Ok… So where have I been for the last couple days?- Out in Jabalpur.
I went to the state of Madhya Pradesh with my aunty and stayed in the city of Jabalpur for about a day but then stayed in Ranjhi for longer. Ranjhi is about 30 minutes from Jabalpur and it is not very very city like but it is still developed. I thought I would be bored out of my mind because I didn’t know anyone here and I was only staying at the convent where nothing was going on, lol . Little did I know God had much more in store for me…
One of the sisters at Ranjhi was showing me around the convent and the convent school which had not opened yet. Right next to it was a school called St. Gabriel’s Secondary School run by the Brothers of Montfort. For some reason, this school had opened early, so as we were roaming the school campus, I saw that class was in session. My aunty had come along to visit Brother Mani, the principle of St. Gabriel’s who had worked with the sisters before. I ended up asking him if I could come and interview some of the children here and he was all for it!
The following day I came to St. Gabriel’s not knowing what to expect. Brother Mani, (one of the coolest guys ever) showed me around campus. As a principle he must have been really busy, but he took out his day to educate me about the Indian School System. He is so down to earth and the kids LOVE HIM! I mean this was really an unconventional principle- no doubt.
Now, about the everyday life of an Indian student- it’s like walking into a WHOLE NOTHER WORLD! I got to see the daily morning assembly where the kids stood outside on the campus field in military lines. They were divided by class and sections. FYI: (This is not a military school, all schools in India have this morning assembly procedure)- It is a system adopted from the British school system. Just on a side note, this school is made up of Pre-K all the way up to 12th grade. It is normal for schools throughout India to have all the grades learn, in ONE school. Although, the very little children are slightly separated from the older ones. They have a separate building and a separate assembly.
So during the assembly, the children standing in straight military lines, face the stage of the school. The children chosen to conduct the assembly (there are different children who conduct the assembly each day) stand on the stage and conduct the “ceremony”. Everyone is directed by the color guard. When he says “ATTEN’ HUT!,” all the children stomp their feet and straighten their lines. Once the color guard gives them the motion to proceed, the children on stage conduct the assembly by stating some words of inspiration and a famous quote for the day. Then another child gives a story for the day. The MORAL of the story is then explained to all the students. Afterwards, they called out birthdays for the day. Students who had their birthday on this day would be called up to the stage and receive a small gift from Brother Mani. All the children who came up to receive their birthday gift touched Brother Mani’s feet so respectfully (This is an Indian custom). Then a prayer song would be sung which I found to be amazing, because all the kids were really into it! Finally they would say the Indian Pledge of Allegiance and finish up by singing the Indian National Anthem. The color guard would say a final “ATTEN’ HUT!” and the students dispersed to their classes. This is an English Medium school so everything was conducted in the English language.
During break time the kids just wander through the open space where they have the assembly and talk to friends and eat snacks. I came back at around that time and Brother Mani once again escorted me through the campus. We stopped over at one random group of children who I got to interview. I really didn’t know what to expect because most high school students don’t really know about the topic of the globalization (so I thought). I asked them to define and describe globalization and how it was affecting India: they gave me such groundbreaking ANSWERS! I was simply blown away! These 11th graders were SOOOOOOOOO FREAKING SMART!
I mean I think if you asked any 11th grader in the USA about what globalization is they would just look at you as if you came from Mars. I mean, most have not a clue about what is going on in the world! I didn’t get to talk to the students for too long because the break was so short, but I told them I would be touring some of the classes and that I would see them later. Immediately, all of them were like “Didi, Didi, come to our next class, come to OUR class!” FYI: (Didi means older Sister). So after the break, I toured the school more and Brother Mani dropped me off at their Physics Class. Oh God, just my luck, I hate Physics lol! But none the less, it was great to see how everything worked. As Brother Mani and I walked into the Physics class, all the children (11th graders) stood up and said “Good Morning Brother Mani” FYI: (This is also an Indian custom- when a teacher or a superior approaches you, you stand up and welcome them).
It was so beautiful to see this because yes, the kids do this out of obligation and custom but at the same time these children REALLY respect their elders. I kept comparing this experience to my school experience in the states. I mean it is NOTHING close to it!
I find that many students in America expect the teachers to respect THEM. If a random problem occurs at school, the students or the parents of the students get on the teachers back like it’s no body’s business. Here in India, if something goes wrong, the parents ask the children, “What did you do to disrespect your teachers?!” I remember back in grade school I had this really really mean Math teacher who couldn’t teach for her life. On top of everything, Math was my least favorite subject. One day I was at home doing my homework and really got frustrated with my Math equations. I told my Dad that I could not solve the problem because my teacher did not teach me properly. UMMM …. uh’OH… that was a big NO NO… almost immediately, my father began scolding me on how the teacher should never be blamed. The students who are much younger- do not know how to listen properly, and therefore it was my fault for not paying attention in class. Lol…HAHA! Yeah…. back in the day I used to be mad scared of my Pops… but now we chill…. Lol
So my conclusion to this topic: In America it is the teacher’s fault WHILE in India, it is the student’s fault.
So yes, the kids did eventually sit down after greeting us, and here I began my Physic class. To say that I was SOOOOOOOOOO LOST is simply an understatement. I had no IDEA WHAT THE HECK was going on!!! I don’t even think I learned what they were learning when I was in 11th, it was way too advanced! Finally as Brother Mani and I were leaving the class, the students again stood up and said “Goodbye Brother Mani, God Bless You” – all in unison- and then they said Good bye to me too “Goodbye Didi” they all said together… I was like these kids are OFF THE CHAIN!
On a side note-If you haven’t gotten it by now, in the Indian custom, you call everyone either Uncle, Aunty, Bhaya (older brother), Didi (older sister) or Beta (child)- even if they are not related to you. It is something that is ingrained in the society. This comes in very handy when you forget people’s names lol!
So during the second break, the children and I arranged to meet after school at 2pm. At this point I felt comfortable enough to move around on my own so Brother Mani, peaced out… So I came back at 2pm but there were very few 11th grade girls who stayed after hours. I forgot that I also used to go back home right after school, but a group of boys that I interviewed from the 11th grade previously, stayed for an hour so I could talk to them. None of the girls got to stay for that long, which I was kinda bummed about because obviously girls get into trouble more and they had to go home immediately. But none the less, talking to these boys was a phenomenal experience. They were soooooooooo full of life and had so many stories to tell me. We talked about school, we talked about religion, we talked about Obama lol.
Again on a side note: I would like to say that in India, most of the good schools in the country are Catholic Schools; this is not my bias speaking- this is really a FACT. Catholic schools have the best rep. here as top-notch because they have been here for many centuries (This is due to European missionaries who came centuries ago to India and also obviously due to British Imperialism).
Even though it is a Catholic School, most of the students are from religions that are NOT Catholic. Most are Hindus and then there is a good amount of Muslims and different types of Christians as well. So the boys and I talked about religion and the caste system and all. Even though the government has banned the caste system it is still really ingrained in the society’s culture. Of course it is not so great in the cities now but it is still a BIG problem. The boys were telling me that inter-caste marriage cases like bride burning cases that you hear on the news are not exaggerated; they are REALITY.
Then we naturally fell into the topic about girls lol, It was so hilarious hearing their perspectives on girls their age. The boys were telling me that Arpit, one of the boys who was in the group, had a girlfriend. He was sooooooooooo denying it thought. I asked Arpit who she was and all the other boys were like, it’s that girl you met in the Physics class etc… it was soooooooooo hilarious! The boys kept calling him “Baterbāag” meaning “flirt/playa”. It turns out he flirts with every girl that he sees lol but he was really denying it. He went on telling me, “Didi, Didi, don’t listen to them, they’re lying!”. So some of you might be wondering why, Arpit would deny that he has a “girlfriend.” In India, “girlfriend” or “boyfriend” means that you have a CRUSH on someone, it DOES NOT mean you are a couple. I asked the boys if the girl liked Arpit back and they said they were not sure and then told me to ask her tomorrow. At this point Arpit was like “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don’t ask her Didi please!” lol.
So…We moved on to talk about how the school system runs and how the kids like it here at St. Gabriel’s. I asked them “Are you all united here?” I mean “Is there a cool crowd here and an un-cool crowd there?” and they immediately responded “No, No, No, nothing like that. All of us are united!” I was so surprised to see and hear that! I mean in the US, everyone is always separated into clicks and no one really knows the names of others. I mean even in college, I know I have classes with people that I see all the time but I have no idea what their name is. Yeah, that’s pretty sad.
So these 11th graders knew all the 12th graders and all the 12th graders knew all the 6th graders and so on and so forth. They all knew each other’s names, they all could call on each other if they needed help etc… no division. Even though they were all different religions they had no divide. They told me that they do not agree with the fanatics of the country who try to convent each other or try to wipe out other religions. Throughout my trip here in India, I came to learn that the BJP- The Bharatiya Janta Party persecutes Christians. They have been winning in the political campaigns that have been taking place in India. In the convent, I hear a lot of stories about burned churches, killing of Christians etc… Brother Mani, also told me about his experience in Kashmir. He was in Kashmir for 3 years and he told me about the constant gun shots, violence and murders that happen each day between Hindus, Muslims, militants, political parties etc… He was there in the time when the militants had just arrived. It is simply amazing to see that even though all this extremism happens in their nation, the children here are against all this radical and fundamental thinking. Instead they unite together in friendship.
While I was talking to the 11th grade boys, there was one little boy that stood out. He was actually in 8th grade but he was so small that he looked like he was in 6th grade. He was with the 11th grade group of boys which I was talking to, the WHOLE time. Not a single one of the older boys had a problem with the little one staying in the group, they introduced him as “Kuldeep, our friend.” At first I assumed that he was someone’s brother tagging along with his older sibling, but I was so surprised to find out that they were just friends regardless of their age difference. It turns out that little Kuldeep hangs out with one of the boys in the group named Ronak (11th grade). These two are always together like Siamese twins lol. The irony of it all is that Ronak is like 6 feet (+) tall and Kuldeep is like 4 feet lol. So when you see them together, they are quite the phenomenon lol!
Knowing that all these guys were real united and kewl with everyone in the school, I then asked, “can you guys gather a group of 12th graders for me tomorrow? I need both boys and girls to interview from the 12th grade class” they were like “Sure, Didi, no problem.” ----------THEY were sooooo on point!
This is what is amazing about the Indian society. Everyone knows everyone else and there is no separation into clicks. In America, it is quite the opposite. Everyone is part of a click even when you try to be an individual... this separation in American culture includes the Indian population in America. Though many of us are united in that special Indian way while living in the states, we are at the same time divided. This occurs because that is an aspect of the American culture gently placed into the Indian Culture which we have accepted as a norm. So I guess in the states, we as an Indian society are absorbing both cultures, both sides, but I wouldn’t say that there is a good balance. I feel as though the American side of it overpowers the Indian. In fact you can also see that the stand-offish and click-ish social behavior is seeping into India--- as it is becoming more modern, more developed and more western. You can especially see this in the cities such as Mumbai.
So finally, we moved onto the topic of Obama. (I just want to clarify to my Father- THAT I DO NOT SUPPORT ANYONE IN THE RACE RIGHT NOW) (Ok so I know that I was supporting Hilary in the beginning then I was like “Go Obama”, for a while, but now I’m just confused… so no Dad- I do not support anyone right now ok?) K, good, I’m glad that is clarified.
As we all know, the whole world is tuning into the U.S. presidential elections and most “OF THE WORLD” supports Obama in terms of Nation-States. I asked the boys who they supported and of course they said Obama and I asked why? They said because he will be a great change for the country and the international political stage etc… but the most HYPED answer they gave me was that Obama carries a key chain of Hanuman (a Hindu God) with him wherever he goes. I knew and read about this before but I didn’t realize that it held such political leverage in India. The boys told me that the Indian government has decided to make a 2 foot, 15k gold statue of Hanuman and present to Obama as a gift. The BBC states: “The two-foot tall, 15kg gold-polished, brass idol has been made as a present for Mr Obama because "he will be good for India if he becomes the next president," according to Brij Mohan Bhama, leader of the group.” Check out the article for more info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7468662.stm I was then later told by the 12th grade class that when Obama gets scared or nervous, he begins to chant Hanuman’s name for protection. I was like … really? Well I don’t know if all this is true, about him praying to Hanuman, but … last time I checked; in America, he was titled as a Christian but his middle name is Hussein so people knocked on him and called him a Muslim and then half way across the world in India, he is seen as a Hindu. So that was just crazy INTERESTING to see how differently each society perceives things. It also shows how the Media has enough power to bend information the way they want.
All politics aside though, I could really care less what religion you are, just do what’s good for humanity please…
I mean it would just really be great if we stopped blowing things up… how about we start there…
So chilling with the kids was by far the greatest experience I had during my India trip. The 11th grade class is like no other class I met during my time there. I learned a lot from them. They were so excited to meet me and I was so excited to meet them! I was really really really sad when I had to leave. We all exchanged contact information so I hope we keep in touch, maybe they will land up in the states one day, who knows? Most of them told me they want to go abroad. One thing is for sure tho… I WAS SOOOOO DEPRIVED AS A CHILD FOR NOT GOING TO Indian School!!!!!!!!!!! I know I went when I was really little, but I don’t remember anything…. Mummy and Papa- WE ARE HAVING A SERIOUS CONVERSATION WHEN I GET BACK lol!
p.s.- Jabalpur is famous for marble so I got to see the marble rock tourist place. Pics on facebook as usual- please see the pics of the KIDS!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059828&l=b21f0&id=26808006
So I've been cut off from civilization for the last couple days- went off to the state of Chattisgarh, in the village of Baisacar. The experience was pretty... AWESOME! Ok so the train and bus ride was not so amazing, but… it was certainly interesting. I mean, I’ve been on the Indian train before, but very few times during my visits to the country. I was so scared that I would miss my stop, because in India they don’t call out the times or cities. The trains stop for a minute at a stop and keep on going. I kept asking the uncle next to me if we had reached Chattisgarh or not lol. A little while later he told me that we were almost there. So I was so ready- can you picture me looking out the window- ready to jet out? I was waiting waiting for the Raigarh stop. Haha- little did I know that “ALMOST THERE” in India means AN HOUR AND A HALF AWAY. Lol!!! Once I reached the city of Raigarh (My transfer stop in Chattisgarh) I took the bus to Baisacar. Someone was here to pick me up so I had no worries at that point. Again, traveling in India is very difficult. The bus rides are usually always smushed with people to the point where you can’t breathe. Luckily I got a window seat and stuck my head out of it most of the time.
After the 10 hour train ride and the 6 hour bus ride, I finally reached the village of Baisacar. I was staying there in the convent as usual and it was located really IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. Right before I stepped into the little house, I looked around and literally saw NOTHING around me; just vast amounts of green land, green hills and a few trees. All I could here were crickets. It was soooooooooo SUREAL. There is nothing like living in the village because there is no sound pollution, no air pollution, no nothing. I mean yeah I hardly ever had electricity and absolutely NO internet service, but living in the village was SO SIMPLE, away from commotion.
The lives of people here are taking place as if it were 200 years ago. They live in mud houses or cement houses and their roofs are made out of hay or clay brick. All their water supply is taken from the rains or through in ground wells. In this way they do not have the problems that the slums are having. In fact the village life is much cleaner because it is so simple. The people here plow the fields using their cattle rather than using tractors. Tractors are CRAZY expensive so if they want to use it, they will have to rent one from the nearest town rather than try and buy one.
Since I was living in the convent I had a sturdy building to live in with running water, but very little electricity. So I visited a couple villages during my stay here and they welcomed me with flowers, songs, and dance. One village even washed my hands! That was really interesting and so kind. I was really overwhelmed with all their giving. They will give the little that they have to those who come to visit them. If you don’t take what they give you, they will feel bad, so even though I felt bad for taking mangos from them, I took them anyway.
I watched one group of women make the herbal treatment for Malaria. Then another village held a Self-Help Group Meeting while I was there. These Self-Help Group meetings are somewhat like women empowerment programs. Each woman in the village collects 10 rupees from their daily wages. Then, these savings are collected and recorded at their bi-monthly meetings. Once the money is pooled together, they raise enough to help the community as a whole. This means they can use money to buy more cattle, use the money to start a small market shop etc… The women in the villages are THE ONES sustaining the communities. Through the micro-investments that they organize, they are truly advancing their community development. As I stated before, these groups are empowering women in ways that they have not been able to do before. They are now finding voices against problems like alcoholism and child abuse in their families. It turns out that Alcoholism is a big problem in these villages mainly because it is intrinsic in their culture to consume alcohol on a regular basis. They drink before the harvest, after the harvest, before dinner, after dinner etc… Most of the men I met during my trip to the villages were intoxicated, which was sad to see, but it is definitely a hurdle that they can overcome with MUCH MUCH EFFORT.
On my way to the second village, I saw the 2nd most poisonous snake in the world (the 1st is the cobra). Unfortunately I couldn’t take a picture of it, but it slid right in front of me as I was walking, suddenly the Sister I was with screamed and called out to the villagers that the snake was there. Immediately, one lady took a stick and smacked the head of the serpent and killed it. It was so stunning to watch all the commotion. Apparently, someone in the same village had died last year from a snake bite. I also go to see this huge BLACK scorpion. Yeah, they killed that one too. They told me that the small ones are more poisonous than the big ones though. Thank God I wasn’t killed by anything lol, but it was definitely exciting to see!
The next day I was off to the mountains, I was going there to capture deforestation in ACTION. My personal guide (Sister Greethi) and I, walked through many many rice fields to get to the nearest mountain. Just getting to the mountain took us half a day (in the village, you walk EVERYWHERE- even if it is miles and miles away). After we passed through the rice fields, we stopped in a house near the mountain and a little girl gave me some fresh sugar cane and Jammun (black berries) to eat. Once we began our journey once more, it started to POUR like CRAZZZY! It was so much FUN, because I got to dance in the rain! Even though I was totally soaked, the sun soon dried out our clothes. The little girl we met at the house joined us on our journey up the mountain and so we went far into the green lands (At this point I felt like a hobbit in the Lord of the Rings Series lol). We finally got to the top of the mountain, but… there was no deforestation to document, all I saw were people bringing down some wood on my way up the mountain lol. Turns out that some villagers cut wood for cooking food, building their houses etx… I was expecting something like big businesses exploiting the forest resources or something lol. Even though I didn’t find deforestation, the journey was definitely worth it because I saw, experienced and documented many things along the way. It reminded me of a quote I once heard: “Sometimes you find what you are looking on the journey itself, rather than at your destination.”
The following days I visited more villages as usual and I got to interview one man named Krishnan Uncle. He is from the village itself and he one of the few men that have taken on the struggle to get an education. He currently has a Masters in Administration and works for the ASA Association. The ASA Association is a Non-Governmental Indian Organization dedicated to saving victims of human trafficking. He explained to me that human trafficking of young women from the villages has been going on for quite a while but it has sharply increased during the last 5 years because of: GLOBALIZATION. He stated that there are two sides of the story. Firstly, many agents come to the villages promising young girls for a better life, a better job, money for their poor families etc… The Second half is that these young women are attracted to the city life style and the modern movements that are taking place. With these two factors in place, it is no surprise that our increased accessibility to information, communication and transportation allow human trafficking to increasing in Chattisgarh. The irony of it all is that on my way back to Maharashtra, I made a transfer in Raigadh where I encountered a group of young women and some young boys (possible agents) during my wait at the railway station. Sister Greethi explained to me that THESE were the ladies being taken by agents to Mumbai, where they are promised a better life. I decided to investigate further. Sister Greethi and I went up to them inquiring about their home villages, their destinations etc… The girls told us that they were going to Mumbai. One of the girls said that two of them were nurses and that the other girls were already established with some different job. Clearly they were lying because only one girl out of the group spoke on behalf of the others. Another girl had her head down with a scared look on her face. Then we went to interrogate the two boys who were sitting at a small distance from the girls. Sister Greethi asked “What are your relation to these girls?” one responded, “They are my sisters,” then I asked “Which one is your sister?” he looked surprised and with a delayed reaction and a shaky smile he stated “Ehh all of them.” This confirmed it for us: they were clearly lying. These girls were being transported to Mumbai for a life that they truly did not expect. It was really disheartening to see. Groups like these you will only find in places like Raigardh because these young women are coming straight from the villages.
In Raigadh, I also had the opportunity to interview the manager of the Jindal Steel Company. Jindal is the #1 Steel Company in India and it has factories all over the world. It was kewl to interview the manager and his assistant of such a big company cuz I got really god intervies, but what I didn’t understand is that when I entered the HUGE factory, I saw that there were gardens built inside it. I mean they say that they are a great company promoting the advancement of India through infrastructure etc… (which no doubt they are), but their inner gardens make no sense. I mean, I’m telling you, it was a HUUUUUUUGE Factory which obviously is increasing air pollution- you can see it in the pictures- but then they have gardens INSIDE the factory. I mean it makes no SENSE! First of all, the factory is closed off, and it has MAXIMUM Security, so no one can get inside unless you work there. I knew someone who knew the manager so that’s how I got in. Then as you’re driving around inside the factory, there are gardens- I MEAN BEAUTIFUL GARDENS with signs and quotes that promote environment safety things like “Keep your environment clean, it is the world we live in” and “The world has enough resources to fulfill man’s need but not man’s greed.” Etc… Can someone please tell me what is the point of building gardens INSIDE the factory that pollutes the environment? I mean who is going to walk in it?- The workers who are working??? The common people can’t even access it because the factory is closed off… ummm, I’m really not getting this. On top of that, I found out that the roads that Jindal builds are roads they get paid to build. The government PAYS them for building roads because it is part of the “development” of India. CAN YOU BELIVE THAT! On top of it all, these roads are used PRIMARLY BY the JINDAL company itself, because they are the ones transporting the resources to and from the factory to other places. The roads they have built in Raigarh are PATHS from the factory to places like the iron fields (where they get their natural resources). So it’s really crazy how business work. It’s a bunch of mind games and schemes. Masking themselves with quotes like “We help India grow and develop.” I mean no doubt they have helped and all (I MEAN I GIVE EM’ PROPS) but they are clearly “helping themselves grow and develop” more than they are actually helping the country.
Then… I had an interview appointment with the Mayor of Raigarh, but he stood me up. This is nothing new for a politician. By now, I have come to understand that in India, politicians ALWAYS stand people up. I have made quite a few appointments with a couple politicians and “them not showing up” have happened very frequently. But then again in India, there are no such things as appointments. People come and go, you’re lucky if you find people at the right time and place.
So during my stop in Raigarh someone took me to see this MEDITATION DUDE, called Satyanarayan Baba (Father of Truth). This man meditates the WHOLE day meaning, in the HEAT in the rain and at all times. He started meditating when he was only 12 years old. So when people found out about him, they built a Hindu temple around him. The temple opens at 6am and closes at 9pm, so for that whole time, he meditates. It is assumed that he freshens up and eats at night. Actually when we saw him, he was bent over. He looked like he was sleeping which I really think he was because his head was nodding back and forth (like when you fall asleep on the bus) but the man in charge of temple management told me he was in divine union with God. The Baba is said not to talk, he smiles though, rumor has it that he cut off his tongue but I really don’t know. At the temple I got to see a cobra… that was interesting…
My final interview in Raigarh was with an old Hindi Professor. He was one of the best interviews I EVER HAD! I mean, he knew soooo much and he spoke such eloquent English. The only problem was that during his interview (which was inside the house btw) there was a COW- Mooing in the background. Every five seconds- “MOOOOOOO” “The globalized econoMoooooooo, in our interdependent world proMOOOOOOOOOO…” lol, While I was taping him, I was thinking to myself NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Haha, Obviously the cow was outside, but it was so LOUD! N’ways, that’s life, you gotta deals with its little bumbs along the road…
So that was my experience in the village/Raigarh… Till Next Time
As usual- PICs ON FACEBOOK
For those who don't have Facebook, below is the public link...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058896&l=8c47c&id=26808006
To say that Nagpur is HOT is really an understatement. It is burning here… although once you get used to it, it’s really not that bad. This city is known as the 2nd Bangalore and is world famous for its oranges. Even though this is not quite the season for ripe oranges, I plucked a few sour ones which were JUST RIGHT for me! Haha, I love sour things =D If there is one thing I definitely miss about India while living in the states is just taking a walk and plucking FRESH fruits off trees. It bothers me that everything in America, even the fruits and vegis are all hormone induced. I mean the grapefruit and watermelons are ENORMOUS! And the fact that we get seedless watermelons in America is even more saddening to me because the watermelons are genetically altered to bear seedless fruit. The seed- the symbol of the beginning of life- is missing from the fruit. (Most of you know, I’m a very symbolic person, so yes, this does bother me lol) I mean granted, the watermelons are easier to eat if they are seedless, but half the fun is spitting out the seeds and aiming it at people lol! So moving on… Nagpur is located in the state of Maharashtra and the city is the dead center local of the nation. Since there are no surrounding waters, the summers are extremely HOT while the winters are extremely COLD (Burrrr). The language spoken here is Marathi, but everyone here speaks Hindi as well. It’s a developed city and still developing. There are so many things to see and do here!
Living in the convent is really interesting. I mean, the last time I washed clothes by hand was definitely 7 years ago, by the riverside at my grandparent’s house in Kerala. Even 3 years ago, when I was back in India, my aunt had a washing machine, so that time I got lucky. Here, we don’t wash clothes by the riverside, but in the sink (specifically for laundry)- It’s fun actually! What I love about India is that people are really hard working. Everything they do here is labor intensive and that’s why most don’t gain weight here even though they eat loads of white rice lol (p.s. Bush and Condoleezza Rice really are just idiotic (for lack of a better term) for making comments on the diets of the people of India and China). So moving on….
In India, and as far as I know in most countries, it’s all about walking. If I want to go to the nearby corner store or to the train station, walking is the best route. I mean lots of people take the auto rickshaws or their scooters too, but most people walk as well. The convent is really in the HEART of the city. So… having fun in the city is all within my reach. Right across the street is Kasturchand Park. It is a famous national forum. It is a LARGE, Vast space with a small forum type building in the center. Famous politicians and freedom fighters including Gandhi Gi spoke here during our struggle for independence. What was so cool is that, when I got here, the first day, there was a concert in the park. Me and the young nuns went up to the terrace of the convent and watched the concert from up high. It was so much fun! I was singing and dancing like anything. (RKTZ knows: member that day at the center?) There is simply NOTHING like live Indian music! What was even cooler is that some of the nuns were actually dancing with me. (I know that sounds totally weird) but really tho, these young nuns are SO DOWN TO EARTH like NO BODIES BIZZZZNESS!
One thing I definitely struggled with when first arriving here, was sleeping in this GOD FORSAKEN heat! The first couple of nights I would sleep for about 4 hours and then wake up at 3am or 2am because the heat would wake me up. I would just stay up starring at the ceiling or force myself to read something even though I just read the same sentences 100 times over. Eventually I found out that most people sleep up on the terrace, so I ended up sleeping soundly once I got the message haha! I have come to meet a lot of people here on my trip. I met this one lawyer (Philu Aunty) who is a poverty advocate. She took me to a slum village called Sangam Nagar. I mean yeah, the slums are pretty bad to see, no sewage system, no clean water etc… but most of the people I saw were happy with their lives. (I was expecting very depressed emotions)- I mean I never thought of it too deeply, but for us, when we hear the word slum we automatically think of those sad infomercials about poverty stricken children or something- Although the standard of living is extremely low, many of those in poverty here seem to not WANT to get out of the slums. Philu Aunty explained to me that once you live and grown up in chronic poverty, there is a mentality attached to it. Firstly, slum dwellers do not know or rather understand anything other than poverty, therefore there is a fear of the outside world that is progressing through education and development. Slum dwellers have a mentality to STAY in poverty rather than moving up because this life is all they have known (comfort zone) and this lifestyle MEANS something great to them (which I find so respectable). A friend of the lawyer- Jobi Chetai (Brother Jobi) is studying for his Masters in Social Work and I had the opportunity to interview him on the cycle of poverty as well. He stated that “Wheatear the poor here earn 30 rupees a day or 300 rupees a day, they will spend all of their money, here and now (meaning today) and not save a paisa (cent).” “There is no saving mentality here, only day to day living.” THIS is their lifestyle.
At this point I was so confused. I asked him, “then why do YOU want to help them if THEY don’t want to help themselves?” (I asked this question partly because I was so surprised to hear such a truth but also because at that point, I questioned MY reasoning for being here) He said: “Well, THAT is really a question.” He continued on to explain that, “they live in this cycle because they do not KNOW any better and do not understand what education can do for them. Even though progress in the slums is slow, we cannot say that change has not occurred. Now-a-day’s children are sent to school and stay in school, when before parents would not allow their kids to attend. (Parents may not allow their children to go to school because it means they have one less hand working, to make a profit) When children go to school, they are using time and making no monetary gains. Parents living in the slums would not send their children to school, rather make their kids work. This mentality is now changing because the slum communities are beginning to see the VALUE of education- thanks to helpers like Philu Aunty and Jobi Chetai.
In the slums the sewage systems are simply non-existent and this causes an array of problems. Most people here typically use the railroad tracks as their toilet. The right side is reserved for men and the left, for women. In the less populated area of the slums, people typically conduct their bowel right outside their house. Now, this non-existent sewage system causes a huge amount of health and community development problems for the residents. Because there is such a high level of waste in these villages, it causes a great amount of pollution which becomes air bourn. These health hazards are then severely increased when the monsoon season arrives. The monsoon season- the time of heavy rains- typically causes the lands to flood. When the lands flood, the large waste deposits then become a huge mush field. This is extremely unhygienic and results in more than just airborne health hazards for the community. This mush land will pollute the community’s very source of life- WATER.
Unobtainable and unclean water remains the #1 problem in the slums. Even before the monsoon, water is a serious hurdle, so you can just imagine what a disaster it must be when the rains hit. Almost all the time, the water in the slums are filled with pollutants and amebas. Even when the water is boiled, it is still not sufficient to drink without obtaining some type of illness. After living in the slums for so long, some of the residents have become immune to water illnesses, but many are still highly affected. Once the residents have an illness, they will have little or no money to go to the hospital or see a doctor, thus, poverty becomes more chronic because once they spend all their money on medical bills and prescriptions they will fall deeper into poverty (if that is even possible). This is why the cycle of poverty is eternal. One problem leads to another. Even though the government does make some effort to help out the slum communities, enforcing policies are terribly slow and as a result, the root problems are never fixed.
Filming in the slums is extremely difficult as well. While walking through villages, I simply cannot take the stench. A couple times, I’ve gagged my way through the villages because, monsoon season has almost arrived and as a result, the lands are already beginning to become a waste mush.
Then, there is another slum village that is facing quite a different problem. Here, illegal landfills have developed in the area. Some large companies have decided to use this small village as an area to dispose of their plastic wastes. This problem has been a great hazard to the community not only because it is a general pollutant and that is causes environmental degradation, but more importantly the cattle that the villagers own are eating the garbage and plastics, thus affecting the livelihood of the villagers directly. The cattle which these villagers own are what they call “mera jeeven” -“my life.” Their cattle are the world to them because they give them profit. For many residents cattle are the only way they make money and obtain food (milk). The illegal landfills and waste dumping that some big companies continue, are hazardous to the cattle. Many times, the cattle have become ill and died after eating from these plastic landfills. Philu Aunty is currently putting up a case against these companies.
While exploring more slums villages, I got to meet quite a few incense makers, carpet weavers, clothing weavers, cupboard builders etc… All these labors are truly being exploited by the globalizing market. Most whom I have interviewed here say that yes, globalization has some positive outcomes such as interaction of cultures, communication advancement etc… but the negative side effects are truly much greater than the positive. Almost everyone I ask, define globalization as the capturing of markets by the developed countries there by benefiting themselves by exploiting the developing or underdeveloped nations. For example, when I got to see the incense makers I was completely astonished at their pay rate. A couple women, sitting in one room, work ALL day making incense for which they get paid 10 rupees for every 1,000 incense sticks. WAT! 10 RUPEES? 10 Rupees is 25 CENTS! They make about 10,000 incense sticks A DAY. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? 10,000 INCENSE STICKS A DAY! Then when it is sold in the market, it is sold for 1 rupee per incense stick. So technically they should be getting 1,000 rupees (an equivalent of about $25) for every 1,000 incense sticks they make (my calculation does NOT include company profit or company self interest). Since the work is divided among the women in the room, each woman receives about 20 rupees a day to herself (50¢). To top it all off, the only thing the company provides them to MAKE the incense, is black burning powder. This means, they must first use their own money to get the incense sticks and then take time to make the black burning powder into a dough form so that it can be rolled onto thin wooden sticks. Not to mention that this powder is poisonous, so the fact that they get very little water + the fact that they eat with their hands results in another problem because, the soot gets into their bodies through both eating and inhalation. (See the pics)
So this example is proof that globalization IS creating a greater chasm between the rich and the poor. From this we can see that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Nagpur is really giving me a good scope on how globalization is affecting India and I have still more to write about.
Tomorrow, I will be going to Chattisgarh (Another state in India) I will only be there for 5 days and then return to Nagpur. But, I am going there to capture the REAL village life. Out in the wilderness with no electricity- FAR AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION, jk jk. So yeah I’m really going to the outskirts to capture the life of these villagers and to see how they are affected by globalization. I will thus, not be in contact with any of you for 5 to 6 days, but I will write soon about my experiences, once I return!
¡Hasta Luego!
p.s.- Pics on Facebook
For those who don't have facebook, below is the public link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058155&l=c900c&id=26808006
Yes, I came to India to visit family and friends and to see my beautiful country, but this is no ordinary trip back to the mother land. I have come to India on a mission. A mission to research the development of BROWN NATION lol jk jk. I’m here in Nagpur to investigate how Globalization is changing the face of the nation; particularly how poverty is increasing due to our increasing economic interdependence. Aside from doing research, I am also creating a documentary film and taking photo stills so that I can capture the effects of globalization through images. So I know some of you must be wondering how the heck some of my pictures come out the way they do, well… secretly…. I have this amazing new camera. Since I was doing this research, I needed a way to fund my project and God really blessed me with a grant which pretty much paid for all my media equipment and part of my travel expenses.
This whole project started really when I was back in high school as a Girl Scout. As a Scout you are asked to complete a couple different projects during your career. The last and most difficult task is the Girl Scout Gold Award Project which takes a huge amount of community service hours and months of planning. I decided I wanted to go international and help the children of my country get tools for an education. Education is quite simply a vital factor in ANYONE’S life. Whether that education is formal or informal, VALUE education makes all the difference in a human’s development.
So, I knew this priest (Father Cyriac) who was my uncle, had started a school in Bihar, India. Bihar is the poorest state in India with the highest rate of human and drug trafficking in the entire nation. The probability of children getting an education in this state is extremely low. Father Cyriac, on a mission to give these children an opportunity for an education built a school in Bihar. This is how, St. Xavier School became the target for my project, which I decided to called Book Bags for Bihar. I wanted to collect school supplies and raise money for these children because #1 they practically had no funding and #2 they didn’t have any real supplies to study with. So with the most generous help of my family, my GS troop and my community, we raised over $500 and received many school supply donations from Staples, Office Max, etc… Then my troop leader, who has such good connects, got a bunch of donated cloth from Joanne Etc. It was her idea to use this material to sew sling type book bags for these children. My troop and my Mama sewed 100 bags with such great skill =D! Once all the logistics of my project was over, I wanted to go over to Bihar myself and stay with the children there for a month or two, but unfortunately, my parents would not let me because the state is very dangerous and at that time, I was only a junior in high school. My parents and I decided I would go once I was in college. So, I ended up sending everything with my aunt who delivered everything to St. Xavier School. The children were ecstatic Father Cyriac told me, and I was so excited that they were happy. Once I got the final letter from Father Cyriac I got some ironic news. (I kid you not, this is soooo God’s will) It turns out, the city in which I sent the supplies to, was called Sini. I mean HOW crazy is that??? Sini is fairly an uncommon name in Kerala, let alone in North India! After all this, I just couldn’t wait till I was in college to go see the children, but only a year later, I found out that the school closed down because the area was getting too dangerous.
After high school, I went into college, not knowing what I was going to do with my life (not that I know now lol). I ended up talking to one of my aunts who was a nun in Nagpur, India (I know, my family has these crazy connects with the Catholic Church lol!). I told her I wanted to work with children and education and the funny thing was that her convent conducted programs that did just that, and more, including women empowerment programs. So we decided I would come to India and take on this endeavor. Initially, I was just going to take photo stills and conduct a little observation project in Nagpur, but half way through my sophomore year, I started connecting the dots in my head and began forming a loose research mission concerning globalization and poverty; particularly how poverty is growing in developing cities i.e. Nagpur. Once I started to apply for a grant, this little project became a whole ‘nother story. It developed into something called a SERIOUS research project and it was then, that I decided I wanted to film a documentary. I did not know how it was going to be done, and as I sit here now, I still don’t know where everything will lead (I’m even thinking about changing my hypothesis), but I trust that God will work everything out.
So here I am in Nagpur, in the grueling heat of the summer months at 47°C (116.6°F) WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING, trying to do this crazy project out in the field where people are dying of heat strokes. THIS- I never imagined. Most of the time, I just sit here thinking to myself HOW THE HECK DID I END UP HERE! Lol! I came at a time of climax heat, called Nauthapa (9 hottest days of the entire year). Funny how that worked out, but I am having the time of my life and LEARNING SOOOOOOO MUCH!
I am staying with my aunt who is a nun, so obviously I am staying in a convent, but most of the time, I am out in the field exploring new things! I’m also starting to gain a real respect for the nuns here at the provincial house (The Indian Head Quarters of the St. Joseph Sisters). The provincial house is top notch, meaning ALL the latest facilities are here. They have Western style toilets (FYI the Indian style toilets are the ones with the hole in the ground, no seats), they have the best computer service here in Nagpur (although the internet is SUPER S-L-O-W) etc… The only thing is that there is no AC lol, but that is practically standard in all households all over India. So these sisters do more than just pray for the rest of their life, I mean yes, they pray a lot A LOT, lol, but really tho, they do so much organizational, managerial and NGO work that IT IS CRAAAAZY! Most if not all of the sisters, are busy with some type of project each day wheatear it be finances, slum development programs etc… And these women are SOOOOOOO EMPOWERED AND EDUCATED. All of them speak a minimum of 3 languages including FLUENT English, and I have interviewed a few of them already about their opinion on globalization and they are SOOOOOOOOO KNOWLEDGABLE! I’m learning a lot from them.
There is so much more I want to tell you guys about my experiences here, so many encounters I have had on the streets… but this I will have to save for another blog as you can see this one is getting quite long………..
Till Next time!
Hey ya’ll!
I know I haven’t written in quite a while, but both Shimla and Kerala had very limited internet service. My blog would not load up most of the time so I could not post. I am in Nagpur now and have many stories to tell you about my experiences here, but before I do, let’s recap…
Shimla was simply awesome. Even though I was only there for a few days the experience was definitely memorable. It was very difficult coming up the mountain because all the turns along with the bumpy ride was so nauseating, but it was soon over it. It was my second time in Shimla, I had visited there 7 years back and not much has really changed. It is more populated and more developed but in terms of any major change, it still looks the same. Shimla is in the north of India, in the state of Himachal Pradesh (as you can see by the state name, it is named after the Himalayas). Shimla is filled with mountains, so I got to live on the mountains for a couple days. The weather is so nice in Shimla, very cool. It snows up here in the winter, but right now it’s spring and it’s one of those climates that is PERFECT to sleep in. It is the rainy season now TOO, so we got caught up in heavy droplets while we were shopping, quite a few times. Usually when it starts to rain, a few minutes later, it will start hailing like WOW! Everyone here waits for the rain to stop before they go outside again, you typically won’t see someone just walking through the rain with an umbrella in their hand like in the U.S. because the rains are SO HEAVY here. The language spoken here in Himachal Pradesh is Hindi, the national language. The people are so hospitable and polite too. Shopping is also the bestest in Shimla because you get really cheap prices when you compare it to the rest of India. You will not find poverty here really. It is a clean city with little pollution. They banned plastic here a couple years ago so as not to hurt the environment. (This doesn’t mean they don’t have plastic things, a lot of things are made out of plastic here but a couple objects are band). Evergreen trees are everywhere! It’s very beautiful. Since you are so high up in altitude, there is less oxygen. So when I was climbing the mountain (which was every 5 seconds because you have to go up and down, up and down, to get places) it can be a little difficult to breathe. All this climbing is certainly a workout lol! Another random fact- there are a lot of dogs here; Many stray ones on the streets, many owned by the natives here. It is believe by some Hindus that dogs ward away the evil spirits. There are also a good amount of Jains here in Shimla, meaning part of the Hindu sect of Jainism. They walk bare feet with a mouth mask on their heads (kinda like the ones surgeons wear). Jainism is a sect in the Hindu religion which believes in the peace of all things. They do not believe in hurting animals, plants, the environment or any living being. The reason they walk bare feet is so they will not step on an insect and the reason they wear a mouth mask is so that flies and other insects will not come into their mouth which may accidentally kill the living insect. So… they are obviously vegetarian, but I also heard that they are so conscious of living things that they even wait for the fruit to fall of a tree before they eat it. Which means they do not pick the fruit of the tree when it is ripe because they may feel it is disrespecting the living thing (but do not quote me on this, I’m not quite sure). So that was Shimla…
Then we were on our way to Kerala, India (The Motherland), but before that, we made a transfer in New Delhi for a day. We stayed at a convent where my family had some connects. So about 3 hours before our flight we were just about to leave for the airport and all of a sudden this crazy hurricane hit. I thought it would be Cyclone Nargis all over again. At that time also, it was when the earthquake in China had just hit. So this hurricane was definitely the craziest weather situation I had ever been in. The rain and wind were MAD as HELL. The trees outside were bending at a 90 degree angle and not even 5 minutes into the storm, the windows of the convent were breaking. THAT’S how strong the storm was. In a matter of about 20 minutes the storm was over but in such a small amount of time much damage was done. Obviously, our flight ended up being delayed , but thank God that we were all safe.
So I finally made it to Kerala, which was quite the climate change- humidity to the fullest baby. Kerala, known as God’s Own Country is the state of India where we Malayalis are from. The language spoken here is Malayalam. The word Mala meaning hill is how the people and language got their name. There are many high, high hills here with many, many green things. It’s like walking into a tropical forest/island. Coconut trees, mango trees, rice fields, pineapple fields- every kind of tropical green,-you name it, you can find it here. I was staying in Urazhaoor, in my Pemachi’s House (Mama’s older sister). Since she is such an AWESOME cook, I had nothing but AWESOMNESS FOOD! Idilee, dosa, chacka varathathe, kumblingya, chembengya etc… The only slight problem was that Urazhaoor is the village-village, so the nearest good internet was two hours away in Erankulam. The life in the village is very simple. There is much to be appreciated about this lifestyle because the people here take little for granted. I also got to visit my Papa’s place- Thoduvura. As most Malayalis know, when you get back to Kerala, all you ever do is visit family, shop, visit family, shop and then visit some more family. While visiting family you are always asked the SAME questions i.e. How old are you now? What are you doing? And once they find out that we are “ONLY” three sisters with no brothers, they look sadly upon us and say “aww, what a pity” or they have a surprised look and ask “anigale ille?!” (“No Boys?!”) So gender issues are still a huge problem in Kerala. When males are born, they are most certainly put on a pedestal, while females are kinda put on the back burner.
So we ended up going to Malayatour which is where you must climb up a huge hill/mountain. The mountain is where St. Thomas first came to India to preach the gospel. We can see the footprints that he left as a reminder of his evangelism. Malayatour was such a grueling experience in terms of climbing up the mountain. In such great heat and high humidity it certainly wasn’t a joy ride, but once we reached the top, it was so worth it! THE SCEANERY WAS AMAZING! (pics on facebook) Kerala is so ecologically rich that it makes you just want to stare at trees for the rest of your life lol. (ok, so maybe not for the rest of your life, but for a really LONG time, hehe J). So that was a great experience b/c it was my first time in Malayatour.
Something that annoyed me so much while I was there is that the development of infrastructure has made very little progress. I mean, some roads are better than before, but if India focused on building good infrastructure holistically, we would be so much better off. Some of the village roads are almost impossible to drive through, but if the correct roads were built, our traveling time would really be cut in half. There is something really ironic going on in India in terms of being “environmentally friendly.” You will see all the latest technologies that India is using is all environmentally friendly, but when you walk down the streets, people will open up some candy and simply throw the wrapper on the street. It makes me sad to see such occurrences because polluting our nation is only going to make things worse for us in the end, but what is even sadder is that there is a clear separation and distance between the government and the citizens. The people on top may be taking action (getting environmentally friendly products) to improve our standing on the international stage, but what are these politician and business men doing to help the citizens of their own nation? If you do not empower the people, intrinsic backwardness will certainly disease the nation. The government is not establishing programs to clean up all the litter on the streets nor enforcing laws that will penalize citizens litter, but they are investing in environment friendly technologies. “ARRAY, kya mathlab hai?!” “What is the meaning of all this (the irony)!”
Hope to write soon…
Check out pics on FACEBOOK =D
For those who do not have Facebook, the public link is below
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057152&l=72004&id=26808006
§ You are in the middle of the desert, so its smoking hot but NOT humid.
§ There are these things called “round abouts”. They are these circular roads which connect to main roads and you go into the circle from one road and then out of the circle when you want to take another route. They have them in France too, if you’re having trouble understanding what I’m talking about. I loved these “round abouts” because…. (only Aimee will understand)…. They remind me of our never ending driving sessions in those cul-de-sacs. LOL!!!
§ In America, the yellow light means go faster, but in Duabi, the yellow light means STOP! There are cameras EVERYWHERE! So don’t get caught =D
§ UAE currency is called Dirhams. 1 US Dollar= 3.66 Dirhams
§ When I walked out of the airport I looked around and said to myself “I’m definitely NOT in the Middle East, I’m in India.” There are sooooooooo many South Asians here. As I was walking around the city, I would over hear conversations which I actually understood. Everyone was speaking in Hindi and Malayalam (my native language). I was kind of disappointed because I felt like I was absorbing more Indian culture than Arab.
§ I met very few Arabs because it turns out that there is limited sociality between races here in the UAE. The Indians stay with other Indians, the Arabs stay with other Arabs, the Filipinos stay with other Filipinos etc… (This ethic separation sounds very similar… Seton Hall University anyone?)
§ What was so weird was that even the schools were separated too. Indians and Arabs have separate schools. No inter-mixing AT ALL!
§ Similar to America, a large part of the labor force are immigrants. In Dubai, what we call immigrants, they call EX-Factors. Unless you are a Dubai native you cannot get citizen ship and cannot buy any property, but they provide a 99 year visa with which you can buy a residence for a living situation ONLY.
§ About 60% of the UAE population are “EX-Factors”
§ Many female “Ex-Factors” from Indonesia come to the Middle East to take on jobs as maids in native households.
§ From my observations here in Dubai, I find that South Asians as well as Indonesians are seen as inferior races. These people are the working class. (This mentality is similar to the US mind set as well. That the large labor forces, for example: immigrant workers from Mexico, are seen by many as socially inferior) aka- CLASSISM.
§ Even though there is a significant amount of separation and institutionalized racism here, there was one experience that I found truly magnificent. The first event/place my family in Dubai took me after I landed here, was to Catholic mass at the largest Catholic Church in Dubai. Here, all peoples, from all different races, nationalities and cultures, gather to worship one God. There were Sudanese, Filipinos, Indians, Europeans, Americans etc…. On top of it all, the church so packed that people were standing so close to each other. It was simply amazing.
§ If you drink, drive, and get caught in the UAE, you pay a serious fine, you are put in prison for 3 years and your license is taken away FOREVEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!!! (Maybe they should enforce this policy in the states)ok… I’m just kidding =D
§ Tourism is awesome here! It is one of the great economic contributors to the UAE’s GDP (other than OIL). There is so much to see here and Sheikh Mohammed (Ruler of Dubai) has truly transformed the city from a desert to a CONCREAT JUNGLE!
§ The architecture is beyond my imagination. My cousins told me that if I were to see Dubai 5 years ago, you would not think that it was such a lavish and modern city. To continue on that path, one can see that in the next 5 years, the city is going to undergo even more transformations as well. It’s the new global HOT SPOT!
§ Burj Dubai (the tallest building in the world) will open next year.
§ Burj al Arab is the only 7 star hotel in the world. You have to really be rollin in dough if you want to stay here.
§ My FAM is awesome! They have been so kind to us during our stay. Showing us EVERYTHING!
§ My uncle (James Uncle) is a famous Executive Chief. He has cooked for people like Princess Diana, Tony Blair, Abdul Kalaam (Former Indian President), King of Jordan, and…. (drum roll)…. He was for many years THE chief for THE Sheik of Dubai (Sheik Mohammed). He has now decided to take on a new endeavor and plans on opening his own kitchen! SOOO EXCITING!
§ So, get this. When President Bush was touring the Mid. East. He stopped over at Dubai and they shut the WHOLE CITY DOWN. Everything was closed and everyone was told to stay inside their homes. The city was hooked up with maximum security. Dubai lost MILLIONS in revenues with Bush’s visit. Isn’t that CAAZZZZYYYY?
§ Something I really missed from my childhood was salah (the 5x call to prayer). While living in the states, I used to tell my Mama and also Tehmina (You understand my pain, lol) that I really missed hearing salah. (For people who are confused. Muslims pray 5x a day. Salah is the call to prayer for the 5 periods in a day. In Muslim countries, salah is projected through a loud speaker for the whole city to hear so that Muslims can unify in worship.)So when I was in Dubai, I was woken up by the early morning salah at 4:30am and I just sat there in the darkness, listening to the prayer chant. It was so beautiful to hear, quite honestly a very emotional experience.
§ To say that my stay in Dubai was simply amazing is an understatement. I learned so much and I can’t be more thankful for this experience. I’ll be back in a couple years for sure! =D
Check out the Pics on FACEBOOK!
For those who do not have Facebook, the public link is below http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055919&l=d6eeb&id=26808006
When I tell you that everything happens for a reason, I mean: EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. I board the plane the next day with a new excitement and I sit down at my window seat on Emirates flight 204. I end up sitting next to an old aged white man who is from South Africa. This was my first encounter with a white African! I kid you not, but the conversation we had on the plane (13 hour plane ride) was one of the coolest, most exciting and enlightening conversations of my life!!! We talked about things from the issue of apartheid to wine to architecture to who no knows wat? He gave me some pointers on wine as little pieces of advice before I go to Argentina. =D So, we ended up exchanging contacts and I told him, if I ever make it to South Africa, I would come see him lol!
The flight itself was BANGIN! I mean they treat you like royalty on Emirates. I even had a socket to plug in my computer whe