Monday, July 13, 2015


How’s it Goa-ing?


Kristen Marks


June 13 8:47 AM

Some might look at my hand and simply see mehndi. When I glance down, I see the girls who did it and the bonds that are starting to form. My project for the summer is to develop and carry out leadership development trainings. I am working with two staff ladies, a group of girls (ages 17-22) from the stitching center, and a group of girls (ages 15-18) who are the daughters of CSWs. I’ll be developing the curriculum, leading a series of workshops, and carrying out evaluations to see the effectiveness of the curriculum. While I knew that building relationships and trust would be essential in order to effectively teach the girls, I did not realize how truly important it was. The past four weeks have really shown me that. The girls at the stitching center are not the most receptive and trusting of outsiders. While it is slow going, connections are starting to be made. Whether it’s doing mehndi on my hand or asking where “Kristen friend” is when I’m working in a different slum, I think trust is forming. Even though those are just small gestures, they have been significant to me. It’s been a lot of just sitting there, being a consistent presence, and talking to the girls. For an introvert and someone who is more task oriented, this has definitely stretched me and put me out of my comfort zone.

I left home a little over four weeks ago. My weeks have been full of figuring out how things work here, meeting new people, learning the bus system and how to get around and starting to form connections. The past four weeks have gone really quickly (aside from the nights prior to monsoon season when you were so hot the hours stretched on forever). Monsoon started in Goa when I was in Mumbai for a few days, and I am very happy. The heat and humidity were unlike anything I have ever experienced. The rains have cooled things a little, and I am actually sleeping at night for the first time since I have gotten to India.

Aside from the weather, Goa is beautiful. I mean… it better be if it’s India’s big tourist spot! Being in another country shows me the interconnectedness of the world. The roads I travel could be roads I travel could be roads in a number of other countries. A tree transports me to Malawi. There are smells that bring me to Uganda. The colors of the homes send me to Honduras. And the crashing of the beach makes me feel like I am home in Jacksonville. I am thankful that these places have stayed with me and are a part of my story.

One of the hardest things is the amount of attention I get because of my skin color. I thought it would not be that much of an issue because I’ve traveled a lot and would be used to it, but it is a lot worse here. People constantly stare. They are always taking pictures. A lot of the times I want to just take pictures back, but that would be inappropriate. It makes me very uncomfortable.

I will start the leadership trainings this coming week. Pray for these trainings and the curriculum being finalized, and pray for continued trust and connected trust and connections between the girls. Thank you, friends.

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