Today we woke up early and took a bus about three hours outside of the city to Baramati Farm. Watching a Bollywood movie on the bus while singing and dancing was super fun, but we were also able to see and experience different people and landscapes from the rural side of the country. At the farm, we walked around, learned about planting, harvesting and watering methods, farm animals, new fruits and vegetables and got to see silk worms and sugar cane. We ate more delicious traditional Maharashtran food, and drank even more chai. We rode in a tractor and also a wagon pulled by beautifully decorated cattle.
We were also able to visit a group of ten women who are working together in a nearby village in a sort of CO-OP program. They make and sell various spices and foods, and by doing so, they are able to be more independent and not reliant on their husbands and families as much. Many of them are now even able to send their children to school. It was so neat to meet these women and talk to them about their business and to be able to ask them questions. Many of them are uneducated and so to have this opportunity of a steady income and the availability to take out
loans is extremely helpful for them and their families.
The rural side was very different from the city and it was nice to get out and see a change. It was much drier than I imagined - especially because the area is experiencing a really bad drought right now. We were exposed to more poverty than we have been seeing in the past weeks and it was another eye-opening experience, making us all more appreciative of the little things in life. Even the big things, like a house.
We were also able to visit a group of ten women who are working together in a nearby village in a sort of CO-OP program. They make and sell various spices and foods, and by doing so, they are able to be more independent and not reliant on their husbands and families as much. Many of them are now even able to send their children to school. It was so neat to meet these women and talk to them about their business and to be able to ask them questions. Many of them are uneducated and so to have this opportunity of a steady income and the availability to take out
loans is extremely helpful for them and their families.
The rural side was very different from the city and it was nice to get out and see a change. It was much drier than I imagined - especially because the area is experiencing a really bad drought right now. We were exposed to more poverty than we have been seeing in the past weeks and it was another eye-opening experience, making us all more appreciative of the little things in life. Even the big things, like a house.
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