​ANASTASIA ROMAYRIE LEGOUTÉ
Faith ~ Knowledge~ Opportunities
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I knew that this trip to India would bring me a lot on a personal and professional level. What I was not fully ready for was to be humbled.
This first section of my photo essay illustrates me being with the children of the rural villages of Mysore and setting up the Cervical Cancer Camp with the staff of the Public Health Research Institute of India. As I mentioned in my Research critiques, this day was for me one of the most significant days while in India as I was giving back to a community that is so welcoming and lively.
In those images, you can see me interacting with the kids, I made a very lovely friend and I was showing him how to make the heart sign. (See Images 1 and 2). On the third photo, you can also see the library. With my classmates from the Study Abroad, we are planning to do a drive-thru to have books more adapted to the kids' age. I was also reading to the kids and we had lots of fun.
For the Cancer Screening Camp, Dr. Vijaya (Senior Research Physician) was explaining to us how the procedure happens with the women, and Rashmi (Clinic Supervisor) was giving us a briefing on how we need to proceed as volunteers.
I titled this section "Education" because it relates to what I want to do in the future and I am not only sharing what I know with the people I met but they also teach me a lot as well.
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My favorite part of the trip was meeting new people and getting to know them. From my classmates, to the ladies at the PHRII, the hotel personnel, students in India, rickshaw drivers, people at the market, or some random guy on the street asking for pictures. The smiles and kindness of these people warmed my heart and this is exactly what my soul needed.
I was really surprised on the first day when people were litterally stopping us to take pictures, and children screeming "America" when seeing us.
On the first week of our trip, There was one conversation that stood out to me . With the women of PHRII, we were having a cross-cultural conversation on India and the United States (See Image 5). They opened up to us on a lot of subjects such as self-care, access to education and healthcare, excpectations of women in their families, their children, as well as pursuing their education and working in their community. I learned that women eat last and eat less healthy food. It's also difficult for them to leave the house to seek healthcare.
I found their stories very compelling and I admire their courage and determination as strong and educated women raising the bar for all women in India. It was one of my first contacts with them and this helps me understand a lot about the Indian society and culture.
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This third section of pictures constitutes of what caught my attention during my trip. I fell in love with India: the colors, the streets, the noise, the decor, the food, the music are forever encrusted in my mind.
The heritage and history of the country is also something remarkable. I saw some of the most amazing infrastructures with so many details and work that was put into them. My favorite parts were the guided tours and the late night rickshaw drives to the hotel. I also enjoyed wearing my saree for the gala as I felt so beautiful.
One of the most interesting things I had to witness while in India was the pooja ceremony, a Hindu daily rite to show repect to the gods and/or celebrate a special visitor. I was very intrigued by the whole ritual which took about 15 minutes. The cow, which was the main character was receiving the offerings and being adorned with flowers. A real Diva! (See Image 14)
