(Journaled March 6, 2012)
On March 6th 2012, I volunteered at the Sumanahalli HIV Rehabilitation Centre with my two classmates, Ashley and Sphoorti. Being my second visit to the Centre, I felt more comfortable and prepared. When it came time for the patients’ Family Meeting, I did not hesitate going in and finding a seat for myself within the circle. One dynamic that I had previously overlooked was that the circle was clearly divided in half by male and female. Even the two counselors, male and female, were obeying this gender divide. Since it was not a holiday as it was on my last visit, the family meeting was faster paced and less lively. My two classmates and I were still encouraged to participate by introducing ourselves by saying our name and where we are from. Interestingly, the staff and patients were convinced that my classmate, Ashley, was not from the United States but from South Africa. This miscommunication led to the group pleading with Ashley to sing a religious song. I found this to be quite intriguing, especially since neither my other classmate nor I was ever asked to sing at our last family meeting.
Shortly after the family meeting ended, one of the male employees insisted that we take a trip to visit the neighboring NGO, BOSCO Sumanahalli. At first, the three of us were hesitant, because we were not sure if we should leave the Sumanahalli HIV Rehabilitation Centre's campus. But after some persistence by the male employee, we decided to go. As we made our way by foot down the hot road towards the BOSCO facility, I was constantly thinking about how most of the citizens of India commute to and from work by foot. The very fact that I was conscious about the sweat on my forehead and the dryness of my mouth made me feel spoiled and unworthy of all of the comforts that I live with. After about 5 minutes of walking, we arrived at the BOSCO Sumanahalli Centre that housed a leather product production center as well as an elementary school.
Were introduced to two different faculty members at the school. This was such a wonderful opportunity, because our escort was introducing us to every person possible. Although this was overwhelming at the time, I am now comforted knowing that I have so many new contacts within my volunteering social circle.
Our tour of the BOSCO facilities was brief and within fifteen minutes we had already returned to the HIV Rehabilitation Centre. Once we returned, we immediately walked over to the living quarters of the female patients and began to socialize with them. Before, I had always felt awkward communicating with people that do not speak English, but interacting with these beautiful women has taught me that common language is not needed to communicate basic human emotions. After a few minutes of visiting, we gathered 6 of the women in the common area just outside of their bedrooms and conducted a moral-boosting group activity. The game consisted of passing around a water bottle while we played music on Sphoorti’s cell phone and who ever was holding the bottle when the music stopped would have to sing. This game was so much fun. One could read the anticipation off of each-others' faces as they watched the bottle come towards them and then the quickness in which they would pass the bottle, hoping for the music not to stop on them. Even though the women showed excitement in trying not to get picked to sing, once the women were picked, they did not hesitate to demonstrate their lovely voice in a short verse or two. After some time playing, every person in the circle had a chance to sing and we decided to alter the rules of the game. For the next round, we decided that the person would have to dance rather than sing. This round was even more lively with laughter coming from those dancing and those watching. There was even a point when one of the older women held onto the bottle in order to ensure that the music stopped while she was holding it. Finally, after playing the two rounds of pass -the-bottle, we ended with a small dance party where everyone got up and was dancing together. Unfortunately, one of the younger patients was bullying one of the elderly women and pushed her down while she was dancing. This ruined the aura of the moment and everyone stopped dancing and refused to participate in any more activities. It was at this time that Ashley, Sphoorti, and I decided to call it a day and bid our farewells to all of the patients.
On the auto ride back to Christ University, the three of us were a bit disappointed in the young patient's behavior. We could not understand how she cold be so cruel in teasing the older woman and even take it to the level of making her fall onto the ground. This brief incident gave us a sneak peak into the social dynamics of the HIV patients and it painted a gloomy picture where the strong socially humiliate the weaker. Although this interaction between patients was painful to witness, it was important for us to see the reality of the lives of the women living in these types of rehabilitation facilities. I hope that our negative reaction to the young-lady's bullying served as a sanction as to discourage that type of behavior from happening again.
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