Schematic

In class on Friday we drew schematic thought maps to help us organize our thoughts about our field studies. It was helpful to split up my idea into categories: Who, Where, How, and other questions. In answering my main question, "How have Tibetans learned to farm on India's soil?" or, "How have Tibetans adapted to the their agriculture to the new climate and terrain," these categories helped me realize what information I have, and some of the information I need. For example, I know all that the internet can teach me about the Tibetan Farm Project, but how can I get in touch with the people in charge and can I work on the farm to get some hands on experience? I also know I want to spend time in the markets looking at the behind the scenes stuff - how is the market set up? Is it open air, in a warehouse? Is refrigeration available or does everything have to be sold right away? I probably won't be able to find a lot of this out until I'm there, but maybe a few answers can be found before I'm there.

Organic Research and Training Center

While I was researching the Tibetan Farm Project I found a brief description on tibet.net suggesting that the name has been changed to Organic Research and Training Center (ORTC). Part of the reason for this change is that the farm has been expanded from testing organic farming to being committed to organic and, as a result, using it to train others on organic farming. The project is now used for various organic crops, fruits, vegetable training and demonstration, and herbs for medicinal and kitchen purposes. Bylakuppe plays a critical role in sharing their knowledge about organic farming and teaching other Tibetan farmers and community leaders how organic farming works.

I am particularly interested in the medicinal herbs that they are growing on the farm and how they are used in the home. My hope is that I will be able to attend meetings at the ORTC and work on the farm so that I can understand how it works and how they learned to work it. I would like to talk to the leaders of the program to interview how they have created such a program and how it is benefiting the Tibetan Settlements.

Bhatia, Jagdish C.. ” Levels and Causes of Maternal Mortality in Southern India.” Studies in Family Planning. 24. 5. (1993): 310-318

The purpose of this article is to study maternal mortality both in the home and the hospital. The study combines health- facility records, field surveys, and case control studies to get a more accurate statistic. In counties like India many deaths are not in a hospital therefore you have to go beyond just hospital statistics. This study observed that there were 7.98 maternal deaths per 1,000 live births and approximately half were in the home or on the way to the hospital. The analysis of this study reveals that many of the field survey and case- control studies could have been prevented.

This article was beneficial in understanding that mothers in Southern India in rural communities are more likely to die within their home because the lack of nearby hospitals. In a table correlating age with deaths in rural and urban communities the overall death rate is higher in rural communities. This makes me wonder how common it is to self treat in the home in rural communities verses urban. Is it more likely for women to self treat or men? Equal? At what point of injury or pain do rural community individuals go to the hospital?

Agriculture: Tigetan Organic Farming

Central Tibetan Administration. Department of Home: Central Tibetan Administration. “Agriculture: Tibetan Organic Farming.” 2011. Web. 10 January 2012. http://ctrc.tibet.net/agriculture.html

                Previous to the exile of Tibetan citizens, families were able to provide organic crops for the whole family. When they arrived in India families were not provided with enough farming area for families, particularly for organic farming, so individuals had to leave the home to find work. In 2002, the Exile Tibetan Government set up a plan to encourage settlements to provide for their families, Indians, and the whole world through organic farming. This is being achieved through training Tibetan exiles to rotate crops, create natural composts, and construct proper irrigation systems utilizing India’s vastly different environment. The connection with my project is that I want to see how effectively these methods have been employed in Bylakuppe, and how sufficient the community has become because of them. Is Bylakuppe able to grow most of its own food, or does it rely heavily on importing? Has the diet of the Tibetans there adapted to the crops that grow in southern India, or have methods been found to cultivate traditional foods for a taste of home?

My Shoes!!!

I got my shoes for india!!!! I absolutely love them. I was able to go out shopping last week and the whole time I was praying my shoes would get here so I could try the outfit on together. Guess what!!! I came home and they were on my door step. I was hoping to find a skirt as well so I could wear it to my brothers wedding in a couple of weeks but I have not been successful yet.

On the other hand, I found the article I read for Wednesdays annotated source very interesting. It was about the Tibetan Government in Exile Independence and Democracy and how they work and don't work together. It sounded similar to what Beau said ya'll talked about. It discusses all the ways that their democracy is not full function in comparison to the western democracy. I found this article to be very bias because the author places our culture on a pedestal when comparing it to the Tibetans culture. I had not realized that the Dalai Lama might not be reincarnated again. It makes me curious about how leadership is going to work after he is gone. The author of the article mentions that because the Dalai Lama was not elected in a competitive competition that it is not a democracy in the same that ours is. The Tibetan people have a different view of him- they didn't need to vote because the majority does fully sustain him as their political and religious leader.

The more I read, I begin to realize that there is so much bias in the articles I found. I guess you just pick through what you find and identify the bias you find and take them very lightly.

Wednesday....

My goodness, Wednesday was quite the adventure. Beau and I were up late the night before so I planned on getting up at 5:30am to finish the rest of my homework. Well, that did not happen. I figured that I could probably get off early from work so I did my normal routine- go in with a perfect smile on my face, ask how everyone is doing, and then go and cut lettuce for the whole day. It took me about an hour. Towards the end I figured there was another employee up front helping out. I was wrong. I found out that the guy who was helping out (who never works the front because he ONLY does the catering) was covering for a sick manager until others got into the store. Well our 10am shift person called in sick too because she hit her head on a ladder. All my hopes of getting off early to do my homework were gone. I tired to do as much as I could during my 15min break but that is not much. Secretly, I was also hoping to find out if I even had to do a field study because I am honestly not that interested in it. My discipline is in statistics, math, and the sciences. I really am not one for writing and reading although I do enjoy doing it on my own time. I found out yesterday that in order to go with Beau I have to do a field study so I am going to try to make the best of it.

Statement of Intent

I was finally forced to come to some kind of conclusion with what to do for my field study, so here it is!


"The main goal or purpose in going to Bylakuppe India is to study agriculture and farming of the Tibetan exiles. My questions that I would like to explore are: How have the Tibetans in Bylakuppe learned to farm on India's soil? What kind of problems have they confronted (ex. pesticides and fungus) How have/are they transition to organic farming? For my own personal benefit I would like to also look at natural medicines and remedies in the home.

In order to answer these questions I plan to volunteer on local farms particularly on the Tibetan Farm Project, 80 acre experimental farm which has practiced organic farming for the past 10 years, in Bylakuppe to understand how the farm functions. I plan on meeting with leaders that run the Tibetan Farm Project and those that help run it. I would also like to interview various individuals in the community to understand the importance of having organic farming readily available. As a result I would like to be able how agriculture and farming is of key importance to Tibetan society, and I would like to begin to understand the Tibetan beliefs, customs, and values."

Currently I am more excited about getting to know the people and the culture. A friend of mine went to Jordan last semester and always talked about the fun of immersing yourself in the culture. He was able to make many, many friends. He was able to work in a perfume shop and learn how to make his own perfumes. He was invited to friends houses which allowed him to truly learn and love the people. This is certainly the kind of experience I want to have.

Tired

Wow! This week has been tough! I keep setting times to complete all my homework but it never works out. I stay up to 10 or 11pm then wake up around 8 to do homework before work but nearly everyday work calls me in early and makes me stay late, like today. Hence, the reason I am journaling during my break. BUT it is certainly good for the financial situation- I mean, India is expensive! Honestly I have not had much time to do research this week. I am rushing and rushing just to get homework done that I don't have time do really dig into my ideas. I really want to find a professor to run ideas by. Maybe next week on my day off....

We found a couple to take our apartment while we are gone! We are planning on them signing a contract tomorrow. They are really nice people, maybe potential friends!

Anyway, I better sign off. The restaurant is getting busy!

Discovering Tibet

We bought our tickets!!!! I am officially going to India! The BYU travel office definitely knows what they are doing. We are planning to arrive in Bangalore live in Bylakuppe for 3 months then travel the coast and northern India for 2 weeks then fly out of Delhi. Of course during those 3 months we will be doing our field studies. I am getting more and more excited about living with a traditional Tibetan family. The idea of learning a knew culture is absolutely fascinating. Its a new kind of food, new traditions, new symbols, and new religious beliefs and understanding.

The more I think about my project the broader I realize it is. I really want to get in contact with a professor to help me narrow down my ideas so I can focus on a more specific subject (although that will probably change even more when I'm in India).

This week I decided to look at the more general facts about Tibet and in doing so I read an article titled China's Tibet. I thought it would be very controversial, which it was to some extent. The article stated many facts that attempted to show how China's rule over Tibet has benefited the country. Although the facts support the idea it is not necessarily better. The economy may be more well off but has the culture suffered? Although I am certainly not qualified, I would have to say that it most certainly has suffered. Maybe in the future (when I have time) I will educate myself on the matter. I think it would be even more interesting to compare current Tibet with exiled Tibetan communities like Bylakuppe.... when I am rich and can afford to go visit both but for now looking at Bylakuppes agriculaure will suffice.

What is farming like in India?

In the article Agriculture: Tibetan Organic Farming posted by the Department of Home: Central Tibetan Administration it addresses a few questions I had such as: How do the Tibetans keep the soil nutrients maintained, who takes care of the farm, and how did the Tibetans learn to farm on India's soil.

Previous to the exile of the Tibetan citizens families were able to provide organic crops for the whole family. When they arrived in India families were not provided with enough farming area for families, particularly organic farming so individuals had to leave the home to find work. In 2002 the Exile Tibetan Government set up a plan to encourage settlements to provide for their families, Indians, and the whole world through organic farming. This is being achieved through training Tibetan exiles to rotate crops, create natural composts, and construct proper irrigation systems using India's different environment.

From what I read in the article the farming community has been well established or it is, at least, well on its way. But how does it compare to America? I don't really know, nor do I believe I will completely understand until I arrive in Bylakuppe and see for myself. BUT I can't just see how it is done, I need to communicate with the farmers and see how the master their land. I want to know and begin to feel what they feel about their land and what they are accomplishing. As for my own experience when I begin to prepare a piece of land for farming I make sure I clean out the rocks as best I can, treat the soil so that it is prepared to harvest the best crops possible, and care for each plant to the best of my ability. In the end I am very proud of what I have accomplished. Do the Tibetan people take pride in what they accomplish? I guess I will find out. This kind of thing I will not be able to feel through papers or others telling me- It will be through knowing the people, knowing the farmers and families. India, Here I come!


http://ctrc.tibet.net/agriculture.html

25 questions

 This coming May my husband and I are planning on going to Bylakuppe, a little town in southern India for a field study. Although his plans are pretty set in stone, I have yet to confirm my exact plans. Thusfar, I have become interested in agriculture and farming in India. The town that we are going to is a Tibetan Refugee settlement so I would like to base my study on how they learned to farm on India's soil, what kind of problems they have confronted as far as pesticides, and how they have learned to manage the summer monsoon rains. To further extend my study I will look at natural medicine in the home. These are a few questions that I have about India, Tibet, and the people there:


1. What grows in India during the summer months?
2. How does irrigation work?
3. What fungus and bugs are a problem?
4. What pesticides are used?
5. Do most Tibetans do their own farming?
6. How common is organic farming?
7. Is farming ran by Tibetan families or their "Help"?
8. Where does Bylakuppe's water source come from?
9. Who do their crops go to?
10. Where did the Tibetans learn how to work on India's soil?
11. Does the future generation show interest in continuing to farm?
12. How do the Tibetans feel about working somebody else's soil?
13. What kinds of medicines do the refugees tend to use in their home? Natural vs. allopathic?
14. What are some remedies for common ailments (headaches, upset stomach, etc.)?
15. What is the Tibetan conception of death like?
16. How are major ailments dealt with, generally? Acceptation, leaving the camp for a major hospital, etc.?
17. Do people often grow their own medicines?
18. Is it common to go and see doctors?
19. What does the typical Tibetan refugee diet consist of?
20. Do the refugees import things from Tibet for a "taste of home?"
21. I read a paper about substances in the soil producing various skin ailments in northern India. Is this type of thing common in Bylakuppe?
22. What is the quality of the soil in Bylakuppe?
23. How do farmers maintain nutrition in the soil?
24. Is farming mostly done by men, or do women and children also farm?
25. What is the quality of the available water sources?
26. How open are family members about their illnesses? Is it a source of shame, or a fact of life?
27. Are health issues common topics of conversation ("how have your bowel movements been lately" is not an uncommon question in some places!)