We did a few activities without any maternal nutrition so that we could all start thinking of the activities as ways to learn SOMETHING and not just talk about IFA all day. So this tree shows how people in Patna see causes and consequences of STRESS. A little different than those in Atlanta, I’d bet. Some similarities like traffic and family issues… and some different ones like cricket matches and social violence… This was the week after a noted politician was shot during a demonstration over gas prices and the city was reacting to his death.

Domino's

Oh yeah, there is Dominoes (दोमिनोज़) here and they deliver. And it’s tasty and delicious and may make your tumbly grumbly.. :-O

Emory Girls at CCD

So the first order of business with the MPH student arrival was of course, going to Café Coffee Day. It’s a coffee shop chain that is swiffering the nation and there are 2 locations in Patna, one happens to be a 5 minute walk from our guesthouse.

We made it back there a couple of days later meeting four new Patna friends (a couple I met on Boring Road from the states and some friends of Maryam who are living in Patna right now.) Such a popular bunch we became!

MPH Students!

                Over the last 2 days three Emory students have arrived! It’s been great exploring the city with them this weekend and sharing my favorite spots (Café Coffee Day!). We also went to the Patna Museum this afternoon which was pretty packed despite the heat and even went to Nirvanna for a delicious sizzling brownie! I was quite excited to finally go there again after my first trip with Meggha in November.. :)

                One of the girls in the group speaks Hindi so we’ve been able to wander around town much more… so excited to keep exploring with them!  

Hindi Class!

                So as of last week I’ve started taking Hindi classes! As part of that I have to get to class by myself by auto rickshaw… which has been a class in itself trying to negotiate directions and prices with my 5 handy words.. :/ The first day I went, I guess I got lucky because the rickshaw driver knew where this place was... of course when I got out of the rickshaw it was clear I had no idea where to go once I got dropped off at the building… I tried to walk around the building and kept ending up in different neighborhoods while the rickshaw driver stared at me… I finally called the woman working there and found out I needed to go in the building, not next to it (ah ha!)

I’m still not sure what he told me after I got out but I don’t think he liked how much I gave him. (I’d asked before how much it was and so I just gave him 30 rupees, because that’s what I knew the price was…) I gave him an extra 10 and he kept talking so I just shrugged and walked away (new bargaining tactic for when you have no idea what the other guy is saying!)

                Day 2 rickshaw driver crossed the main street and then looked at me like, “Ok, where to now?”  So I ended up telling him all the rest of the directions to get there (“Left! Right! Straight! Here!”) When I paid him the right price once we got there though, he did the Indian head bob. I decided that since I knew where I was at that point he assumed that I knew the right price. Either way, I was ready to do my shrug and run… :)

We went to the Zoo!

                Last Saturday morning I got up at 5am to go to the zoo! Yes, that is definitely what you do when the day’s high is 109 F. You get to the zoo at 5:45am. And, of course, the place was PACKED. People were everywhere… and may were exercising! It’s really the first time I’ve seen people jogging and stretching and what not. It was nice. :)

                In the zoo there is a “paid” area and a “free” area. The “paid” part opens at 8:30 so we weren’t allowed there anyway. However, all the signs were in Hindi… so… we did not understand them. And pretty soon we were all by ourselves with lots of fun animals around to look at.. Yay! All was exciting and fun until a guard came around and informed us it was CLOSED. Ok, he might have said more than that but the only thing our party caught was “BAND” (closed) so we said ok and walked back to the masses. I’m not quite sure how we got in there… Because on our way out there were barricades and signs in English saying, “NO ENTRY” everywhere. So I’m pretty sure we didn’t come in that way… :)

                  We left around 7:30am (it was getting hot!) and had breakfast (fruit! I had fruit!) and then on to the bird market (obviously). There we met lots of “talking” birds that didn’t like to talk and “non-flying” birds that could fly (or bird salesmen who bent the truth a little bit?). :)

                We ended up at a friend’s house for lunch and at the end of the day, it was 4pm! Doesn’t seem like a long day except for the fact that we were actually out for almost 12 hours!

A yellow cat (not sure if that's the official name but that's what was on the sign).

So this is the "Jungle Cat"... I though it looked like a big house cat, no?

These birds and cats were in the "paid" area... so we got to enjoy the peacocks all my ourselves.. :)

Who you lookin' at?

The golden pheasant (I think that's the name?) How cool are these colors??

So when we were going here, I thought we are just going to the Botanical Gardens, not the zoo. It turns out they are the same thing... And we had been there over an hour before we actually saw the plants and botanical section.. So I was excited and took a picture. :)

Baby giraffes!

After the zoo and bird market, we still had some time so we went back to the Ganges and it was laundry time! So we got to see all of the saris, blankets, and other assorted clothes drying in the sun.

Beating out the dirt on the rocks in Ganges river. 

A neat little door near the bird market.

A Ganesh collection! Blessing all beginnings.. :)

Rava Roti!

     Last week Meggha and I made it out to Rava Roti for a night of idly, vada, dosas, and uttapam. We decided that Rava Roti is now the best South Indian restaurant on Boring Road, outshining Varun Vihar… in case you were making a list.. :)