Snakes!

At Borders, I picked up a book on Indian history (aptly titled “India” by UCLA history professor Stanley Wolpert). On page 4, I read this string of sentences:

“Households blessed with a cobra family in residence rarely complain, since those regal hooded snakes are considered good luck for childbearing women, and rarely attack humans unless startled or threatened. Every Indian child learns early in life never to reach under a tablecloth or into any dark closet, or as a rule anywhere in the house that might have insufficient light to reveal the coiled body of a sleeping cobra.”

Note to self: Don't reach under tablecloths or into closets.

Then, I randomly stumbled upon these pictures:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/5495695/Indian-children-from-the-age-of-two-learn-how-to-charm-snakes.html

Out of all of God's creatures, snakes freak me out the most. I don't enjoy the feel of snake skin, no matter how many times I hear how smooth it is. I've lived in Hawaii for eight years now, and I haven't seen a snake in a really long time. And I like it that way.

So what do I think about the snakes? I'm sure I'll see one now that I'm completely obsessed with it. But do they really bite? I think what freaks me out is the speed of snakes. They're just so quick. And this one is poisonous. And that hood! Isn't it creepy?

Anyways, if I need some protection, I know what to bring.

The Joy of Paperwork

To travel within India, one needs a visa. I had no idea, because I thought you could just show up with a passport and get a stamp, but I guess not. For this trip, I was going to need a tourist visa.

What can I say about the paperwork? It's a lot. As recommended by GHNI, I went to www.zvs.com. As reported in an earlier blog entry, I didn't think that you had to send in your actual passport, but you do. Who should I put my trust in: the postal service or UPS? (Answer: UPS.)

Anyways, among the other things they need:

• A copy of your driver's license or state issued ID. If address on ID is different from current address, you need to send in a utility bill from your current address.
• 2 identical 2-inch by 2-inch passport-type photographs.
• Filled out online application form.
• Filled out ZVS order form.
• And a photocopy of everything.
  

Of course, the application feels like it needs to be very precise. We also need to fill out the name and address of whoever it is we're visiting in India.

The process really doesn't take too long, but you have to be exact. I haven't gotten it back yet, but I hope my passport is all right.

Some Talking Points

I've talked to a few people, mostly on what to expect. Here's a sampling and a little bit of what I learned from each of them.

• Shortly after being selected, Melanie Palmer (the other aio Discovery volunteer), Ken Miyasato (aio's HR director) and myself had a conference call with Jeff Power of Global Hope Network International. Melanie had more pressing questions because her trip was closer to happening to mine. (Five weeks compared to my 15. In fact, she's on her trip now.) We mostly talked about GHNI's mission of going to rural villages and helping them help themselves reach self-sufficiency. Basically, GHNI will provide aid for a few years (less than five), help them develop systems to become sustainable (building houses, starting stores, creating access to clean water, etc.) and then move on. Melanie's trip to Africa is in the middle of that process; my India trip is still in the early stages. I also learned the village I'll be at is Hindu and its people are in the “untouchable” caste system. It's six hours away from the nearest big city, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
• A week or two later, I had breakfast with Melanie and her husband Jason, Lora Lamm and Bobby Senaha (the latter two traveled to Africa with GHNI in 2008). Both Lora and Bobby explained their life changing experience, realizing that the people they helped lived simple yet satisfying lives. For us it would be hard to give up technology and material things, but for them, there is no want from consumerism. However, progress for them would stem from better health and better education, which can be traced to access to clean water.
• I also contacted Rick Watson of GHNI and sent him a few inane questions. Well, some were and some weren't. My first e-mail asked if I should get some training for specific skills (like farming skills). He says the best thing to do would be to learn as much about India as possible. A second e-mail had some pragmatic questions like: Do I really need to send in my actual passport to get my visa? (Yes); Do I need to wear microfiber clothing? (Yes, because it's hot and humid. Cotton is fine if you don't sweat too much. Looks like I'll be reppin' Under Armour apparel); Are there a bunch of snakes there? (Jeff said he only saw one big snake, and I shouldn't go poking around holes around rocks and piles of brush. By the way, I haven't seen a snake in years, and I've liked it that way.)
• I spoke to Duane Kurisu, CEO of aio, who traveled to India a few years ago for a conference. The Taj Mahal impressed him and he intends on taking his family to India to experience it. But the scene of abject poverty adjacent to middle class and wealthy people provided the most striking image of the country for him.
• David Croxford, Pacific Basin Communications' photographer who traveled to India less than two years ago, says be careful of the water. That includes anything that might be rinsed with the water, like fruits and vegetables.
• Dennis Hollier, senior writer at Hawaii Business magazine who has traveled to India and throughout Asia, says don't listen to anyone that says there aren't any snakes in that part of the world. “The area from Pakistan all the way through Southeast Asia is rife with snakes,” he says. Great.