bleuvelo

Holiday Donations for Nareshwadi Learning Centre (NLC)

2010-12-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

First Standard students and their teacher

I am back in India!! Back to posting.....

Prior to leaving for this visit to India, several people have asked me about how they could help out and since I have been back in India the past month others have emailed me and expressed an interest in supporting the school I used to work with and still support through fund raising, technical assistance and lots of prayers and hugs!

Thank you to everyone that wants to help out. On my visit out to the boarding school (about 3 hours by car or 4 hours by train/auto rickshaw north of Mumbai), it was so rewarding to see the growth of the school and the students. Of course there are still areas that need improvement, but great work is being done for example, to address the shortage of gas canisters for cooking, a constant struggle, the school now has a solar cooker.

It can cook 12 kg of dal in about 40 mins if there is good sunlight. There are plans to start a school specific dairy with 6 cows. The cow shed will be built near the kitchen. The milk will be converted to ghee (clarified butter) and sold, so it will be a self sustaining project, and the buttermilk (chaas, not the same kind of buttermilk we have in the US) given to the children everyday to increase their protein and calcium intake (this is an all veg school! no egg either). The dung and the waste from the hostel toilets will be used in the biogas plant proposed to be put up.

I met several new staff members, young, seemed very caring and they were from the local town so a positive that the school can employ and support the local economy. The student gardens looked great and are able to provide the school with needed vegetables. Still is not able to provide enough, we would like to be able to serve veggies at two meals versus only one, that is one of the needs we are requesting as donations.

Eating in the Dining Hall

Sister Sunila had the School Based Health Centre looking great, with the two nurses employed they are able to provide around the clock health care to the students. Sister Sunila and Sister Savita the Junior Nurse work together, making rounds at the hostels, attending to students that visit the health centre, taking students with special medical needs to Mumbai for their doctor visits, organizing and managing health camps with doctors and interns who visit from the Somaiya Medical College and the plan is to start a training centre at the school for this model to be replicated elsewhere.

Sister Sunila with students

There were many other improvements I noticed on my visit and in the past year the school has made huge strides and are becoming a model centre for the area. The school has around 500 hundred students from the 1st to 10th standard. The exam at the end of 10th standard is a determinant for students advancing their studies. For the 2009 - 2010 school year 100% of the students passed their exam and several passed with honors! This is an improvement from an 11% passing mark just five years ago.

There are several students competing and winning in athletic events in the past couple of school years, a coach was hired to focus on developing students for running, kabadi and volleyball competitions. This school year's 10th standard class has nine female students (about 30% of class), 9th standard has twelve female students closer to the 50% mark we are aiming.

For recent batches of students there has been a goal in enrolling male and female 50/50 and then a focus on retaining students. A new project is taking off in a village area that a large number of Nareshwadi students are from, it is a micro enterprise project to provide women in the community training in various trades to earn a living. Many of Nareshwadi student's parents are from local tribal communities and migrate for work. One goal of this village adoption project is to allow for the mothers to have an option to stay at home and work.

So for those of you interested in supporting the school you can access the Nareshwadi site directly at www.nareshwadi.org. At the moment donations and grants have been made through direct transfers from bank accounts overseas to the Trust who owns and manages NLC, Girivinasi Educational Trust which was established by The Somaiya Group.

6th Standard Students

For now only donations in India are tax exempt. We have not yet established tax exempt status for donors from other countries. If you are interested in donating you can do that through my payPal account by clicking here:

The immediate needs include supporting the school health project through the nurses salaries, medical supplies and transporation costs for health specific reasons. Nutrition needs are to supplement the student garden and buy vegetables and we would like to start providing the students with a healthy afternoon snack. Lastly the total cost of building the Biogas plant is around 3 Lakh (300,000 Rupees) or $6,700, we are looking for donations towards that project expense as well. (see chart below for requests)

Fun on the Bullock Cart

Request for Donations to Support

Student Health for 2011

Budgeted Monthly Costs		Annual Costs
USD $	Rupees INR	USD $	What it can do....
			School Based Health Centre Costs
			Nurses Salary for Health Centre (2 nurses)
$233.33	10,500.00 INR	$2,800.00	Sister Sunila's Salary monthly (head nurse)
$182.22	8,200.00 INR	$2,186.67	Sister Savita's Salary monthly (junior nurse)

			Medicines and Supplies for Health Centre
$33.33	1,500.00 INR	$400.00	monthly expenses

			Transport to Mumbai for Treatment and Checkups
$22.22	1,000.00 INR	$266.67	monthly expenses


			Nutrition &Meal Costs
			Vegetables to supplement Student Garden
$333.33	15,000.00 INR	$4,000.00	Ten months for 500 students
$33.33	1,500.00 INR	$400.00	Two months for 50 students

			Afternoon Snacks/Fruit
$555.56	25,000.00 INR	$6,666.67	Ten months for 500 students
$55.56	2,500.00 INR	$666.67	Two months for 50 students

			Bio Gas Plant
$6,666.67	300,000.00 INR	Total for plant = approx $6,700	School wants to build a bio gas plant that will use cow dung and waste from student toilets to provide cooking gas in the hostel kitchen

four and a half years

2009-06-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

I left Mumbai April 3rd. Me, ruby & zara boarded delta flight 185 - 17 hours to atlanta. woo hoo! After having to take each cat out of their cage, walk them thru the metal detector, send each cage individually thru the bag screener. Again, go thru delta's extra assuring security - each cat out of their cage and the guard searching the cage, I made it on.

A friend helped me out and the delta agent assigning seats gave me a seat with an empty beside....so I could place both cats in the seats underneath. After, zara nearly ripping thru the cage on the way to the airport, me in tears because (maybe leaving india was part of it) but I had forgotten the upc code stickers for the cats microchip implants, karilyn, paul and mukesh comforting me, mukesh sitting with me for 3 hours waiting for the flight we finally took off! USA.

I think it had been 8 or 9 months and I was not really ready. I had extended my stay in Mumbai, had some fun coaching a middle school girl's basketball team : ) I like that age group and reminded me of the fun times I had coaching my sophomore and high school girls in Norman.

I had some great times with friends before leaving, trips to goa! scooters, fresh raviolis, boat rides, train rides, pool parties, retro music, brunches, bollywood dance classes, my kiddos and colleagues at nareshwadi and atma and amazing, fabulous, crazy lovely people I will not forget (sniff, sniff).

I stayed with paul and karilyn for about 6 hospitable months (moved with them!) and then because I decided to extend my stay I sub let a place for a few months and again synchroniscally met up with a couple of friends who I let stay as a favor and then we ended up decided to all be roomies. Why not stuff 3 people in a one bedroom?! It is only 2 months. It surpisingly worked out well. I think we stuffed 6 people in at one time, with visitors and sleepovers.

Again, the people I have met in my 4 1/2 years and the experiences have shaped my life. Lifelong friends.

So now on with life. I was not as ambitious in securing a job prior to departing india, it was my plan but did not pan out. I am in Tulsa now, on top of the international job search. and finally updating my blog.
I was reunited with my blog title inspiration, the bleu velo and have been enjoying some rides around the arkansas river. I spent time in Alabama with my college friend Ali, in California with my grandparents and my friend from jr high, for the past 23 years, in Colorado and her new baby braxton (www.worldofbrax.blogspot.com).

Now back in Tulsa with family, I saw my brother and sister graduate (2 grueling ceremonies, why do theyhave to be sooo long?!) from college - yay!!! Celebrated mother's day with all my siblings, first time we have all been together in a few years in tulsa.

So now hard on the job search, looking for international health and development positions. I would love another international posting, India or elsewhere. Most of the US based positions I am interested in are in DC, NY or SF....all places I would love to try out living. for a few years!

I miss the daily excitement of India. Loud, stimulating rickshaw rides. Fruit and veggie wallas. Kids in the village. My friends. The food. But i am happy to have my family here in tulsa. Summer is here, sunshiney days....I have grown to love the sun and heat of india. At least that feels familar here in oklahoma.

On to planning new adventures.....

Back in Bombay!

2009-01-07T23:39:00.000-08:00

Mike & Aliya on the mumbai local

I had a wonderful time traveling with my brother Mike and Aliya. Took them to the airport on the night of the 6th : (

Goa, Kerela, Tamil Nadu and Mumbai times were fun - they got to meet some of my lovely friends, we had 'unforgettable' bus rides, sleepy train rides and lots of beach time. Now back in the big bustling bombay - last couple of months with my friends and trying to figure out what I am going to do next....now I will start the intense job hunt and finish my application for UC Denver PhD program.

Lots of the unknown at the moment....I am sure it will all work out, seems to do that in life!

South Mumbai

Goa hike to Monkey Island with family from Denmark, led by our guide Ajay (taking the photo). Palolem Beach
Goan sunset : )

Loongis - man skirts worn often in the south of india.
This is the short, hiked up version.

wall sign in kerela
Halwa,a yummy gummy textured sweet. Calicut or Khozikode is a well known area for making this deliciousness. I sampled several and bought coconut and pista.

Our Boat in Kerela - near Calicut

Kerela backwater trip
Elephant bling, this guy has gold chains!

South india, the land of loongis...a man riding a bike in loongi and decorative material too.

drying out my phone, dropped it in the river

If we aren't on a bus or train we are waiting on one....bus stop at Silent Valley National Park, Kerela

On bus to Tamil Border - our driver. One of the 5 buses that day!On our first bus of the day....unforgetable : ) in kerela

Auroville, Tamil Nadu, near Pondicherry

First drum purchased in India, after being harrassed for 4 years by various drumsellers I gave in, Mike's Winter Solstice gift! But our drumseller did follow thru on helping us...surprise.

Friends from Sudan we met in Auroville, Tamil Nadu

Rickshaw run Day 1 - Pondicherry, Beach Road

Travels in South India with Mike & Aliya

2009-01-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

I have been off the net for some time, even before leaving for mumbai, between my screen on laptop dying, moving, hence no net access for a bit, I was not my usual net addicted self.

Have had sooo much fun traveling with my brother Mike & his sweet girlfriend Aliya, we split up after pondicherry - they were headed to Chennai then hyderabad to see a friend of aliya's - I stayed back in Pondicherry to see Karilyn and paul off on their rickshaw ride, then since I was going to catch a bus the same direction decided to hop in with them to their first stop.

It was fun to travel with them for 1/2 a day. We had planning this trip for 8 months or so,then after my broken arm they found a sub, janikka, but at the last minute she decided not to go - so there was space and paul and karilyn decided, even if I could not contribute by driving (all the starting, clutch and gear shifting is in the left hand/wrist which I broke) that my company was valuable and for the moral support. Makes me feel good to be wanted, but I am also lookng fwd to get my cast off on monday when I am back in mumbai - so perhaps after I get that off and mike and aliya have left, i will meet them in varanasi - towards the end of the adventure, need to check on my finances first and plan my US return.

would be great to see the other parts of india in that northern section i have not seen - will send try to post photos of the pimped out auto soon - you can see the blog link - www.karmakab.blogspot.com

I am going back to mumbai a diff route through goa, mike left a bag there and a friend from the guesthouse ran to the train stn to pick it up so will go back that route to get back and a day and 1/2 laying on the beach : ) I will meet mike and aliya on the 4th or 5th in Mumbai before they leave on the 7th. I hope to be able to show them the village i work in nareshwadi, will see how we all feel, after all this travel we may be too tired for the 3 hour journey to the school. Want the students to meet mike and aliya, they are such a delight and fun! (ha! all, the students and mike and aliya!)

My brother mike certainly knows how to rough it in regards to accomadation, but it is great to travel with him. He is so easy going and resoureful. He found us rooms (all three of us stayed the night for about $5) near the natl park, when we were told nothing was avail. for the night - it will probably be one of the most memorable experiences of the trip, finding the natl park, all the buses, trains and taxis and just trying to find food.

In such small villages restaurants close early, or run out of food. We at some rotis (like tortillas) and sambar (the south indian version of the basic lentil soup dal) and they did make us something between an apam and dosa (crispy pancakes made from a batter of fermented rice). Was simple but filling!

then the overnight bus ride we pushed ourselves and made it into pondicherry, i thought it was 4 hours, ended up being 6! and we had the MOST uncomfortable seats on the bus due it being so full (well, perhaps the man laying on the floor was worse off, but at least he could stretch out the whole way). The 3 of us were bounced a couple of feet of our seats several times throughout the night, with the pot holes and speed bumps the driver took as a challenge rather than suggetion to slow.

Aliya and i were dreaming of a hotel my friend janikka sent us a link to and said she had booked for us for our 3 night stay in pondicherry, it look like the most luxurious place we had stayed the entire trip, modern decorations, clean comfy beds - and although the most expensive (750 rupees = $18/night) we were willing, rooms were fully booked around the new year time we were told. Well, as we arrive at 4am our hopes quickly fizzled, Aliya said - "this does not look like the hotel on the internet" not a bit - but turned out to be comfy even with my stained sheets with holes. It did have TV & Air Conditioning!

So after riding with paul and karilyn (she just called and told me they had aleady broken done once this morning and were repairing a flat tire at the time she was calling! ha!) about 90 kms (it took about 4 or 5 hours, we broke down once and the machine kept stallling - the new engine could not go beyond 35 kms per hour) I caught a bus, thru much chaos, there were 1000s of other people also getting buses - and i really did not know where in chennai i needed to go, so had to ask 20 diff people, the buses were packed, diffiult to fit on with my big travel backpack - besides not knowing the name of places.

There was an isreali couple wanting to get to the airport in chennai. We just about hired a taxi for $30 - huge amt of money due to the shortage of transport, was holiday, new years day so many people had come to the beach and also decided to leave around 9pm, time I was leaving.

After befriending some guys from Sudan (students here in india) Ended up finding the correct bus for about $1.50, then hired a rickshaw to get to the train stn to get to my 11:30pm train - then had to run around to as the ticket collector if there was any beds avail (overnight train to reach bangalore at 5am) because train was sold out apparently and i had bought a tix for general at 11pm when i finally reached so at the tix collector's mercy.

Got on the train with guy from Indian airforce, then finally an hour later talked to the TC and found a bed that was free!! so slept and arrived in the morning to Bangalore. Then i wanted to catch a 6am train but b/c so tired, waited in 15 minute line to get my tix but could not find the correct platform : ( so stood by when i finally found train and watched it pull out, it was going just fast enough i did not feel safe jumping for it, at least wtih a big pack on my back and my arm in a cast.

So booked an overnight bus and spending the day in bangalore, good i guess, i can catch up on my emails. i had just hoped to be heading back sooner and getting my traveling over with. I rented a room for the day so i could shower, now will catch up on net, maybe get a pedicure and take a nap or see a movie before my 5:30 pm bus.

The adventure never ends, but I love it!!

Happy New Year to all - may you have a year full of health, happiness and growth!

Mumbai still quiet.

2008-11-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

Odd to see Mumbai shut down for 2 full days. We have had a train bombing since I have been here, frequent political groups calling for 'bundhs' (closing down of shops and city in protest). But usually it is 12 or so hours and Mumbai is back to life. At this posting there still seem to be hostages, the TV channels have cut off news for a bit and possible shootings near the Victoria Terminus.

I stay in Bandra, which is a northern suburb, the first of the suburbs actually...not that you can really tell where the city ends and suburbs begin. The action is happening in south Mumbai, the Downtown area - not that far by distance but at least an hour due to usual traffic. I am steering clear of the area and I do not know of any friends down there, besides a photojournalist friend who is photos are in the NY Times

My flatmates are moving flats this weekend, slowly work in mumbai is happening, some shops are open. Feels kind of strange being out and about, not in a fearful way. Feel I am being stared at more than usual, either people are surprised I am out or as a friend said maybe they are curious how I am doing, as a foreigner. Strange, not usual for foreigners to be targeted in Mumbai.

Have come in to the office, mainly to get my laptop fixed so I can actually finish my last week of work. Somber times, our thanksgiving dinner was canceled, it was to be held at the Taj Lands End - thankfully this all did not happen a day later or that 5 star branch may have been a target as there were to be large numbers of foreigners gathered. We did gather a small group of friends in someones home and put together some delicious dishes, all feeling thankful we were safe.

Last week of work!

2008-11-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

Change, as obama says, is what we need. Not sure if it is what I need, but it is what is happening. I am in my last week of work with the wonderful students and staff and Nareshwadi. I will miss them terrribly and imagine that the last week of work will be emotional.

Although there is a lot going on to keep my mind off all the changes, for instance the need to find a job (in this bustling economy!), trying to decide where it is I am going to move, planning a trip driving a rickshaw across india, carrying 2 cats from india to the united states....I have my hands full.

I have experienced many changes throughout my life, but why is it each new time it comes up I still resist. Would be nice perhaps to settle, or would I get bored? Life is the journey, not the destination....do I believe that. I may like a destination.

Some photos from our week of prepping for a donor visit to nareshwadi and me gettting sentimental about leaving....

Sign painting

These guys are suppposed to be helping haul trash and debris for the campus clean-up....
they are toting a school bag!! ha! cute.

World Action Blog Day

2008-10-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

This year's topic was Poverty...I am going to post a couple of links one on child hunger in India and the other on the Uncultured Project a YouTube project.

I am a day late on this, I could manipulate the date - you can do that on blogger! but i won't so not in full participation, but I am on IST - Indian Stretch Time...ha! no really I forgot, had seen this event was coming up.

I think interesting too is the role poverty is playing in the current US Election. Two candidates with 2 different proposals on the economy. One for wealth distribution for the highest income generators the other for those on the lower end of the spectrum. Mc Cain is hoping for that trickle down effect, where people have been waiting for it to "get wet" for 8 years at the lower end of that supposed trickle the other for wide open rains. I like a lot of folks am happy someone is saying "Let it rain!!" Jon stewart said it best on tuesday (at about 16:45...but the whole ari fliesher interview is good!). Cheney is a barnacle! ha! too funny.

In all seriousness, the compassion and concern that Obama has for those from less advantaged backgrounds is something that has won me over. I think providing the basics of quality education and health care are what any compassionate society should supply. These I hope will improve the condition of those suffering from poverty in the US, which is quite a shame in one of the most wealthy countries in the world, that we can not take care of our own people better.

Don't vote

2008-10-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

but i am....and hopefully i am up at 6:30 AM IST to see the VP debate. What to do in a month when the elections are over. I am loving all this creative thought provoking material on the net!! so entertaining.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

2008-10-02T02:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Gandhi Ji - I am in the land of Gandhi and today is one of many bank holidays we have in India.

Gandhi is on every currency note in India, I have met several people in my 3 and1/2 years here, who follow his ways, living simply, non violent. etc. But overall with the westernization and economic growth my perception is that most of India has forgotten about Gandhi and his practices. Non violent protests do occur, as well as the violent ones. Friends and I attended a march in support of the rights of gay, lesbian, transgender persons last month - that was inspiring. We actually followed the route of Gandhi's "Quit India" campaign in Bombay.

I think the modern day India will struggle with how to grow, modernize yet keep the teachings of Gandhi alive. Certainly the greed and corruption present in India is not what Gandhi had in mind (although I am sure there are many un publicized events of his own life he is not proud of, he is human!), I am faced with such corruption constantly when working in the development sector. What is startling to me is the unabashedly use of corruption.

I met with a local Union leader a few weeks back, he is proud (displayed on 20 foot billboards outside his compound) of his work for the people. He has a school for girls, art program for tribals, medical camps, etc. etc. He is a unitarian minister and is pleased to display the several religious symbols in his office/sitting room (minus muslim, did not see any islamic symbols). When i asked if they used only non violence in there union protests and demonstrations he said of course yes, but I am aware at my own workplace his use of force with our management. Knocking a man off his motorcycle when outside our school/farm grounds, chasing our security gaurds and threatening to beat them and union members/employees ganging up and beating up a manager.

When I asked him about corruption, he straight faced told me, he tells his people it is ok to take money as long as you are not taking money that would go to the poor. Doesn't it all end up taking away from what would go to them? What is shocking is that corruption is accepted, almost expected. I certainly am not perfect, I am not trying to pass off judgement, but trying to give an example of how the country idolizes a man and his ideals yet does not follow them. I wonder how India will grow and develop without weeding out corruption.

It is easy enough to learn the game and how to bribe and be corrupt yourself, if you play along you too can get ahead. In the short term. That is part of the issue I find here, short sightedness. Looking at the immediate benefits versus planning for the future. I face it constantly in my work the challenge of planning for long term. Perhaps in a country that is young as far as ruling itself and is experiencing and has experienced so much poverty it is a challenge to think beyond your next meal, next month's rent, electric bill, water bill, etc...I certainly have come from a privileged background in those regards.

I am not naive to believe that India is the only corrupt nation in the world. Now we are faced with an onslaught of political games and messages in the US, where of course corruption is evident. On a different level almost legalized or at least rationalized by the legal system.

I think if there is a way the world can adopt some of Gandhi ji's teachings it would be a better place (yes, i am still an idealist!) .....I am posting a link to a video of his grandson speaking. Beyond the obvious dangers of physical violence which I detest and do not see a need for, he speaks of passive violence. Our attitudes. Being Positive. This message comes at a good time for me!

joggling and other funlike things...

2008-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

http://thejoggler.blogspot.com/ this is funny, guy holds a world record for juggling while running. coordination. I would like to see his other skills!

That is just the way of one of my many methods of distraction and not to think about those things which are difficult. Change is difficult for me. I have had so much of it in my life, you would think i would do it with ease, yet it remains a challenge. The current changes i have or I am planning to experience are: job - relationships - home - country

Thinking about changing my job is difficult, i love the kids I work with and there is so much more I want to do with the school health program and grow it or at least get it to a point I had visioned. Now I want to get it to a point to carry on at least, in some capacity.

I have been so busy in the past month, lack of posts excuse, with 2 new volunteers. Coming just at the end of my time on the job. My last day is December 1st, these volunteers will be here until the end of november, now one said she may stay until Feb.! One is from Australia working in counseling and the other is in health promotion and taking on a clean water project at the school from the US.

I am recruiting another volunteer, also from the US and she would be here for a full year. Hope to get her to carry on some of this work over the next year she is here. Will be interesting to see what works out!

Relationships - boyfriend and I decided to call it quits, have met new people and sadly will miss so many of the wonderful people I befriended in the crazy city of bombay. Sure it is a transient city overall, but I have made a great group of core friends who are rather like minded, in the work we do, love of travel and adventure and fun having abilities. I mean I would never have made best friends with a texas long horn if it was not for coming together in India! that is unheard of! and now we live together ; )

Similar situation in portland, so hard to leave the friends behind. Facebook and the net helps keep in touch, but not the same - annual visits. So makes me sad to think about, I am avoiding thinking about honestly.

Home - moved homes here in bombay in the past month and 1/2, thankfully a couple of friends had a spare bedroom and have taken me in - as i remember some great friends did for me in portland just before I was leaving for my international adventures! I am blessed with my friends.
Then to think about a new home, not even sure what city I will go to? looking for jobs, would love to go where my friends are, thinking about schools....lots to consider. Then my kitties would accompany me...so a new home for them and to re unite with mesa, if brother matt will allow that?! may be a dognapping in Oklahoma in feb 2009!

Country - I love India! with all the frustrations, heat, pollution, annoying honking, staring, corruption, dis organization....I love the food, languages, festivals, creative driving techniques, street vendors, colors, clothes, diversity, excitement, spirituality at every corner, friendliness....hard to think about not living here anymore. ok, getting tears in my eyes. really.

so future plans would include a return for work or school related projects I suspect!

Had a funny train ride last week, I ride a train a couple of hours to the village school - me and one of the volunteers were minding our own business and we are approached by an indian man. Ok, normal, they are excited to talk to foriegners. happens all the time, i try to just ignore. It did feel rude at one time, but that is the only way to deal. And 2 white girls on the train, general compartment too, i wanted to avoid any long term contact.

no luck, but this was a completely different experience. this guy actually wanted to talk politics. apparently he recognized i had an american accent. He approached me and asked if i was american, said he had a message to give me. To his dissapoint I either agreed or was at least aware of the viewpoints on the current administartion or even functioning of the US goverment. I think he wanted a debate, then left it at I needed to share the message with other in the US.

Not just the partisan politics of the current election, but real issues of government functioning. I was surprised actually to hear these leftist talking points from this guy, i was in second class train compartment this guy was going to gujarat. he mentioned a website on 'secret world leaders' and we talked about the use of fear in controlling people being a common practice among our democracies - US and India.

But then i told him i felt like he was using fear to persuade me as well, fear of the current system. And his body language was aggressive. He wanted my number, NO way. way to many random phone calls, i avoid that now. even if harmless, just annoying. So i asked for his card, which was strange, he did not have his first name only initials and was a shared card with his brother - after putting down pharma companies and their human trials, he proceeded to tell me i should take 10 vitamin C tablets, and promoted them over an orange.

So his arguements were confusing, did not always support each other. but it was a unique india experience for me, I usually have a few a week! some good some bad. Last week i also had a car i was driving and parked overnight on the road broken into, the stereo was taken. Guess that is why most buildings have security gaurds. I always feel safe here, using common sense and caution of course.

So that was a new experience, Indian police, fixing the window. Which I thought was really cheap, 1200 rupees or 25 dollars, but a friend's driver found a better price. after the fact! why do people do that. "you paid how much?" then call to find out the best price they could get, did not make me feel any better. I felt horrible, in the end the 1/2 day spent at the police station, on the road waiting for the single investigation unit to look into a burglarly from the night before, then take the office to the site of my car break in, turns out insurance was not going to cover the stereo and window so cheap better to pay out of pocket.

funny though, after the cop looked at the window break, drew a diagram of street and locaton of car for his report I drove him back to the station. We ran a red light!! I think the cop was stunned to being driven by a blonde, he did not realize. The other vehicles were running the light, I stopped since I had a cop in my backseat. I asked him 'lal, lal?" (red, red) for the signal, but he was in a daze. So i went. The language could have been a barrier too.

Even the bad experiences I get to laugh at - I will miss the good and bad of india!

tag game

2008-08-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

my cousin deborah tagged me, not sure I can find 8 others to tag.....but here it goes, the rules of blog-tag:

* 1. Post these rules.
* 2. Each tagged person must post 8 things about their self on their journal.
* 3. At the end, you have to choose and tag 8 people
* 5. No tag-backs.
* 4. Go to their pages and send a message saying you tagged them.

BTW Deborah you did not do rule 4 either!!! you got onto esther - sounds a bit like mortified.

Things about me:

1) When i was young I wanted to be a break dancer and bmx rider. I had a mongoose bike I thought was really cool. And we made dirt tracks with jumps.

2) I am completely disgusted by RATS, friends of mine have had them as pets. But I saw one in the streets today, the sewer variety. I screamed. I don't really care about insects or snakes.

3) I had braces twice and still have a gap. (did not wear my retainer)

4) I am scared of 9 to 5 jobs and how bored I would be.

5) I love pinatas. and when i have children will have them at all the birthday parties.

6) I got swats in 7th grade because I went to an evangelical christian school where rock and roll music was banned, I brought a boom box to school and had a beastie boy's tape and sayings written on the side of the boom box, like "party hardy rock and roll, drink bacardi smoke a bowl, we are the class of ....." I can' t remember it all and I surely did not know what a bowl was or bacardi for that matter. But this "cool' girl had moved in next door from california, hiedi, and she told me the saying!

7) I believe in karma, when I do something nice for someone like help them pick up change when the drop it or books that fell off this guys bicycle the other day, I think the good deed will be returned to me in the future. It is not why I do it, but feel it will come back in the form of good energy.

8) When I was younger my mom would not allow many sweets in the house, so I would bake to have my own sweets or sometimes I would just make cookie dough and eat it raw for a sweet.

i tag: uh, karilyn, and who else do I know who blogs?! regularly?

birthday weekend in wet goa

2008-08-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

we managed to have a blast in the rains. dancing, games, singing, seafood, skinny dips in the sea (why is it called skinny dipping?)

but it rained the entire time, i have never before taken walks on the beach carrying an umbrella. or not, after your drenched from swimming in the sea does not matter how much of the rain hits you.

monsoon rains have been heavy the past few weeks in mumbai. train and buses out of the city canceled, due to landslides and boulders falling. In Mumbai it has been heavy, no serious flooding as of yet. Michael's documentation of the rains is representative of the current conditions.....http://www.alittletoofast.com/movies/monsoon_640x480.mov

Oh, another fun activity this weekend was madlibs, for the first time in 35 years I understand what a participle (past and present) is! will post one of our works later : )

health

2008-08-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have had one ailment or incident after another since returning to India 3 weeks ago. Maybe as I near 35, my health is weakening or my 2 months in the USA lowered my natural defenses.

Head cold, Stomach, rat bite, and now sinus morphing into head cold again.....Maybe i need a detox from the US visit?

A friend of a portland friend has a health foundation, working toward equity in access and health education efforts. It is monsoon season here in India, malaria deaths are 82 so far in Mumbai this season, as listed in the paper today. At our school there have been at least 50 children sick with fever and colds, the rains, changing climates just this week, out of the 500 students.

We have started a health centre at the school, our current challenge is to stock the needed medicines. We have luckily staffed the health centre with 2 nurses, we are in much better shape than most residential schools in India, especially one that is for low income students.

Still the medicines and transportation in times of emergencies when a student needs to be referred outside are obstacles in providing prompt and efficient healthcare. We are in a good position now, to collect data and identify the source of the student's health incidents and prevent more of them in the future, that is the ultimate goal. Prevention.

I like some of the quotes used in the documentary for the San Fransisco based health foundation, Souhl Foundation ...."He who has health has hope, And he who has hope has everything" Thomas Carlyle, Scottish Philosopher

apology

2008-08-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

House Issues Formal Apology For Slavery (AP) The House on Tuesday issued an unprecedented apology to black Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/29/national/main4305876.shtml

giving bicycles a bad name

2008-07-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

India's economy has been in the news for the past few years. Here, in India, the papers are constantly comparing the development and growth of India to China. There are malls, perfect symbols of western (*cough*american) consumerism, popping up everywhere (seriously, there is one near the village where I work now).

Yet India has so far to go. The past two days there have been bombings in Bangaluroo - Bangalore and today, the state just to the north of us, in Gujarat.

I was chatting with someone, they said why is Pakistan doing this to us? In the papers they claim bombings are aimed to scare off foreign investors or it was the LTTE, group fighting for independent rule in Sri Lanka. It is unknown who did it.

Earlier this week, there was a vote in the central government to oust the ruling alliance. When politicians abstained from the vote, I saw on TV where their homes were being attacked, it showed angry men tearing off doors, breaking windows and defacing property in other forms. It looked barbaric. For a country who is becoming developed. Proof to me how far there is for it come.

The rich poor divide is huge in India and only seems to grow here. Now all the western delights are available, but the poor or just lower middle class still struggle with basics of clean water, power or food.

Maybe I sound a bit judgemental, not sure what is worse, when you have bombs on bicycles attacking people in your country or your own country is out attacking others. Actually it is all 'worse' to me, violence does not seem to solve anything.

2008 Tour de United States finis

2008-07-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

I am back. 2 months in the states, I really felt I may have lost my touch for India - but I managed the luggage, the taxi driver requesting buksheesh and navigated my way home just fine! even had to loan and dial my phone so my friendly airplane neighbors could call there son in gujarat to say they made it. They did not have a mobile, nor know how to dial another state! cute.

It rained heavy when I woke up, but now the sun is out. It rained a lot during my travels in the past couple of days, there was a rainbow when I was headed to the Denver airport, a storm in Toronto delayed our departure by an hour and I believe there were some showers in Brussels as well.

I tried sleeping in, but I can't sleep, bet the jet lag will hit me later. Feeling kind of excited to be back, want to see my friends too! The birds were chirping a bit too loudly outside my window for sleeping, buzzing saws, construction noises, rickshaw and car horns, then the man yelling down on the street to collect your junk - and I live on a quiet street.

Off to get a pedicure, I am long overdue. Could not afford the 20 dollar ones in the states, plus i think I would have been disappointed. I hope Raj is there today!

Here are some final photos from my travels in the states, my last few days in Colorado. We visited the Broadmoor. Colorado Springs version of the Taj - the 5 star hotel chain, not the historical monument. It was a nice evening - sipping cocktails, gazing at the mountains......

me and my lovely!
best friends for 22 plus years - since we were 5 or something ha!
Fountainside drinks
our broadmoor tour guide and historical expert. ms nay nay.

the senior pga tour is here this weekend, at the broadmoor course.
Even after his 2 margaritas, joshua is still thirsty.

reminds me of pearl.
group at yummy blue star. great place to meet new friends.
oh yeah, i do have photos from pike's peak too. another post!

a month as an okie

2008-07-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

I have finished out my month in Oklahoma. It was a learning experience. I had some good bonding time with my sister who is braced up due to her back fracture. Not on her usual rapid pace, work and life. Played a few points of disc my last day - it was a perfect oklahoma summer day. Could not complain. Brother Matt had found the perfect tree to camp out under. It was hard to say goodbye.

On to Colorado, my last stop before heading to LA. I will spend the fourth in Colorado Springs - shocking my body into submission, bouncing from humid to dry and soon to tropical monsoon weather. one week.

I got a postcard from the j's who visited brazil. Meant to link up a show jess' friend started and now other friends are doing in Portland as well as nationwide Mortified. www.getmortified.com. Was not able to catch it, but the concept sounds great. reading old letters , journal entries, songs, poetry from your younger years in front of people. Not sure I would have the nerve, but would be great to hear.

Hope to get some bike riding in, paint and prep a baby room and visit another school at the tail end of my long US visit. battery is dying and would be nice if I could sleep. Maybe it is all the fresh mountain air here in colorado? Or insomnia is contagious.

a real photographer

2008-06-21T08:12:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to link these for a week or so, a friend in Mumbai/Bombay via Portland is a photographer. Micheale Rubenstein - http://www.alittletoofast.com/ Some of his recent posts and work have been really interesting. His photos were in a recent International Tribune and NY Times story about a local philanthropic activity in Mumbai.

A sort of soup kitchen, as you drive by and see rows of men seated on the ground inside and out front on the sidewalk/road you can stop in the car and offer to feed 1, 2 or 10 however much money you care to contribute and it will buy the men (only men, not women at these spots in a muslim area of Mumbai, Mahim) a meal. Immediately the men file in and start eating.

The photos and story are great.

Michael has also posted others, their recent visit to Sharnaram - it is a shelter for 30 girls. The girls are given a better life in the shelter and still see their parents, if they have them. At the shelter they are given the opportunity to study in a private school (I would guess 70% of chidren must study in private schools in Mumbai, it is the only chance to really get ahead - there are a range of fees), get tuitions after school, participate in extra curricular activities, dance, sports with magic bus , computer classes, a friend said some of the girls have recently learned how to chat online - great, more people wasting time online chatting - ha! no, I love it - good for the girls to practice their english too.

Another series of photos he has posted are on a recent story on men in the state of Gujarat that make huge ships by hand. see the pictures. enjoy! come and visit.

farting on a plane can't be heard ...

2008-06-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

...because the engines are too loud.
I have been given this wise advice before, but tonight it was again confirmed. David Sedaris was in Tulsa, Oklahoma and reading from his journal entries - he talked about a flight attendent sharing that tip with him! The flight attendent had told David that your insides get like a crinkled water bottle with all the pressure while flying, causing the gasey sensation. With the loud engine noise, the attendents walk down the aisles flatuating and call it crop dusting the passengers.

We waited for a while after his talk to get our books signed, personally. But because we showed up late, sorry emily, we were supporting my brother at his new job, a new gastro/pub opened in town and we went to sit in his section at Oscars. After an hour and a half of waiting, me, Steph and Adrienne killed time shopping at old navy (2 for $5 flip flops!) and picking up some snacks at Fridays, the signing had only gotten thru to the C ticket holders. I had J. We left, with a non personalized signature copy of the book. Emily told us to come early, lesson learned.

Fridays was odd, as i have always found those fast food served at your table sort of restaruants to be anyway. There was a police officer walking around inside and waiting outside when we walked out, when I asked why, the response I got, because there were a lot of African - Americans in there. Really, is it that prejiduce here? Was odd, the whole situation was. And a bit sad I felt.

So, back to my travels in the US, my sister had a wreck on a 4 wheeler. She says it was the end of the day, tired. She was heading in to the campfire for the cookout and was going so fast threw herself off the vehicle. Hence the backbrace and compression fracture. She visits the doctor on Monday.

I have photos from san fransisco, portland and seattle -

Me, mom and my sister stephanie

chinatown photos

janay on the cable car

Brother mike, walking his bike
family

baby simon and jamie in portland

last meal in portland, thai! yum.

Seattle, view while waiting in line for the ferry.

sunset on the ferry ride to bainbridge island

dinasours in seattle!

No time for retention.

2008-06-17T21:29:00.001-07:00

I am counting down, just over 216 days until we have a new president! I am hoping for big changes..........

I am considering re entry into the United States with the entry of a new resident of the White House! cross your fingers or better yet, VOTE!

I have been running around the US since I arrived in May and for the past couple of weeks, trying to stabilize in Tulsa. I arrive and my sister is in the hospital - now in a back brace and recovering from a compression fracture. The next weekend we are out biking and a friend of my brothers is hit by a car - my blue schwinn (the source of my blog inspiration) is okay, but Edy from Mozambique and my Uncle Mike's bike have soft tissue damage, a bottle of pain pills and serious frame and tire damage.

We should have had lights, but people in Tulsa are not aware of bikers and it is plain rude to hit someone with your car and run off, little lady in a black VW bug. We do have a piece of her sideview mirror with some numbers on it, the officers were not that interested in finding the car it appeared. I thought I had found an important piece to the case, the plastic piece off the mirror, they barely even took it from me the 2nd time I mentioned and handed it to them. The friendly officers were more concerned with why in the world we wanted to ride bikes a couple of miles to get tacos.

We did get tacos, I found a taco beuno and delivered them to Edy and Matt in the ER.

Steph in her new brace, Matt and Me.

So, not such a stable, peaceful first week in Tulsa, but the past week has been better. Made a presentation to my parent's ITP group on the Nareshwadi Learning Centre project in India. Getting some good bonding time with my Sister as we are staying together, seeing a lot of Mesa and Matt, working in my Dad's office to make some money, able to ride the bleu velo down at the river park most days and celebrated Father's Day in a cabin, playing cards and grilling out near Poteau and Heavener. Where my distant Flynn relatives had escaped the hanging judge in Arkansas and escaped to No Man's Land, Oklahoma before it became a state, in the 1800's. Reliving a bit of family history.
We did meet joe johnson, this fabulous man who is running a prison education program, progressive guy for Poteau Oklahoma, my dad has started volunteering at the prison as well.

I visited Seattle after Portland, the Pacific NW is a beautiful place. Took the ferry back and forth from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, the sunset was stunning. Wasted a beer or 2 barely making the ferry, as we completely lost track of the loading of vehicles on the boat. I visited the University of Washington, exploring my options for a possible return to the US in the New Year.

View from friend's house on Bainbridge.

oregon

2008-05-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

I arrived in portland today, in enough time to fill out my mail in ballot and vote in the prez primary and mayor race - looks like Obama is the favorite in Oregon, there were over 75K folks out to see him on Sunday I am told.

Portland is the same same but different. More fertile people with babies - one set of Js had a Simon, he is 2 weeks old, today. He is so good too, not much crying, unlike the screaming 2 year old kicking the back of my seat on SW flight 1827 today. I was tired, I seemed to block it out.

The other set of Js are in a new eco friendly house, solar tubes on the roof heat the water and radiate heat beneath the (tiger) wood floors. There was landscaping on the roof top and skater j was displaying his recent arm break xrays in the living room.

Once I recover from my whirlwind visa run/road trip/graduation festivity weekend in san francisco I plan to play some frisbee and visit friends. I need to rest a couple days. I got my visa at the last minute. It was held up, why? because they did not understand how I could have a copy of my passport and visa when I had lost it. Isn't that travel rule #1, make copies of your important documents. I thought I was slacking because I have not scanned and emailed them to myself yet.

I will post some photos of the lovely food i am eating - I think portland has the best choices in restaurants. small, unique, local foods. Great international cuisines - every few months a new restaurant opens. I remember why I love this place so much. It was raining when I arrived, but it did not bother me - it makes things green. Flying in seeing the green for miles was fabulous, India is so brown and if a tree is green now its leaves are dusty and appear brown.

Portland may elect a new mayor tonight too, where else (ok, maybe california) does a candidate say he is 'stoked' and wear hipster frames. portland is weird, i like it!

home again

2008-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

After a short stop over in London, visited some ultimate friends from Portland I journeyed on to Los Angeles. Where it was cold. overcast, so it felt cold. Then to see my grandparents and fedde, the cat, not my dutch cousin, but it is named after him! They live in the Desert, east of LA it was warmer - but not Mumbai weather. Dry not humid and not 40 degrees Celsius either.
Now I am in Colorado with Janay and family, Tim, Maddie and Prunes. Celebrated janay's bday and mother to be day!

BDAY girl janay and hubbie tim!

We visited Salida, a rafting town an hour and a half from Colorado Srpings. Saw the royal gorge. Rode bikes - chilled out reading baby books and catching up on lifetime movies and soap operas, can you believe Victor is still on Y & R, I saw him in LA one time while we were waiting in line for the Price is Right!, he looked nice in jeans.

Royal Gorge

There were threats of snow last night, it didn't. But it must have dropped 15 or 20 degrees. Next stop in the states is Oakland for Miguel's graduation and then on to Portland to meet Simon - Jamie and Justin's new son.

mangoes in may

2008-04-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

it is not may, but mangoes in april does not sound as good. It is hot before monsoons and mangoes are the only saving grace.

so before I leave for my annual visit to the states, I can share my last few weeks. danced with wyclef and band. only in India, would i get this chance. A friend is working with a music director who has brought wyclef to India, so a few days before his show in Mumbai there was a private party and concert. really fun. I don't have a small camera, so do not have photos. But was amazing.

I took some photos with someone's camera! we even had Australian wine.

back to mangoes, I am on my one a day diet. trying to beat this heat, humidity whatever you call it - i am red, sweaty and need multiple showers.

Just to illustrate the contrast I live in here in India, I dance with Wyclef and the next day drive 3 hours outside mumbai to oversee a dental camp for the school I work with - for 4 days I was hauling my own water (thankfully we had water at all, the government has not repaired a transformer and the supply of power to the farm and residential school campus is not powerful enough to power up the pump to pull water from the well. some donors came thru quickly and a hand pump was installed. )

I know this is how about 70% of India lives, in rural areas - with regular power cuts and no indoor plumbing. I forget living in Mumbai sometimes, with the malls, multiplexes, and international musicians. Rough out there. As it is in so many other developing countries with basic resources of electricity and water.

Sitting by the beach drinking mojitos on the deck of a lounge bar with people from probably 15 or 20 different countries - to village life with women walking for 5 to 10 miles to collect and carry water to use at home for baths and cooking, in a matter of an hour or so outside the power hungry and supplied mumbai.

Side by side - $8000 dollar a month rent flats to slums with plasitic sheets for roofs and partially bricked walls - and shared toilets, meaning the street. That is the India I see. A growing middle class and they (economists) say that more people are coming out of extreme poverty - not as noticeable as the growing middle class.

I will be in the states for the first time in about a year and out of India, hmm must be Singapore last fall? wish I could bring some mangoes to you folks, I don't think that is legal.

Whoever does read the blog still and wants something from India, let me know!

see you soon!

India is fun

2008-04-04T02:24:00.001-07:00

I had a great india morning the other day - had lost my passport (another story another post), so going through that process and leaving the consulate. I was sitting in the cab with some spare time prior to a meeting in town. I asked the driver if the Taxi Union Office was nearby, if we could go and I could make it to my meeting in town at noon.
"Yes, Yes madamme!" I then told him my story of the lost passport, I left one of three bags I had ( i need to learn 'travel lite') with me in a taxi, I was arguing with him over the fare and got upset and jumped out. Leaving him with some new mac makeup (i was gifted) a phone charger to a phone from china (can't find a charger in india, who knew how many charger connector sizes existed!?) a new kurta, other toiletries and clothes and most important my passport (i did not tell the driver about anything but the passport - my hindi is not that fluent).

What was amusing was the interest of our driving neighbors with my story, why the foreign girl was leaning forward talking to the cabbie and did she speak hindi.
At each traffic light we met a new driver and my cabbie proceeded to tell him my story!

On the way to the taxi union office we passed several workers - there is work going on everywhere with the monsoons near, seems all the work is happening at the same time, tearing up streets, tearing up sidewalks, tearing up pipes, wires, burying more pipes and wires...

Safety is NOT a major concern in India, just not high on the priority list. These workers all had hard hats on and reflective vests - so it really caught my attention. I am aware at the project I work on a vocational training program in construction skills and learning safety is step 1 - it is an international company teaching the skills.

We were in a traffic jam, so I had some time to study the workers. I noticed they did not have shoes on, ok, they were just carrying rocks. Then I noticed some flip flops laid up on the side of a ditch being dug, looked like the worker with his tall spiked tool that was breaking up the ground decided to remove his footwear while working.

The cab started moving and we passed more workers, the safety topper was the guys with a jackhammer violently tearing into the ground just 6 inches from men's toes - no shoes!! but their head was safe.

No luck at the taxi union office, no one had turned in my bag. I am not surprised, I had not really left the cab on good terms, I don't know why the cabbie would be motivated to turn in my bag. Funny, I lost my temper with that cabbie, over the fare, and my horoscope that day had said to be careful about loosing my cool and getting angry! I usually don't follow horoscopes.

My current cab driver, was very nice, he parked and came into the office with me and insisted it would only take 5 minutes - he was right! I made it to my meeting on time - well on IST - Indian Stretch Time - 5 minutes late only!

Explore your hobbies and interests. Click here to begin.

Eid Mubarek, Happy Holi and Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

A festive weekend in Mumbai - Thursday started with Mawlid al-Nabi, Prophet Muhammad's Birthday, then Good Friday and the first day of Holi, Saturday was colorful part of Holi, celebration of spring and Today Sunday is Easter! With the various religious groups living side by side in India, there has been non stop action and music, lights, parading, and celebrations!

Holi is definitely one of the most fun interactive holidays, throwing color all over one another,being drenched with water. The eggs being thrown from the tops of buildings was not fun and water balloons at full speed and close range can hurt - even if there is not a bruise to show for it!

Roaming the streets with friends was great, a friend recently returned from my last US home, Portland. She dragged two more portlanders out and they were able to participate in the colorful holiday. We played with kids and adults from the local Khar neighborhood. Mostly people from hutments are playing, the society buildings were quiet - did see some kids playing in the parking areas. The main acttion from the pricey real estate were the balloons or eggs being hurled from the building tops or windows. The real fun was on the streets!

Seemed the women in the hutments tended not play as much, a few would come out from curiousity to see us walking thru but most of the celebrations were made up of guys. Bravely in a rickshaw, completely unprotected on my way home from playing Holi with friends in Khar, the roads were lined with only men, walking to/from Juhu beach. I did see a lone family or two out playing.

There are the few incidents that give the holiday a bad name, today's paper had a boy who is partially blind, from having dis temper ( I think that is like primer) thrown in his eyes, and balloons at close range can be painful. Friend's gave good advice to start and finish early before the alcohol/drinks kick in and people get more fiesty.

Today was a Birthday/Easter brunch, homeade french toast (sweet and salty versions!), real maple syrup, powdered sugar to top, scrambled eggs with cheese, crispy home potatoes - spicy version and mimosas! yum! a nap followed this feast.

Karnataka

2008-03-21T12:09:00.001-07:00

Visited Karnataka, Belgaum and nearby villages on work trip. We toured sari making workers, manual and machine produced। The women I saw were working with the string, either cleaning it, winding it on spools as this women is doing। Men were on the handloom and machines।

For the cultural program, these men were dancing around with their drums। playing to one another, almost competing. I did not get an interpretation of the performance। They were banging these drums using a lot of force, raising the stick high behind their back to strike the drum.

holiday @ palolem beach, goa

2008-01-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Visited goa when fedde was visiting from the netherlands in november, we drove, yes drove down to baga. stayed for a night, visited with fedde's new friends (he had been there for the previous week) such as the owner of the white elephant restaurant that gave us two brown elephant statues as souvenirs. then drove down to palolem that was my ideal beach experience, quiet, clean beaches. so lovely! I am ready to go back.

my fellow beach bums, fedde and mukesh

did a lot of this

was able to throw disc everyday, was wonderful. then donated my frisbee to the beach, nearby shop owner was very good at frisbee, thought he would enjoy the disc more than I could in mumbai!

me and cousin fedde

could see from one end of the beach to the other....

students at my school

2007-11-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

The children are the joy of my work, they make it all worthwhile!

Wakeboard championships

2007-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

danny harf at the championships, I could not stick around to see him ride, had to catch a flight.

more Wakeboarding photos

2007-09-29T02:15:00.000-07:00

me and 'kesh!

wakeboard championships Singapore

2007-09-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

Very fun to get to see wakeboarding, soemthing else I miss from my summers in states. fun summer days at the lake!

Rider is Dallas Friday from US (i think, can't really tell from the photo)and can't remember the order of riders from that day...

Singapore in September

2007-09-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

this national orchid garden a part of the singapore botanic garden is the largest collection of orchids in the world. I had no idea there were so many types of orchids..beautiful!

In the National Orchid Garden a sub portion of the Singapore Botanical Garden is a 'celebrity garden' with flowers dedicated to movie stars and such. Note:This is different than the VIP garden with politicians and royalty from various countries. Here is the Shah Rukh Khan Orchid, named after one of the most popular actors on Bollywood - Hindi Films. His last Chake De India was an inspiring film!

2007-09-29T01:26:00.000-07:00

Anna left, returned to India to grace us for a couple weeks, that flew by. We made it out to eat dinner one night, with our bottle of wine! yum! Me, Mukesh, Baudion and Annerjmin (anna) at TAXI, cute little place in town.

Back and it is raining

2007-08-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

non stop! Monsoons are here, guess it was dry for a couple weeks before we arrived back in India, but now it has been wet, wet, wet.

so many photos, I have posted to picasa, link: http://picasaweb.google.com/staciejune/USARoadTripJuneJuly07

Was great visit to states, 6 weeks, but still missed out on seeing so many people and doing things I wanted, playing more frisbee namely. Well, friends and family are more important! and I gained 10 lbs, but enjoyed every bit of it. donuts, mexican food (daily for the 1st 4 weeks I think!) and other yummy treats.

Come visit india, will be nice in november, I hope. Usually October is hot, right jamie?? but Nov - Feb mild, pleasant, weather wise, the rest of India, you have to decide for yourself.

mangaldas market

2007-04-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

Inside the cloth market in Mumbai, I bought some fabric and had pants and a kurta made. Now I just need to learn to sew, at least a pillow case or curtains. Jess gave me one lesson in portland.

again photo stealing, anna won't ever download her photos on my comp again. See her blog if you want to see some really nice photos of India. It is in Dutch.

dance

2007-04-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

ok different country, different topic...I am like that!

I always had dreams of being a break dancer, really, i can do the worm. or I used to be able to do the worm, in the 80s.

When I have visited bangkok, break dancing on the streets was popular, it looked like there were two groups competing against each other as well. That movie, beat street from the 80s was great.

Found this on you tube, dance competition video

went out dancing after a long time this weekend, for the ATMA social, remembered how much I like it. I have been in a dance performance, my friend and a few others put together a surprise dance routine for her wedding, to madonna, like a virgin. That is my favorite part of the bollywood films, the coreographed dance sequences. I would love to be in one. but I can't really remember a routine so well.

Fishin' village

2007-04-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

The digital camera has made photo taking more fun and less intrusive for everyone I think, the immediate satisfaction of being able to share the photo with the subject/s gives them something, rather than just a 'take' relationship.
The children in this fishing village in dahanu, like the children in mumbai or any that have been exposed to the digital camera, run to be in the photo then rush over to see the results. If you don't have digital, it is a real dissapointment, the kids expect it now.

Anna sharing her photos with the kiddos.

Life in India

2007-04-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have met so many interesting people here, people from around the world. I may not have been exposed to this many different people in the US. Just one of the joys of living abroad.
Another is the work I do at Nareshwadi, the students make all the frustrations (need for unlimited amount of persistence and patience to get things done) worth it!

Here are some, cute kid photos:

me, anna and some students from Nareshwadi

Using Anna's camera...I am ready to move up in cameras I think!
Really makes a difference

Atma Volunteers

2007-04-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

Atma group of volunteers at a fun night out, in town! We work hard and party too!

Board member Rahul, teaching a the 'Atma Bhangra' to Lee.

The ATMA Board.

another joonbug! and ilayna (sorry for the botched spelling sweetie! don't know these dutch names or the korean ones, ha!)

Klaus & board member Mahesh!

Namaste Mumbai
and dacning....

and more dancing...

Pangkuti (again botched spelling I think) an NGO that runs a school in an unplanned housing area of eastern Mumbai, the NGO started by some IITers and now supported by several foreign volunteers, that have nice smiles!

note: Camera on the sly, we were NOT to take photos at this 'club'...so I can't give you the locale name. ha! but the colonial architecture was fabulous!

Extreme Makeover

2007-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks (really the past month if you consider all the health centre room work anna and I have been doing) have been fun and rewarding! A team of dutch architects, civil engineers came to India and the school I have been working with in rural Marharashtra and spent their two week holiday working to improve the school facilities.

They are a group of college friends who every year try to meet up and one year trek and the next spend volunteering, doing construction work. They helped in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami in 2005. And 2007, we were the lucky recepients of their hard work.

The students love it, on the final day a couple of mysterious holes (they would not tell me) turned out to be for a new swing set and sea saw. There were some tire swings hung as well from nearby trees....the students were busy climbing 3 on each end of the seasaw, with several helpers all around to help it balance back and forth.

The event ended last night with a dinner celebrating all their hard work!

Female workers, local labor was hired to help the dutch team. Interesting that women are paid 10 rupees less per day than men, and I saw the women doing more work.
(men Rs 60 & women Rs 50).

I don't have very many good photos of the work they did, I was playing with Anna's nice SLR so I did not use my 5 mega pixel much. But Anna (dr from netherlands who is also here volunteering, but for 3 months! yeah!) and I tried to keep our selves busy, when we weren't making toast and salads, we finished up the shoe distribution. Generous donors gave money to buy the 1st to 7th standard students shoes.

Student models in their new slippers.

Organized a health and hygiene education day, one of the projects the dutch team worked on was a new hand washing area outside the dining all. So we were putting the education together with the new environment!
... and keeping biscuit out of our room and from stealing shoes was another ongoing task. The students made newspaper hats before they made their 'dustbins' or trash cans.

And we played! out of sequence, but prior to the dutch team arriving was HOLI! the festival of colors, celebration of spring, powder colored (and some oil ones) and water fights!!
After photos of me, Kajal (student) and Anna.

makar sankranti - kite festival

2007-01-18T05:56:00.000-08:00

Visited Shivaji Park and Chowpatti beach with some friends sunday celebrating the festival of Makar Sankrant traditionally coincides with the beginning of the Sun's northward journey (the UTTARAYAN) when it enters the sign of Makar (the CAPRICORN).

It falls on the 14th of January every year according to the Solar Calendar. This day has a very special significance because the day and night on Makar Sankrant are of exactly of equal hours. This day is celebrated as a festival right from the times of the Aryans and is looked upon as the most auspicious day by the Hindus.

don't really know how there is a photo with one lone kite in the air? There were so many in the air!

Karilyn, one of several photographers 'shooting' the activity.
I do love sunsets!

christmas on a camel

2007-01-03T04:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! Spent christmas on a camel safari in Rajasthan, we took a road trip up north, through gujarat - wild ass sanctuary and jaisalmer, rajashtan.

Thar desert.

Breakfast in the desert, sunrise

and sunset...

bad girl

2006-11-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

no sorry not a confession of recent escapades. Just a bit of guilt for the long delay in posting. I can't really call myself a blogger.

visited Kolkata recently, thought it was my first time in 8 months from leaving mumbai, but I forgot my Hong Kong visit. So it had been 6 months since leaving the vicinity of the city, I have been busy at Nareshwadi, the rural village area a few hours north town.

we visited the botanical gardens, boasting the world's largest banyan tree...too big for a good photo.

but these 'floating flowers' were beautiful, I don't know what they are, there was not very good signage at the gardens. Anyone know? these aren't lily pads I don't think.

and a journey out of town, 30 or so kms. Dakshineshwar

there was a boat journey across to belur math, Swami Vivekananda built a temple in 1899, he was a disciple of Ramakrishna. Located on the bank of the Ganga.

I just love Kolkata/ Calcutta. maybe it is all the book shops(finally found a book I had been looking for past three months, "all the fishes come home to roost" by rachel manija brown), the artistic touches, tile mural on the METRO subway entrances. just the feel of the city. Maybe the bridges remind me of portland, here is the bally bridge.

Ganpati Day 11

2006-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is the big one, immersions all day for those that kept their statue the full 11 days.

I went to our local beach after being advised by K. that getting much further south, to juhu and especially 'town' would probably not be a good idea being a foreign, female alone. There is a bit of drinking to accompany the festivities. That is ok there was plenty of excitement for me in the early afternoon.

I got out again in the evening to see the street processions, not the actual immersions at the beach. It was almost like watching a fourth of july parade. But lot's of saffron/orange rather than red/white/blue.

all the bananas for Prasad, either used in the ceremony or as a snack after the puja (prayers) and immersion of ganapti statue.

This was one of the most well planned and safe public events I have seen in India. There were several lifegaurds present, first aid station. people to direct traffic, barriers to guide traffic (and people were acutally following it). It appeared a lot of planning went into insuring the safety (lot's of talk of terrorism scares at big event such as this) and making sure things ran smoothly, traffic flow along all feeder streets to beach access roads. There were maps in the papers this morning.

Varieties of transport to the beach, carrying it in hand, the cart method featured here, car with the hatch open, big trucks carrying a big ganpati or small ganpati and large crowd. There are also processions with and without the marching band, and usually lots of red colored powder.

The puja or pooja (however you want to phoneticaly spell it) the prayer, of ganpati immersion ceremony.

The truck method of transport, on the proession/parade route.

The use what God gave you two feet method - the WALK!

Just one of the several immersions happening while I was at the beach, this group had three statues.

Another families ceremony, anyone in the area can join in clapping/singing if you are lucky you get prasad, cocunut or banana or small candies.

With my camera in hand I was very popular (as usual!) among the children. 'Auntie, auntie take my photo' although I prefer to call be called 'didi' (older sister) than auntie, doesn't make me feel like I am 33! This sweet girl was too shy to ask me for a photo, but followed me around - so I offered to take her photo.

My neighbors were out having a puja/immersion also.

And the actual immersions....

Another day in India!

It is almost 10pm and I still hear trucks full of people yelling, blowing horns (sounds like kazoos) cheering....I have heard it goes on until midnight! let's see, I was planning to go to bed early tonight.

Nareshwadi

2006-09-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ganpati Festival
I am watching fireworks outside my window now, India is such an amazing country. After spending a week in Nareshwadi, mainly being able to be act like a kid again! I am back to Mumbai this evening arriving on the 7th day of Ganapati festival, probably the second most popular day for immersions of the elephant headed god's statue.

Pulling into town and now throughout the evening I have heard drums, horns, chanting, yelling, whistling, screaming (now when they are getting closer) people pray, sing worship a ganesh idol in their home starting from the 27th of August (changes the date with the Indian calendar) then immerse it after caring and praying to it for 1 1/2, 3, 7, 11 days.

The 11th day (wed the 6th) being the day of the biggest of immersions. The idol is accompanied by a group of people, either by walking and carrying or pushing/pulling a cart or in the back of a truck to the sea. Then there is a procession to the sea and a sinking of the idol.

Week in Nareshwadi

What a wonderful week just to be a kid again. I was in the village residential school to help with a academic camp for 10th standard students during this holiday week, so they are caught up on their subjects. Besides working with a team of mumbai volunteers who taught, math, english, computers, memory skills and geology. I got to do yoga, run, stretch, draw, color, play games and swinging on a bunyan tree with a group of sweet children all staying over at the school for the holiday week either because they did not have parents or because their parents could not come from Mumbai (3 or more hours) to pick them up and bring them back to school.

I had soo much fun! I get to go back and see them on Thursday.

Independence day & Lord Krishna's Birthday

2006-08-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

Just now getting a post up from the Independence day celebration the 15th of August and Lord Krishna's Birthday celebration with Dahi Handi on the 16th.
My building had a small celebration, some children from the building sang and gave a speech. There was a flag raising and 'picnic' with Samosas and veg chutney sandwiches.

I did not get out this year to see any of the Dahi Handi pyramids (too much rain). Where teams (there were girl's teams featured in the papers!) build multiple leveled (up to 11, 12 and 13) human pyramids to reach and break the goal a clay pot with dahi (curd or yogurt) ghee (clarified butter) and money!
On this day of Krishna's birthday celebration, Gokulastami (is one of the names) the pots of ghee and dahi are used because Krishna was a mischeveous little boy and liked to sneak into peoples homes and climb high where the pots of curd and ghee were hung to eat these treats.

Some of the bigger pots of money & goodies around town attract 100s of teams attempting to build and reach the pot. K. posted a good pic from a tall pyramid!

indian calendar

2006-08-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Okay I was partially right, the calendar does use the moon and sun. Here is more detail, Ashley had sent me a document on Indian Holidays:

The Indian calendar is ingeniously based on both the sun and the moon; it uses a solar year but divides it into 12 lunar months. A lunar month is precisely 29 days 12 hours 44
minutes and 3 seconds long. Twelve such months constitute a lunar year of 354 days 8 hours 48 minutes and 36 seconds. To help the lunar months coincide with the solar year,
the practice of inserting an intercalary (extra) month arose. So 60 solar months = 62 lunar months. Hence an extra month, called the Adhik Mas, is inserted every 30 months
i.e. every 2 ½ years.
Lunar days in the Indian calendar are called tithis. They are calculated using the difference of the longitudinal angle between the position of the sun and moon. Because of this, tithis may vary in length. Consequently, the tithi mayor maynot have changed by the time the day has changed at sunrise. And that is why we find at certain times a tithi being omitted, and at certain times, two consecutive days sharing the same tithi.
In the Indian calendar, seasons follow the sun; months follow the moon; and days, both the sun and the moon. The era in the Indian calendar is called the Vikram Era, or the
Vikram Samvat as it is called, which began in 57 BCE. To calculate the corresponding year of the Common Era, 57 years should be subtracted from the Indian year if the date
falls between the beginning of the Indian year and the end of the Western year i.e.between Kartak sud 1 and 31 December. If the date falls between the beginning of the Western year and the end of the Indian year i.e. between 1 January and Aaso vad 30, then only 56 years should be subtracted.

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Holiday Season is about to begin

2006-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Feel like this is just the start of the holiday season, what a great month to have a birthday in India! (was the ninth for all those who forgot, no worries you can make up for it next year)

On Wed. the ninth it was raksha bandhan (band of protection). Sister's or cousin sisters or friends of the family if you don't have a sister tie a thread bracelet around their brother or rakhi brother's wrist. This means the brother is committed to care for and protect the sister all her life.

Next week, Tuesday the 15th is Independence Day ( I watche Rang De Basanti today to kick off the celebrations) and Wed. (will be the third 'day off' or bank holiday in a week) is krishna's birthday Janmastami- and the celebration with dahi handi. I will post pics, last year it was quite exciting, teams have been practicing to build the tallest human pyramids to reach a clay pot of yogurt (dahi) hanging high above and break it. [my simplified version]
An incentive to these teams of boys (I have not seen, but have heard of girls building pyramids) is the pot of gold. there is usually cash attached to the team that can successfuly build a pyramid and reach the pot. Politicians or political parties will host a dahi handi ceremony and donate large amounts of cash.

At the end of the month of August is Ganapati celebration, Ganehchaturthi festival. The Lord Ganesh (elephant headed god) is prayed and sung to over a ten day period, then immersed into the sea or other body of water. Ganesh is a typical Marharashtran god and remover of obstacles.

Like I said good month to have a birthday, at least this year. The Indian holidays, excluding the Independence day follow the Indian Calendar which has a Lunar and Solar side, breaking our 30 day months into two parts. So next year all this celebration, singing and praying may not be in August my Birthday month.

I wonder if that means Lord Krishna is a Leo though?

In the neighborhood
Met a guy in our local internet cafe, he is from SF. Hey Guri! Funny, working in Berkely, so close to my brother! He came to travel India for a month, nice to see people in the US taking off and getting a vacation.

He gave me the link to a friends site, another 'round the world traveling couple. www.thirteenmonths.com.

J and J another travel the world couple, linked on my menu bar to the left have recently been to germany and prague. Just reading their blog realizing how much of the world there is to see! I feel lucky I have been to travel as much as I am, but would love to see it all : )

Other portland couple/friends are planning a round the world trip, they had discussed two years at one time? all these pre children trips!

one week later

2006-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since the train bombings and life seems nearly back to normal here in the big city of islands. Trains this morning were packed like usual, no fear in riding, at least not apparent in the choice to board.

The President visited the city, victims and some bomb sites for the past two days as well as several other VIPs and politicians from Delhi. I think we saw the pres today in his motorcade of white cars.

There was a moment of silence for the victims to be held at the timings of the bombings today. Trains were to be stopped for those two minutes. There have been hoaxes, I think there have been two days that trains were halted for a while due to a threat of terror.

One peice of the aftermath has included another type of silence. Blogspot and three or four other blog sites have been blocked from ISPs in India. This is on demand from the ministry of communication. There were a couple of articles in the papers this morning and k. was interviewed regarding the issue. I guess this has been done in other countries saudi arabia and pakistan for example. "globalvoicesonline.org/2006/03/02/pakistan-blogspot-blogs-blocked-in-pakistan/
Pakistan has banned blogs hosted on blogger.coms blogspot domains. Global Voices blog follows the development."

Thankfully there has been a huge outcry from indian bloggers. Questioning the ministries decision, that did not include any notification and participating ISPs blocking. As the world's largest democracy, I only hope it works in practice as designed in theory and the government acknowledges its citizens opinions and rights.

Sending out peaceful and loving thoughts to the 190 who were killed families and friends. And pray for peace around the world, scary times when a headline "bomb blast in Iraq that kills 50" does not even stir much surprise. And to all those fighting in Isreal/Lebanon/Gaza Strip wish for the violence to end. I firmly believe it does not solve problems.

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Back to work in Bombay

2006-07-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Was out and about in town. all day to be more exact! K. and I had a very busy day planned meeting with the non profits that the newly arriving volunteers are going to work with. We called the first lady in the morning and she said yes, she still wanted to meet.

Back on the train, met up with a friend A. and K. jumped on along the way. It was nearly empty at 9am very different from the usual AM rush.

We met with the director of Sujaya Foundation at 9:45 AM, that took a couple hours discussing what these two boys from London will be doing over the month they are here. They are of indian orgin but have never visited India! Will be funny, two foreigners showing people of indian orgin around Mumbai : ) They will be teaching english to kids in the municipal school (public school, which is for children that live in slum areas).

Then we went to pay the rent, eat lunch with and get keys from landlord where these two boys will be staying, that was at 1 and was another couple of hours! sweet couple, the wife is a professor at a college and asked me to come and give a guest lecture about public health, HIV/AIDS. Then the third meeting was with the organization that M., a volunteer from the US, minnesota is going to work with for the month - Magic Bus
He is a physical education/health teacher with a master's in sport's science in states.

My final meeting was with A. a volunteer with Atma Mumbai - she is a girl from the netherlands volunteering with Atma, a dutch registered non profit started by h. an ausie gal and a. dutch gal. A. and I were putting together a proposal to request for funds for the salary for a teacher and sport and recreation equipment for students at this rural school a couple of hours out of mumbai. A.is back in Rotterdam for her the birth of her sister's baby and is doing some fundraising. There is a foundation that wants to donate money for sports/recreation so we are putting together a proposal.
Before heading home, we stopped by a sport equipment shop to get the prices for soccer balls, basketballs, cricket and badmiton equipment.

Long day after a late night. now home waiting for m.to get here, his flight was delayed leaving hong kong. So he will not be landing for another hour, I will try to stay awake.

It was amazing today in the city. Everyone was back to work as normal. N. the lady we met with first this morning was thankful we did not cancel. She felt that they [terrorists] want the city to shut down and cause chaos. The best thing we could do was to get back out there. I agree. I was a little scared this morning, I thought maybe we should stay home and do some work over the internet. I did some meditation, sat in sukhasana for a few minutes, focusing on my breath. Said a prayer and sent positive thoughts to those affected by the bombings.

I thought it out and felt that it was ok to get out and go to our scheduled meetings. I am glad we did. It was amazing to see the people get on with their day and also strange. Like K. said, the way people were out and about it almost seem like it did not happen. Are they used to this kind of thing, there were bombings here in 1993 and 2003. Then around the country there are bombings frequently, particularly the Kashmir region. But I have never felt unsafe, even today getting out.

Amazing strength and spirit in this city.

My day, adaption from email to my mom...

2006-07-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was heading home from Bandra where I got out of the taxi K. and I took from Dadar. We got off the western railway train (the line bombed, there are three in Mumbai, Western, Central and Harbor) around four at Dadar and walked to the park, stopping for pictures, coffee and our research on bus routes for soon to arrive volunteers.

After going to the bookstore and petting a kitty on the sidewalk at the west side of the park we took a cab back to Bandra. I hopped out where she turns off the main road and I caught a bus that goes back to 7 bungalows, a community near my house. I had just gotten money from an event from the world cup soccer match (this was what I was describing to you when skype kept cutting off, this was an event for the swiss and french match in round one). We had been trying to get paid for quite a while and Hayley got the money yesterday so I had 75 bucks and was going to buy some new glasses. I had gotten my perscription when I was back in Tulsa but waiting for some extra money to get new glasses, I have some I wear at home,but the prescription is a few years old and they are scratched up so I don't wear them out much.

In the shop I was modeling my final three choices and was asking this muslim women and her daughter for their opinion. She ended up giving me her phone and email and invited me to visit her in Samaa the capital of Yemen saying they needed public health workers there. Very sweet lady.

I bought some shampoo and conditioner at the store around the corner then came home in a rickshaw. The driver forgot to turn the meter on, but I knew how much it cost to get from that store to my building so I gave him 15 rupees (about 30 cents). I went upstairs had some dinner (I was happy b/c the maid/cook does not speak english - i am trying to teach her - so I had to write a note in Hindi before leaving the house did not know if it was exactly correct, so who knows what I would have turned up for dinner) paneer (like tofu, but it is dairy, a light fluffy cheese) mutter (green peas) with steamed rice.
It was yummy and exactly what I asked for. I read the newspaper then took a shower and was going to go to the internet cafe downstairs but checked first if the net was working finally (it had been out for a week since we had heavy rains on july 4th), I had kind of given up hope that it had been restored but was happily surprised it was on! Then I saw that k. was calling and that I had missed several calls and had phone messages, my phone was on a 'discreet' tone b/c I had beenin meetings earlier in the day.

She told me the horrible shocking news. I turned on the TV, it is everywhere, local, national and international news. M. got thru on the phone and I told him I was fine. I have been communicating via email and online chatting with K.and A. (she is in Canada but was lived here for 6 months and we took Hindi classes together). Then I spoke with my mom and thank goodness it feels good to be able to talk and get all the feelings out. I appreciate my mom's positive approach.

K.and a friend from s. africa were going to a hospital in Bandra to donate blood. I think they are both O -, a universal type. I don't know which type I am? But do not feel like getting out now. I will send positive thoughts from home and feel thankful I was not out there.

I hope all my friends are safe at home and feel horrible with what has happened. I don't understand the violence. My mom is correct in saying that the people who did this must be so disturbed it makes you feel sorry for them as much as angry.

Mumbai Train Blasts

2006-07-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

I arrived safely home around 7. Thankfully I did not take the train home from Bandra, I took the 95 bus to Seven Bungalows. K. and I last got off the train at around 4pm, we were doing some research on Shivaji Park area in Dadar for a new volunteer arriving on Friday.

I am stunned. I had no idea this had happened until Karilyn called me around 9pm and I turned on the TV. There are so many former PSI co workers, yoga classmates and friends that could be on board those trains. This was hit at the start of rush hour and the western railway is usually packed at that hour.

I know there have been terrorist attacks around the world but until it hits close (this feels closer than 9/11 almost,even though it is not my native country maybe b/c I live here in this city).

There is so little to say about this, I can't say I was ever any more scared of a bomb attack in Mumbai than in Portland or anyother city I have visited with train transport. It could happen anywhere at anytime.

I am safe. But feel horrible for those whose friends and family have been injured or killed. In Mumbai, New York, London, Madrid, Oklahoma City, Iraq, Gaza Strip...... this list is endless where violence is used destroying lives. Violence in any form is not the answer. Terrorist or government supported.

"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." Mahatma Ghandi

my first real live bollywood star

2006-06-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am taking a month long yoga course. Every day monday through friday 10 to 4. Very enjoyable and they have housing for any travelers that want to take a course, they have shorter, week long courses also.

Ok the title of this entry - bollywood is the movie capital of India. and the billion people plus in this country love their stars. I happen to be taking this course with the girlfriend (also a foriegner, italian) of a major star. Saif Ali Kahn. He did probably my favorite movie so far, I guess it has been done several times over a remake of a classic. Parineeta....I did see it in the theatre in Hindi with my lovely friend Rohini translating.

But then I got the DVD and watched with subtitles. Sweet film.

So, Saif came to class to see Rosa his girlfriend this afternoon. Everyone at the institute was very excited, autographs, pictures....I even got a little excited, he is a movie star and all.

here is a photo with me and Hela - another gal from states taking course and the bollywood boy, Saif. wow! what a cheesey smile I have...I have never even had my pic taken with a hollywood star.

I have never looked at the 'stars' websites before, wow they give too much information. One of the sites even has his address. that is crazy, do they do this for hollywood stars too? I guess they do sell the 'map of stars' on the roads in LA.

I have to admit he seemed like a very down to earth guy. It was impressive that he came to our yoga institute and wasn't shy about coming into public where he would be 'bothered' by fans. He even sat down and had tea snacks with us after class. So my first encounter with a hindi film star was positive!

USA visit

2006-06-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

San fran pics from US visit in feb/march...
my sis @ work...isn't she hot!! smooch
my brother fell asleep on his girlfriend riding the bus

erin, matt & me - self portrait --- cheese 'y'

mesa bug...I miss my best buddy! the flight to india just seems so long, I think she would hate me after. and she loves matt n erin so : )

talented kids

2006-05-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

so I am helping a friend with placing foreign volunteers in NGOs here in India. This requires going out to meet these organizations and seeing the type of work they do. Today I visited a boy's drop in center. These are boys who have run away from home and were found at local train stations by an outreach worker.

They come to the center from 9 to 5 everyday, eat, play, and have some lessons. There was a director there today looking for young actors to play parts in his documentary film about child laborers. The boys did a couple skits they had written, sang songs, told jokes (which I could not understand because they were in Hindi, but everyone else who could were rolling with laughter) and did some dances.

They were so adorable, many of them had on new jeans (I am guessing for the informal audition with the director) and several had left on the tags (I don't think it was for style).

the eagle has landed

2006-05-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

AC is on again. It was brought to my attention that I have posted three gripes in different posts (and I don't post often) about there not being AC. So after night 1 with the AC I have been requested to post that now I am again in the comfort of modern technology.

In the US I many times would cringe when the AC was turned on, griping about it is too cold, waste of energy, bad for the environment, etc. Even here in India I recall commenting that the AC is always blasted when I walk into a building, "what a shock to the system", blah, blah, blah...
I thought I was so tough, I could rough it. But no, obviously I am a spoiled western brat who needs their life comfort appliances in working order.

What if I had done the peace corp or something, in a village. Surely, there would be no AC there. Maybe I just want it to work b/c I know it is available, I would like to believe I could adapt and withstand the stagnate humid constant heat (yes I would wake up and be sweating) in a different setting. I always try to fool myself! maybe I am just too old to feel like roughing it?

In Sikkhm in the north, traveling in January I was bitching and moaning about a heater and the fact that the guesthouse wanted to charge me Rs50 or was it 100, a night for the floor unit. What is with that? So many people here in India, I would imagine more in Africa, China and probably more than I realize in develolped western countries are living without these appliances I feel are necessities.

Next on my request list a washing machine. I am pitiful.

returned from Hong Kong.....

2006-05-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

11kicking and screaming. No! not entirely true, I could have stayed longer. They have trash cans on every corner, I did not see one person pee on the side of the road, I could walk down the sidewalk and look at people in the eyes (in India I have to watch my every step - poop piles!), they had sidewalks in Hong Kong, they had mexican food restaruants and best of all ULTIMATE frisbee.

I played twice, league night during the week with post play beers and on sunday, there were enough people for games on two fields. One group was preparing for the Shanghai tourney and then the other field, scrubs- we had two games to 7. Ironically the league games were played at the Indian Recreation Club - and in India I can't even find clean playable field space.

But I love India, it is a love - hate relationship. It is so hot now, and no AC in the house. I got sick when I got back here to India, worst runs yet (can't you tell I am a travller freely talking about my bowel movements) and I am very careful what I eat and drink.

India is exciting. I took a new volunteer to his assignment in town, at a foundation that teaches english to children from slums or very low income families. It is just so touching how appreciative and excited they are to learn. Adorable children all remembering me from a prior visit and saying hello!

When in Hong Kong finding veg food was difficult, but it was easy to find seafood which I enjoyed. They do eat a lot of meat - and what I thought had been a myth, about using cat/dog meat must really be true. I found this picture in the MTR (subway) stairwell.
3334

3435Hong Kong is extremely commercialized and the ads (billboards) interestingly often use firangs. It was mother's day weekend and one of the huge malls (over 10 floors of stores - including the basement) had a mother's day display which included this big silver shoe and several closely gaurded (maybe they were expensive shoes - but I saw 2 to 3 gaurds posted on lookout) clear glass globes hung with a single shoe displayed and decorated inside.

3536The public transporation was amazing in HK, few personal cars on the road I did not feel like it was polluted (maybe my standards have been lowered being in Mumbai?) nor were there traffic jams. There were double decker air conditioned buses, subway and an extensive ferry system. Here is the Star Ferry company I used frequently on my visit.

At sunset! (photo by Mukesh - he says I don't give him any credit)

3637
I went to Disneyland with Maruhk (daughter of Mukesh's friend) she was visiting her father for a month, so we ran around together a few days. It was her first time to a Disney park, oh how it is fun to be a kid again. I remember when my Uncle Bruce took me to Disneyland the Original on my 18th birthday. Us kissing Donald.3738
3839Dancing flowers from the afternoon parade - Alice in Wonderland's flowers. 3940

4041

Out for Dim Sum with Ada (from Toronto but met in Mumbai) and Maruhk.4142

4243

4344More shopping in Shatin a suburb. They had a free! playland set up based on the peanut's characters.

4445
This was at the KFC in the mall - the entire family had plastic gloves on. I don't know if it was about the bird flu fears or Mukesh said they were wearing them b/c they were eating with their hands rather than normal chopsticks?
Poster children for Public Health!4546

4647We saw the largest outdoor seated Buddha on Lantau Island and had a nice hike with Ada down the hill.4748

And at the end of my trip I had trouble sleeping the night before leaving. Before going to bed there was a typhoon (Chanchau) warning at level 1 and it was due to hit the next day around the time our flight was leaving. Everything ended up being fine in HK, heavy winds and rains. Our flight left on time, but it did hit the southern China coast the next day and killed several people.

4849Here is a warning sign I saw on the way down from Lantau Island.

I have been having fun taking pictures for my friend's daily photo blog, http://mumbaidailyphoto.blogspot.com/4950 she is out of town so I am posting photos. There are several other cities that post pictures either daily or less frequently.

Hong Kong, doesn't stink

2006-05-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

Why ! (hi in cantonese ) all

Hong Kong is clean, organized, buses have A/C and people DON"T honk their horns constantly. [I am comparing to Bombay for those who did not catch on] Went to the Ladies' Market today in Mong Kon. Reminded me of being in Thailand. But they jack up the prices like India or even worse. you have to bargain down to at least 50% of the asking. Probably actually 40% but I felt at times that was offensive.

HK is expensive, as I was told. My mind may blow a fuse with me trying to convert to and compare to Rupees and US Dollars. sharpening my math skills.

Stinks my cousin was not here. But do have a friend from Bombay, whose family is here and she is back visiting them before returning to Toronto. We took the ferrry across the bay last night. I love boat travel!

More adventures later.

ciao. haven't learned bye in cantonese yet.

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2006-04-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Jodhpur - the blue city - girl on rooftop posing with Lord Krishna's flute

2006-04-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Jodhpur, blue city.
Guest House in distance, Sajisanwri
Jodhpur Fort

2006-04-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Monks in Gangtok, laying out prayers and below playing Carrom outside Rumtek Monestary

2006-04-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Finally posting pics from month in northern India with J n J.

This is sunset over Himilayans, Gangtok, Sikkhim

2006-04-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Train porter

2006-04-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Prayer flags at monestary in Gangtok

Return to Bombay

2006-04-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Back in Bombay

It is hot! I love Ali she rocks, I rode on her Delta Budy pass and got Business class all the way....it makes all the difference on a 8 to 9 hour flight and I had two of them. Atlanta to Paris and Paris to Bombay. yes, I am bragging....you have a problem with that?

The hot part...these pre monsoon months are extremely, tiringly, draining hot. Makes you LOVE the rains when they came. I came from snowboarding in Colorado, snow at Bryce Canyon to 90 degree temps and there is no AC in the 14th floor flat.

After almost two months in the US, visiting friends and family (sadly I never made it to the wet Pac NW, missed my portland/seattle friends - sorry guys) it was strange to come back to India.

The traffic seemed a bit more chaotic than when I left, the honking more frequent and all the people. But I love it. It feels foreign again which is what I like about living abroad. Bombay had become a bit normalized to me before leaving (scary huh?).

Mukesh is happy to have me home I think.....we had the past few days together before he left on a Hong Kong flight this morning. I have been up since he left at 2am, jet lag...joy!

After a few days of resting I am slowly making contact with friends. Made a delivery to my longhorn friend, had met with her mom in Oklahoma to make the girl scout cookie pickup!

Will have to back track and post some pics and print on the road trip with Mukesh in March.

It is mango season - yum. We bought a box of alphonsos.....delicious and refreshing when you stick them in the fridge and eat em chilled.

Good to be back : )

International Women's Day [IWD] MARCH 8th

2006-03-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

To all you beautiful inspiring women I call friends!

thank you & Happy IWD and you guys love and encourage the women in your life : )

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/default.asp

I am back in the states visiting family and friends after meeting and befriending some amazing women in India. Also, met wonderful women from Thailand, Spain, Germany, Belguim, Sweeden, Canada, and the USA.

India and women

But the 'largest democracy in the world' has a long ways to go as far as women's rights. Women still are often times considered second class citizens.

The government of India has had campaigns promoting women empowerment. See my blog for a pic of some campaign messages painted on the back of rickshaws. http://bleuvelo.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_bleuvelo_archive.html

(scroll down to oct 11th entry)

Female Foeticide

There are several states in India that have severe problems with female foeticide.

"Of the 15 million baby girls born in India each year, nearly 25 percent will not live to see their 15^th birthday." from http://www.thp.org/reports/indiawom.htm

"Diagnostic teams with ultrasound scanners which detect the sex of a child advertise with catchlines such as spend 600 rupees now and save 50,000 rupees later. " from http://www.indianchild.com/abortion_infanticide_foeticide_india.htm

Good newspaper article on the topic

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/24/opinion/edswami.php

Literacy among females

According to the 2001 census the female literacy rate in India was 54% http://www.nlm.nic.in/women.htm

other campaigns for women's human rights

http://www.amnestyusa.org/women/index.do

Change is possible

All of this evidence indicating a 'lower status' of women in India can, like so many other experiences I had in India, be contradicted. I had friends that had studied at universities around India living away from home, a break from tradition. Traveled to study in the UK and USA, worked for the UN, business owners and high government agency employees. Were MDs, bankers, completed their MBA and were high powered lawyers in the heart of Bollywood.

Several women had one of the hardest jobs of all, being loving and caring mothers.

One of the projects I documented, educating adolescents about their bodies and the changes experienced growing up, was thought up by one of the hardest working doctors I have ever known, who is a strong advocate for women across India. Within the process of interviewing other female doctors who volunteer their time & visit schools to speak to groups of 300 and 400 students, I met strong, passionate and committed women who may be a part of this new face to India.

And remember the 'largest democracy in the world' did have Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (इन्दिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गान्धी) as Prime Minister of India from 19 January 1966 to 24 March 1977, and again from 14 on 31 October 1984. (from wikipedia).

Even the US has not elected a female to one of the top elected positions in the country.

Maybe in 2008!! had to stick that one in : )

Hope everyone is happy and healthy

stacie

and if you get this far, I am going to start using my new email.....staciejune@gmail.com

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back in states

2006-02-20T23:48:00.000-08:00

My year long ticket was expiring....so I returned to states. Spent time visiting family in Southern California. Mukesh came on a flight to LA, so we celebrated his birthday. Did some hiking in Joshua Tree....it was hailing on us in LA. He said it rained last year in LA, when he was again in town for his birthday. So much for sunny california.

In San Fran....excuse me OAKLAND, now. Visiting Mike and Cynthia and renewing the Indian Visa at the consulate here, a great excuse to visit San Fran.

Today, Presidents day, Mike and Cynthia had off work and school! We did some hiking around Cliff House and Sutro Baths. Beautiful views of Golden Gate. Was a sunny day in the city.

Strange to be back in the US? sort of....still have not really adjusted to jet lag. Most of all I can't believe how expensive everything is. I spent $3.75 on a toll road in LA, that is about Rs 400! and a bottle of water, $3.99.....I am drinking out of the tap now, must be better than India's tap water which I had drops of here and there, rinsing fruits and veggies. I may have even had a glass sometime in a moment of desperation?

And it is cold here. My body acclimated to the Tropical Temps in Bombay. LA, Palm Desert and even San Diego felt frighteningly cold to me. Oh, portion sizes too. Ridiculous at restaurants how much food they serve you. I know I was aware of this working in Physical Activity and Nutrition policy projects in Oregon. The Obesity scare.....ugh there is enough there for three or four people sometimes.

Off to Oklahoma next, see mom & dad in T-town!

Northern India - I am officially on the tourist circuit

2006-01-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

I left with friends from Bombay/Mumbai January 4th. We took the express to Jaipur in Rajashtan. This state has developed their Tourist infrastructure better than any other states I have visited in India. A part of the 'golden triangle' of Agra, Delhi and Jaipur - I finally got to use the book Matt and Erin gave me Christmas 2004.

Tigers

Jaipur was just a night and day then we took off for Swati Matipur and Ranthabome park. We were tiger hunting. Not for kill but to see some. Numbers are dwindling because poachers can get more money for chinese medicine ingredients than they can working an honest job. But this park was the best chance in India to see a tiger.

Jamie and I went out one one canter/truck safari. A cold 6 AM dark start, to catch the animals in their busy sunrise moments. We drove around for 4 hours, we saw peacocks, monkeys, and deer but no tigers.

Justin went out on three safaris and on time number three he saw three tigers!! he has great pictures. I will create a link to their blog or just steal them and post here.

It was nice to be out of the city, Jamie and I took walks to town. And just relaxed.

Back to Jaipur. We decided to call up Asgar, a rickshaw driver we met at the station who offered us an all day city tour for Rs 300. It all sounded too good to be true for me, I was skeptical, but I just went with it - Jamie and Justin have travelled Eastern Africa for three months and Justin has spent years in Asia, so I have a few things to learn from them on the travel front.

When to trust and when not to, it is difficult to know when to let your gaurd down. Well this turned out to be an unforgettable experience - Asgar was not available but his nephew Mubarik was. J & J upfront said no shopping! We only want to see the sights. We wanted to avoid those commission driven tour of handicraft shops in Jaipur.

Mubarik said fine! monuments it is. After a day of sightseeing in the rickshaw we were invited over chai at the rickshaw driver corner with the gang, not only to Asgar and Mubarik's house for dinner in the evening, but their village for a celebration of Eid Mubarik the next day. After a small huddle, discusssion and deciding if this was a safe decision or not we took them up on it.

This was one of those experiences you can not plan. It just happens. I will write more on the details in the village later. But the time was amazing!

The Village and Eid Mabarik

We altered our train schedule and substituted the village for Jasailmer without regret. I ate goat - two small pieces, even though I have only been eating seafood for the past few years I felt compelled to join the festivities. That is however what this Eid is all about, the goat. Each family slaughters a goat, eats 1/3 for themselves, shares another 1/3 with friends and family and the other third is divided into several serviings and shared with the poorer families in the village.

Not all the families can afford to kill a goat, they cost about $50.

Bikaner

The next stop was Bikaner. We visited the Rat Temple outside of town and I ate the Prasad (sweet you eat after a pooja or temple visit). I thought it was for me, lady handed it to me as we were walking in (she was walking out) so I ate it. I like them, cashew nut, I can not remember the name of the sweet something with ghee. I realized once we entered that it was for the rats, that are running around everywhere and if one runs across your feet is good luck. I was not blessed by that experience, but I did see the blonde rat which is also supposed to be good luck.

Jodhpur, Agra and Delhi were next. Now I am in Amristar, but slow on the update front. I have not updated my blog in ages. I have several drafts!

I will have to do pictures and all later. This is only my second time behind a computer don't want to be inside when there is soo much to see of this wonderful country.

Indian Kindness - "Guest is god" hindi saying

The people everywhere are soo kind. As in several other cities and monuments myself and Jamie, Justin too at times we are asked by Indians to be in their photo. Or to have us take their photo.

Today in the park (I was away from Jamie and Justin while they ran on their own adventure, to get us train tickets) here in Amristar I was asked by a group of school children to be in their photo. Thirty minutes and thirty pictures later (I really am not exagerating) I leave the park for the protection of the Golden Temple - which is beautiful, peaceful and the Sikh holy place.

Other examples of kindness are the 10 cups of chai we had in the village in Rajasthan out of the 15 offers, a person can only drink so much. The hospitibality is unbelievable. Although that was nothing unique to Rajasthan, in Mumbai in the various buildings a called home, I had several chai invitations.

Jamie and I decided, home, restaruant or street stall chai in Rajasthan is better than Marharashtra (sorrry those of you from Mumbai!) they do a better job on the Masala part. Ginger is the secret!

So much to see in this country. We are off to delhi on the 5AM train tomorrow then to Kolkatta, Sikkhim and I return to Bombay.

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adventure's of commuting to work in MUMBAI

2005-12-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

train ride...
my morning commute can be hectic to say the least. It includes a 15 to 30 minute autorickshaw ride (refer to picture on post in archives) in morning traffic that makes you feel as though you have an exhaust pipe attached to your mouth. (I laugh about this!)

The train can be nice, it gives me time to work on my new addiction Su Duko www.sudoku.com/ and read on the way home. Of course most easily done in the comfort of a seat to rest your tush, rather than standing for the 45-minute journey. I try to catch trains that originate at my 'home' station, platforms 2 & 6 yet, at the busiest of times that does not guarantee you a seat.

You must be there waiting to push your way onto the local train when it arrives. In fact, people wait to get off after the shoving and pushing is over before disembarking. So, much to my dismay when I arrive at platform 6 and see the train has been sitting there for 5 minutes and the car is halfway full. I sulkingly enter and plan to take my spot standing for the journey between peoples legs who are comfortably sitting inside on the benches.

I was shocked, there was an open seat, by the window! with a newspaper sitting in the seat. I enquire the two occupants of the bench if they are saving it (actually unheard of) and they too act surprised that no one has taken the seat. Wow! I found a seat - the simple joys of life.

I estaticaly walk over to the seat and pick up the newspaper and find a pile of poop, on the seat. The two girls ran away squealing, looking at me as though I had taken the poop. Others in that side of the car looked at me scoldingly, silly foreigner.

I walk to the other side of the train and stand for the 45 minute ride.

festival of fireworks....I mean lights

2005-11-07T01:44:00.000-08:00

Diwali ('w' is a 'v' sound, supposedly the English imperialists introduced the letter 'w' into the hindi language but there is not a sound to go with it) Indians use w and pronounce v - this carries over when Indians speak English - if you want to work on that Indian accent! 'where' would be 'vhere' - with a little roll of the 'r' too!

or if someone sends me a text message or sms on my cell/mobile phone - we would 'we' shortened to the phonetic 'v'.

By the way, Jamie and Justin arrived a couple of weeks ago (hip hip hooray!!)...have I made an entry since then? It is Tuesday, Diwali and pop/bangs of what I would call M-60's and M-100's in the states have been going off all week at in frequent moments. Fireworks began about hm mm, 5am Tuesday morning and picked up intensity around 8 or 9pm growing in the competitive noise level and height hour by hour until I just gave up exhausted and fearful of a night without sleep around midnight.

I thought Mexico loved 'crackers' as they are called here in India. The Indians passion for the noisiest of these pesky explosives bountifully exceeds by bursts of eardrum popping, heart jumping blasts just as their love songs and expression of emotions for their beloved also elapse any other countries known native musics.

The photo graphers set up their tripods for the competition (that would be the Pan ch Vati 14th floor Biggest Tripod Competition 2005) - excited to catch the colourful explosions filling the air. On the 14th floor we were lucky enough to see as far as Worli and all across the Anderhi skyline glittering shimmering fascinating colours. By the way it is about 8 o'clock.

After several snaps, light dimming and changes in the room and camera setting adjustments the photographers were pleased with the outcome...good timing, glad we caught the spectacle, we were in awe of the grand finale!

Wrong...preview is more like it, like a movie trailer release for the budget busting studio blockbuster coming next month. We were cursing this festival of commercialised crackers come midnight, no wonder I heard people say they stay up all night on Diwali. I think Justin asked if this is what a war zone would sound like? Stacie's tip o' the day: Too much of anything is not a good thing.

Oh don't get me wrong, Diwali is nice - but let's stick to the festival of lights (seeing all the 'Christmas like' hanging lights illuminating the buildings around town was amazing) not the festival of pulse raising bursts. The lights, in Hindu culture were to welcome Ram home after a major battle. This new twist of bursts on the festival I think would have scared him away.

Not to focus on the one - laughable - negative: We did have numerous tasty Indian sweets, happy Diwali and new year well wishes, visit with the neighbours and a view of their temple, a Pooja, poolside party at the society, and fun decorating with rangoli (sand like and coloured powders used to decorate the doorway of households see a pic at jamie and justin's travel blog http://www.travelpod.com/users/wanderingwaltz/waltztrip_05-06.1130831580.img_0639.jpg) and dias small oil and wick filled clay dishes.

There was a long break from work, a weekend trip to matheran and shopping! Ied (sounds like EED) was also celebrated, as the break of Ramadan. But was a more private affair I am told by my Muslim colleague at work, not the expressive display of Diwali with all the fireworks and such.

So next major festival is Christmas then in mid January Bakr-id. Followed by Holi in March. Wedding Season is big in December and they each have their own accompanying festival or Bharat, the singing, dancing and horseback groom procession to carry on the celebratory mood of India! So the always entertaining adventurous and exciting life in Mumbai continues, where a simple stroll down the street may include a never seen before sight. Until the next festival or adventure .....Aur revoir! (they do not really have a word for goodbye in Hindi) ciao!

Enjoy this Diwali with Y! India Click here

other blogs

2005-10-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

send in a post card with your secret and it is put on
the web. creative blog.

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Thailand September 2005

2005-10-11T11:34:00.001-07:00

Chang mai trek, hanging out by campfire, with Gabriella, Nuzrat and Swiss friend!

Mukesh on chang mai trek, rice paddies - eek check for leeches!

Buddha statue at temple near chang mai.

Weekend in Mumbai....

2005-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Fresh fruit cart on street in Santa Cruz, Mumbai suburb. Fresh pineapple being cut.

view from the back seat of a autorickshaw - don't touch the meter!

Women empowerment government campaign seen on many rickshaws around town.

Durg Puja, Bengali celebration part of Navariti.

Navariti festivities in the office

2005-10-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Garba - dancing in conference room at PSI! celebration of Navariti

Aarti in her traditional dress!

a day in the office

2005-10-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Saree ladies, rupali, michelle, me and shushima

Me & Kavita

PSI crew after Navariti puja day of birthdays dancing and farewells.

2005-10-07T00:50:00.000-07:00

dahi handi, pot of curd (yogurt) signifying what lord krishna used to be fond of and eat. Now groups will build human pyramids and climb to reach the pot, break with their head (or a cocunut if they are woosy) and celebrate. Money is often inside the pots also and professional groups build pyramids 8 and 9 stories high to reach and break the pot and keep the money!

Ultimate Frisbee in Mumbai!!

2005-10-06T01:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! very impressive, Day 1 of frisbee in Bombay and
we played in the rain.

I was pretty bummed when I arrived at the park and it
was misting, there was high grass and trash everywhere
and cricket ruled the fields. I did not see a lot of
hope in us playing. But once Ada arrived and we
walked out on the fields we (we means four of us) found a decent patch of
free land to throw the disc.

Indian cricketers, mainly kids were very curious about these round plastic items and the foriegners throwing them around. We had a cheering section - "no don't throw that way, throw this way" and cheers of "yeah!!!", "good throw" on completions or difficult catches. plenty of ohhhss and ahhhs.

and we even taught some of them to play. There were some
natural frisbee throwers out there! We even managed
to have a game of three on three 'hotbox', the new
local players were diving into the mud to catch the
frisbee and quickly grasped the strategy.

Was a fun time! even during the 10 minute down pour.

So this Sunday we are attempting it again....there is hope for frisbee in Bombay yet!

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Holidays and Festivals in India

2005-10-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

sunday, october 2nd was gandhi's birthday. October 4th was
the start of a festival, dasera, or navarathri here in
the south of india. it is 10 days, the first three
honoring Durga (overcoming negatiave tendencies or
jealousy, greed and passion or vasanas inherent in
humans) then the goddess Lakshimi signifies the
establishment of possitive tendencies, afection,
charity and forgiveness etc. and the last three days
are to Saraswati and signifies gaining supreme
knowledge of the self.

next diwali starts, festival of lights and end of
Hindu year. it has become commercialized though it is
an "auspicious" time to buy things. very convenient to
businesses! there are lots of advertising now. like christmas in the US.

that is something that I think is sad about India, the
aspiration for western lifestyle and its associated
consumerism : (

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Singapore Ultimate

2005-10-05T04:32:00.000-07:00

Too many pictures for the blog, but here is a link to where I dumped a bunch of pics
http://photobucket.com/albums/a193/staciejune/

Thailand/Singapore trip pics

2005-10-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

Mexican food in Bangkok, I had been craving
some authentic mex food for 6 months in India!

Singapore ART museum

2005-10-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

2005-10-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

Chang Mai Trek - September 2005
Mukesh's Baptizing

compulsive blogging

2005-09-23T02:26:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah have to check out this blog form Delhi. This gal is a really good writer and learn a little about the dating life in Delhi.

http://thecompulsiveconfessor.blogspot.com/

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Frisbee, Rain,

2005-09-23T02:25:00.000-07:00

Fixing my Frisbee fiegn just makes me want more...I am attempting to gather a critical mass of current and future frisbee-ers in Mumbai to enjoy the game. There is a visitor from our Wash DC office in town, I took her out to a swanky restaurant, I swear it was nicer than most places I go in Portland. Seijo, it had hip decorations an amazing asian fusion menu, we had paneer stuffed with basil and a star anise glaze. There bathrooms are funky, large eggs. three stand side by side.

India is bizarre that way, this town has dj's spinning the latest beats, trendy restaurants and bars, malls, multiplex theatres, castle like hotels and slums a few blocks away, the roads to get there are filled with pot holes and people pile trash in a pile on the side of the road for the city to pick up.

Visited another of the 'trendy' bars last night. Was excited for some live music, but it was a dj spinning that was over bearing the sax, flute, drum, keyboard combo. In all honesty I didnot sit in long enough to give them a fair shake, but the acoustics were not so great, I could hear plenty when the door opened.

That is something I am really missing.

here is a list.

1) Mesa - the sweetest black and white dog in Oklahoma!

2) Ultimate Frisbee

3) Friends/Family

4) Mexican food

5) Live music

6) parks

7) taking road trips

8) clean streets/sidewalks

9) riding my bike

I have met a nice group of expats. Yahoo group expat, met a former long horn. Funny a Sooner and Longhorn hanging out in India. There is a group of volunteers from a Jewish organization they are here six months. A friend from Canada, sweet girl who in one month has self-taught herself more hindi than I know in 6 months. <sad>

It has been raining and raining and raining. Jamie and Justin friends from Portland arrive next month to stay and do some projects for a few months. I am very excited...and it should stop raining by then. At work yesterday the office put me into a scare about flooding, "trains are running slow", "we should all leave", "water is logging in Andher!"...I thought about it and decided to proceed with my social agenda for the evening. It stopped raining on my walk to the train station and the train I took was normally just a few minutes behind schedule.

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Visa run

2005-09-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

coffee vs. tea
I traveled in an air conditioned cab and was sitting
in a high back red velvet chair at the Singapore
airport, sipping on my latte with 'skinny' milk and
eating an almond croissant. Twenty four hours later I
am sitting in the Ideal Railway cafe, an Iranian tea
cafe near the Andheri station in Mumbai sipping chai.
Reaching the restaurant after sitting in an
autorickshaw for 20 minutes sucking in the face level
fumes of a transport deisel truck and being blasted
left and right by horns. Mud on the floor and the only
decorations on the wall are signs instructing you to
watch your bag from thieves.

Singapore (I was visiting for an ultimate frisbee
tournament, my first chance to play in 6 long
months)had former laws barring chewing gum...ha! India
home to paan graffiti (red stains on the roads,
sidewalks from people spitting their bettel nut chew
juice bright red in color).

Strange to be in two different worlds in a relatively
short span of time. I did not see a lot of poverty in
Singapore..it must be there. No begging, no trash,
really no character. I still love India. Even though
I was sweating this morning on the packed to the walls
train and have to roll my pants to avoid dragging my
pants in the mud puddles on the station floor and
sidewalks from recent rains. There is an energy here.
All the people? the action? movement?

I like the smells. I like the imperfections. Sure it
could use some cleaning up and it would still retain
it's colorful character.

Most people make there visa run to a neighboring
country, I raced off to Bangkok. Thailand is a
friendly place - I needed to take care of my ultimate
fix and who can't love the 'land of smiles'? Spent a
couple days in Bangkok to apply for a visa (mean man
at the embassy made me cry, ok I am a bit sensitive
sometimes, but he threatned to not let me back in
India) ultimate frisbee practice with my Asian adopted
team the Bangkok SoiDawgz and SoiCowboybz and then off
on the overnight disco train to Chang mai.

I told Mukesh who met me in Bangkok a day later, about
my fun disco ball, christmas light Sangsom party on
the train when I visited Chang Mai in Feb. The great
ladyboy staff and meeting a neighbor from portland on
the train! Thought I may be dissapointed this time
around, b/c my hopes were too high. Wrong! Tip to
traveler: to get the party started buy the staff some
drinks. Mukesh, Me, and two other foriegners were the
only non-thais in the car, the rest were uniformed
staff and a few that were off duty.

NO lights but the music was blasting and the booties
began shaking. I wish my camera was not five cars
back I would have loved some photos...about half the
staff and all the foriegners were shakin'it on the way
to Chang Mai. What a blast, I highly recommend the
9:21PM train departing Bangkok to ChangMai...twice I
have had a festive experience.

We left the dining car and proceeded to bed, the staff
use it for their sleeping quarters. In the morning
one of the dancing staff enters our car selling coffee
and tea..."oh no!"he laughs with a thai accent, seeing
me sit up and rolling up in my top bunk, I say "wanna
dance?" and he does a little jig!

__________________________________________________________
Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner now. Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com

September

2005-09-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

Festival season has begun in India. Last week was Lord Krishna's birthday. Part of the festivities of the occasion is a human pyramid being formed at the various housing complexes (they call them societies) what would be an apartment complex in the west. These human pyramids are trying to reach a clay pot full of curd (yogurt) and ghee (clarified butter) hung and decorated with flowers, fruits. The pot also has money in it, one such pot had 11 lakh (Rs 100,000) - not going to do conversion for you.

There are professional human pyramid groups with uniforms and all participating in Dahi Handi (dahi mean curd and handi pot). I will give you my much simplified but accurate meaning of event. Lord Krishna was a micheveous child, he loved curd and ghee and would climb up to steal them from pots hanging in the air. got it! like I said simplified. it was fun to watch. I went to Sanjana's building, they did not have the 'professinals' come but they local teenagers/ young men built the pyramid. It was fun, a band with drums adn cymbols played... most of the buildings accupants came outside to watch or from their windows.

This pyramid was all males and most of the trucks driving around town with 30 to 40 professionals in the back were men. But a friend from work said at her 'society' there was a male pyramid and seperate female! It took several attempts for the group to make it successfully to 4 teirs (the mumbai record is 8!) But when the finally did the tip top climber pulled a cocunut out of the pot and broke the pot curd and ghee flew all over the pyramid! A water hose had been spraying the pyramid team on and off during the 1 and 1/2 hour of attempts to reach the pot.

Next week is the start of Ganapati, celebration for lord Ganesh. At work they will have a puja (prayer) the day before it starts. I have bought a saree (blue of course) to wear for the occasion. I might the post pictures!

A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single person contemplates it, bearing within him/her the image of a cathedral
~ Antoine De Saint Exupery

Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner online.
Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com

Marooned in Mumbai....no longer

2005-08-02T00:52:00.000-07:00

Made it out of Mumbai, but not without an adventurous and bit scary run in with the 'greatest monsoon rains in 100 years'. My cousin Deborah from Cali came to India to visit (YEAH!! first visitor - Janay, Jamie, mom, dad, steph....still waiting). Our pre-arrival email conversations were something like this....1 month prior: "oh yeah, it rained hard the first week of monsoons, but dry now" 1 week prior: "had a sprinkle in AM, but looks like weather report says rains may start soon after you arrive" What really happened: Sky dumps out on mumbai....city shuts down for 2 days, trains stop running, cars in complete gridlock, water rises 8 to 10 feet in some parts of the city, landslides, over 950 people have died, animals drown.

A high tide coincided with heavy rains, leaving nowhere for the water to drain. At the time I thought we were having a wild experience, but after hearing and reading other's stories, our's was mild. Still for a first time monsoon experience for deborah and biggest rains in 100 yrs the 30 hr escapade was memorable.

I will try not to give you the full-on 'stacie' version of story telling, which I have a theory may be genetic, deborah too likes to include all the details...we feel it really allows the listener to 'be there', truly 'understand' how the narrator felt. If you want to skip our story and see the impact visit Natl indian newspaper based out of Mumbai
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

So the one landmark Deborah wants to see in Mumbai is Elephanta Island, these are caves of 7th & 8th century (I am open to correction here) carvings of several Hindu deities, Shiva predominately. The book says boats run less frequently in monsoons, this is offseason. The day was overcast, had become the norm for prior 3 weeks in Mumbai, we take off from dock at the Gateway of India around 11ish. One hr ferry ride later (rains did begin 3/4 way across sea) we arrive and hike the long stone vendor filled staircase to the caves. Grab some roasted corn on the cob (typical monsoon snack) and a vada pav (whit dinner roll - the pav - pronounced POW! Sandwiching a spiced fried potato patty, dressed with a green chutney) with along the way (this is definitely an unnecessary detail, but I like food, so wanted you to really be there with me).

We mill around the caves an hour or so, explore other caves and carvings, much picture taking (will post at later date), photography technique discussion (not much natural light inside caves because of dark clouds and rains), a mini-debate on if the 2pm boat was really (as the driver told us) the last boat off the island or should we chance it and catch a later boat. We walked toward the boat, and the vendors said most of the tourists were sitting in the restaurants so the boat will not go anywhere till everyone is there. We eat again, Masala Dosa, and Ottapums (this is definitely spelled incorrectly)...and chai , it had been raining the entire time on the island, the horizontal type...so a warm chai warmed the belly!

The Boat ride back....the start of teh 24 hr journey home

welcome to the Indian Monsoons
Deborah makes a new friend, introduction to guru from Punjab, proposition to sell jewelry in US, and a boat with no instruments.

The kind boat staff showed us to the driest seat on the boat, a wooden bench in center of boat. Deb and I sit on either side of Mukesh and settle in for our journey back to the 'mainland' .... the winds are blowing a bit of rain inside the boat, so the outside seats of boat are wet, but we three feel comfortably protected from the light rains.

1 hour later the boat departs, with incredibly low visibility, rains, and no communication or wooden ferry heads toward Mumbai. 1/2 across the sea another boat approaches us from behind, the drivers pull alongside one another to discuss where to go, neither uses intstruments to and from the island. Before deciding which direction to blindly steer the floating devices carrying, cold wet tourists and Indian nationals, winds start thrashing the boats. The crew tied the two rocking boats together, the winds blew rain horizontally from both directions drenching everyone. We are focusing on protecting cameras and cell phones, people are tossing me their purse to hold, the guy on the outside my bench holds the umbrella spearing off the direct onslaught of rain spikes in my face....deborah's friends are using her umbrella to protect the bench crowd from rains on the opposite end. The passengers group on the left side of the boat to avoid the heavy monsoon storm.

We sit in the middle of the sea for 30 - 45 min. and I got all religious....I said a little prayer to please get us back safely, I felt we were going to flip over and dump into the sea, I was planning which bench I thought would best float us back to land. We laughed before departure, "ha! this is my first gilligan's island experience" not so funny anymore...although Mukesh would make a great professor, Deborah - Ginger, and I could be....hmm, Mary Ann!! OK back to flotation devices to safe our lives, I then thought no, I have not been working out much lately or swam form months, better hope for boat to remain upright.

It does not clear up, but the winds do die down. We proceed...the young man next to me, wants to know '
what country' and tells me all about the glass jewelry he makes and how he needs me to sell it for him in the states. Can he have my email?

Deborah's new black compact umbrella is now lopsided because her new indian friend insisted on covering her head with the umbrella by bending and pulling the edges over her head. I thought I was going to break up a cat fight!

Mukesh is shown our Punjabi neighbor's guru's wallet size photos and told all the world record amounts of blood the guru coordinated in collecting to donate.

We dock, solid ground, 2 1/2 hours later .... but not at the Gateway of India, where the car is, rather they took us to a dockyard.

Hey Dude....Where is my car?
Buses are not running for another hour, the lone cab says his car does not work then speeds off ten minutes later. So we settle for some chai and biscuits (cookies) and set off on foot.

The rain is not so bad...kind of fun to get a little damp, stepping over puddles here and there, stopping to watch the fishermen sorting their catch. As we leave the entrance to the shipyard and ask for directions back to the gateway we enter the floods. The street drains are completely clogged and we are wading in Knee deep cloudy water. Men standing under awnings at nearby stores are yelling something in Hindi, as I step forward and my left leg goes thigh deep into the water. The men all laugh, I fell into a hole they knew about and I could not see....I really need to learn some Hindi.

A foreign couple are following us, they do not have umbrellas. Local Mumbaikers are walking with them providing protection from the rain with umbrellas or jackets. Traffic going both directions is at a standstill, the road is lined with shops and shanties. Young children are running and splashing in the water, cargo trucks packed full of men are hooting and hollering as we walk by, farangs out in the Monsoon, quite a sight.

Women and children are sitting in their shanties watching all the people and traffic swimming by. A man kindly invites us into their shanty to get out of the rain. Empty cabs will not pick up passengers in fear of the weight causing car to flood out, finally a man in a SUV picks up the 5 of us, Mukesh, myself, Deborah, and the French couple. Although traffic is moving at a trickle, it is a relief to escape the rain and end our wading session in mysterious murky waters (since the torrential tuesday, city health officials have been releasing health advisories , to alert people that did wade thru deep waters to see a doctor for meds, there is an infection from RAT URINE going around - yuck!).

We spent time chatting meeting our new french friends, trying to make cell phone calls, but the networks are all down. An hour or so later we ditch the hitch and decide we can hoof it the remaing Km back to the car. We stopped at a rest. to pee and grab a hot toddy and snack and wait out the traffic. So we do not sit in traffic driving home from town. HA!!

The 12 hr journey across mumbai

A typical drive, with rush - hour traffic can take at most 2 hours, 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour normally. As we are driving along the queen's necklace (sidewalk, streetlamp lined coastline in downtown) we see that the bus stands are packed, hundreds of folks are walking. Buses must not be running. We stop and offer a ride to a Muslim couple, deborah now has two more new friends! lucky her. Little did we know we would be spending the next 11 hours with our new compardres.

Traffic is slow going, one lane in many places to avoid the deep water on the sides, but it is moving. Along the roads streams of people are walking North, all trains, 'the lifeblood' of Mumbai, have stopped running and people are forced to walk.. As we near Bandra (half way point) traffic slows then stops about 2 AM, we along with thousands of other people turn off the car engines and sleep on Linking Road in Bandra for the next 5 to 6 hours in cars and buses.

After a few short naps with my face smashed up against the window, Deborah's head leaning straight back against the head rest and Mukesh sleeping in my lap and Deborah's new friends she can not communicate with falling over on her shoulder in their sleep I did some walking around, assessing the traffic and train situation. I had had it, Deborah and I decide to risk it and take the supposed 8 AM train and head home. We were wet, dirty, tired and hungry.

We stopped off for an assortment of Indian sweets, found a new one we liked Barfi! Rest. and shops are working by candlelight, all elec. is out. We had a little energy and headed to the station. I was afraid of trains being so packed b/c this is the first train running in past 12 plus hours.

We made it 2nd class ladies. Oh wow! exciting, we are headed toward the andheri station home sweet home, hot water showers, soap! food, some chai. thinking about all the things I have at home I can eat...left overs, I could boil some noodles, make some toast.....the train stops.

we did make 3 stations! but we are told there is a train in front of us stuck on tracks. We decide 10 min. later, ours is the next stop, we could jump out of the bogey -train car- and walk on the tracks. There were already hundreds of other people doing the same.

We were the entertainment for many, guys in train cars ahead, others on the tracks thought it was funny two foreigners were out walking on the tracks.It was not so bad. Made it back to the station, walked looking for a rickshaw, negotiated a price and jumped in with another man headed to Versova and were going home! We picked up one other Versova bound passenger along the way, both gentlemen were very nice we all shared our stories of being stranded. One had seen a dead cow floating in the water and decided not to wade waist deep anymore and find a vehicle to ride in.

There had been water's 10 feet height in this area, Andheri. We saw a jewelry shop owner scooping 3 feet deep water out of his shop. Our weighted down rickshaw parted to street seas as cars and people creeped thru the still 2 deep water in some places. Side roads had people walking waist deep. Neighbors were out to help direct traffic

Once back in Versova, one of the men riding with us paid our fare..and we were on the way to a shower. I stopped off at the chemist to grab some dettol (anisceptic) deb had a blister and we thought is would be wise to wash out all the street grime. Five minutes to a hot shower, I can't wait. As I open the door Deborah in her towel sadly tells me, no water or electricity. All power is shut off so water from the well can not be pumped up.

WHAAAA!!! Then I realized I had not only left Mukesh stranded in Bandra with two strangers in the car, I took his wallet, in a car that was nearing empty : ( and networks are still down. I am usually an optimist, but damn I was ready for this adventure to end.

I did meet some neighbors, a gentlemen helped me fetch some water with a bucket and rope from the well and this family invited us up for a warm drink and offered a bucket of their clean water. (oh yeah, most everyone uses gas, but I have a single "hot plate" electric eye, so no cooking or hot drink for us).

It turns out we were really very lucky, in the next few days, water and power was restored (we showered!!) but once you talked to others we realized our story was not that spectacular. But it did happen to us. I won't forget it.

Tragedy
From the papers and listening to others stories we learned about the numerous deaths drowning and landslides.
A man and his son drown in their car, could not get out because of water rushing in. In the slum areas walls collapsed trapping people, houses slid off sides of mountains, a school wall collapsed killing 9 children. In many of the slum areas there is standing water , breeding ground for water borne diseases.

My friends, Sanjana and Ajey, safely made it thru deep waters to their girls school and spent the night their with thousands of students and teachers. Neighbors brought sandwiches, fruit and drinks. They had to walk at least 10 miles in the morning thru deep waters to make it home.

I am thankful for my relative safe adventure and observing how a city pulls itself back together after a disaster like this. We are actually in Kerala now, visiting a college friend of Deborah's. We were scheduled to take a 30 hour scenic train, but they are all shut down until Aug 6th. After a 4 hour delay at the airport we finally took off for the south.

Kerela is beautiful and full of lush green trees. It was still raining when we left Mumbai, but I have heard it has quit since. So I am safe and sound...still alive, dry and loving India!

2005-06-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

tarkarli train - june 2005

2005-06-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

tarkarli bungalow - june 2005

2005-06-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

mawlorn village market - june 2005

2005-06-22T20:59:00.001-07:00

mukesh on Tarkarli train trip

2005-06-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

moi!

2005-06-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

sculptor working on GANESH statue - Tarkarli June 2005

2005-06-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have hairy ass, two horns and enjoy long peaceful walks on the beach

2005-06-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

tarkarli beach, India June 2005

2005-06-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

fisherpersons in tarkarli - morning catch

Monsoons are nearing

2005-06-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

Monsoon Mania is to drop from the sky any day now. All this anticipation is killing me, I keep asking folks what I should do to prepare. Will life go on in the city? The lane I stay on is very dusty, lots of gravel and places there is no pavement, I think it will be one big mud pit - put I am reassured that life continues. (note: I was told there may be one or two days that the entire city halts, trains and buses, like a snow day or something)

Some tips I have been given or comments about the rains:

buy an umbrella (ok that was easy)
rubber shoes (all I have with me are sandals and tennies)
have a spare pair of shoes at the office - I rotate to two different locations in the week
you will get soaked (oh my hair!) deal with it
....it is not that bad
"I love the rains"
everything turns green (this place is so beautiful and tropical already - I can not wait to see the difference)
train trips in the rain are nice
rivers fill and waterfalls are great to swim in

I was reading about monsoons on the net I read this ...."It is within these regions that the most vigorous and dramatic cycles of weather events on Earth takes place. " yeah!!

Did you know that there are monsoons in the US? "daily thunderstorms is often called the Southwest, Mexican or Arizona monsoon. It is also sometimes called the Desert Monsoon as a large part of the affected area is desert. As much as 70% of rainfall in the region occurs during the summer monsoon season"

I have a balcolny at my flat, should be nice to sit and watch the rains. I have quite a few books I want to read too, it is not like I have been spending so much time outdoors I will miss it, it is very hot the evening is the bearable time of day.

Went to a club this weekend, 7, fun - i love dancing and the bhangra is great. They play "Summer of '69" sometimes packed right in with techno, hip-hop, hindi movie music and bhangra. Many people start singing along....for some reason this really irritates me. Maybe it is b\c I was getting my groove on then the Dj brings the entire mood to another level. or is it b/c I secretly despise Bryan Adams? I do not know but it bothers me.

Clubs stay open until 1:30 if the cops are being attentive that night, otherwise the place rocks till 5AM. Wonder if the cops are just paid off some nights not others? After the club went for a late night bite at the JW Marriott. This place is full of the bollywood crowd. Several foreigners too. Actually, 7 had quite a few firangs as well, maybe b/c it is summer break in the states, i do not know if europe has a similar schedule.

Horn OK Please

2005-06-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Almost two months in INDIA, oh beautiful, hot, colorful INDIA. So what have I been doing? Not so different to what I may be doing in the states - saw STAR WARS. Way too much love and dialogue. I like the ewoks, what happened to them. Was nice to see all the CHUYs, okay I obviously do not know much about STAR WARS facts, no buff that is for sure.

Nice to see english movies once in a while, the Hindi movies I have seen at the theatre have not been too hot. Naina, a supposed horror flick, I needed translations only twice and I think I got the jest of the film. Most the crowd was laughing throughout. Did you know that many bollywood flicks are knock offs of hollywood? They have intermissions in films too and they do not sell candy. They do have veggie burgers. Lots of veg everything in India, you are really almost more outcast by eating meat. They even have vegan restaruants (miguel would love it)people that follow the Jain religion (an offshoot of Hinduism) do not believe in eating in a home or restaruant that has meat in the kitchen.

OK I saw another film, LUCKY, about an Indian in Russia and he saves the daughter of the Indian Foreign Service representative in Russia. NOT good! There are no subtitles so I need a willing translator or if I rent on DVD they have english subtitles. In India they have VCDs too, I think they skipped right over VHS. I do not really understand what a VCD is I know if you watch a movie it often has two to three discs, where a DVD would have one.

So, I am working with two NGOs now. AVNI, who I originally came here to work with, Sanjana's husband Ajey runs it (the name is AV - for Avantika and NI - Niharika their 8 and 7 year old daughters). The other is PSI - Population Services International - India, working on a CASE STUDY of their VCT clinics (voluntary counseling and testing). That is for HIV /AIDS, I have been into the red-light district here in Mumbai where girls are sold often, by their families into prostitution or kidnapped, many from West Bengal, Kolkatta area. They have a clinic smack in between the brothels.

M & W I take a bus (or rickshaw if I have the cash and running late) 15 - 20 minutes to the Andheri train station, then ride the infamous Bombay slow (local) - train about 20 - 30 minutes to my stop toward town. If I get on at the train that originates at Andheri station I can usually get a seat. Ladies come thru selling hair bows, ties, barettes, earings. Young boys with newspapers. Monday there was a lady selling lychees. (Gopa and I got a dozen for TEN rupees at the Vashi truck terminal, one of the PSI VCT clinic sites).

Oh the fruits! Mango season is about over but it was amazing, a dozen of the most delicious, sweet alphonso mangos for Rs 200 ( $4-5). I was eating them for breakfast, snack and desert (with ice cream).

Ok - back to what I do all week......T, TH and usually Fri I take a bus or rickshaw again to the Andheri station, but walk over the pedestrian bridge to the EAST side of the station. Then I walk up the street, past, chai shops, sari and cloth stores, electronic, hawkers of belts "yes, madam jeans - your size!" "yes madam, sunglasses, you need"

I walk about 1/2 mile, still do not understand the km thing, damn american system are we the only country in the world that uses it? To a municipal (government run) school where the AVNI office is. No, AC as of yet, but there are fans, by the end of the day I am toast, I need a nap, which I can sometimes get on my bus ride home!

In the evenings I have been walking at the local park with ROHINI (sanjana's sister in law) sometimes out with friends to bars, discotechques, or restaraunts. Folks eat here late, if you want to eat before 9:30 that is considered eating early. You might have a snack with chai upon returning home from work, like Vada Pav (pow) - a potato sandwich or paani puri (crisp hollow ball you crack open stuff with a potato mixture drizzle with some chutney and then the slightly flavored water aka paani), or I have been introduced to these other tasty snacks that are typical Gurjarti (the state north of Marharashtra, where mumbai is located) snacks. Pattcis (sounds like patties) - there is a bit of cocunut in them and other goodies in this small round ball of a snack you dip in a mix of chutneys. All the food at this Gurjarti place is veggie - so I can try anything without the worry I will be eating goat(mutton).

Discover Yahoo!
Find restaurants, movies, travel & more fun for the weekend. Check it out!

2005-05-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

jive dance contest - ashley and candy - April 2005

2005-05-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

jive dance champs!