Blog
First blog
07/06/2012 02:00
Our new blog has been launched today. Stay focused on it and we will try to keep you informed. You can read new posts on this blog via the RSS feed.
We made the list
07/19/2012 00:00
My journey to West Bengal started on May 21st when I first found out that I was accepted into the Watermark India program along with ten others for the Xylem corporation. Three months to prepare for this trip seemed like along time. Yet here it is only 33 days to go and I can't believe how the time has flown by. We met with Michael Fields, director of Watermark and his counterpart, Andrew Britton of World Water Corps, for an initial...
So much research to do
07/20/2012 15:19
No one every said it was going to be easy, yet the work on this project goes beyond my expectation. We first received the Watermark company manual from Michael. The manual cover a list of websites to look into and plenty of items to bring along. What shall I do first get my plane ticket, no we needed a Visa first then a ticket, then shot (three in each arm) and ISOS info to fill out and finally notify the US Consolate in Kolkata while...
What is Kolkata
07/24/2012 18:26
The word Kolkata derives from the Bengali term Kolikata [ˈkolikat̪a] (কলিকাতা), the name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.[8] The term Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetro [ˈkalikʰːet̪ro] (Bengali: কালীক্ষেত্র), meaning "Field of [the goddess] Kali". Alternatively, the name may have...
Past, Present and future
07/27/2012 15:38
We had another great, team phone conference on Monday morning with Andrew B. He introduced us to Samantha B., a former Watermark member to fill us in on the things she thought important from last years experience. Then AK, Country Director- India of the Water for People in Kolkata, gave us a thumb nail sketch as to what to expect and what we were to experience in his country. He gave the most reassuring speech that as visitors to...
Once in a Blue Moon
07/31/2012 03:21
It’s very rare that you would see an actual blue-colored moon, although unusual sky conditions can create them. Blue-colored moons aren’t predictable. In the 21st century, according to folklore, the name Blue Moon has come to have two other meanings, both of which are predictable – and very popular. A Blue Moon can be the second full moon in a calendar month. Or it can be the third of four full moons in a single season. There will...
I dream of tigers...
08/01/2012 19:13
With only 21 days till I take off for India, I have only one thing on my mind and that is, What am I going to do on the weekends? I am dreaming of going on a Safari, far from the City, the crowded peoples, and the refuse of humanity. I long to see the Bengal tigers that this area was so famous for and witness some of rural India. Follow my map to the Bay of Bengal near the Ganges Delta. There in some island masses lays...
Dining out on Indian Cuisine
08/04/2012 17:58
Linda and I ate at an Indian restaurant today which is in Milwaukee's southside. We went there to take advantage of the luncheon buffet where a variety of Indian dishes are served. The food, even those made with curry and lots of strange spices to us was very good to consume. We used a "pita" bread created on clay pots to mix meat, rice, potatoes and chutney. I find the combination very pleasing to eat and in line...
Everyone has to have a job.
08/15/2012 07:35
Less than a week to go before I head on the United plane to New Delhi and beyond. We had our last phone conference with Michael in order to firm up our job assignments. Not only are we going to be traveling to schools in the area performing FLOW surveys (more on that later), but we each have an assigned job or task as members of the Xylem Watermark team. Here how there stack up:
Job Roles
Report Editor: Mir Khan/Jenny Boyle: Mir will...
Time to get packing...
08/20/2012 07:35
I spent all day on Saturday just getting packed. The things that I did not have caused me to make several trips to Walmart, Walgreens, and Office Max. Here is a list of the things that I might need on hand.
Suggested Packing List
Travel Documents and Money
rAirline tickets and itinerary
rPassport and visa (if applicable)
rPhotocopy of passport and visa
rExtra passport pictures
rVaccination certificate
rHotel...
FLOW, Field Level Operations Watch
08/20/2012 07:42
In one of my previous blogs, you heard me mention the FLOW tool for recording question in order to monitor water situtations in the various high school setting. Sorry for the cut/paste method, but at this time, I thought it was the most efficient way of transmitting information to my audience. I am also using this website as a reference tool for future WaterMark operations.
FLOW
FLOW, Field Level Operations Watch, is a baseline and...
Aren't you in India yet?
08/24/2012 12:33
That is the common question that I have been hearing around the office for the last few weeks. Well, here I am at my hotel in the Radisson a mere 3.5 miles down from the Indira Ghandi airport. Cudos to the New Delhi people on a great ultra modern facility, I feared the worst for some reason. BTW the 14 hr plane ride was a piece of cake, slept most of the way and caught a quick movie in between. I must have been more tired than I...
Kolkata and so much more
08/25/2012 06:15
We did not let the grey skies of the monsoon slow us down here in Kolkata. After picking up four of the team at the airport we traveled 15 miles in 1.5 hours.
It was a lot to process in the first day as your mind tries to make sense of the abject poverty, old world decay, and urban sprawl. The best way to see the real city was to enter into the streets around the hotel which were a maze of shops and vendors. I met some...
Sunday is still for Worship
08/26/2012 02:08
Today was another wonderful event in Kolkata. One of the things I really wanted to do this Sunday was visit the Motherhouse of Blessed Theresa of Kolkata. Right after brunch, Mike, Jordan, Aaron and I headed across town via the Muslim quarter to do just that venture. After buying some holy cards for family and friends to place on her tomb, we spent a reverent moment in prayer. What a wonderful experience, what a blessed moment to place...
When in Rome
08/26/2012 02:44
As in Rome, do as the Romans do or shall we say, Hindus. It was then off to the Hindu Temple to Kali in the middle of the town. What a wonderful driver we had, though muslim by faith, ope to all religious faiths on the earth. Before we reached the temple, we ran into a gauntlet of bazaar items to offer to the god and goddesses in the temple region. After going through more medal detectors we were asked to remove our shoes for the...
On the road to Nadia
08/28/2012 12:48
The sickness is over and might be part due to the fact that we were eating spices 3x a day. I did take an antibiotic tab and am as right as rain. My day did not start off well as the elevator I was in just stopped between the 9th and 10th floor. It took the maintenance guy 25 minutes to open the door to a 3ft drop on the 9th. On the road, we had a 3 hr drive to the Nadia province. Along the way we were treated to beautiful vistas of...
Wrong turn to Bangladesh
08/29/2012 11:54
We hit the road early for as you can see from our schedule on the home section, we have three schools to visit. The first was only three hours away, past the seamy town of Kolkata into the country side. Row after row of cottage industries dotted this two lane “rustic road” such as rope makers, welders, brick makers, and wood craftsmen. Ever wonder where those sheets of veneer and plywood come from well I saw the raw material...
In the banana groves of North Parganas 24
08/30/2012 18:05
We visited two schools today and each one had well over 1000 students from villages in a two mile radius. The first one, the students prepared for our visit for seven days. As we entered the courtyard they covered our heads with marigold pedals and gave us each a bouquet of flowers. There are not exotic flowers in the region like the ones they gave us. Atleast not around the thatched huts which they live in in the surrounding area....
Off to the South, the Ganges Delta
09/02/2012 07:08
Our first week in India is drawing to a close. We have visited over 15 schools and thousands of children in just three days fieldwork. Many of those days have been long, hot and tiring while riding for 3-4 hours one way to survey another district. Many of the schools have put on plays, dance recitals or impromptu soccer matches for the teams as we visited. Two hour visits can be used up in a heartbeat where most all of us wanted to stay...
Sager Island - The best of Days I
09/04/2012 20:42
There is way to much to tell about Sager Island in a sentence or two so bear with me. The two hour van ride was nothing compared to what lay ahead of us. I have never been on a Ferry ride like this one that was packed with people, pilgrims, and vendors all heading to the Island for their own personal reasons. Our van was waiting for us on the other side as the teams headed off to survey two schools before dinner. Deeper into the banana...