Photos galore!

1) Two Ladakhi women walking with their "Tsapos"- used for carrying crops, household good and even babies!

2) Izzy and Lex chilling at the river- so useful for washing hair, clothes and dishes- but freezing cold as it from the glaciers!

3) Debriefing with the team about the mental health drama the morning after the first performance...

4) Izzy and Deb leading the drama troupe in some morning yoga! (in the field at the high school in Hang Gongma where we camped)

more pics on the way- if you can believe it!

Some more pics as we have internet access again for the first time in 3 days!

1) some of the incredible views we see on the road out to the villages

2) our private rented bus that we got to take with the drama troupe! we'll take the local bus next trip out so it's not all luxury ;)

3) Isabelle and Kunzang (from Hilfe/REWA) practicing walking with a young boy from Hanu Gongma. We'll bring him a walker to trial in a few days.

Some more on the way...
2009 Team

Village Pics- finally!

Hopefully these photos get uploaded as its our 8th time trying! We can't complain though, since we are in the middle of the mountains, so are lucky to have internet access at all!

1) View of Barma village from up above at an abandoned monastery

2) Our team in front of the "Taj Mahal" tent that we love!

3) The drama about mental health in action.

Hope all is well back home,

Lex, Izzy, Norma, Deb & Eric

Julley everyone,

We are back from our first village trip and it was fantastic!

We toured with a Ladakhi drama group of "Future Leaders" (through HEALTH Inc) who created and presented a play about a young man going through a psychotic episode...this is a first in Ladakh to raise awareness about this taboo topic. The drama was very well received and we can now add acting consultant and dramaturge to our resumes! 

Before each drama, we held a village meeting with leaders to discuss the results of last year's research and to drum up ideas for next steps of inclusion for people with disabilities.

We were also able to do some follow-up home visits and worked on creating a list of all the people with disabilities in the Hanu Valley...later this month we will use this list with a doctor from the health department who will accompany us back to this valley in order to assess and issue disability certificates for people to receive a small monthly pension.

We are trying to post some photos of the great team we worked with and the "Taj Mahal" (our tent that provided great sleeps)...not sure if it will be successful...we'll keep trying though.

We are back in Leh for about a week to work with the hostel for deaf children and children with disabilities, Hilfe/REWA Society, the new pediatric ward at the hospital and of course, to present the research at the International Association of Ladakh Studies conference. Oh yeah, and of course, we'll relax a bit too ;)

Hope you are all well,

Lex, Izzy, Norma, Deb & Eric

2009-Scenes from week 1

Julley from Leh!

We've been here for 5 days now and are through acclimatization, tummy troubles and headaches- for the first bout anyways ;)

Tomorrow we will leave for the 1st village trip for 7 days to do some mental health awareness through a Ladakhi play, follow-up from the research last year and of course, to see some of the kids! It's been the regular routine of organized chaos, but we are now pros at adapting...and we know that whatever we can accomplish will help in some way. In amongst waking every morning to the Muslim call to prayer and the symphony of nocturnal dogs barking and birds singing, we are managing to get some work done in our waking hours.

 

Here are a few pics: 

1) we went to the Buddhist temple in Leh and there is a 3-day celebration (long-life puja) on now for H.H. the Dalai Lama's birthday.

2) a typical breakfast meeting at the guest house with Cynthia- to make plans which will change drastically by tomorrow. Planning in Ladakh can be a painful exercise...oh yeah, it is very hot early in the morning, which explains the head coverings.

3) View from the incredible flight from Delhi to Leh (1 hour of breath-taking views)  

Talk soon,

the 2009 Team- Alexis, Isabelle, Norma, Deb & Eric