Monsoon Summer by kaoruhana

Arriving in Okha

A/N:  Okha is a real place in Gujarat, not far from where I spent the majority of my summer.  The area around Okha is known for salt production and it's beautiful marine life as well as friendly environment.  This story came to me as I spent my summer doing the things Kagome is doing. 

* * * * *

Chapter 1: Arriving in Okha

Kagome took a deep breath before placing her plane ticket back in her passport bag.  She knew that she should consider herself lucky for having been given the internship but still the thought of leaving everything she knew behind for two months to go study in the Indian countryside wasn’t something she was essentially looking forward to.  It wasn’t that she wasn’t excited about the interactions with the rural populations- she was.  However, food and language barriers were going to cause a large problem for her and she didn’t know how much of that she would be able to put up with.  The internship organizers had told her that the head of her internship department was Japanese and that most of the office workers knew basic English.  Still, she didn’t know a word of the two main local languages spoken there- Hindi and Gujarati.  Shaking her head and trying to gear herself for the upcoming trip Kagome looked around her room one last time.  After being sure she had everything she left and headed downstairs. 

                Her mother was waiting downstairs with her brother.  Both were worried for her she knew, though the concern on her mother’s face touched her.  She eyed the two suitcases sitting by her brother critically.  They had bought new luggage for the trip, one to make it easier on her when she had to pick up her bags and two because they wanted to make sure that her bags could withstand the travel.  One was to be her carry-on, the other her check-in.  Her mother and brother were both going to travel with her to the airport while her grandfather was going to stay at the shrine.  She didn’t mind, he was quite old in age now and she didn’t want to burden him with the unnecessary trip if she could help it. 

                “I’m ready, is the cab here?”  Yesterday, Souta had booked a cab for the three of them. It was easier to have that done than wait around for a car and run to the airport. 

                “It arrived a few minutes ago.  If the bags are ready, we’ll load them up.” 

                She nodded her approval to her brother and he left taking her carry-on bag with him.  In the meantime, she turned to look at her mother who silently motioned towards the living room.  Sighing, Kagome walked over to the sofa where her grandfather sat.  He was the most saddened at her departure.  While he knew that Kagome could take care of herself there was something deeply troubling about the fact that she would essentially be all alone without anyone her age for company.  Squatting down, she took his hands in hers and spoke. 

                “I’m leaving now grandfather.  I know you don’t want me to but you have to understand how important this is to me.  I’ll call you everyday and tell you what I saw, I promise.”  The elderly man heaved a sigh and gently squeezed the fingers holding his own. 

                “Have a safe trip and call me when you get there.” 

                “I will, I promise.”  Giving him a kiss on the cheek she stood up and made her way back to the staircase where her mother was waiting.  The two silently lifted her check-in bag and made their way to the stairs where they met Souta and the cab driver.  Together the two men carried the suitcase down and placed it in the car as Kagome turned to look at the house one last time.  Her grandfather had made his way to the doorway and she gave him a small wave which he returned before heading down the stairs. 

                The ride to the airport was silent as everyone thought about the upcoming trip.  Kagome mentally went over the details about the trip in her head.  She was flying from Tokyo to Singapore and there was staying in the company’s guest house overnight.  The next morning she was due to get on the Mumbai flight bright and early and from Mumbai would catch another flight to Jamnagar.  After that it was a three hour car-drive.  All in all, she’d arrive there on Monday sometime in the late afternoon she’d been told. 

                The internship was for Hotaru Salt Works, a company that owned various salt-production units in and around Asia.  They had started their Indian company about thirty years ago in an area on the Saurashtra Peninsula in the Western Indian state of Gujarat.  She wasn’t going to be working in the salt production work there though.  The salt works had started a side venture, a social entrepreneurship NGO type organization that worked with the local population to better their economic standing.  They did all kinds of work such as renovating schools for children, providing rural women with work, and teaching more sustainable agriculture practices for farmers.  She didn’t know a lot about the specific programs but knew that all of them thrived on a concept of building the community.  Considering that she was currently studying to earn her masters in Human Development she was eager to work here.  She’d concentrated her work on South Asian development programs, specifically programs targeted to rural women and when she’d heard of this internship she applied on a whim.  Now, three months later she was headed to it. 

                “We’re here.”  Her mother announced prompting her to open the cab door and head to the trunk.  Together both she and Souta hauled the suitcases out while her mother paid the cab driver.  Once everyone was ready they headed inside to the Singapore Airlines counter.  Kagome checked in her bag without problem and got the baggage tags for her carry on as well.  The clerk checked the information on her ticket before handing her boarding passes. 

                “The one on the top is for the flight today.”  The clerk explained.  “The other one is for tomorrow’s flight.” 

                “Thank you.”  Now all set to go, Kagome turned back to her brother and mother placing the boarding passes in her passport bag.  The boarding for her plane was in an hour and while she had time to kill, she knew that she should get to her gate early as well. 

                “I’ll miss you.” She stated hugging her mother with teary eyes.  Letting go, she then embraced her brother and blinked the last vestiges of her tears away.  It was only two months after all, two months till she’d be back home. 

                “Bye, have a safe trip.”  Her mother answered as Kagome began to roll her suitcase.  Turning back she waved goodbye one last time before disappearing into the airport’s crowd. 

                By the time Kagome had cleared security and reached her gate she’d idled away twenty minutes of her time.  Taking an empty seat she eyed the nearby passengers.  Across from her was an elderly couple conversing softly in Japanese.  It seemed they were going on a vacation to Singapore.  Next to her was a young office-worker or corporate executive she guessed looking at the suit he wore.  He had his laptop open and was busy working on some documents.  She wondered if he was from Japan or Singapore and cast another glance around the gate wondering how many of the people there were Japanese visitors and how many were Singapore natives.  A toddler came running up to where she was at the end of an aisle and his mother ran behind him.  She picked him up but his eyes were glued on Kagome.  Giggling, she waved and his face broke out in a grin.  The mother seeing this smiled and bowed shyly to Kagome before leaving.  Sighing, now that she had nothing to look at anymore, Kagome pulled out the romance novel in her carry-on and busied herself until it was time to board the plane. 

                When it was finally time to board, Kagome eagerly did so and immediately dumped her stuff in the seats in front of her when she reached her designated seat.  Seeing there was no one behind her she lifted up her suitcase and stuffed it into the overhead compartment before moving to take her window seat.  Taking a peak she inwardly squealed when she noticed it was by the wing.  Kagome loved those kinds of seats because of the views they offered.  And she knew for a fact that they were the safest area of a plane.  She was no stranger to international travel having had to travel back and forth from Indonesia every summer for the past five years for a summer course in human development that her university offered.  She’d always been with a group though and so when it came to travel problems the professor in charge usually solved the problems.  This was one trip she was making alone.  Someone arrived next to her and she smiled seeing the couple from earlier take seats next to her.  She shuffled helping them get settled and then relaxed taking turns between watching the ground staff and the other passengers until take-off.  

                A half-hour later Kagome gripped the arm rest and tried to quell the urge to lean forward as the plane left Tokyo.  No matter how many times she traveled by plane this was one sight she couldn’t ever get bored with.  There was something serene, majestic, and powerful about seeing an entire city laid out below you.  She could imagine that she was seeing the Sunset Shrine, the Ueno River, and other Tokyo sights while not really knowing what it was she was looking at.  Kagome craned her neck to look out the window until she couldn’t see anything but clouds anymore.  With a smile on her face she settled down for a long plane ride and pulled out the first of three novels she had in her carry-on bag. 

                The intercom beeped later startling Kagome from her reading.  She placed her finger marking her position in her second book as she listened to the speaker.  Since she had left at ten thirty in the morning, the seven hour flight was now landing in Singapore at four-thirty in the afternoon Singapore time or five thirty in the afternoon Tokyo time.  Peeking out the window she still saw clouds but felt the shifting in altitude as the plane began its descent.  Kagome heard the intercom announcement dutifully before grumbling and taking the landing card that the air hostess offered.  She had been forced to pay for a traveler’s visa to spend a night in Singapore.  That meant that she effectively had to go through Singaporean customs.  Filling out the card, she looked out the window as bits and pieces of the Singapore skyline began to show.  By the time she was done it was perfect timing and she eagerly looked out the window for her first glance of Singapore. 

* * * * *

                A knock sounded and Kagome opened the door to her room.  She was staying in the Hotaru Corporations Singapore Guest House for the night and it was by far way too luxurious she thought. The guest house was an apartment type setting with her room and another that she presumed was unoccupied.  There were three men serving her and she realized that they were the staff here.  It made her a little unnerved but she decided to not question it.  Looking at the man in front of her, she waited for him to speak. 

                “Madam, dinner is at seven thirty, would you like us to come get you?”  She nodded glad that they had informed her.  She herself was about to come out and ask them about the timings for meals. 

                “What time is breakfast?”  She asked quietly.  Her flight in the morning was at ten-thirty and the driver who had driven her here informed her that he was going to pick her up at eight in the morning for tomorrow’s flight. 

                “Seven, is there a problem?”  She shook her head and answered him. 

                “Can I have some coffee- with some milk and sugar- and two slices of toast for breakfast then if it’s not too much trouble?” The worker smiled glad that there was no problem. 

                “Of course, anything else?” 

                “No I’m good.”  Nodding he left and Kagome shut her door before collapsing on her bed.  She had no idea why she was so shy; maybe it was because this was all new to her?  She wasn’t used to being waited on hand and foot.  On her way to her room she’d seen a kitchen and a dining room and belatedly wondered who would be sitting with her to eat.  Were the workers going to eat with her?  Shaking her thoughts away, she picked up her phone and called home letting them know that she was safely tucked away for the night in the guest house. 

                When the knock sounded on her door later, she was on her laptop typing up a journal for her internship.  Getting up, she slipped on her shoes and walked out of her room following the guest house worker to the dining room.  He instructed her to take a seat and she did so waiting.  Moments later, the workers came in and placed an array of dishes in front of her- too many to count.  Blushing, she asked them to take one or two away- she wasn’t going to eat it anyway.  Nodding, they left with the extra dishes and she waited a minute to see if anyone returned.  When no one did, Kagome picked up her chopsticks and looked around the empty dining room.  She was sitting alone at a table meant for six.  There was a gorgeous view of the Singapore skyline from the window but it didn’t quell her unease.  It was odd, eating all alone in a location most people would pay big money for and being waited on by three men.  While they were nice she wasn’t sure she could get used to this.  Dinners at her house were always noisy with all sorts of chatter.  Here it was quiet and she winced every time her spoon hit the plate. 

                As she collapsed into her bed later that night Kagome wondered if she was ready for her internship.  While the guest house in Okha, the area she was interning in, wasn’t going to be as grand as this it was still going to be a hotel type environment.  She was the type of girl that had been raised up to make her bed every morning and keep her room tidy.  While she knew it wasn’t expected of her here, she decided she would still do it; after all it was only polite.  That settled, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. 

                The next day as Kagome was being driven around Singapore, the corporate driver for Hotaru Salt Works showed her different sights around the city.  She eagerly took them in and talked with the driver asking in English and piecing together his meager answers. 

                “Where in India?”  The driver asked. 

                “Gujarat, Western India.”  The driver nodded as he turned onto a street and she recognized some of the buildings from her drive to the guest house yesterday. 

                “Everything sweet there.  South India- good spicy food, North- sweet.”  Kagome nodded and winced hoping that he was exaggerating things.  While her taste pallet was definitely Japanese she did like to eat other food.  Still, she didn’t think she could live through two months of sweet food. 

                “We here.”  Nodding, Kagome signed the ledger that the driver gave her and grabbed her bags before making her way inside the airport.  She was able to easily find the Singapore Airlines counter and checked her bags in before leaving towards her gate.  Finding it, she collapsed into the seat and tried not to feel out of place.  Out of everyone there she was one of three people who weren’t Indian.  Ignoring the curious looks she was receiving, she pulled out her novel and began to read until it was time to board. 

                The flight to Mumbai passed quickly and she eagerly clambered off with all other passengers before heading towards customs once again.  While this wasn’t the last flight of her trip, it was her port of entry into India and she had to check in with the authorities here.  She stood behind the yellow line, passport, visa, and landing card in hand.  When the officer at the desk beckoned her over she walked up handing him the required items. 

                “Where are you interning?”  He asked reading her visa and punching some information into a computer.  Composing herself Kagome answered. 

                “Okha, Gujarat.”  Nodding, the man stamped something into her passport before looking at the visa again. 

                “How long is the internship?” 

                “Two months.”  Nodding once again, he approved her seventy-five day visa, the only one that fit her circumstances, and handed her the items back. 

                “Welcome to India.  I hope you have a nice stay.”  Thanking him Kagome grabbed her bags and walked towards baggage claim.  Once reclaimed, she got her last boarding pass of the journey from another ticket counter, this one for Air India, and made her way to the last flight of her journey. 

                Kagome wasn’t entirely sure where Jamnagar airport was when they landed.  She saw a runway- only one and what looked to be a warehouse type structure.  Was that the airport she wondered watching as the plane headed towards the warehouse.  She got her answer a while later when the plane did pull up there and she saw two workers push a rolling staircase up to the plane when it stopped.  She’d never ever seen that done before.  She’d once had to travel by bus on the runway and board a plane using a rolling staircase but it had never been pulled by men.  Looking out at the airport she blanched.  There were only two signs, one that read departure and the other that read arrival.  This was the only gate to the middle of nowhere airport, it was nothing more than a building that one walked out of she realized.  Taking a deep breath, she waited till it seemed the doors had opened and then grabbed her bags before leaving the airplane. 

The baggage claim area was small- one conveyer belt that was packed with people.  Thanking herself for being sensible Kagome waited till her check-in suitcase appeared and pulled it off.  Placing her carry on suitcase on top of it, she walked out of the airport rolling her suitcases behind her.  There were a horde of drivers waiting to take her somewhere but she scanned them all until she saw a sign that said Hotaru Corporations.  Walking towards the man she patiently waited next to him. 

“One more come.”  He explained and she nodded.  She’d been in contact with the head of the internship department- someone named Sesshomaru- by text message since yesterday.  He’d already informed her of this and of the vehicle’s license plate so she wouldn’t get lost.  They waited for a few more minutes until a man came out.  He looked to be in his later forties or early fifties and carried with him a simple travel bag.  When he reached them he nodded to the driver and took Kagome’s carry-on to the car when it seemed to fall off.  Thanking him she waited until the luggage got settled and then took a seat in the back.   The man also took a seat by her and she smiled at him. 

“Hello, I’m Anup, and you are?” 

“Kagome Higurashi sir.”  He nodded. 

“Where are you from Ms. Higurashi?” 

“Tokyo, I’m actually here for a two month internship.”  At this the man let out a chuckle.  She wondered what she had said that was so funny and was slightly offended though she soon realized she had no reason to be. 

“You are the person Sesshomaru has been running around getting things ready for then.  I have to tell you right now don’t get intimidated by him.  He may seem a little bit cold but he’s actually the best thing that HORD has seen.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”  Kagome assured him taking a look at the scenery outside.  Honestly speaking she had no idea what kind of work Sesshomaru did or what kind of person he was.  Her phone suddenly beeped and she looked at it before sending a reply back to the person she’d just been thinking of.  He answered back almost immediately telling her to prepare herself for a long three hour journey to Okha. 

“I just asked the driver to stop by an eating area sometime soon.”  Anup stated pulling her away from her phone.  “You might want to grab something to eat.”  She answered his query with a simple nod and relaxed into her seat. 

When Kagome finally arrived in Okha, she’d finished a pack of twenty small cookies and nearly drank half of a one-liter bottle of mineral water.  She’d also made a good friend in Mr. Anup.  Glad that she’d done some networking she stepped out of the car when it stopped at the guest house, Okha Mahel.  The driver placed her bags inside and she walked in to see a receptionist.  He was currently talking with someone who wasn’t Indian, which was a nice sight for Kagome since she felt like she wasn’t the only foreigner around now.  The man had long silver hair flowing down his back.  He’d tied it together in a loose ponytail.  He was wearing jeans with a burgundy tee shirt and tennis shoes.  As though sensing her he turned and she fidgeted under his stare. 

“Kagome Higurashi?”  He asked slowly making his way over to her.  She nodded and he gave her a nod before turning to the driver.  “Thank you Samir.  Sheet sign kiya?”  The man nodded and Sesshomaru dismissed him before turning back to her. 

“It’s nice to meet you Kagome, I’m Sesshomaru Taisho.” 

“Nice to meet you.”  Kagome shook his hand and then shuffled not sure what she was to do now.  This was the man she was going to be working with she thought as he turned back to the reception to speak a few words. 

“Kagome,”  Sesshomaru beckoned her over and she came to stand by him, “this is Sunil, he’ll take care of you while you stay at Okha Mahel.  If you ever need anything he’s the one to ask.  Also, if you need bottled water, he’ll get it for you all right?” 

“Yes, thank you.”

“Anything else you want to ask me?”  Kagome spoke quickly.  She had arrived but she had no idea what she was going to be doing for the internship.  All the information was going to be given to her by Sesshomaru and she had to ask him what she was supposed to do before he left. 

“When do I start working?” 

“Tomorrow if that’s okay with you?  Work starts here at eight in the morning; can you be waiting down here for me then?”  She nodded and he took a quick assessment of her before bidding her goodbye. 

“Madam?”  Turning she met the receptionist; Sunil was his name wasn’t it?  “He’ll take you up to your room.”  Next to her was a worker at the guest house that must have shown up when she was talking with Sesshomaru.  He grabbed her bags, both before she could protest, and lead her up the stairs to the third floor- room thirty.  Unlocking her door he gave her the keys to the room and then placed the luggage inside.  There was a closet of sorts and he opened it to place her bags inside before shutting it and saying a hurried goodbye as he left.  When he did, Kagome looked around the room. 

There was an entryway where the closet was and two doors on either side right behind the closet.  The one on the right she assumed connected to the adjoining room she’d seen earlier.  Opening the one on the left she was happy to see her own bathroom.  It had a western style toilet and a shower.  Playing with the light switches next to her she quickly figured out which operated what and found a large switch labeled geyser.  Luckily for Kagome she knew what that was.  In Indonesia, hot water heaters only existed in the homes of the filthy rich.  For most others, they had a small hot water heater in the bathroom that turned on when the geyser button was switched on.  The hotels she’d stayed in while in Indonesia had the geyser system.  Glad that she had something to look forward to- a hot shower- Kagome walked out of the bathroom to survey the rest of the room.  There was a tiny dresser table attached to the right hand side wall with a mirror behind it.  Right across from that were two beds.  She thought it was decent, the room looked relatively nice.  There was also an air-conditioning unit that she spotted and a small but usable television.  All in all, she could easily call it hers for two months. 

A few hours later as she relaxed on the bed she’d claimed as hers the phone rang.  Its ring was loud and shrill and Kagome jumped as it startled her. Picking it up, she spoke a small hello into the phone. 

“Madam, it’s Sunil from reception.” 

“Yes what is it?”  She asked.   She hadn’t complained about anything so she wondered if she had done something else. 

“Dinner will be starting at eight pm here, I just wanted to let you know seeing as it’s seven currently.” 

“Oh thank you.”  Kagome answered glancing at her laptop clock and noticing that what he’d said was correct. 

“No problem, have a good day madam.”  She barely eeked out a “you too” before he put the phone down.  Sighing Kagome went back to her laptop updating her journal till dinner time.

* * * * *

It was at two minutes to eight the next morning that Kagome put her coffee cup down and grabbed her things to leave for the first day at her internship.  Sesshomaru had told her yesterday he’d pick her up at eight and she was counting on him to do just that.  Grabbing her bag stuffed with notebook, pens, camera, water, phone, and purse she walked out of the dining room of the guest house and sat in the reception’s seating area.  She didn’t have to wait long for Sesshomaru’s car to pull up and for him to step out.  He walked up to her and she stood feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. 

“Kagome, I hope you had a good rest.”  She nodded and then he turned giving a nod to Sunil at the reception before walking towards his car.  Not sure what to do Kagome followed and got into the passenger’s seat. 

“Today, I’ll take you to the office, though I can’t every day.  I’ve instructed one of the workers at HORD to be your guide while you’re here.  Anita knows both the local languages-Hindi and Gujarati- but also speaks English quite well.” 

“Will I meet her today?” 

“Yes, I’m going to take you on a tour to see all the staff members at HORD and see the kinds of programs we have to offer. Then we’ll sit down and discuss what you want to do all right?” 

“That sounds good.  I don’t mean to be rude, but I wasn’t given a lot of information about the internship when I applied- the application just said I’d get a chance to work with rural women in India who were employed in entrepreneurial projects.  Can you tell me more about it?”  Sesshomaru parked the car under a tree and got out prompting Kagome to scramble after him wondering if he’d answer her question.  She looked back at the car quickly before shaking her head and turning back to catch up with Sesshomaru. 

“HORD stands for Hotaru Organization for Rural Development.  It runs a series of programs- have you heard of those?”  She nodded having been able to look that much up on the internet.  “These programs range from REDP projects- that’s rural entrepreneurship development- to education programs.  I oversee the agriculture programs and am often in the field during the afternoons, but Anita- your guide- is in charge of the Self Help Groups.”  He walked into one of the two buildings they approached, the one on the right and she followed him.  The buildings were across the street from where he’d parked the car.

Kagome realized that they had walked into the head office and looked around.  It was small, but people ran about as though it was normal for them to do so.  Some gave her a second glance but most just said their good mornings to Sesshomaru.  She followed him into a room at the end of a hallway.  Motioning for her to take a seat, he sat on the edge of a desk making introductions. 

“Dungar-bhai,” he addressed the man at the other desk, “this is Kagome, the Japanese intern.”  The man nodded and greeted her in halting English. 

“Nice meet you.”  She nodded back and repeated the words before following Sesshomaru to the room next door that they had passed on their way in.  There were a group of three women there huddled around a computer and discussing something.  On the other side of the room was a man who had files in his lap and was reading them busily. 

“Kagome, this is Neelam Bein, Rani Bein, Anita, and Anil-bhai.  Neelam, Rani, and Anita take care of the women’s groups so I’m sure you’ll be spending a lot of time with them.  As for Anil-bhai he deals with local boys who are unemployed and places them in employment programs.” 

“Nice to meet you.” She greeted not sure of what else to say.  Neelam and Rani smiled slowly and she realized that with them communication was going to be difficult.  Anita however stood up and walked over to meet her. 

“It’s nice to meet you Kagome.  Since I’ve been appointed as your guide, how about we meet up later?”  She looked to Sesshomaru for approval and he gave a quick nod confirming this.  Kagome quickly realized that he was the go-to guy in this department and that he ran things with an iron fist.  Not so sure about him now, she gave Anita an affirmative response before leaving with Sesshomaru.  He led her to the third and final room in the building, since the rest of the area had been converted into an open space with computers and chairs.  A middle-aged woman sat at a desk talking on the phone with someone.  She hung up soon after they arrived and smiled greeting Sesshomaru. 

“Sesshomaru bhai, how are you?”  She knew English Kagome thought gladly.  However it was obvious that she preferred to use it only when necessary. 

“Mira bein- this is Kagome.  Yeh hai hamara Japanese Intern.”  Mira Bein nodded and gave Kagome a smile that was warm and friendly. 

“Nice to meet you Kagome.  How long are you here?”  Before she could answer Sesshomaru did, once again in the local language.  While Kagome was inwardly wondering if she’d have a chance to talk and let these people know who she was, she was kind of glad that he was doing the introductions.  And when he spoke in the native language it allowed her to learn too.  She was sure that earlier he said something about her being a Japanese intern. 

“Two months.  Masters padai karchuki- human development mai.”  Nodding Mira Bein looked at Kagome whose face was a mixture of confusion and frustration.  She laughed at the young woman’s plight and told her to sit on a nearby chair. 

“You don’t understand Hindi?  No problem, he was telling me you are studying masters in human development.  What is your study?”  Glad that someone was being nice to her Kagome immediately sat down and gave the older woman an answer.  She probably meant topic of study Kagome realized, glad that she had a good enough grip on English to understand her. 

“I’m studying rural entrepreneurship programs for women.  Since there are so many good examples of this in India, I decided to come here to get some first-hand experience.” 

“Then Anita will help you, that’s what she does.  And Neelam and Rani too- I’ll help you with them.”  Mira Bein nodded to Sesshomaru and he nodded back. 

“Kagome, I’m going to go to my office now, it’s the room we first visited.  Today, I’d like you to learn a little bit about all the programs from Mira Bein and then tag along with Anita when she visits a local SHG.  Once you get a feel for what we do, we can discuss tomorrow morning if you want to try to make your internship centered on women entrepreneurship programs or make it broader.” 

“That sounds nice.”  Hearing her words, Sesshomaru left the room and Mira Bein turned to Kagome. 

“So,” Mira began, “let’s start you off with some basic facts about the area.  In Gujarat, we speak Gujarati though most of the population knows Hindi or at least understands it.  Even Sesshomaru-bhai learned some Hindi over the past five years.” 

“I tried to learn some basic Hindi online.” Kagome explained not wanting Mira Bein to think she was completely incompetent.  “It was just words like no, yes, and things like that though.” 

“I see, did you learn about suffixes?”  Kagome shook her head puzzled, there were suffixes on things?  What kind of suffixes? 

“In Hindi to show respect one adds -ji at the end of the name.  Here in Gujarat, it’s different.  The men are all addressed with the suffix –bha and the women –bein.  So you would be Kagome Bein.” 

“Mira Bein.” Kagome tried out.  The older woman let out a smile and Kagome was inwardly glad that she got something right. 

“Good, now let me show you about what we do.”   Mira Bein turned towards her computer and pulled up a powerpoint.  She presented it to Kagome and explained the work that HORD did on a regular basis. 

“What is that?”  Kagome asked looking at the picture on the monitor.  They had come to the end of the powerpoint and were in the agriculture section.  The picture in question showed a building that looked like a greenhouse but instead of glass had something else covering it. 

“Net House.” Mira Bein explained.  “Sesshomaru Bhai knows about it- he builds them.”  Kagome nodded wanting to know just what that was meant for.  Did it catch bugs or something? 

“It’s interesting.”  Mira Bein laughed. 

“I know, now go meet Anita.  Lunch here is at twelve and its eleven thirty.”  Kagome nodded thanking Mira Bein for the information before making her way down the hall to the room right behind Mira Bein’s. 

Anil Bhai looked up from his files and gave her a smile which she returned.  The three women looked up as well and Anita motioned for Kagome to pull up a chair and join them around an impromptu table that was the computer desk.  Kagome did as instructed wondering what else to say. 

“Kagome, Sesshomaru informed us that you would be joining us on the SHG visit.  I conduct the SHG’s myself so you’ll be going around with me okay?”  Kagome nodded and Anita smiled before telling Neelam and Rani something in Gujarati.  The two women nodded and then abruptly pushed away from the table to converse together quietly on something else. 

“Do you know what an SHG is Kagome?”  Anita asked rearranging some materials on her desk.  When Kagome nodded she smiled.  The Japanese woman had read about them in her studies. She thought they were effective, especially in the fact that they taught rural women budgeting and savings practices that they could use to help themselves.  

“Good, I run the local self-help group program.  We visit villages to either create SHG’s or visit preexisting ones.  Today we’re going to visit a pre-existing one in the afternoon.  Another thing is that the SHG’s HORD runs are different.  Instead of just encouraging the women to save money and budget, we also help them learn skills so that they can use the money that the SHG saves to earn an income.  Often once the SHG’s are able to run a good enterprise they become a cluster.  Neelam here oversees the kurta making cluster and Rani focuses on the beadwork cluster.  Their materials are sold in HORD’s local shop- remind me to show it to you later okay?” 

“That would be nice.  Are there any other clusters?”  Anita shook her head and let out a grimace. 

“Unfortunately no.  We do have SHG’s however that deal with various other works and are trying to make them clusters.  The one that we’re working on now makes beautiful blankets.  We’re thinking of making them a cluster and setting them up with retailers in Ahmedabad.  That’ll be something I’ll be busy with the two months you’re here.” 

“Can I do anything to help with that?”  Kagome asked curiously.  Anita seemed to think on it before she gave a reply. 

“One thing we have done is to set up programs like these in quite a few SHGs.  Perhaps I’ll take you on a visit to the ones we’ve started this cluster program in and you can tell us from an outside perspective if it’s working.” 

“I can do that.”  Kagome assured her wondering if she could tailor her internship so that she worked closely with one of those cluster SHG’s and helped them make their items marketable.  That was something that sounded challenging but fun. 

“Good, now it’s lunchtime, we’ll call it a rest for now.  You’re staying in Okha Mahel right?”  Kagome nodded and Anita smiled standing up.  “Come on, I’ll tell Sesshomaru I’m taking you back there for lunch.  I’ll pick you up from there at two for our afternoon visit okay?” 

“Okay.”  Anita gave her another smile and the two left for lunch. 

* * * * *

Kagome eyed the food in front of her and the kitchen worker behind the buffet stand seemed a little unsure of how to explain to her what it was.  She looked around the room and noticed that the flat pancake type bread in the warming bowl was torn and dipped into the vegetable dishes around her.  Still, she also saw a bit of rice and so decided to give both a try.  Pointing to the pancake she held up two fingers on her right hand.  Nodding, the man gave her two and then lifted his hand to the spatula in the rice.  Together he and Kagome worked out a system where she placed her hand on the plate effectively stopping the spatula from depositing more rice.  She had two small bowls on her plate as well and placed in them a yellowy soup and what she assumed was a curry made of green bell peppers and potatoes. 

Taking her seat she began to eat, copying the people around her when it came to the bread.  She tore a piece of the bread off with her right hand a little harshly and with difficulty.  Hoping no one saw her fumble she gently picked up some curry in the piece she’d torn and tried it. It was nice, not too spicy but enough for flavors.  The pancake thing was a type of bread she realized thinking back to the naan she’d eaten once before at an Indian restaurant in Tokyo.  The one they gave her though was softer and smaller making it easier to eat.  After her two bread pieces were done she spooned the soup into her rice and ate it slowly.  It wasn’t that bad either though she realized that after the curry it was a little bland.  Nonetheless she finished it and wiped her hands on a paper napkin provided for her.  Taking the bottle of water that had been placed on her table during the meal she bid the workers a shy thank you and left for her room. 

“Madam.”  She heard as she stepped out.  Turning Kagome saw Sunil at the reception smiling at her softly.  “Was the meal okay?”  He was asking her if she could eat it, Kagome realized before nodding.  Maybe though, he’d also be able to help her with something else. 

“What are the names of the food dishes?”  Sunil gave her a curious stare before motioning for her to follow as he led the way back inside the dining room.  He pointed to the bread Kagome had eaten first. 

“Roti.”  He explained moving on to the curry she’d eaten.  “Capciccum and Aloo.”  She nodded storing the information.  “Dal.”  He pointed to the yellowy soup she’d eaten and finally indicated the rice nearby.  “Chaval.”  She made a mental note to jot those names down somewhere for future reference. 

“Thank you.”  Kagome answered slowly feeling a little embarrassed by the fact that quite a few of the dining room’s occupants had turned to stare at her.  “I’m going to my room now.”  Promptly she fled to relax a little before her afternoon trip. 

When Anita arrived at Okha Mahel at two Kagome was ready and eagerly clambered into the car Anita was in.   Anita promptly handed her something and Kagome took it wondering what to do with it.  It looked like a scarf but was thicker and longer.  She recalled some of the women in the office wearing outfits that had scarves like these.   What was she going to do with it though? 

“Here.”  Anita instructed draping it over her shoulders so that the ends hit her back.  “In this area of India, it’s better if women wear traditional clothes when visiting.  While your jeans and shirt aren’t bad, this chunni will help you look somewhat traditional.  You can borrow it while you’re here okay?”  Kagome nodded watching as the driver honked at a cow to get it to move.  Anita saw her shock and answered her silent question.

“Cows are common here since it’s so rural.  And since they’re revered every driver does what he can to avoid it. Over time this is how they’ve adapted.”  Kagome nodded watching the cow amble on its way and staring after it.  It was interesting to see that.  She’d never before seen a cow like that before.  The cows she’d seen were all dairy cows and even then she’d only seen a live one in her youth.  This cow looked different because of the humps on its back but she recognized it for what it was all the same. 

“They look different.” 

“Different from the cows in Japan?”  Anita asked turning to look at Kagome.  She nodded and Anita shrugged her shoulders.  “I suppose that they would.” 

“Yeah.”  Kagome looked back down at her scarf then up at Anita.  “That dress you’re wearing, is that what you’re trying to make my clothes look like?” 

Anita was wearing something that reminded Kagome of the ancient Chinese dresses from the Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies sans the long sleeves.  She wore a pair of loose baggy pants and a long tunic top that went to her knees with slits up the sides that reached mid-thigh.  With it came the scarf, like the one she’d lent Kagome, which she’d draped over her shoulders in the same manner that she’d done Kagome’s in.  Anita’s dress was a muted brown with a gorgeous design on the tunic top and scarf.  The pants were just the plain color of the top. 

“Yes.”  Anita replied motioning to herself.  “This is called a salwar-kameez, chudidhar, kurta, or Punjabi dress depending on the place you’re in and the style you’re wearing.  Most of them are the same- pants, a top, and the chunni.  The only difference is in the length of the tunic and the style of the pants.  The kind I’m wearing now resemble the salwar, kurta, and Punjabi dress type.” 

“What about the other one?”  Kagome asked curious. 

“Well, chudidars have pants that resemble skinny jeans.  And salwars are usually really pretty- like formal wear.  Beyond that, there’s not too much difference in style.”  Kagome nodded mentally storing the information away as they crossed a bridge that overlooked the ocean.  She briefly remembered crossing it yesterday on her way to Okha. 

“See those fishing boats?”  Anita asked pointing to the right.  Kagome followed her gaze and watched in awe.  Rows upon rows of large brown boats filled her line of sight.  They were all filled with colorful sails and the occasional splatter of bright paint.  There were so many!  

“They’re so colorful.”  Anita nodded as the car drove on past them and soon turned into a side street.  It wasn’t really a street but more of a dirt road and Kagome braced herself as they hit bumps and rocks.  She didn’t remember signing up for this when she applied for the internship.  The car turned onto another dirt road and Kagome held her breath. 

The car they were in was really more of an SUV- a Toyota Qualis.  It was meant for rugged travel and she realized exactly why HORD had two of these for field visits.  But still, the street that the car was about to turn onto was small and Kagome swore they were going to hit a building or run over something as they drove on.  But they didn’t.  Instead, the SUV took up the entire road and traveled on making Kagome look on in wonder.  She had no idea that SUV’s were able to do that.  Back in Japan, the driver wouldn’t have even dared to turn onto a street like that.  The driver eventually stopped the car and Anita got out prompting Kagome to follow her.  She led the way to a building and took off her shoes before entering it.  Copying her, Kagome walked inside. 

Anita was greeting an older woman who smiled at Kagome.  She greeted Anita by placing her hands together and placing them on Anita’s hand which were in the same pose.  Then she muttered something which Anita repeated.  The old woman then approached Kagome and she did the same.  Following Anita’s actions, the young Japanese girl copied the old woman and finished greeting her. 

“That’s how they greet each other here.”  Anita answered taking a seat on the floor by the woman.  “Sit down while the other SHG members arrive.”  Kagome didn’t have to be told twice.  She eagerly took a seat and looked on as more and more women came in.  Some greeted her as the old women had while others just smiled and filled into a circle.  It seemed that Anita was head and that everyone branched out from her. 

“Kagome,” Anita began when the young woman sat down.  “This is the Gayatrinagar SHG.  Today, you’ll get a feel of what it is they do here okay?”  Nodding Kagome looked on as Anita greeted the woman in Gujarati, or she assumed it was that.  After all, in rural areas the native languages were usually the only thing spoken. 

Anita asked the ladies questions, some of them Kagome understood through actions.  One of the questions asked had to deal with budgeting and accounts and Kagome saw the book presented to Anita that had numbers written in it.  Self Help Groups were a form of budgeting that was implemented in rural India with success.  The woman from the village each saved a certain number of rupees in a village savings deposit that they then used for various purposes.  The ones Kagome had read about usually bought agricultural land or sent their children to school.  She wondered what this one did. 

“Kagome.” Anita spoke as some of the woman left. “The women are going to be showing you their craft work now.  With the money that that SHG saves they buy the materials to make the work.  These women specialize in bead-work, you’ll see.”  Nodding Kagome took out her camera. 

“Am I allowed to take pictures?”  She asked softly. 

“Of course, in fact I think they’ll be more than happy to pose for you.”  Smiling, Kagome walked about the room snapping pictures until she felt satisfied that she had enough.  She took a seat back down by Anita just as the women returned with the craftwork. 

The work was beautiful Kagome thought snapping pictures as it was presented before her.  One of the items she loved most was what appeared to be a beaded chandelier that was made of large clear beads. It nearly looked like the real thing except for the fact that there were no light bulbs decorating it.  She wondered how long it took the women to make them as she examined another piece of work.  This she was told was a curtain, it was made of large colorful red beads and Kagome eagerly fingered it.  It was rare to see this kind of work and she was privileged to get a glimpse of it. 

“How much does it sell for?”  She asked softly.  Anita posed the question to the women who answered her. 

“It’s 1,000 Rupees for the Chandelier and 500 for the curtain.  I think they’re underpricing themselves.”  Kagome nodded, doing a quick conversion in her head.  The curtain would cost about $10 and the chandelier $20.  Even in Japanese Yen that was 790 and 1,580!  They were definitely selling for an undervalued price, especially seeing as this was handmade. 

“We’re hoping to incorporate them into the HORD store or connect them with some interior design stores in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Mumbai.”  Anita explained further.  Kagome nodded thinking something different. 

“Anita, do you think I could do that?”  Anita seemed perplexed by the question. 

“You want to do what?”  She asked making sure she’d heard the young intern correctly. 

“Do you think that can be my project this summer; helping this cluster succeed in marketing their goods?”  Anita seemed to think on it before she smiled. 

“We’ll ask Sesshomaru and see what he thinks.”  Nodding now that she had an idea of what she wanted to do, Kagome turned her attention back to the women.  She just had to convince Sesshomaru that this was the job for her.  Smiling, the young woman suddenly felt a little more confident about her internship.