Sorry I Didn't Bring a Camera

I can’t believe that I have been here for five weeks now. I can vividly remember my first hour in Udaipur thinking what did I get myself into? It’s amazing what just a few weeks can do to change your mind set. I made India my home and no longer feel like an outsider. I still get the daily cat calls and awkward stares as locals see this good looking American walk around the streets, but I embrace it and enjoy the attention. It’s all about stepping outside of my comfort zone. I explored my new surroundings and engaged with the people. I would have never become acclimated to this new environment had I stayed inside all day watching American movies. Once I got past the awkward encounters I realized that every person here is kind hearted and show a genuine interest in our American culture. This is such a great place to be it’s sad I only have four weeks left.
I had a great week in Karawara working alongside Lokesh. I think we were both motivated by the short time I have remaining in India. We created an entirely new youth project that involved capacity building activities and computer based learning exercises for the young men in the village. We sought out multiple funding agencies and are awaiting replies. On Wednesday we hosted a fun art activity with many of the children. Approximately 20 kids showed up to draw and paint pictures. I took part in this activity and learned that I draw worse than some of the six year olds that participated. We also got a few pieces of great news. Our 12A certificate successfully passed the approval process. This means that Alfa has non-profit status and is exempt from any government tax on future funds. This is critical for Alfa because funding agencies typically won’t consider organizations that don’t have this status. Even better news, we heard back from one of the CRY representatives and they liked our children’s education proposal. Our project is now in the next stages of the funding process and is being reviewed by the CRY Executive Board for final approval. Alfa will have a very secure future if this project is approved for funding. It’s a very exciting time for Lokesh and I. I only wish I had more time here to see that all of our hard work produces positive results.