India. The beginning of my solo adventures.

IN DECEMBER 2014,

I took a leap.

I believe that God has given me a few callings in life, one to be a physician, another to be a photographer, and another to mesh these different areas of my life in some way. In college, I was introduced to the field of public health and global health, and realized that I needed to be proficient in these fields to some degree to be the most effective in the future. God opened the door for me to go to grad school and get my Master's in Public Health with a focus in Global Health Leadership. When the opportunity presented itself to get hands on experience in India and work with the Institute for Indian Mother and Child (IIMC), I went for it. I was excited and scared to journey off to a place I never imagined visiting, but even more nervous to tell my Nigerian parents that their "rebellious" third child would be traveling alone.

Dr. Sujit Brahmochary, the former medical director for Mother Theresa, created the Institute to care for rural mothers who were hugely underserved. In India, women are seen as unequal, and treated as such. Dr. Brahmochary wanted to help dismantle this ideology, advocate, and empower women throughout his region of West Bengal. What started out as a small clinic for women and children has grown into several rural clinics and pharmacies, a home for orphaned and disabled girls, several schools, literacy and economic development programs for women and much more. I went to work for IIMC with the idea to study breastfeeding practices in new mothers; however, the research I had prepared to do on pregnant women fell through because there were not enough women to study when I arrived. This drastic change of plans could have stressed me out, but instead I came up with a new solution. (A better one honestly because it included photography!) I created health education materials focused on hygiene using photos I took throughout the different IIMC sites. I was able to use my photos to make handwashing flyers for the IIMC schools and hygiene education materials for the community health workers. This was especially useful for the many people who could not read in many of the rural communities.

I had to go during my winter break which meant missing Christmas with my family for the first time in my 22 years of life. I didn't expect to get homesick...but I did on Christmas day. So I left India for New Years to see my good friend in Amsterdam, and returned to India for a few days before finally going home in the middle of January 2015.

The fire for travel had already been lit by my daddy back in the day with our trips to see family in Nigeria and Europe, but as a young adult, the taste was different. The personal growth I experienced on this trip was shocking. As a proud African-American woman, experiencing the oppression women in some parts of India still face was difficult for me. Whether I was on the metro or flagging down a tuk tuk to get to farther parts of Kolkata (Calcutta), I would get stared at by men. Some stares were of genuine interest at my appearance (I was rocking some faux dreads at the time) in such a homogenous city, but most were condescending, perverted stares as if to make it known that they had the right to stare at me, invade my space, and study my being. Those were the stares that made my skin crawl and my chests burn with anger. Understanding the cultural differences and constant language barrier, there was nothing I could do but internally reflect on my gratefulness for living in America.

I could share the photos from my time in Dubai, Paris, and Amsterdam, but I want to focus on my time in India. I was afraid to bring my full-frame camera (Canon 6D), and opted to take my Canon rebel T4i and my trusty Tamron 18-270mm zoom lens. I have edited the photos in different ways over the years, some with VSCO and some with LR. Some, I actually left alone. Click through the images to get the full view, and read through the stories behind some of them!

I hope you see a bit of the beauty that I discovered there.

The air pollution was too real.

I spent over an hour exploring the grounds of the Taj Mahal. The next few images show the smog that blanketed the area, and the clarity that came as the blanket lifted allowing the suns rays to illuminate the building.

The Guiltiest "Uber" Ride

This shot was taken on my first day in Kolkata. My classmate and I were horribly lost and waiting to be rescued by staff from IIMC. We had a couple hours to spare so we decided to explore a little. We asked the hotel staff for directions to the Sunday market, and they told us to wait. They left to go and call this man. I watched with disbelief as this man pulled a two seater cart up to the door with his hands. I said no way. The staff explained that this was his job. He had to eat. The sadness I felt inside was inexplainable but they kept saying this was the only way. I am tall, thick, and the opposite of a feather in weight. To say I was uncomfortable with the idea of this man carrying myself and another person even one foot would not cover my emotions. We accepted and paid him 10x the cost. The guiltiest "uber" ride of my life. 

Everyone's struggle is different. Humble yourself, count your blessings, and love on someone each and every day. The world needs more light.

My Little Muse

When I came up with the idea to make hand-washing flyers for the schools built by IIMC, I needed to find a subject to shoot the demonstration visuals. IIMC, with the help of generous donations, built a home for orphaned and disabled little girls. I would visit the home every few days to spend time with the girls that lived there. When I saw this child, I knew I had found my muse. She was bright and full of life, and come to find out, she was a great model too (and well-versed in miming since she didn't know English and I didn't know Bengali or Hindi).

Hair Talk

I had the opportunity to teach the local women leaders about hygiene and ways to decrease the spread of infection in their villages. With the use of a translator, I assessed their knowledge and added new information for them to take back to their villages. Halfway through, I thought," Dang, they are so focused on me!" When I finished, I asked if there were any questions. Many women raised their hands and posed questions to the translator. The whole room errupted in laughter. Why? Because everyone wanted to know how my hair grew out of my head like that. Hair will always be a conversation starter, no matter the language or country.

The Only Way In

I spent a Saturday with the staff at IIMC that supervised their rural schools. We went from village to village, meeting with teachers and staff at their quarterly meetings. I almost didn't attend the meeting at this school pictured here because the only way into the school was over a rickety bridge. Top ten scariest things I have ever done. And yes. I can swim. 

A Father's Love

I went on a 4 hour drive to one of IIMC's rural clinics in Dhaki. On the way, I sat in the back of our van, staring at the country side, snapping pictures from time to time as we passed through various villages. Half way through our drive, I saw a man biking with his son. I remember thinking how serious they looked as I snapped a photo. A few hours later, as I was making my way through the clinic, they rolled in through the gates! I waited until they had seen the doctor before asking to take their picture. 

I couldn't imagine having to bike for hours just to take my child to the doctor for help. How great is a father's love.