I've put some more photos up on my online album
ya'll can access them from here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ninotchkasequeira/BlogPhotos#
or:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ninotchkasequeira
(or click on the title of this blog ("Photos!") and it should take you there as well.
I'll add an update sometime in the near future... but for now the pictures have some captions at the bottom.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
snatches
I visited the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) with a friend who was working there a couple weeks ago. It’s quite a special place. It is basically a boarding school for Tibetan refugee children, many of whom are either orphaned or who are attending the school because their parents can’t afford to care for them. The school is a large organization that houses all the children in a way that really feels like a village with kids singing everywhere and running around. The kids live in little dorm like homes where they have a head mother and where they learn to care for each other as the older ones are paired with the little ones in a buddy system. They also learn to cook for themselves and wash their own clothes, and at a very early age learn to become independent. It was quite a charming place to be. There are multiple TCV’s around India and I hear they have their share of problems with the quality of education etc that many other schools and education systems also have, but overall I think they do a pretty good job of maintaining the Tibetan culture amongst the next generation and developing a seemingly healthy community. I was hoping to get a job there but I'm not too qualified to cultivate the Tibetan culture which is of such priority due to its extreme repression in Tibet under Chinese occupation.
I’m still working on putting together a funding proposal for an organization. Eventually when I finish this proposal I will teach a couple of the staff members how to write up such proposals and the bureaucratic hoops one must jump in order to do so. That way the organization won’t be so financially precariously situated as they wait until another volunteer shows up and is able to write proposals for them. It sounds like the best way so far to navigate the knowledge and power politics between the east and the west when it comes to trying to care for people via ngos.
The director I’m working for is a really great guy. He’s staying in the same building as us that houses the volunteers. On Sunday it is his four year old daughter’s birthday and we have all been cordially invited. Apparently this is her first birthday celebration and it’s going to be a big one. I’m really quite excited.
The volunteer accommodations we’re staying in are pretty good. We have a bedroom with a little kitchen off to the side, however it isn’t functional as it has no stove or fridge etc. but the sink and counter space are handy. We’ve also got a private bathroom with an Indian style toilet. The hot water is solar generated so early morning showers aren’t an option unless I want a rude awakening. Thankfully our bathroom sink pumps out some luke warm water which is really an amazing blessing as the regular mountain water temperature freezes your hands solid by the time you’ve finished brushing your teeth –and some of the rooms seem to only get the mountain water for the sinks. It’s great to have such hot water especially when the weather is so cold and there is no central heating. We’ve bought a halogen heater and sit around it as if it’s a fireplace. Of course, the occasional time its cloudy or it rains, which it did for three days straight, we have no hot water at all. In addition, whenever it rains, you are guaranteed to lose power frequently. Power goes on and off at some point most days, but usually comes on pretty quickly unlike when it rains. We have a common kitchen on the third floor as well as a common living room and balcony. It’s been nice to get to know people from around the world and to have people to come home to. We have a variety of ages and locations represented from a retired couple from Arkansas to a just out of high school girl from Germany. Everyone’s been great and things seem to work together as we all navigate meal times around a two burner gas stove.
Tomorrow I plan to awake at the ungodly hour of 6 and walk about 30-45min to an area of carved out rock where monks great the sunrise with chants and prayers. Hopefully I wake up in time.
Earlier this week, what seemed like the entire city and part of the rest of the world attended teachings by the Dalai Lama. A sect of Russian Buddhists requested his presence and thus our tiny town played host to about 1700 Russians and additional people from around the world. It was a great opportunity. We sat in the lower courtyard where there was more space and watched His Holiness on the TV, but he made sure to walk past those on both sides of the courtyard when entering and exiting. The second half of his teachings that day was in Tibetan and we were told to bring an FM radio to tune into the various translations. However, with so many people translating at once, it sounded like they were all seated beside each other and it was often hard to follow.
Last week I went to a 5 day Introduction to Buddhism retreat which was quite an experience. The name of the organization is called Tushita and has about 155 monasteries around the world. What I liked so much about the retreat is that they really weren’t trying to convert anyone; it was truly about sharing their practice and spirituality, and about getting people to explore their own whatever it may be. It was primarily all in silence except for a one hour session in the middle of the day where we got into assigned discussion groups and answered questions that were designed to guide us through the teachings that we were given earlier that day.
We woke up at 6 every morning, had three 45min sessions of meditation throughout the day, the first one starting at 6:45am before breakfast, and the last ending at about 8:30pm before bed. We had two daily teachings on Buddhist philosophy and all had to pull their weight and take care of our stay somehow whether it be washing the dishes, cleaning the toilets, or dusting the shrine, -duties which we were all assigned on the first day. The food was delicious, simple and warm amidst the mountain chill. The monkeys were abundant and one actually attacked me after it thought I was being aggressive towards it as I stared admiringly into its eyes unknowing it would be taken the wrong way. I won’t do that again. It jumped right on top of my head and then off within seconds and completely stunned me until I regained my senses enough to flee in the other direction. They’re cheeky little buggers, not at all shy or scared, and even go after the dogs and tease them as they sleep. They are still quite a beautiful sight though.
On Monday I start teaching Indian slum children in lower Dharamsala which is about a 45min walk down hill and either a lengthy and tiring walk back up, or a treacherous nauseating bus ride up the winding cliffs. I’m not sure which one I’ll frequent yet. I don’t know much about the organization other than it was started by a Tibetan monk a while back and the school is set up in a tent. I haven’t seen anything yet and will become acquainted on Monday. I said I was eager to join as this is (from the little I know thus far) what I have been looking for job-wise, but I was told by the co-ordinator to hold on until I see everything before I join. Hopefully she is just being cautious and it won’t be any more demanding than the last time I taught street children in Mumbai.
I'll post come general pictures of India up when I get a better internet connection.
adios
I’m still working on putting together a funding proposal for an organization. Eventually when I finish this proposal I will teach a couple of the staff members how to write up such proposals and the bureaucratic hoops one must jump in order to do so. That way the organization won’t be so financially precariously situated as they wait until another volunteer shows up and is able to write proposals for them. It sounds like the best way so far to navigate the knowledge and power politics between the east and the west when it comes to trying to care for people via ngos.
The director I’m working for is a really great guy. He’s staying in the same building as us that houses the volunteers. On Sunday it is his four year old daughter’s birthday and we have all been cordially invited. Apparently this is her first birthday celebration and it’s going to be a big one. I’m really quite excited.
The volunteer accommodations we’re staying in are pretty good. We have a bedroom with a little kitchen off to the side, however it isn’t functional as it has no stove or fridge etc. but the sink and counter space are handy. We’ve also got a private bathroom with an Indian style toilet. The hot water is solar generated so early morning showers aren’t an option unless I want a rude awakening. Thankfully our bathroom sink pumps out some luke warm water which is really an amazing blessing as the regular mountain water temperature freezes your hands solid by the time you’ve finished brushing your teeth –and some of the rooms seem to only get the mountain water for the sinks. It’s great to have such hot water especially when the weather is so cold and there is no central heating. We’ve bought a halogen heater and sit around it as if it’s a fireplace. Of course, the occasional time its cloudy or it rains, which it did for three days straight, we have no hot water at all. In addition, whenever it rains, you are guaranteed to lose power frequently. Power goes on and off at some point most days, but usually comes on pretty quickly unlike when it rains. We have a common kitchen on the third floor as well as a common living room and balcony. It’s been nice to get to know people from around the world and to have people to come home to. We have a variety of ages and locations represented from a retired couple from Arkansas to a just out of high school girl from Germany. Everyone’s been great and things seem to work together as we all navigate meal times around a two burner gas stove.
Tomorrow I plan to awake at the ungodly hour of 6 and walk about 30-45min to an area of carved out rock where monks great the sunrise with chants and prayers. Hopefully I wake up in time.
Earlier this week, what seemed like the entire city and part of the rest of the world attended teachings by the Dalai Lama. A sect of Russian Buddhists requested his presence and thus our tiny town played host to about 1700 Russians and additional people from around the world. It was a great opportunity. We sat in the lower courtyard where there was more space and watched His Holiness on the TV, but he made sure to walk past those on both sides of the courtyard when entering and exiting. The second half of his teachings that day was in Tibetan and we were told to bring an FM radio to tune into the various translations. However, with so many people translating at once, it sounded like they were all seated beside each other and it was often hard to follow.
Last week I went to a 5 day Introduction to Buddhism retreat which was quite an experience. The name of the organization is called Tushita and has about 155 monasteries around the world. What I liked so much about the retreat is that they really weren’t trying to convert anyone; it was truly about sharing their practice and spirituality, and about getting people to explore their own whatever it may be. It was primarily all in silence except for a one hour session in the middle of the day where we got into assigned discussion groups and answered questions that were designed to guide us through the teachings that we were given earlier that day.
We woke up at 6 every morning, had three 45min sessions of meditation throughout the day, the first one starting at 6:45am before breakfast, and the last ending at about 8:30pm before bed. We had two daily teachings on Buddhist philosophy and all had to pull their weight and take care of our stay somehow whether it be washing the dishes, cleaning the toilets, or dusting the shrine, -duties which we were all assigned on the first day. The food was delicious, simple and warm amidst the mountain chill. The monkeys were abundant and one actually attacked me after it thought I was being aggressive towards it as I stared admiringly into its eyes unknowing it would be taken the wrong way. I won’t do that again. It jumped right on top of my head and then off within seconds and completely stunned me until I regained my senses enough to flee in the other direction. They’re cheeky little buggers, not at all shy or scared, and even go after the dogs and tease them as they sleep. They are still quite a beautiful sight though.
On Monday I start teaching Indian slum children in lower Dharamsala which is about a 45min walk down hill and either a lengthy and tiring walk back up, or a treacherous nauseating bus ride up the winding cliffs. I’m not sure which one I’ll frequent yet. I don’t know much about the organization other than it was started by a Tibetan monk a while back and the school is set up in a tent. I haven’t seen anything yet and will become acquainted on Monday. I said I was eager to join as this is (from the little I know thus far) what I have been looking for job-wise, but I was told by the co-ordinator to hold on until I see everything before I join. Hopefully she is just being cautious and it won’t be any more demanding than the last time I taught street children in Mumbai.
I'll post come general pictures of India up when I get a better internet connection.
adios
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dharamsala: Week one
so, we're finally here
I'm currently sitting in a upper scale cafe making use of the wi-fi. Upper scale here means that my Indian Thali -the simplest one (plate of rice, chapatis [Indian flat bread] dahl [lentils] and subji [vegies -this time potatoes]) is about 60Rs. Which is about maybe 20Rs and with about a 1/4 less of the amount that would be served at a more simple Indian restaurant. However, the wi-fi is included in this price. It's cold enough here that my fingers are freezing as I type. The music has changed from Jimi Hendrix to a Simian Mobile Disco and Justice song. I could be anywhere in the west right now.
It's much colder than I expected -about 25 in the day -but only in the sun, if you're in the shade you feel significantly colder, and about 5 at night. The buildings here don't have indoor heating so this winter should be interesting. I was in India last Christmas and Christmas day passed by without feeling like it had at all -the summer heat really threw us off, it just didn't feel right without the cold and the snow. So, I'm kind of excited to have this weather around for this Christmas and I'm stoked for pseudo turkey dinner now that we have our own place.
We had been staying in a room in a guest house for the past week. While it was a nice place we wanted a kitchen. I'll put some pictures up when we settle in. We just moved today so our two burner range isn't working yet, and we haven't any thing to cook on or eat from.
In the past week Jon and I took a course from a resident Rimpoche who taught a one week course on Calm Abiding Meditation. He teaches a different topic each week, and for an initial registration fee of about $5, you are able to attend all of the week long courses. Each session is 2hours a day. As the tourist season dies down and the winter holidays set in, much of the town shuts down. Unfortunately most of the religious lectures stop until March as well which is when they begin again after the Dalai Lama's lectures that mark the beginning of the Tibetan New Year.
We missed about 4 days of lectures that the Dalai Lama gave by about a week. Right now he is travelling to other parts of India and giving lectures there. His official home in exile is here though, so he will return sooner or later. The Tibetan exiled government resides here as well.
Dharamsala is so lovely precisely because of such a large Tibetan population. After being here for about 2 days I realized that I was sick of being in India and that I found this place so refreshing. Dharamsala is in India, but with such a large Tibetan population it dominates over the Indian presence. I guess I didn't realize just how tense I was living in Mumbai. As much as I love it, everything there is such a struggle. It is a luxury to realize how much of a struggle it is. A luxury most can't afford when you have chosen to live it. So I think in a lot of ways, I got used to how things are there and blocked out the frustrations which in many ways maintains your sanity. At least mine. It's relaxing to be here.
This past week I have attended two talks from Tibetan refugees on their stories about living in exile. One of them was from a monk with his doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy which he studied here in India for over 18years after he escaped from Chinese occupied Tibet. He was a political prisoner in Tibet prior to his escape as he protested in a rally and was quickly and immediately rounded up and imprisoned for almost a year. Severely mal-nourished, tortured and beaten, when he was released he was forbidden from any work what so ever, and was followed 24/7. After a while he escaped over the mountains by foot to Nepal and then again to Dharamsala in India. After being here for some time he found out that his brother in Tiber had been rounded up in connection to his departure and imprisoned for 3 years. His brother ended up dying in prison after a year due to unknown causes. Most probably, he died under torture.
Life in Tibet under Chinese occupation is strictly and severely oppressed. Tibetan culture, lifestyle and religion is intensely being wiped out. People are not allowed to follow Tibetan practices -if someone is caught with even a picture of the Dalai Lama they face immediate and unquestioned imprisonment. Children grow up not knowing anything of the Dalia Lama and think him to be a mystical legend. The traditional Tibetan nomadic life is being displaced as people are rounded up and placed into mini concrete settlements in the middle of no where, where they can not find jobs and make livelihoods for themselves. Military presence is wide spread and heavy with many inside informants. Chinese people are trucked in and resettled in Tibetan land as well as given priority for jobs, land etc. forcing the Tibetans and their lifestyle and culture out.
Many Tibetans come here in search for a better life. The monk's story is very similar to most other Tibetan refugees. Most are not prepared for the long haul over the mountains to Nepal and onwards to India and thus arrive with well developed frostbite or already hastily amputated limbs. Dharamsala serves as the final reception point for thousands of refugees each year and thus there are a lot services and organizations here to address their needs. There are many english classes, computer classes, child care opportunities etc for volunteers to fill in. Yesterday I got a chance to put my arts degree in International Development to some use as I started to write and edit a funding proposal for a local NGO. It's good to feel useful as well as to put my degree to use, but by the end of my first two hours of work I was already riled up with anger at the injustice of the whole "humanitarian aid" system. I won't get into it here. I probably will at some point as a means of release, but not just yet. Plus, I just finished writing my thesis on it so it's all still pretty theoretically and passionately embedded in me still.
Last week we went to two Tibetan music performances. One was by a contemporary Tibetan rock band which was a crowd pleaser and much fun. The other one was mostly an open mic at a local ngo around an open fire where man Tibetans performed traditional Tibetan songs (much to the glee of onlooking monks from a balcony near by) while others rapped or sang parts of songs like the Black Eyed Peas. Many foreigners joined in as well (including Jon) and it was delightful and welcoming.
We have met some really lovely people from all over the world, including a Chavista (spelling? Hugo Chavez supporter) who plans to head over and learn some more as he poses as a naive tourist. He's an avid bird watcher so he has a viable alibi prepared for his recording devices as he travels around to such places as Guinea to check out other occupied lands and peoples.
'till next time
I'm currently sitting in a upper scale cafe making use of the wi-fi. Upper scale here means that my Indian Thali -the simplest one (plate of rice, chapatis [Indian flat bread] dahl [lentils] and subji [vegies -this time potatoes]) is about 60Rs. Which is about maybe 20Rs and with about a 1/4 less of the amount that would be served at a more simple Indian restaurant. However, the wi-fi is included in this price. It's cold enough here that my fingers are freezing as I type. The music has changed from Jimi Hendrix to a Simian Mobile Disco and Justice song. I could be anywhere in the west right now.
It's much colder than I expected -about 25 in the day -but only in the sun, if you're in the shade you feel significantly colder, and about 5 at night. The buildings here don't have indoor heating so this winter should be interesting. I was in India last Christmas and Christmas day passed by without feeling like it had at all -the summer heat really threw us off, it just didn't feel right without the cold and the snow. So, I'm kind of excited to have this weather around for this Christmas and I'm stoked for pseudo turkey dinner now that we have our own place.
We had been staying in a room in a guest house for the past week. While it was a nice place we wanted a kitchen. I'll put some pictures up when we settle in. We just moved today so our two burner range isn't working yet, and we haven't any thing to cook on or eat from.
In the past week Jon and I took a course from a resident Rimpoche who taught a one week course on Calm Abiding Meditation. He teaches a different topic each week, and for an initial registration fee of about $5, you are able to attend all of the week long courses. Each session is 2hours a day. As the tourist season dies down and the winter holidays set in, much of the town shuts down. Unfortunately most of the religious lectures stop until March as well which is when they begin again after the Dalai Lama's lectures that mark the beginning of the Tibetan New Year.
We missed about 4 days of lectures that the Dalai Lama gave by about a week. Right now he is travelling to other parts of India and giving lectures there. His official home in exile is here though, so he will return sooner or later. The Tibetan exiled government resides here as well.
Dharamsala is so lovely precisely because of such a large Tibetan population. After being here for about 2 days I realized that I was sick of being in India and that I found this place so refreshing. Dharamsala is in India, but with such a large Tibetan population it dominates over the Indian presence. I guess I didn't realize just how tense I was living in Mumbai. As much as I love it, everything there is such a struggle. It is a luxury to realize how much of a struggle it is. A luxury most can't afford when you have chosen to live it. So I think in a lot of ways, I got used to how things are there and blocked out the frustrations which in many ways maintains your sanity. At least mine. It's relaxing to be here.
This past week I have attended two talks from Tibetan refugees on their stories about living in exile. One of them was from a monk with his doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy which he studied here in India for over 18years after he escaped from Chinese occupied Tibet. He was a political prisoner in Tibet prior to his escape as he protested in a rally and was quickly and immediately rounded up and imprisoned for almost a year. Severely mal-nourished, tortured and beaten, when he was released he was forbidden from any work what so ever, and was followed 24/7. After a while he escaped over the mountains by foot to Nepal and then again to Dharamsala in India. After being here for some time he found out that his brother in Tiber had been rounded up in connection to his departure and imprisoned for 3 years. His brother ended up dying in prison after a year due to unknown causes. Most probably, he died under torture.
Life in Tibet under Chinese occupation is strictly and severely oppressed. Tibetan culture, lifestyle and religion is intensely being wiped out. People are not allowed to follow Tibetan practices -if someone is caught with even a picture of the Dalai Lama they face immediate and unquestioned imprisonment. Children grow up not knowing anything of the Dalia Lama and think him to be a mystical legend. The traditional Tibetan nomadic life is being displaced as people are rounded up and placed into mini concrete settlements in the middle of no where, where they can not find jobs and make livelihoods for themselves. Military presence is wide spread and heavy with many inside informants. Chinese people are trucked in and resettled in Tibetan land as well as given priority for jobs, land etc. forcing the Tibetans and their lifestyle and culture out.
Many Tibetans come here in search for a better life. The monk's story is very similar to most other Tibetan refugees. Most are not prepared for the long haul over the mountains to Nepal and onwards to India and thus arrive with well developed frostbite or already hastily amputated limbs. Dharamsala serves as the final reception point for thousands of refugees each year and thus there are a lot services and organizations here to address their needs. There are many english classes, computer classes, child care opportunities etc for volunteers to fill in. Yesterday I got a chance to put my arts degree in International Development to some use as I started to write and edit a funding proposal for a local NGO. It's good to feel useful as well as to put my degree to use, but by the end of my first two hours of work I was already riled up with anger at the injustice of the whole "humanitarian aid" system. I won't get into it here. I probably will at some point as a means of release, but not just yet. Plus, I just finished writing my thesis on it so it's all still pretty theoretically and passionately embedded in me still.
Last week we went to two Tibetan music performances. One was by a contemporary Tibetan rock band which was a crowd pleaser and much fun. The other one was mostly an open mic at a local ngo around an open fire where man Tibetans performed traditional Tibetan songs (much to the glee of onlooking monks from a balcony near by) while others rapped or sang parts of songs like the Black Eyed Peas. Many foreigners joined in as well (including Jon) and it was delightful and welcoming.
We have met some really lovely people from all over the world, including a Chavista (spelling? Hugo Chavez supporter) who plans to head over and learn some more as he poses as a naive tourist. He's an avid bird watcher so he has a viable alibi prepared for his recording devices as he travels around to such places as Guinea to check out other occupied lands and peoples.
'till next time
photos galore
These pictures are in reverse order with the last of the Goa pictures at the bottom and the Dharamsala pictures at the top. Molly mentioned in her blog that if you want to see enlarge the pictures you can zoom into the page (ctrl +). You can also go to this link and view the album http://picasaweb.google.com/ninotchkasequeira/Kaleidoscope#
Here's a glimpse of the town rising up along the mountain. There are a few towns near-by, most get smaller and smaller the further you go. Finding a home took us a while because we wanted a room with a kitchen attached. Most of the guest homes here cater to short term stays so while there are rooms with kitchens available they are a little harder to find, especially for the cheap prices we wanted. Also, some of the bathrooms were down the hall from your room, which is fine, except that the hall is often the balcony that runs around the building (as you see in the picture above) which means that you have to go outside between your shower and your room. Not to appealing. Part of what made our search so time consuming was the fact that we had to navigate the maze of stairs and pathways that go up and down, up and down along the mountain. Also, being India, clarity is a luxury that is often lacking thus making much of the process hit or miss depending on who you asked for information.
This is the view from a roof top cafe/restaurant
you can just barely see the two snow peaked mountains in the back
Waiting for the train from Goa back to Mumbai with my Uncle. We all awoke at 4:00 in the morning to make sure we didn't miss this train scheduled to depart at 7am. It was a couple hours late in the end.
We got a little bored waiting. Natasha made a crown of leaves and Jon posed for the camera.
This is a water snake we found on the beach. He was about 3 feet long. In its mouth is its dinner, a fish. There was a crowd of people surrounding it trying to save it but not understanding what it needed and thus mis-handling it. From what I understand, it needed to be out of the water to digest its catch but was unsafe out of water as it had landed on a tourist stretch of beach. So people wanted to put it back in the water but in order to do so had to pull the fish out so that it wouldn't drown. What it really needed was to be left alone, but because people are ridiculous, it was unsafe for it to be exposed to humans on the beach. A couple people pulled the fish out of its mouth quite vigorously which tore the snake's mouth quite badly as the fish had some crazy spikes that pulled at the snakes mouth. Jon had gone to get a knife to do the same but hopefully more safely. The people didn't understand or wait. Both Jon and I got a little worked up about the mob mentality which was working from ignorance and pure force. In an attempt to get the snake back into the sea a guy used a stick to lift and fling it. His aim was far from good and the he ended up flinging the snake barely into the water, and then further up onto the beach. I managed to get him to stop after yelling at him and then stripped down and walked the snake into the sea until I was about waist deep. When I let him go into the water he started to sink lifelessly which freaked me out and made my heart sink, but then he peaked up and swam away.
This is the view from our balcony in Goa. The beach is just past the greenery.
I believe this is the paddle resting on the boat
I took this picture from a roof top cafe facing these two guest homes.
Between the cafe I am at and the homes across from me is a pathway that descends from one of the main roads on the mountain to the bottom of the valley.
Our home is at the bottom of over 200 stairs, a short veer to the left which avoids a mini crevice in the mountain, then downwards some more along a path with tons of mini loose rocks and tiny patches of grass which play host to meandering cows and goats. By the time you reach our room, you probably have walked the equivalent of an additional 100 steps or so. Should be interesting in the winter with the snow and frost.
Today, after moving into our new home (it has a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom), I walked up the stairs, alll the way up, got to my favourite road side bakery where I was about to order the first of my daily muffins until I realized that I left my wallet at home, all the way, down, the stairs. I felt even sillier when I realized that this was the day after I read Jon's blog which specifically mentioned that the stairs should help cure him of leaving his wallet at home...
Between the cafe I am at and the homes across from me is a pathway that descends from one of the main roads on the mountain to the bottom of the valley.
Our home is at the bottom of over 200 stairs, a short veer to the left which avoids a mini crevice in the mountain, then downwards some more along a path with tons of mini loose rocks and tiny patches of grass which play host to meandering cows and goats. By the time you reach our room, you probably have walked the equivalent of an additional 100 steps or so. Should be interesting in the winter with the snow and frost.
Today, after moving into our new home (it has a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom), I walked up the stairs, alll the way up, got to my favourite road side bakery where I was about to order the first of my daily muffins until I realized that I left my wallet at home, all the way, down, the stairs. I felt even sillier when I realized that this was the day after I read Jon's blog which specifically mentioned that the stairs should help cure him of leaving his wallet at home...
Here's a glimpse of the town rising up along the mountain. There are a few towns near-by, most get smaller and smaller the further you go. Finding a home took us a while because we wanted a room with a kitchen attached. Most of the guest homes here cater to short term stays so while there are rooms with kitchens available they are a little harder to find, especially for the cheap prices we wanted. Also, some of the bathrooms were down the hall from your room, which is fine, except that the hall is often the balcony that runs around the building (as you see in the picture above) which means that you have to go outside between your shower and your room. Not to appealing. Part of what made our search so time consuming was the fact that we had to navigate the maze of stairs and pathways that go up and down, up and down along the mountain. Also, being India, clarity is a luxury that is often lacking thus making much of the process hit or miss depending on who you asked for information.
This is the view from a roof top cafe/restaurantyou can just barely see the two snow peaked mountains in the back
Waiting for the train from Goa back to Mumbai with my Uncle. We all awoke at 4:00 in the morning to make sure we didn't miss this train scheduled to depart at 7am. It was a couple hours late in the end.
We got a little bored waiting. Natasha made a crown of leaves and Jon posed for the camera.
This is a water snake we found on the beach. He was about 3 feet long. In its mouth is its dinner, a fish. There was a crowd of people surrounding it trying to save it but not understanding what it needed and thus mis-handling it. From what I understand, it needed to be out of the water to digest its catch but was unsafe out of water as it had landed on a tourist stretch of beach. So people wanted to put it back in the water but in order to do so had to pull the fish out so that it wouldn't drown. What it really needed was to be left alone, but because people are ridiculous, it was unsafe for it to be exposed to humans on the beach. A couple people pulled the fish out of its mouth quite vigorously which tore the snake's mouth quite badly as the fish had some crazy spikes that pulled at the snakes mouth. Jon had gone to get a knife to do the same but hopefully more safely. The people didn't understand or wait. Both Jon and I got a little worked up about the mob mentality which was working from ignorance and pure force. In an attempt to get the snake back into the sea a guy used a stick to lift and fling it. His aim was far from good and the he ended up flinging the snake barely into the water, and then further up onto the beach. I managed to get him to stop after yelling at him and then stripped down and walked the snake into the sea until I was about waist deep. When I let him go into the water he started to sink lifelessly which freaked me out and made my heart sink, but then he peaked up and swam away.
This is the view from our balcony in Goa. The beach is just past the greenery.
I believe this is the paddle resting on the boat
Goa: the land of beaches
Our trip to Goa was lovely despite the fact that both of us took turns being sick for most of it. For those of you who have travelled in India, I'm sure you will empathize with us as you understand that being sick here is part and parcel of the game. We had a lovely time with my mom's side of the family. As a child I had heard stories of my uncle's political nature and boyish antics, but I wasn’t able to understand the context of those stories until Jon and I discussed and shared ideas of anarchist philosophy with my uncle. Let's just say that the stories I had heard about my uncle starting a bon fire in his youth specifically to burn all his official papers and documents (i.e. birth certificate etc), was given more meaning within the context.
We stayed in Arombol for the most part, which is a tourist beach town in Northern Goa. Phoebe, Winnie, Sophie and I stayed there briefly three years ago. This one is a personal note for them: Remember the fresh water lake across from the ocean that trailed into the wilderness of the jungle? We saw it just after the monsoon season ended and it has been reduced to about two thirds its size, with many more cafes and lounge bars around it. It made me sad to see it like that.
We stayed in a guest house facing a field and then the beach, which was a two minute walk away. We were in Goa just as the tourist season was beginning and picking up speed so we were able to enjoy the remainder of nature's peace and quiet before all hell broke loose and commodities dominated the scene as they are marketed everywhere from the roadside to the beach itself which becomes covered and claimed by various enterprises. The water was deliciously warm, the sky magnificently clear, and the heat, ohhh the lovely heat. I'm writing this from Dharamsala in the Northern portion of India, where sadly, the heat is a distant dream as I sit in my woollen socks with the view of the snow capped Himalayas in front of me.
So since this internet connection is ceasing to be dodgy the rest of the pictures will have to wait for later. I'll rearrange these and add more when the internet decides to co-operate
In the meantime I hope some of you are satiated with the what is here
We stayed in Arombol for the most part, which is a tourist beach town in Northern Goa. Phoebe, Winnie, Sophie and I stayed there briefly three years ago. This one is a personal note for them: Remember the fresh water lake across from the ocean that trailed into the wilderness of the jungle? We saw it just after the monsoon season ended and it has been reduced to about two thirds its size, with many more cafes and lounge bars around it. It made me sad to see it like that.
We stayed in a guest house facing a field and then the beach, which was a two minute walk away. We were in Goa just as the tourist season was beginning and picking up speed so we were able to enjoy the remainder of nature's peace and quiet before all hell broke loose and commodities dominated the scene as they are marketed everywhere from the roadside to the beach itself which becomes covered and claimed by various enterprises. The water was deliciously warm, the sky magnificently clear, and the heat, ohhh the lovely heat. I'm writing this from Dharamsala in the Northern portion of India, where sadly, the heat is a distant dream as I sit in my woollen socks with the view of the snow capped Himalayas in front of me.
So since this internet connection is ceasing to be dodgy the rest of the pictures will have to wait for later. I'll rearrange these and add more when the internet decides to co-operate
In the meantime I hope some of you are satiated with the what is here
Jon reading on the beach by the path leading to our rooms,a temple in the background with some cows meandering along the beach
Some kids picking through the catch of the day
The lady waits while the fish are being removed from the netshe will be the one who sells them in the market
Fish entangled in the net-still flip flopping, slowly dying in the heat
the whole process laid along the beach-more nets being pulled out as the old ones are laid out to dry behind the men
(and tourists like myself standing and watching, trying not to get in the way)
The men pull the nets out by re-positioning these bamboo rods along the line,
they lean against the rods and walk backwards pulling the nets out
A restaurant shack on the beach -this calf walked in to sniff around-the owner started barking orders to the boy working the tables, telling him to get rid of the cow
the boy barked back about how he was indulging us as we took pictures
While this restaurant was further up from the beach, many are right on the beach,
sea creatures such as crabs sometimes scuttle past your feet under the table along with the zillions of stray dogs
Saturday, November 7, 2009
“I wanna dance with somebody.... I wanna feel the heat with somebodaaaayyyy” –Whitney Houston. Mumbai’s nightclubs:
We went dancing.
That’s right, I actually convinced Jon to come out dancing with me.
When I lived in Mumbai for 5 months, 3 years ago, I befriended a crew of people who loved dancing as much as I did and I became pretty well acquainted with the scene. It got to the point where we would frequent the bars and clubs 2, 3 times a week, and where, even though I was in a city of 18 million, I began to recognize people at the various clubs and even around random parts of the city.
I love the clubs in Mumbai. From what I can understand the scene tends to change according to the current political background in the city. Often times, clubs are shut down because they encourage too many scantily clad women to emerge, or noise curfews are imposed with vigour. Events like the 'terrorist' bombings in Mumbai last November (or December -I can't remember) put a significant damper on the night life and large gatherings. Our first night out dancing happened incidentally as we went out for dinner with an old friend (Denver) to a place called "Ferangi Paani" (literally translated as 'Foreign water') which was a restaurant much like TGIF or Ruby Tuesdays or Boston Pizza -the kind of place with an All-American decor plastered on the walls and within the menu. This place however quite out did those joints and was ironically much more successfully American than them. It is also more upscale. I ordered a pina colada and as soon as I finished it a waiter came by un-prompted with another one. We all looked at each other and the waiter with confused expressions until the waiter told me that it was a buy one get one free deal during happy hour -needless to say, the night got a little hazy after that. The place had a small stage and though it was a Monday night and thus relatively empty we still hit up the dance floor. We were surprised and admittedly nostalgically delighted when we realized that the music theme for the night was contemporary rock-pop-ish (though Somewhat old school according to standards back home) as they played songs ranging from Footloose to Linkin Park and, get this, even some Papa Roach. Reminded me of some good ol' junior high days.
Our next night out required some prior research. In an attempt to find a good club and event to go to, Jonathan and I spent a couple hours on the net and on the phone to numerous places. We eventually found a place called Blue Frog which was having a pyschidelic-trance night with a couple DJ's from out of town that we decided to check out.
The moment we put our coats on to leave for the club the sky opened up and it rained heavily for the majority of the night. (There were two weeks of heavy rain in Mumbai and other parts of India which occurred after the monsoon season and which caused massive flooding subsequently displacing about two million people and killing a couple hundred -I'm not positive about those numbers). Jon and I made it to the club relatively dry via auto-rickshaw, train then taxi, until we got about 100 meters from the door and were quickly drenched between the downpour and the massive puddles. (The drains here can't handle the amount of rain that ensues, especially when the tides are high are the drains are already flooded. So massive puddles or small ponds accumulate rapidly).
We entered the club with soaking shoes amidst Mumbai's young clubbers into a space seeped in the lure of modern art with tables and booths shaped in enclosed circular forms that gradually descended onto the dance floor. There were about 10 screens displaying various random pictures from traditional Indian dancers and images of people meditating to western cowboys and Charlie's Angle's silhouettes, that all pulsed to the beat. Entry was Rs500 each = $12.50 Cdn. (Some places refuse entry to stag’s –single men). And drinks were unfortunately amazingly expensive: about $16.50 Cdn for a double Screwdriver.
The dance floor was packed with enough Converse shoes to fill Gus's Pub back home, and enough high-heeled hoochie mamas to fill about an 8th of the Dome. The club was pretty amazing, definitely not like anything that would grace the Halifax night life, though probably something that could be found in Montreal. It was refreshing.
That’s right, I actually convinced Jon to come out dancing with me.
When I lived in Mumbai for 5 months, 3 years ago, I befriended a crew of people who loved dancing as much as I did and I became pretty well acquainted with the scene. It got to the point where we would frequent the bars and clubs 2, 3 times a week, and where, even though I was in a city of 18 million, I began to recognize people at the various clubs and even around random parts of the city.
I love the clubs in Mumbai. From what I can understand the scene tends to change according to the current political background in the city. Often times, clubs are shut down because they encourage too many scantily clad women to emerge, or noise curfews are imposed with vigour. Events like the 'terrorist' bombings in Mumbai last November (or December -I can't remember) put a significant damper on the night life and large gatherings. Our first night out dancing happened incidentally as we went out for dinner with an old friend (Denver) to a place called "Ferangi Paani" (literally translated as 'Foreign water') which was a restaurant much like TGIF or Ruby Tuesdays or Boston Pizza -the kind of place with an All-American decor plastered on the walls and within the menu. This place however quite out did those joints and was ironically much more successfully American than them. It is also more upscale. I ordered a pina colada and as soon as I finished it a waiter came by un-prompted with another one. We all looked at each other and the waiter with confused expressions until the waiter told me that it was a buy one get one free deal during happy hour -needless to say, the night got a little hazy after that. The place had a small stage and though it was a Monday night and thus relatively empty we still hit up the dance floor. We were surprised and admittedly nostalgically delighted when we realized that the music theme for the night was contemporary rock-pop-ish (though Somewhat old school according to standards back home) as they played songs ranging from Footloose to Linkin Park and, get this, even some Papa Roach. Reminded me of some good ol' junior high days.
Our next night out required some prior research. In an attempt to find a good club and event to go to, Jonathan and I spent a couple hours on the net and on the phone to numerous places. We eventually found a place called Blue Frog which was having a pyschidelic-trance night with a couple DJ's from out of town that we decided to check out.
The moment we put our coats on to leave for the club the sky opened up and it rained heavily for the majority of the night. (There were two weeks of heavy rain in Mumbai and other parts of India which occurred after the monsoon season and which caused massive flooding subsequently displacing about two million people and killing a couple hundred -I'm not positive about those numbers). Jon and I made it to the club relatively dry via auto-rickshaw, train then taxi, until we got about 100 meters from the door and were quickly drenched between the downpour and the massive puddles. (The drains here can't handle the amount of rain that ensues, especially when the tides are high are the drains are already flooded. So massive puddles or small ponds accumulate rapidly).
We entered the club with soaking shoes amidst Mumbai's young clubbers into a space seeped in the lure of modern art with tables and booths shaped in enclosed circular forms that gradually descended onto the dance floor. There were about 10 screens displaying various random pictures from traditional Indian dancers and images of people meditating to western cowboys and Charlie's Angle's silhouettes, that all pulsed to the beat. Entry was Rs500 each = $12.50 Cdn. (Some places refuse entry to stag’s –single men). And drinks were unfortunately amazingly expensive: about $16.50 Cdn for a double Screwdriver.
The dance floor was packed with enough Converse shoes to fill Gus's Pub back home, and enough high-heeled hoochie mamas to fill about an 8th of the Dome. The club was pretty amazing, definitely not like anything that would grace the Halifax night life, though probably something that could be found in Montreal. It was refreshing.
Our Last Weeks in Mumbai.... and a glimpse into the call centre phenomenon
Alright, alright.
So it's been forever since I've written and here it all is finally.
For those of you who dislike periods of silence and then long detailed entries, I intend to write more frequently from now on, but have also decided to break up the following entries into sizable chunks for you.
With Pictures.
I might not get to labeling the pictures today, so check in again and I will explain them in due time.
First, our extended last weeks in Mumbai:
Borivili -a northern suburb in Mumbai where I was born
The infamous Banyon Trees
-their roots creep downwards from their tall branches
until they plant themselves into the ground.
-Jon's picture.
me getting restless as Jon takes picture after picture of the tree...
I'm holding onto the roots
p.s. This is in downtown Mumbai
While we were both going a little crazy with boredom we managed to take in some family time, a couple nights out and a play at the National Centre for Performing Arts. The play was called "1-888- Just-Dial-India". It was a clever comedy that exposed the power relations between Western and Indian culture where Indians strive to be more and more like the west, and where the west depends more and more on India for various outsourcing. The play was about an Indian business man who decides that the next wave of business genius is to outsource America's suicide hotline to India. The play touched about key points such as North America's self-absorption, ignorance and righteousness and India's willingness to abandon its culture and be more like the west, and relationships for consumption and glitz. The play also displayed underlying issues of how global politics in the form of a saviour called "globalization", are spearheading cultural disintegration and Western imperialism through the dissemination of western culture in various insidious forms. Suffice to say, the play was clever, hilarious and both Jon and I enjoyed both the political nature of the script and the talent of the 6 performers.
India’s IT Industry –a glimpse into the politics of race, identity and consumption:
To give you a sense of the politics behind the so called Information Technology (I.T.) industry in India and the call-centre phenomenon, here is an excerpt from an interview of Arundhati Roy (the author of The God of Small Things) in her book The Shape of the Beast, from her chapter on "Development Nationalism" (pg 89-90):
The journalist asks:
Arundhati Roy replies:
Of course there is much more to this issue, but I think the excerpt above points to some key issues surrounding the advancement of corporate globalization and how it is affecting racial, cultural, relationships. This is a prime example of how social structures such as our jobs act as factors that contribute to the re-orientation of identity. Like Roy says, the fact that call centre employees are required to pretend to be American in order to provide customer service to America and other western countries, says to Indians that they aren’t good enough, that they aren’t desired. This industry significantly perpetuates racial hierarchies. Not only are Indians told what not to be, but they are told what they should be: Western. But the scary thing is that this relationship does not end in the economic sector. While it may literally pay to be more western in relation to the job market, the entire world is constantly told via mass media outlets such as movies, advertisements, the news, global politics, etc that your entire life will improve if you embrace and pursue a western lifestyle.
Do you know what one of the highest selling commodities is in India? Skin whitening creams. Not only are they sold anywhere and everywhere, but they are made accessible even to the poor by the availability of smaller, cheaper, pocket-sized sachets. If you need any proof of mass media that encourages the pursuit of Western culture check out Bollywood. Bollywood is the name given to the massive Hindi film industry which, (according to the Lonely Planet 2005 edition, pg 69) is the largest film industry in the World. The World. If you look at the actors and actresses in the industry you will quickly see that all of them are very, very fair skinned –almost even white. I have yet to see a fairly brown skinned actress let alone a dark skinned one. And I’m not exaggerating, I bet if you asked any local Indians who frequently watch Bollywood films how many dark skinned actors they’ve seen, I’d be surprised if they even said one. So is it a surprise that skin whitening creams are such a hot product when the largest film industry in the world religiously employs fair skinned actors?
Be sure to market to all consumer groups...
And that’s just Bollywood. What about all the other social practices that perpetuate this racial hierarchy? And what about the numerous other things that are changed and lost in the pursuit of self-identification and happiness through Western lifestyles?
“The recent IT boom and outsourcing of overseas industries to India has given birth to a new breed of Indian yuppie... According to a recent survey, these young professionals (many in their twenties and unmarried) are ditching traditional spending patterns (eg for household goods and retirement) and spending a sizable chunk of their incomes on more hedonistic pursuits such as dining out at fancy restaurants” (Lonely Planet, 2005, Pg. 60).
(Gasp. Is it really true? Is the generation of rabid consumerism a by-product of this phenomenon?)
What about how this changes social relations between parents and children, family structure? Will this generation of ‘yuppies’ be as willing to take care of their aging parents as their parents once were of their grandparents (in a society where social care services such as those for the elderly are almost non-existent and those that are, are inaccessible to most of the population because they can’t afford it)?
ok, ok, that's the end of my rant.
So it's been forever since I've written and here it all is finally.
For those of you who dislike periods of silence and then long detailed entries, I intend to write more frequently from now on, but have also decided to break up the following entries into sizable chunks for you.
With Pictures.
I might not get to labeling the pictures today, so check in again and I will explain them in due time.
First, our extended last weeks in Mumbai:
We ended up staying in Mumbai longer than expected for a couple reasons. First, we stayed a week or so longer as we needed to re-do our tattoos at the original Tattoo parlor that initially did them as they were going to do the touch-ups for free. (I'm referring to the small identical wedding bands on our fingers that Jon and I had intended to do in Canada). But as Jon's took longer and longer to heal we decided that we would leave for the South West state of Goa (where my mom's family lives and which is also known as the vacation state for both international and domestic travelers as it has some beautiful beaches) and return to Mumbai to get our tattoos done and then onwards to Dharamsala. Tickets proved difficult to get to Dharamsala so we were delayed further in Mumbai.
Borivili -a northern suburb in Mumbai where I was bornThe two vehicles on the far left and right are auto-rickshaws
for those that haven't seen them before
for those that haven't seen them before
The infamous Banyon Trees
-their roots creep downwards from their tall branches
until they plant themselves into the ground.
-Jon's picture.
me getting restless as Jon takes picture after picture of the tree...I'm holding onto the roots
p.s. This is in downtown Mumbai
India’s IT Industry –a glimpse into the politics of race, identity and consumption:
To give you a sense of the politics behind the so called Information Technology (I.T.) industry in India and the call-centre phenomenon, here is an excerpt from an interview of Arundhati Roy (the author of The God of Small Things) in her book The Shape of the Beast, from her chapter on "Development Nationalism" (pg 89-90):
The journalist asks:
"India Today, a weekly magazine, has a fairly large circulation. It recently had a cover story entitled 'India Is Now the Electronic Housekeeper of the World'. General Electric, American Express, Citibank, AT&T and other US corporations are shifting what they call their back-office operations to India. It's called the fastest-growing industry in India, and the workers are mostly young women. Many are hired to answer customer service questions for US customers. They might be on the other end of the line when I want someone to look up the balance on my credit card account or when Avis telemarkets a cheap vacation package to San Diego. They take on American names and American persona's and tell jokes in American English. The people who are in favour of corporate globalization say this is a great thing. These girls would not ordinarily get jobs, and now they have an opportunity to earn some money. Is there anything wrong with that argument?"
Arundhati Roy replies:
"The call-centre industry is based on lies and racism. The people who call in are misled into believing that they are talking to some white American sitting in America. The people who work in those call centres are told that they're not good enough for the market, that US customers will complain if they find out that their service is being provided by and Indian. So Indians must take on false identities, pretend to be Americans, learn a 'correct' accent. It leads to a psychosis. One way of looking at this is to say, 'These people at least have jobs.' You could say that about prostitution or child labour or anything- 'At least they're being paid for it.' Their premise is that either these workers don't have jobs or they have jobs which they have to humiliate themselves. But is that the only choice?"
Of course there is much more to this issue, but I think the excerpt above points to some key issues surrounding the advancement of corporate globalization and how it is affecting racial, cultural, relationships. This is a prime example of how social structures such as our jobs act as factors that contribute to the re-orientation of identity. Like Roy says, the fact that call centre employees are required to pretend to be American in order to provide customer service to America and other western countries, says to Indians that they aren’t good enough, that they aren’t desired. This industry significantly perpetuates racial hierarchies. Not only are Indians told what not to be, but they are told what they should be: Western. But the scary thing is that this relationship does not end in the economic sector. While it may literally pay to be more western in relation to the job market, the entire world is constantly told via mass media outlets such as movies, advertisements, the news, global politics, etc that your entire life will improve if you embrace and pursue a western lifestyle.
Do you know what one of the highest selling commodities is in India? Skin whitening creams. Not only are they sold anywhere and everywhere, but they are made accessible even to the poor by the availability of smaller, cheaper, pocket-sized sachets. If you need any proof of mass media that encourages the pursuit of Western culture check out Bollywood. Bollywood is the name given to the massive Hindi film industry which, (according to the Lonely Planet 2005 edition, pg 69) is the largest film industry in the World. The World. If you look at the actors and actresses in the industry you will quickly see that all of them are very, very fair skinned –almost even white. I have yet to see a fairly brown skinned actress let alone a dark skinned one. And I’m not exaggerating, I bet if you asked any local Indians who frequently watch Bollywood films how many dark skinned actors they’ve seen, I’d be surprised if they even said one. So is it a surprise that skin whitening creams are such a hot product when the largest film industry in the world religiously employs fair skinned actors?
Be sure to market to all consumer groups...And that’s just Bollywood. What about all the other social practices that perpetuate this racial hierarchy? And what about the numerous other things that are changed and lost in the pursuit of self-identification and happiness through Western lifestyles?
“The recent IT boom and outsourcing of overseas industries to India has given birth to a new breed of Indian yuppie... According to a recent survey, these young professionals (many in their twenties and unmarried) are ditching traditional spending patterns (eg for household goods and retirement) and spending a sizable chunk of their incomes on more hedonistic pursuits such as dining out at fancy restaurants” (Lonely Planet, 2005, Pg. 60).
(Gasp. Is it really true? Is the generation of rabid consumerism a by-product of this phenomenon?)
What about how this changes social relations between parents and children, family structure? Will this generation of ‘yuppies’ be as willing to take care of their aging parents as their parents once were of their grandparents (in a society where social care services such as those for the elderly are almost non-existent and those that are, are inaccessible to most of the population because they can’t afford it)?
ok, ok, that's the end of my rant.
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