Hi Everyone,

I had written what I thought was a terrific little blog, and then, and then my USB drive broke! And that was the only place I had stored it. Alas – these little guys apparently do break. According to the two “experts” who looked at the drive, it was not fixable. So, here we go again . . .

I arrived in Chennai two weeks ago. It is wonderful to be back, feels kind of like home. I have a little room on the top floor, very private, and just enough room to do some yoga or exercises. Padma, one of the servants, cleaned it really well, so this year I can put my clothes in the closet. Anyway, it’s really lovely, and the early morning is sensational as the sun rises and shines in through one of the windows.

So far I’ve attended 3 meetings with outside agencies.
1) A corporate venture that helps to train “mentors” for the young entrepreneur sector.
2) Twins International, www.twinsinternational.org , a new Italian agency that ‘twins’ NGO projects with funding organizations of any type (corporate, Rotary Club-type, or governmental agencies). The idea is to find a worthy project and have it funded for three years.
3) YRG, an organization that has so far worked with HIV/AIDS research and treatment (very successfully), and they are now looking at the issue of domestic violence and training local community people to act as counselors to homes with domestic violence. They want to serve as a training/support agency for NGOs working on the ground. This is remarkable, as domestic violence is generally accepted here are normal.

Today I started teaching English to the handicapped young women (polio survivors) who live at the Anbalaya Home. I’m working with two people at a time, and so far it’s going very well. It’s a challenge to build on what they have and make it useful for them. They don’t need English all that much, so it’s really just for their enjoyment. I found slipping into “teacher” mode easy, like second nature, and exhilarating in a way.

On the whole I must admit that I haven’t felt as useful as I’d like. Between the holidays and the need for year end reports that Carmel, Steven, and all others who work here full-time have to do, there hasn’t been that much for me to do. Now that I’m teaching, and have met a few more people, especially the group that was at the workshop on domestic violence, things should pick up.

A quick note about cold meds – when I got to Chennai I had a cold, which I thought was allergies to the two dogs they now have. (They got these dogs to replace the watchman!) But I thought I’d try Cold FX anyway. It worked; I can now breathe through my nose and play (carefully) with the dogs! I’m now on maintenance dosage – one a day, and a firm believer.

Photos below are from Cally Imaging, a “pre-press” company started by a couple of graduates of Share and Care’s school and Home; it is housed directly across from the office/home of Share and Care. Also, I couldn’t resist a shot of the manger scene that Carmel and Steven have set up in the living room area. Their spirit of Christmas is much more authentic than most. And included are a few shots of the handicapped young women at Anbalaya Home.

Until next time, . . .
Ellen