10 degrees in toronto right now? what i wouldn't give...
i miss my city so much. i am DISGUSTED EMBARRASSED that she is under attack by both those who are blinded by the fight, and by those who have yet to open their eyes. be just when fighting for justice. stay classy toronto.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
so...
I bought a beautiful shisha… sooo nice. I bought a guitar… sooo nice. I don’t even know how to play a guitar, and it was an impulsive but perfect purchase. That night (last week) us whities went to my girls’ Rency and Anamika!!!’s house and cooked dinner. It was wonderful. After eating we broke out the guitar and pretended that we could play, then the power went out and for a good chunk of time we ate dessert and sang in the dark. On the way home we were warned by street dogs that we should have taken a tuktuk.
This past weekend was my first Indian binge weekend and was it fun!
Friday: dancing all night to my MAN Mr. Michael Jackson with Karthik!! and his hospitable friends. Saturday: little sleep and two masala dosas, 15 of us went to ThejU!’s house as a going away party for the 5 members of the team who are leaving to pursue their dreams. We had delicious home cooked food and stayed up alllll night laughing and laughing and laughing, followed by sophisticated and stimulating conversation about differences in western and Indian culture, specifically my favourite topic, Love. We confronted the merits of the caste system, arranged marriage, Indian/western concepts of love and its manufacture and growth. When dawn came some left us and we who remained played mini soccer (I lost), then took a road trip to Hogenakkal Falls in the Southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. 3 hours later we trekked into these plains, took a mushroom-cap boat through the river, got soaked in our jeans, burned my feet in the sand and laughed. No words can express my 3 hour bike ride (with no helmet :)) back through rural Indian villages and palm trees into the sunset. We stopped for chai at a man’s home who had no eye and spoke three languages. I felt like he has seen more than I have. That night we continued into the night by watching the World Cup while I worked on a project presentation scheduled for the next day. So perfect. So exhausted but never so wide awake.
Three weeks ago… Mumbai. Wow. 20 million people but not crowded at all. Clean, the coast beautiful. The heat… the heat… We went to the largest slum in Asia – Dharavi Slum. 1 million people in 1.75 square km in the centre of the city. The completely environmentally friendly and self-sufficient industries within the slum export US$665 million per year. Government land on which people have squatted because they have little alternative, now a permanent community.
I’ve just been put onto another project, creating a Citizenship Index… what does it mean to be a citizen in urban India? How is this defined? How is it measured? Gooooood solid stuff. My landlady’s daughter is the editor of a local newspaper and has asked me to write for her… the details of being a student here in India and at an NGO. I have a meeting with her tonight. So Pumped.
It hasn’t rained in a while… and it’s hot again. My tummy is fantastic. My cockroach is alive and kicking.
This past weekend was my first Indian binge weekend and was it fun!
Friday: dancing all night to my MAN Mr. Michael Jackson with Karthik!! and his hospitable friends. Saturday: little sleep and two masala dosas, 15 of us went to ThejU!’s house as a going away party for the 5 members of the team who are leaving to pursue their dreams. We had delicious home cooked food and stayed up alllll night laughing and laughing and laughing, followed by sophisticated and stimulating conversation about differences in western and Indian culture, specifically my favourite topic, Love. We confronted the merits of the caste system, arranged marriage, Indian/western concepts of love and its manufacture and growth. When dawn came some left us and we who remained played mini soccer (I lost), then took a road trip to Hogenakkal Falls in the Southeastern state of Tamil Nadu. 3 hours later we trekked into these plains, took a mushroom-cap boat through the river, got soaked in our jeans, burned my feet in the sand and laughed. No words can express my 3 hour bike ride (with no helmet :)) back through rural Indian villages and palm trees into the sunset. We stopped for chai at a man’s home who had no eye and spoke three languages. I felt like he has seen more than I have. That night we continued into the night by watching the World Cup while I worked on a project presentation scheduled for the next day. So perfect. So exhausted but never so wide awake.
Three weeks ago… Mumbai. Wow. 20 million people but not crowded at all. Clean, the coast beautiful. The heat… the heat… We went to the largest slum in Asia – Dharavi Slum. 1 million people in 1.75 square km in the centre of the city. The completely environmentally friendly and self-sufficient industries within the slum export US$665 million per year. Government land on which people have squatted because they have little alternative, now a permanent community.
I’ve just been put onto another project, creating a Citizenship Index… what does it mean to be a citizen in urban India? How is this defined? How is it measured? Gooooood solid stuff. My landlady’s daughter is the editor of a local newspaper and has asked me to write for her… the details of being a student here in India and at an NGO. I have a meeting with her tonight. So Pumped.
It hasn’t rained in a while… and it’s hot again. My tummy is fantastic. My cockroach is alive and kicking.
Monday, June 28, 2010
to be me or not to be me...
I’m sorry it’s been so long. I engage with my surroundings very much these days… whether it be going out EVERY night to dinner, shisha, hanging out at my new friends’ houses :) or working late and/or early hours so as to learn more and more about the projects I’m working on. My boy G-Top (Grahammallen) moved in last week and another intern from Australia, Geeta! has made us a family trio! I will post again within the next few days with more cool info, otherwise this blog will literally be a month long. And I guess I'm having such a blast that the days are flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyying.
How have I changed? This is my second extensive journey to Asia so I wasn’t overly shocked by the cockroaches, garbage, smelly streets, heat, bartering, eating with my fingers, frequent stares, squat toilets, upset tummy, bottled water, scary water, dirty water, dirty feet, sweaty sweaty sweaty all the time, gaping sidewalks, dirty air, bad skin, bacterial infection, Asian style medicine, the heat, the heat. Although initially taken aback, I have quickly become re-accustomed to these things. Perhaps like riding a bike... A side note: I find these tangibles beautiful and have struggled both internally and externally in conversations (usually with other westerners) about their merits and how they relate to ‘development’, specifically the culturally compatible kind that I am interested in – but I’ll talk about that next time.
Yes I barter, yes I walk away when I am overcharged, yes I eat with my hands without washing them, yes I drink unbottled water, yes I speak Hindi whenever I can, albeit a poor attempt most of the time. I pronounce names as they should be pronounced, I still smile at everyone I see, even the auto drivers. I don’t get as upset as I used to when a smile is not reciprocated. But when it is, boy do I feel nice.
On gender: well... I DO NOT like being told what to do. Straight up. So India and I have some wrinkles to iron out in this regard. My female and white and foreign voice will sometimes be ignored. At the beginning of this adventure, Grahammallen sometimes enjoyed more respect, more attention, and fair prices, being called sir and approached differently. But I find that as I smile and speak softly, in Hindi or English, I am increasingly afforded the same respect as G-Top. Though, last week my favourite ING bank security guard, Walter, tried to negotiate my 'price'. Ha! Equality between men and women is something we take for granted at home. And India is actually alright when it comes to gender equality. Women are in parliament, hold esteemed places in education and society; many homes are matriarchal - In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive. We got it good girls.
I went to Mumbai three weeks ago and this past weekend went to Hogenakkal with my cool coworkers. Incredible. This week I’m going to Hampi; the week after a three stop journey to Southeastern India, where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian ocean. We will sleep on the beach. Yaaaa.
How have I changed? This is my second extensive journey to Asia so I wasn’t overly shocked by the cockroaches, garbage, smelly streets, heat, bartering, eating with my fingers, frequent stares, squat toilets, upset tummy, bottled water, scary water, dirty water, dirty feet, sweaty sweaty sweaty all the time, gaping sidewalks, dirty air, bad skin, bacterial infection, Asian style medicine, the heat, the heat. Although initially taken aback, I have quickly become re-accustomed to these things. Perhaps like riding a bike... A side note: I find these tangibles beautiful and have struggled both internally and externally in conversations (usually with other westerners) about their merits and how they relate to ‘development’, specifically the culturally compatible kind that I am interested in – but I’ll talk about that next time.
Yes I barter, yes I walk away when I am overcharged, yes I eat with my hands without washing them, yes I drink unbottled water, yes I speak Hindi whenever I can, albeit a poor attempt most of the time. I pronounce names as they should be pronounced, I still smile at everyone I see, even the auto drivers. I don’t get as upset as I used to when a smile is not reciprocated. But when it is, boy do I feel nice.
On gender: well... I DO NOT like being told what to do. Straight up. So India and I have some wrinkles to iron out in this regard. My female and white and foreign voice will sometimes be ignored. At the beginning of this adventure, Grahammallen sometimes enjoyed more respect, more attention, and fair prices, being called sir and approached differently. But I find that as I smile and speak softly, in Hindi or English, I am increasingly afforded the same respect as G-Top. Though, last week my favourite ING bank security guard, Walter, tried to negotiate my 'price'. Ha! Equality between men and women is something we take for granted at home. And India is actually alright when it comes to gender equality. Women are in parliament, hold esteemed places in education and society; many homes are matriarchal - In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive. We got it good girls.
I went to Mumbai three weeks ago and this past weekend went to Hogenakkal with my cool coworkers. Incredible. This week I’m going to Hampi; the week after a three stop journey to Southeastern India, where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian ocean. We will sleep on the beach. Yaaaa.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
