Life

For some reason, Blogger isn't letting me upload pictures right now, so I guess I will take this opportunity to give a little update on my life...everything has been a whirlwind since I got back to Boston after being in California. School is good...I like my classes, especially statistics. I am far less motivated than I was last year. I am sick of homework! I just don't want to do it anymore. Luckily, my grades haven't gone down so far, even though I am putting less work into school.

I got a new job, and I love it. I am the assistant editor for the Food and Nutrition Bulletin, which is an international public health nutrition journal. Basically, I take manuscripts that are submitted through the review and revision process until they are either published or rejected. Finding peer reviewers for the manuscripts is definitely the hardest part of the job, because people are so busy (or at least they say they are) that many don't wan to take the time to do peer reviews, and others say they will do and then they don't. Then I have to hassle them till they turn it in.

I also started a yoga teacher training and I love it! I am just sad that I don't have as much time as I would like to devote to it. With school, work and the wedding planning, I have almost no free time! I love the teacher, Natasha Rizopoulos, and the other students in the class. It is a really interesting mix of people: everyone from a college freshman to a 70 year old woman and everything in between! The facilities are nice too...it is at the Sports Club LA - Boston, and it is gorgeous. It is only a few blocks from my school and it has beautiful floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Common. It reminds me of my old studio in Hong Kong. Natasha is from Yogaworks. I went to a class at yoga works in Santa Monica two summers ago, when I had just returned from China, and I loved it. I really like their style of sequencing. It is vinyasa yoga, which I love. The good thing about Natasha is that her background is in Ashtanga yoga, so she brings that perspective to the class. My favorite style of yoga is Ashtanga, but I haven't been able to find a studio that I like that teaches ashtanga in Boston. Natasha also did the beginner's yoga dvds for Yoga Journal. She is really fascinating to watch...her yoga practice is graceful and effortless and her body is like pure muscle...there is not an inch of fat on her!

Candy candy ...oh, and hiking too

Matt and I decided to try to recreate our trip to New Hampshire to see the Fall foliage...bt I should know better than that...never try to recreate a good memory! It is has been really warm here, so none of the leaves had changed! We still had a great time though...We hiked and stayed in a cheap hotel, sat in the hot tub, and did NOTHING. It was great because I have been SO stressed this semester, with the wedding planning, school, work, starting my MS medication, and my yoga teacher training. It is too much!

One of the best parts of our trip was the visit to Chutter's candy store in Littleton. Supposedly they have the longest candy counter in the US. It was pretty long, I will admit that! They had a great seletion. I was thinking the whole time that my Grandma Janet would have loved it. They had a big licorice selection, so of course I had to take a picture for her.

Can you tell which candy bag is mine, and which is Matt's? Mine is the one on the right: I love licorice and Jordan almonds. You can't see the big bag of jelly bellies that I also bought. I love buttered popcorn flavored jelly bellies. Yum! Matt's bag has lots of malt balls and gummy candies, neither of which I like. We have completely opposite taste buds, it is bizarre. Basically, there is zero overlap in foods that we like. Oh wait, except hard boiled eggs. We both like those.

It just makes you say "Aaaawww!"

One of the girls in my program just had an exciting wedding proposal from her boyfriend. (Just sit through the ad...the video will play afterwards. Don't worry, the ad is only 15 seconds.)

Well, since the whole family is doing it....

My Bloginality is INFP!

Matt's Bloginality is ENTJ!

Grandma and Maria both posted their bloginality, so I had to do it too. Then, I forced Matt to do it.

We both just read our personality types, and we both agreed that we are definitely like our types. My type says that my career should be in a field that helps make the world a better place (I like to think I am in that type of field!) and Matt's said that he should be a CEO or an entrepreneur.

Of course, as usual, it says that our personalities are not matched well for romance. These types of things always say that...our horoscopes say we are a really bad match. But...we have been together for over 7 years and it has been great...I think we are a perfect match.

Happy Birthday, Malini!

Today is my beautiful sister Malini's birthday. I am so sad I am missing it! I am sure the living room is decorated elaborately and Mom has been making a special meal. I am not sure what Malini's birthday meal would consist of...I pretty much know the other girls' favorites, but not Malini. I do know that she likes her eggs without the yolk and she only like ice cream, non frozen yogurt. There are more important things than food though, so on to the important stuff:

Malini is one of the most loyal people I know. That is such a great quality to have and I think it is pretty rare to meet a truly loyal person. Another loyal person that I can think of is my old friend Ann Verenkoff. She is also very loyal. So, Ann and Malini exemplify loyalty to me.

Malini has this funny habit of shivering through her whole body when she is excited. It is pretty cute! I wonder how long it will last...for instance, it wouldn't be so cute if she were my age. But then, I still clap my hands when I am excited and that is probably not age-appropriate at all.

Malini has an amazing fashion sense. She puts together the most creative outfits, and she always looks cute. She definitely knows how to accessorize! I have some great pictures of her in her ensembles but I can't seem to find any of them!

Malini loves sparkley thing...Icing and Claire's are her favorite stores...I guess that is where she learned to do all of the accessorizing! This is something that we definitely have in common, cause I love sparkley things too.

Malini is really lucky. She used to love to go to Nickel City (an arcade where you can earn tickets to get prizes) and she would always get a ton of tickets by playing those Vegas-style games where the quarters are pushing against each other and if they fall you get tickets. Anyway, I think she has a piece of Grandma Yeckel in her cause Grandma is lucky too.

Malini is also a great swimmer. I really miss having Malini around...writing all of this makes me miss my sisters and wish that I lived closer to home!

Happy birthday, Malini! I Love You!

Something Silly but Fun

I'm a Balanced Yogi!

A Balanced Yogi You love your friends unconditionally and accept them for who they are no matter what their yoga style preference, religious beliefs, or spending habits. You focus on the good in people and would never try to change them. Almost everyone feels comfortable in your presence. You live your yoga. You are an inspiration to yoga students everywhere!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!

Yeckel Sisters

There was lots of family at Eric's wedding...and I took lots of sister shots! It is amazing how the Yeckel women look similar. I mean, they are all very different in looks and personality, but they are all unmistakabley "Yeckel". I think it is the eyes and the smile.




Suzanne and Nancy. (This is actually at my bridal shower, not Eric's wedding.)



Nancy and my mom.

Mom and Gretchen

Suzanne, me and Nancy at my bridal shower. This is a horrible picture of me cause my eyes are half closed! I think I look sort of like a Yeckel but with a lot of Hardy mixed in.

Eric and Carol's Wedding Cake

Of course, me being who I am I had to post a photo of the cake. It was beautiful and very tasty. There was also a groom's cake. I had never heard of a groom's cake before, but according to this website, the groom's cake is a Southern tradition and any single women should take a piece home and put it under their pillow so they will dream about their future husband. Does anyone know if this is the real meaning of a groom's cake? Anyway, whatever the meaning of the tradition, it is kind of fun.

The wesite also said that sometimes the groom's cake is served at the ehearsal dinner and it should be the groom's favorite type of cake. That sounds doable...German chocolate cake at the rehearsal dinner! (Or baked Alska but I have no clue how to make that. It sounds hard.)

Eric and Carol get married!

My cousin Eric got married last weekend...the first Yeckel cousin to tie the knot! It was a gorgeous Southern California day, and an intimate, mostly family ceremony and reception. The colors were a vibrant and warm orange and magenta. I loved the dress Carol chose for here bridesmaid, hopefully I can find something as cute for my bridesmaids!

I love this photo...it is such a tender moment, with Eric fixing Carol's dress. So sweet!

This is Carol with her bridesmaid in the too-cute-for-words dress and another guy that I don't know.

Makayla Turns 5!

Today was a special day...my littlest sister turned 5! I can't believe it, all of them just keep getting older and older. The problem for me is that they are doing it too fast and are foiling my plan to have my babies while they are still young so that they would be like sisters to my kids. I guess I will have to hurry up and have kids!

As usual in the Mahajan household during a birthday, the dining room was decorated beautifully. As per Makayla's request, we had mom's delicious home made pizza and then a princess ice cream cake for dessert. Makayla got lots of good presents, mostly involving Littlest Pet Shop and dogs.

One of my favorite things about Makayla is how she is so extremely optimistic and loving. Last summer, Matt and I came back from China and Makayla told us that she loved everything, she loved the whole world. She just volunteered this information out of no where...that is the kind of love we can all aspire to!

Another funny story about Makayla and love: this week I helped her find a web site she likes on the computer and she said, "Now I really love you!" I said, "Didn't you love me before?" She said, "Oh, I did but sometimes I just say it to be nice." Haha, very honest!

The video I posted is of Makayla blowing out the birthday candles. I can't figure out to rotate the video so you'll have to rotate your head.

Today was also special because of Eric and Carol's wedding, which was beautiful. I don't have time to post about it now, but I am uploading the pictures onto Flickr (just click the Flickr box in the side bar) so anyone can download them. I will post about it when I get back to Boston.

Things about Matt that I obviously don't know.

Before the bridal shower, Grandma had emailed Matt a list of questions and I was supposed to guess his answer. I guess I won't be bored for the rest of my life because I obviously have a lot to learn about Matt!

1. If you could be a super here, who would it be?
Matt: The Tick (she will never get that one)
Me: He was right, I had no clue.

2. What is your favorite feature about Meagan?
Matt: Her eyes and smile (toss up)
Me: My mom guessed this one right...all I could think of were things you aren't supposed to say!

3. What was your first impression of Meagan?
Matt: Cute little La Jolla girl.
Me: I had no idea...I thought maybe a little girl that hangs out with his sister's old friends.

4. Who made the first move in your relationship?
Matt: I say me/she will say her.
Me: He knows me too well, I said me!

5. Where was your first kiss?
Matt: At a rave in San Francisco.
Me: I got this one right!!!

6. What is your biggest pet peeve about Meagan?
Matt: She never forgets anything and won't let things go.
Me: I was under the impression that I am perfect and Matt could never be peeved with me, haha!

7. How many children do you want?
Matt: 2
Me: I thought he wanted 3. I am sad to learn he wants 2.

8. What are you most afraid of?
Matt: Something bad happening to Meagan. O ya, and snakes too.
Me: I thought he would say something about me becoming an obsessive super soccer mom when I have kids. But his answer is so much nicer!

9. Who is you favorite female celebrity?
Matt: Rachel Ray because she looks like Meagan.
Me: I thought he would say Lindsay Lohan. His answer was far worse because he knows I hate it when people say I look like Rachel Ray.

10. Who is your favorite rock group/artist?
Matt: All time is Nine Inch Nails.
Me: I got this one right!

11. Who was your first girlfriend.
Matt: Meagan. Honestly.
Me: I got this one right!

12. What is your favorite thing to do?
Matt: Play soccer and go traveling with Meagan.
Me: I am not sure what I answered but I am sure it was wrong. His answer was sweet though!

13. What is your favorite TV show?
Matt: South Park
Me: I said the Daily Show but I should have said South Park...he loves it.

14. What is the first movie you saw together?
Matt: No clue. Ask her about Blair Witch 2 though.
Me: I also had no clue. I will have to post about Blair Witch 2 some other time... it is a long story!

15. What sports did you play in high school?
Matt: Soccer and ultimate frisbee.
Me: I said soccer but I didn't know about ultimate frisbee...I thought that was college.

16. What is your dream car?
Matt: Old school ferrari testerosa. I will pay money if she got this one right.
Me: He knows me too well. I had no idea...I said that he prefers to walk and so doesn't want a car....haha...oh wait, that is me!

17. What is your favorite kind of soda pop?
Matt: coke
Me: I got this one right!

18. When was Meagan the maddest at you?
Matt: She never gets mad at me because I am perfect.
Me: I don't remember what I said, but it definitely wasn't that!

19. What animal would you compare Meagan to?
Matt: A koala -- small, big eyes, very cute, kind of slow moving, but has some nasty claws and has been known to use them.
Me: A cat...but I like his answer more!

20. What was your most embarrassing moment around Meagan?
Matt: I think it was the time I almost fainted because she had broken her foot and was fainting. I still have no clue why that happened. I still feel like an idiot for that one.
Me: I said it as the time we were in Hong Kong and he was trying to wake board and he couldn't stand up and everyone was staring at him from the boat. But that other thing was embarrassing too!

Marriage Advice

For one of the bridal shower activities, everyone anonymously wrote down a piece of marriage advice and I guessed who it was from and then picked my favorite. I think it was all good advice. The little girls gave some of the best advice!

Kristi:
Live close to family when you have babies!

Sarah Pulsipher:
Have family time like ice skating and movies.

Jennifer (mom):
Laugh as much as possible.
(The good thing is, her and Rohit follow this one. That whole family is blessed with the funny genes. Where are mine???? Dad, you let me down in this area! I am nice but not very funny at all!)

Makayla (4 years old):
Don't watch TV at night.

Lea Hardy:
Go on a vacation with the family.

Marissa Mahajan:
Spend a lot of time together!

Aunt Suzanne:
Best friends is key!

Amy Pulsipher:
Be spontaneous!

Lindsay Dillon:
Laugh a lot and always remember to be a team!

Kelly Pulsipher:
Be the boss and in charge at all times.

Aunt Maria:
Keep an open mind and an open heart...and a good sense of humor!

Ami Hurd:
Begin and end each day with a kiss. Love will follow you everywhere.

Aunt Linda:
Try to do more for him than he does for you...Make him feel like he is the most important person in your life!

Aunt Camber:
1. I kiss him every time he leaves and everytime he comes home.
2. I also tell him I love him ALL OF THE TIME.
3. If he says he loves me back I ask him why. Then after he tells me, I tell him why I love him.
4. Overlook annoying habits...because everyone has them...it is part of the human experience.
5. Stay positive and laughing.
6. Date night every week (Advice from Jimmy and Grandpa Richard)
7. Laugh all the time but never be sarcastic.

Aunt Nancy:
Never have a headache.
(This was told to her by my Grandma Yeckel the night before her wedding.)

Grandma Janet:
Treat your husband like a king and you will always be his queen.

Connie:
Enjoy each moment. Share new experiences. And the old standard -- never go to bed angry!

Latrice Pichon:
Always be open and honest with Matt about your inner most feelings.

Tree:
Communiation is key. Pick your battles and always make sure you take care of yourself.

Maya Mahajan:
Make time for your loving sisters.
(See, she got the funny gene!)


Can you guess which ones were my favorites? At the time I said Lea's and Nancy's but now I am not sure. They are all so thoughtful and good! People's personalities are definitely reflected in their advice.

Typing all of these out made my heart expand with love and happiness again, like at the bridal shower. (Wow, I sound really cheesey...see what happens when you lack the funny gene?)

My Bridal Shower! (Thank you, Jimmy and Camber!)

My Aunt Camber hosted a wonderful bridal shower for me. She says that actually my Uncle Jimmy did most of the planning and work, but either way, it was a gorgeous day and I felt SO loved. It was one of those days where you feel like your heart has expanded so much that it could encompass the entire world.

It was also my Dad's birthday, if he was alive. It just happened to be on that date, as it would be the only Saturday that I would be in San Diego, except the Saturday of Eric's wedding. I felt sort of funny about it at first, but then I figured, "Hey, life is for the living."

I was surprisingly nervous before the shower. I honestly felt like I was going to throw up...I guess I not's like a lot of attention on me. But once I got there and saw everyone, I was SO happy and excited. It was great to see family again and to see friends that I haven't seen in years. Even my grandma's friend Connie from Help-U-Sell came! Also, my wonderful coworkers from Sunwise were there, my Aunt Nancy and Aunt Suzanne, my cousins, and my sister.

It was held at the golf club (country club?) near my Uncle Jimmy's house. It was beautiful and the food was delicious. We played bridal shower games that were a lot of fun. I got lots of advice about marriage and we played a game where I had to guess what Matt answered to certain questions. I didn't get very many right, I was sort of embarrassed!


My Uncle Jimmy in front of the club.

Me and Grandma

Me and the ladies! Aren't we color coordinated and cute?

My cousins. Amy's hair always looks so gorgeous!

My aunts and cousin! (Unfortunately Linda is closing her eyes!)

My wonderful former coworkers! I was so happy they came to the shower!

My sisters!

I look totally heinous in this picture. I definitely need to shape up and wear makeup before my wedding...

My friend Ann came all the way down to San Diego from Sacramento. It was SOO wonderful to see her. She gave me a food steamer and I am really excited to start making things in it.

Commercial Break

I have added four new blogs to my sidebar...

The first is the blog of the founder of my cooking club, Diana Moffo. If you want to hear about our cooking club sessions from another point of view, or Boston life, read the blog Gingerale.

The next blog is a travelogue of our Boston friends, Greg and Mekayla. They both took a year off of work and are traveling though Australia and New Zealand. Very exciting! I am looking forward to lots of good pictures. I am extremely sad that they are gone so soon after we met them!

The third is a new blog from my Aunt Maria...now that her dream house is complete, she has abandoned that blog and started a new, personal blog. I love her blog name... Life Sentences.

The fourth is a blog by Tracy, and woman that lives in Grass Valley and loves both yoga and India.

I will continue posting about India soon...whether people want to see it or not!

A Few More Days in Delhi

Maya, Sheila, Meagan, Ahana and Marissa

After the internship in Jaipur, I had a few days to spend in Delhi. I was really lucky that my time in India overlapped with Rohit, Maya and Marissa's trip to Delhi. It was SO great to see them after so long. I had a really good time with them and it felt so relaxing to be in the Mahajan home after being out in the field for so long.

Poonam and Marissa in the kitchen

Rohit's cousin Poonam is an amazing cook...I complimented her so much on her cooking that she finally took me into the kitchen and showed me how to make some things. Her and I both love chaat, so she had a chaat party at her house while I was there. It was delicious! I also learned how to make everything but I haven't tried to do it yet at home. Now I have no excuse not to try because she sent some Indian spices and a spice box to me as a bridal shower gift. It was so thoughtful of her and Ahana!

This was my fourth trip to India. Every time I go to India it is a completely different experience, and each time it is mind blowing. I love India. I am desperate to get to the south of India...someday it will happen!

The End of our Internship

My internship with Unicef was an amazing experience...but it was very intense and stressful! I am still feeling the effects of the stress! When we left Jaipur, we had finished all of the quantitative data analysis, and had a packet of 80 pages of tables and explanation of results. We still have to finish it up, and we haven't even started analyzing the qualitative data.

Birthday Surprises and the Taj Mahal

Can you tell I was really overworked and exhausted by this point in the trip?

On the actual day of birthday, I had 2 amazing birthday surprises. The first was from my Mom, Rohit and sisters...they sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers! I was completely surprised because I never expected to receive flowers all the way in Rajasthan. Also, Mary and Brenda surprised me with a carved fruit bowl that they carved themselves! They took half of a papaya and carved it into a bowl and then put chopped fruit inside. So nice! They knew me too well...I think a carved fruit bowl is my ideal birthday breakfast. They also bought me a bar of good quality chocolate, which was a luxury. Good chocolate is available in Jaipur but not that common.

Brenda, Mary and I in front of the Taj Mahal

After breakfast, we went to the Taj Mahal. I had been to the Taj twice before, but I figured that they had to see it while they were in India and it would be fun to do something touristy with them. It was a much needed break from all of the work we had been doing.

Brenda, Mary and I on a ledge at the Taj Mahal.

Another nice thing that Mary and Brenda did for my birthday was buy AppyFizz (in lieu of champagne) for us to drink on the roof of our hotel. In Rajasthan, people seem to spend a lot of time on their roofs, especially in the hot summer months. Our hotel's roof was really cool and comfortable and had a great view of the city.

As a side note, I want to say that Matt is the greatest boyfriend in the world. While I was in India he sent me a giant care package filled with books, magazines, peanut butter, and peanut m&ms and some clothes. He is so nice! The best part was that is was not for my birthday, it was just because he missed me. I was so happy!

Surprise Birthday at Pizza Hut

After data collection was finished, we hosted a dinner for the data collectors at Pizza Hut. They completely surprised me by arranging a birthday cake for me and having the waiters do embarrassing birthday things with me. They made me eat a bowl of ice cream with my hands tied behind my back in front of the whole restaurant and do a dance in front of the restaurant. The video below is of me getting ready to eat the ice cream. I also have a video of me dancing but I definitely won't be posting that one!

Chokhi Dhani

Meagan, Brenda and Mary eating the Rajasthani food.

Brenda and Meagan on the elephant...it was scarier than I thought it would be!

Meagan with the bhindi that they put on you as you enter.

Outside of Jaipur, there is a fake Rajasthani village called Chokhi Dhani that tourists and locals visit to see traditional dancing, food and handicrafts. It was a lot of fun! I had my fortune told and they guy said that I would have a very happy life but would have health problems and would run into money trouble for 5 years at the age of 40. Hmmm....that doesn't sound good!

One of the best parts was the Rajasthani meal that was included with the ticket...we were fed a huge meal on little plates and bowls made of banana leaves. It was very interesting...Rajasthani cuisine is unique. There were lots of dished that were sort of on the sweet side, and lots of fried dough ball type things.

This video is pretty hilarious because you can hear the fear in my voice. Elephants are scary to ride because they are so high up! Also, the little boy driving it was whipping it so much I felt bad...if I were that elephant, I would probably go crazy and charge and get the small boy off my back...

Rajasthani Dancing

Rajasthanis love to sing and dance, and they seem to be naturally good at it. During the first days of data collection, some of the girls invited us over to their hostel. I felt sort of bad because we were staying in a hotel that we hadn't thought was particularly nice at all until we saw their hostel. They had no AC, and given the heat, this seemed like an unendurable hardship. To escape the heat, the entire dorm would drag their mattresses up to the roof and sleep there. Their beds were really hard, but that wasn't very surprising considering that I had lived in China before and the beds are pretty hard there.

After they showed us their room, they wanted us to teach them "American Dancing" and "American songs". We tried to explain that the only dancing we know is the type you do in clubs. (I am sure they could not picture as I think they have a life that is nothing like out friends in Hyderabad; all we did was go clubbing there!) They showed us their dancing and it was pretty phenomenal. Some of them sang and clapped while two danced. I guess this was from a movie and they learned the dance.

Soggy boxes of cold puris....yum!

Meagan and Raksha in the jeep eating kulfi on the long drive home.

During data collection, we had a long drive every morning and evening to and from the villages. Unicef ordered boxed lunches for all of the data collectors and for us, but these left a lot to be desired! Everyday we got a stack of puri (deep fried bread) and a teensy tiny bag of dal or sabzi. It was gross because the oil from the puris would soak through the box and they were cold by the time we ate lunch. Nothing like old, cold puris in a soggy cardboard box! Sometimes the villagers gave us little snacks and they gave us chai (tea) pretty much everyday. The chai came in tiny glasses the size of shot glasses, and was rich and super sweet. At first I could barely handle the sweetness of it but by the end I sufficiently developed my sweet tooth to be able to drink a whole glass.

Brenda, Mary and Meagan...it is a strange world when I am the tallest in a group!

During data collection, the girls and drivers were really worried because they thought they noticed my skin getting darker and they knew I had a wedding coming up. I told them that in the US, people get dark on purpose for their wedding and they couldn't believe it! They took extreme measures to keep themselves protected from the sun. They wore long sock son their arms and wrapped scarves around their face and heads. It looked miserable to me because it was around 110 degrees there!

In the Villages

In the villages, we would sit at Anganwadi centers and take the length and weight of 30 children under 3 years old. Anganwadi centers are community centers funded by Unicef and the Government of India. They provide supplementary food, immunizations, health services, and education for pregnant and lactating women and young children. We were attempting to determine the impact of a Unicef program that enhances services provided by Anganwadi centers.

Everyday we weighed and measured 30 kids under three! That didn't sound like a lot when we planned it, but on some days it was quite a struggle to get 30 kids. Some parents didn't wan their kids weighed cause of superstition, and other kids were just freaked out and hard to weigh. We were strange foreigners doing strange things, of course they were scared! Sometimes I felt like I was torturing small children, not doing research. There was a lot of screaming and I often went home with a headache. Each of us had our own team of 7 or 8 data collectors that would administer the survey in the local language, which we would weigh and measure kids. It was interesting and the villagers were great, but it was HOT! At the beginning of the data collection, it was over 110 degrees and there was no air conditioning in the villages (obviously!).

This is a video of a typical day at the Anganwadi Center.

We Leave Jaipur and head to the villages!

As soon as we finished training the data collectors, all of us headed out to the rural areas to start collecting data. Little did we know what we were in for! All 25 (plus three drivers) of us squeezed into 3 jeeps with all the luggage and equipment piled on top. It seemed tight at first, but by the end of our time in India it seemed totally normal.

When we got to Jaipur, the first thing we did was to go to Unicef and explain our research plan to the Unicef-Jaipur regional office. We were lucky to be provided with 22 full time data collectors! The data collectors were students at the Home Science department of the University of Rajasthan. They spoke Hindi, English (with varying ability!) and Marwati (one of the local dialects). I was amazed at how difficult it was to communicate with the data collectors. I have never had that problem before in India! Some of them spoke quite well, and others not so well. Many of them were shy to speak English around us.

The Unicef office left the training of the data collectors up to us, but the entire thing was conducted in Hindi, so it was a sort of awkward situation. They practiced conducting focus groups, key informant interviews and a survey. We also trained them in the proper way to weigh and measure children. It went smoothly but I felt sort of odd "training" a whole bunch of other graduate students when I had less experience in village situations than they did...but I guess it was our research so we had to let them know how we wanted it done.

Mary with a stadiometer (measures height) in front of the Jaipur Palace Hotel where the training was held.

Girls Practicing Conducting a Focus Group