I uniquely experienced India simultaneously through the lens of both social work and motherhood. Thus my total experience, though paradoxically dynamic in nature, proved both incredibly inspiring and profoundly painful. All five senses were immediately assaulted upon landing in Mumbai. Any previously held notion as to what constituted an ‘India experience’ was replaced straightaway with an intense reality of the pure and utter chaos to be found everywhere.
As a social worker, the breakdown of and a complete lacking in systemic structural order was palpable. Trash litters streets, storefronts, streams, rivers, and oceans; structured and unstructured familial dwellings house the masses. Far too many areas where children and families work, play, and conduct business are prolifically littered with trash. Sanitation conditions proved sorely lacking, while safe, clean areas where children can play are scarce.
As a mother my heart breaks to the point of tears as I look into the eyes of these children: distant, pained with the struggle, and all too often apathetic and resolved to their station in life. There exists a palpable absence of hope. These children—at far too young an age—are working too hard, and under the worst of circumstances and in the most deplorable of conditions. As I’ve watched these children and mothers at all hours of the day and night in the streets, my heart inevitably turns to my own children, who face none of the harshness with which these families of India confront. Conversely, they have been born in a world of privilege and excess, far away from destitution, exploitation, poverty, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Overwhelming guilt inevitably ensues as I also recall my own childhood and subsequent motherhood. As a child I was reared in a loving family, with kind and loving parents and siblings. I participated in whatever activities and sports I chose, irrespective of the associated costs. My life has been an exercise in self-determination: I went to the college of my choice; I married the man of my choice; and I also filed for divorce, and even that was my choice. As a mother I was fortunate to provide a similar existence for my own children. They have enjoyed the comfort, peace, and safety of a life attributed to those who have the extreme fortune to reap the benefits of financial security and opportunity. As young women, my daughters have the ability to determine for themselves which path to take in life, irrespective of gender, religion, and caste and in the absence of an overtly oppressive patriarchal system. We indulge in so many luxuries daily—the opportunities are ours for the taking. How profoundly these children in India suffer, while so many American youth live in such a diametrically opposite paradigm. Contemplating such divergent realities brought me quietly to tears on many, many occasions.
Following the initial guilt that I felt, anger set in. Initially, what struck me was the voluminous amount of trash strewn everywhere. My immediate thought those first few days: “Where are the trash cans? How can one not see the filth and unsanitary conditions in which life must be daily lived?” Nevertheless, as the days waxed on, I began to see the people more, and the trash, less. As I looked deeper, I saw collective faces of brilliance, courage, resilience, and strength. I found the people of India to be a kind, helpful and endearing. In our visits to many diverse agencies, I saw action. I saw a purposeful commitment and passion in these agencies from educated, uneducated, impassioned, and focused women and men. I felt inspired to the point of wanting to be more deliberate and purposeful in how this experience can further shape my own future work experience in the social work field. The lessons learned from the value of social entrepreneurship, sustainable livelihood, examples of microfinance as evidenced in the model executed by Annapurna Pariwar provoke repeated reflection on how these models translate generally to the United States, and specifically improve the lives of those at the micro level vis-à-vis clinical practice. The aforementioned anger I felt was replaced with hope as I saw these amazing examples of strength and resilience around me. I am forever changed through these experiences. I am renewed. I feel impassioned to bring the lessons of tragedy and triumph during my time in India to my personal and professional life.
I am currently a part-time student, entering my fourth and final year. My concentration is mental health, and I also have a military subconcentration. I currently study at the Orange County Academic Center.
As a social worker, the breakdown of and a complete lacking in systemic structural order was palpable. Trash litters streets, storefronts, streams, rivers, and oceans; structured and unstructured familial dwellings house the masses. Far too many areas where children and families work, play, and conduct business are prolifically littered with trash. Sanitation conditions proved sorely lacking, while safe, clean areas where children can play are scarce.
As a mother my heart breaks to the point of tears as I look into the eyes of these children: distant, pained with the struggle, and all too often apathetic and resolved to their station in life. There exists a palpable absence of hope. These children—at far too young an age—are working too hard, and under the worst of circumstances and in the most deplorable of conditions. As I’ve watched these children and mothers at all hours of the day and night in the streets, my heart inevitably turns to my own children, who face none of the harshness with which these families of India confront. Conversely, they have been born in a world of privilege and excess, far away from destitution, exploitation, poverty, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Overwhelming guilt inevitably ensues as I also recall my own childhood and subsequent motherhood. As a child I was reared in a loving family, with kind and loving parents and siblings. I participated in whatever activities and sports I chose, irrespective of the associated costs. My life has been an exercise in self-determination: I went to the college of my choice; I married the man of my choice; and I also filed for divorce, and even that was my choice. As a mother I was fortunate to provide a similar existence for my own children. They have enjoyed the comfort, peace, and safety of a life attributed to those who have the extreme fortune to reap the benefits of financial security and opportunity. As young women, my daughters have the ability to determine for themselves which path to take in life, irrespective of gender, religion, and caste and in the absence of an overtly oppressive patriarchal system. We indulge in so many luxuries daily—the opportunities are ours for the taking. How profoundly these children in India suffer, while so many American youth live in such a diametrically opposite paradigm. Contemplating such divergent realities brought me quietly to tears on many, many occasions.
Following the initial guilt that I felt, anger set in. Initially, what struck me was the voluminous amount of trash strewn everywhere. My immediate thought those first few days: “Where are the trash cans? How can one not see the filth and unsanitary conditions in which life must be daily lived?” Nevertheless, as the days waxed on, I began to see the people more, and the trash, less. As I looked deeper, I saw collective faces of brilliance, courage, resilience, and strength. I found the people of India to be a kind, helpful and endearing. In our visits to many diverse agencies, I saw action. I saw a purposeful commitment and passion in these agencies from educated, uneducated, impassioned, and focused women and men. I felt inspired to the point of wanting to be more deliberate and purposeful in how this experience can further shape my own future work experience in the social work field. The lessons learned from the value of social entrepreneurship, sustainable livelihood, examples of microfinance as evidenced in the model executed by Annapurna Pariwar provoke repeated reflection on how these models translate generally to the United States, and specifically improve the lives of those at the micro level vis-à-vis clinical practice. The aforementioned anger I felt was replaced with hope as I saw these amazing examples of strength and resilience around me. I am forever changed through these experiences. I am renewed. I feel impassioned to bring the lessons of tragedy and triumph during my time in India to my personal and professional life.
I am currently a part-time student, entering my fourth and final year. My concentration is mental health, and I also have a military subconcentration. I currently study at the Orange County Academic Center.
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