Meeting Troy at Udaipur 7-24-2011

The flight to Udaipur was quick and on time. Much better luck than with American Airlines. As we deplaned, it began to rain like a monsoon. The airport guys quickly broke out umbrellas and we did not get wet. We boarded the bus for the short trip to the terminal and it stopped raining immediately. Our driver, Naresh, waiting for us with the ac Toyota Innova van as promised. He loaded our bags and gave us water and cool wash clothes. Naresh then took us in to Udaipur. We noticed along side of this major thoroughfare people living in tents and shanties. Women bathing 3 or 4 children under well water that the mom was pumping up manually. We noticed men peeing by the side of the road. They did not bother looking for a tree to hide behind. Many motorcycles and mopeds. Girls, women and babies riding behind their men side saddle on motorcycles. Closer to the city it got more dense and intense. Our driver was able to easily find the home of Troy's host family. We arrived to find Troy in great health. His host mother fixed everyone a special drink. We visited for a bit and then Troy directed the driver to the homes of two people who he had worked with this summer. One was Mr. Dakar who has given so much of his own time and money to charitable efforts in his area. He was a sweet man who welcomed us in to his home. We then went to the home of Rakesh, a 19 year old young man who had acted as Troy's interpreter in the Udaipur slum. I commend this young man as he lives in the slum also. He had gone into the slum with Troy to do a census of the eligible children. This was no small contribution considering that not everyone in the slum was happy with the efforts to start the schools. We visited in Rakesh's home and met his mom and siblings. We saw the computer room with its barren concrete windows and metal panels locked from the inside. I gave the young man a few hundred rupees which he tried to turn down. I know they will be well spent.