awed and awakened.

namaste!
it's been a while and on one hand, not much has changed; on the other, there are some crazy stories to tell! this post, therefore, is a long one and will be followed by another, more analytical approach to the craziness i see.

for those of you who don't know - winter is my FAVOURITE season. i love the snow. i love the cold. i love the no-heat. my internship in summer-time India is, therefore, an ironic chuckle to those back home, and to my new firends at work in Bangalore, an outright laugh. when i enter the office after my death-defying morning walk, or after my spicy lunchtime, i am sure to please as i towel dry my entire body (i'm not kidding - i carry with me a 3' by 3' thick cotton hanky. the heat is becoming more and more bearable though, as i spend my days with little lighting and many many fans - cherished for their magic wind all the more, as power cuts are frequent and lenghty. the heat works its magic in other ways. the stench of rotten, and fresh, garbage is made all the more invasive particularly as we embark on our lovely walk to lunch. our walks home, or rides in tuktuks/taxis, are navigated through blankets of thick sweaty smog, which is amplified at night by traffic's headlights.

India is known globally for its stray dogs. i remember reading my beloved Economist and its take on the issue. i was ignorant of their position in Indian society until i saw for myself the overrunning population of man's best friend, and the packs and territories they protect. my roommate's tale of fear put me in my place: she and two others were charged by a pack of teeth-barring street dogs necessitating the hurling of objects and intervention of locals to their defense. i haven't looked at my furry friends the same way since.

i have experienced by first bout with indian tummy woes. though a tiny, but painful, encounter here in Bangalore, Toronto would call this a bad bit of food poisoning. i'm sure i will develop an intimate relationship with my toilet over the next 3.5 months. yay!

the discrimination we face as foreigners is blatant and institutionalised. Indian and foreigner prices are clearly differentiated. we struggle daily for fair taxi prices and are ripped off frequently. the justifications for such are too countless to share. some occurences are simple refusals to give change, other drivers respond to our destination requests by driving away. the latter is an infuriating phenomenon that brings to mind my favourite Toronto taxi drivers that i find pleasant and respectful. i find it fascinating that in Bangalore, a city of 6 million (i swear a solid million are taxi drivers), a guaranteed ride ain't too bad. this is something my roomate and i are perplexed by: the sign on the meter says 'for hire'. why so RUDE? it seems there is a 'can't be bothered' element here... very very strange.

i've seen two accidents: one lady was knocked off her bike; a man was hit by something and ended up on the (2' wide) shoulder, clearly in pain. when she stood up the lady was greeted by fellow drivers from all directions and assisted - traffic stopped (yup. traffic stopped in India). the same happened for the man, but, our taxi driver did something that i think will stay with me forever. for those new to my blog, traffic in India is INSANE by Toronto standards. every car, cart, truck, taxi, bike and bus crams into EVERY POSSIBLE SPACE regardless of lane, direction or speed. so, when our taxi driver squished his little tuktuk into the spaces amongst the area where the injured man lay, it was not surprising. what was surprising, however, is that in doing so, he purposely drove into two sets of people who were trying to cross the jammed street. perhaps this is difficult to convey... he turned his wheel both left and right INTO these people - it was a malicious move. i discussed this with my roomate and she didn't catch it - a testament perhaps to the speed at which it happened. but i caught it. and i was sickened. i felt sick that amongst such chaos (to me), amongst a gathering of people concerned for the injured man, our funny and old driver, would or could hurt someone. i even called him out on it. i immediately demanded to know why he drove into those people. he didn't answer. i find it very interesting that amongst such filth, discrinination, unfriendliness, pollution, and invastion of personal space, safety and senses, that it is this one small and fast instance of inhumanity that i am most repulsed and left astonished by.

so... i am an International Development major. this means i study the hows, and more importantly, the whys of the economic, political and social dynamics and processes of the developing world. the nature of my internship lends serious weight to my own personal 'development' ideas and concerns. i have been blessed with a dynamic and highly intelligent professional setting, and most comforting, a roommate (Jessicaaaaa!!!!!!!) and fellow York intern (Grahammallen!!!!!!!) that have enlightened me with new and alternative and solid perspectives on 'development'. though we engage in stimulating discussions about Bangalore's hows and whys, i feel that i have not even skimmed the surface of what lies ahead.

with the help of my new Indian friends i have clarified many cultural confusions and gained incredible insight into the rationale for such vast differences in our practices and values. perhaps it is my nagging toilet, or my clogged coughs, but a more detailed offer of insight into the logic behind such will follow in my next post - perhaps tomorrow.

this is the best thing to ever happen to me! and i'm learing Hindi. booya!