....drum roll please!

here he is... my new cousin Nathan:


Being held by his big brother

One of those "tagged" thingies

6 Things I Value

(In no particular order)

1. Love and compassion for all living things

2. Honesty

3. Accepting that life isn't going to be perfect, and that's OK.

4. My own golden rule: As long as anothers actions aren't hurting anyone, let them do as they desire.

5. Respecting the environment for the sake of humans and other living beings.

6. Helping others purely to help, rather than to "get something back later"



6 Things I Don’t Support

1. Assuming different= wrong

2. Thinking some people are more worthy of basic needs than others.

3. War/Violence in any form.

4. Treating some people like they are too ignorant to make their own decisions.

5. Ignoring an issue/problem/suffering rather than trying to find a solution.

6. Selfishness.

6 People I Tag

1. My sister

2. Vivek

3. Abby

4. Sue

5. Pooja

6. Anyone else who wants to do it.


You can either put your answers as a comment to this blog, or put them on your own blog and link in my comments. :)

Ride that Bike! Yeah!

View Larger Map

So here is the bike route I took today, 5.7 miles... the longest ride I've taken yet and I'm definitely ready to do it again. I have been either going cycling or doing yoga everyday and trying to keep track of what I eat (by portion size, thought not a 'diet' per say). I have lost 8 pounds since I got home.. hooray! Hopefully it will keep going this well.

Bay Cousin Nate (2)

So my baby cousin Nate was born soon after the other post.. but I didn't get to talk to the family until now about him... While his older bro Jake is blond and lighter toned, he has dark hair and tones. (I am waiting on his picture!) The most interesting thing is that he was born with a Mongol Spot, which is a blue birthmark, usually on the lower back or bum... Here's what a website says about them:

"The prevalence of Mongolian spots varies among different ethnic groups according to the overall depth of pigmentation. Mongolian spots are common among Asian, East Indian, and African races, but rare among Caucasian and other races. Reported incidences in representative ethnic infants are as follows:
Asian: 95-100%, East African: 90-95%, Native American: 85-90%, Hispanic: 50-70%, Caucasian: 1-10%"

Our family (on my mom's side) has Croatian and other eastern European ancestry.. so maybe it comes from there? Or maybe some of our Croatian ancestors were from the east, or from Turkey (I read that it is also common among Turks). Also, there is possible native American Blood in my family.. though we just have a name "Tecumsah Smith"..

All in all, an intriguing mystery...ancestry is very interesting, no?

Baby Cousin Nate

If all goes as planned, my baby cousin Nate will be born today! He will be my 5th cousin.. and they are ALL boys! Here he is hanging out in the womb:

Hunger in India states 'alarming'

Twelve Indian states have "alarming" levels of hunger while the situation is "extremely alarming" in the state of Madhya Pradesh, says a new report.

Madhya Pradesh's nutrition problems, it says, are comparable to the African countries of Ethiopia and Chad.

India has more people suffering hunger - a figure above 200 million - than any other country in the world, it says.

The report, released as part of the 2008 Global Hunger Index, ranks India at 66 out 88 countries.

'Scored worse'

The hunger index has been released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) along with Welthungerhlife and the University of California.

It measures hunger on three indicators which include child malnutrition, rates of child mortality and the number of people who are calorie deficient.

The problem of hunger is measured in five categories - low, moderate, serious, alarming or extremely alarming.

The survey says that not one of the 17 states in India that were studied were in the low or moderate hunger category.

"Despite years of robust economic growth, India scored worse than nearly 25 sub-Saharan African countries and all of South Asia, except Bangladesh," the report says.

The best performing state was Punjab, which has a 'serious' hunger problem and does less well than developing countries such as Gabon, Vietnam and Honduras.

"When Indian states are compared to countries in the Global Hunger Index, [the central Indian state of] Madhya Pradesh ranks between Ethiopia and Chad," it says.

India is long known to have some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and mortality in under-fives in the world.

According to the Indian government statistics two years ago, around 60% of more than 10 million children in the state were malnourished.

Nutrition experts say the abysmal record is due to an inadequate access to food, poor feeding practices and poor childcare practices in India.

And now the rise in the global food prices has reduced the food-buying capacity of many poor families, making their situation worse.

In the past year food prices have increased significantly, but people's incomes haven't kept pace, forcing many families further into hunger, experts say.

The report says "improving child nutrition is of utmost urgency in most Indian states".

"All states also need to improve strategies to facilitate inclusive economic growth, ensure food sufficiency and reduce child mortality," it adds.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7669152.stm

Published: 2008/10/14 12:24:13 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

Hey Indian Ladies... take back the streets!

O politics. oh... politics. ugh.

So,

I have been stressing out muchily trying to decide who to vote for in this upcoming election.. In the past I have always voting Green Party and totally avoided the two party system (and voting for a candidate that might actually get elected) but things are getting soo bad I was actually tempted for the "lesser of two evils" Barack Obama. Now, don't get me wrong, he has some nice ideas.. Health care is a huge step forward (especially since I don't have any!)And focusing more on education and such is nice too.

But, being a firm believer in non-violence, I am extremely uncomfortable with his comfort in talking about going into Pakistan.. putting sanctions on Iran (don't we know yet that sanctions hurt the common innocent people, not the crazies in charge!?!) and his super-support of Israel... Why is Israel such a big agenda these days anyways? I mean, I understand that they and Palestine need to work something out, but there are issues like that in MANY many places.. like India/Pakistan over Kashmir.. or China and Tibet... I guess it's because Israel is there only ally in the middle east.. where the U.S. has gotten itself into a mess of trouble.

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. What would the Dalai Lama do? Seriously. Can I support any candidates who are advocating to go to war at any moment? Aren't there any other OPTIONS to create peace besides creating MORE violence?

I am bummed out. I don't know if I can bring myself to be responsible for war and death by voting for the democrats.. but at the same time the Green Party.. seems like a dead fish (it's not even flopping around!) this year. So what's the point? These sort of things make me wonder.. should I even vote at all?

Sigh. I feel disenfranchised.

We had one 9-11... how many will India have before anyone outside takes notice?

BOMB ATTACKS IN INDIA IN 2008

27 September: Bomb blasts kills one in Delhi

13 September: Five bomb blasts kill 18 in Delhi

26 July: At least 22 small bombs kill 49 in Ahmedabad

25 July: Seven bombs go off in Bangalore killing two people

13 May: Seven bomb hit markets and crowded streets in Jaipur killing 63

(from the BBC)

Back and Back and Back Again

Wow, it's been a long time since I have posted. I have been in Delhi since May, working as an English teacher for an international language school. It was tough at first, and stressful getting used to teaching adults in a new teaching method.. After that I was really enjoying myself, though between teaching and the heat of Delhi summers I wasn't doing much else.

I have made a few very good friends and had time to spend with my "old" friends in Delhi too.. All in all pretty good.

But, unfortunately, I decided that I need to return to the U.S. for monetary and school (ahem masters is STILL not finished) reasons. I'm going to head back in about a month, and I'm going from living half-way around the world to living in the house I grew up in. I am really excited to see my family and friends in the U.S. again, and take care of my sweet (though sometimes troublesome) little mutt again... It's amazing how as you get older ("older" as a relative term.. I guess, I'm going to be 27 on August 24!) you miss your family more and more.

I am also going to be very sad leaving India.. it seems almost unreal that I am leaving so soon. I haven't had a perfect time, and spent (too much) time complaining... but still, damn, I'm going to miss this place, even the honking cars and cow poop on the sidewalks!

I'm sure I'm going to have culture shock when I get home.. it will be so quiet.. so.. I don't know.. different. It will take awhile to get used to.

Anyways, in about a month I'll be headed back... I am wrapping up work and thinking about packing.. whew.. it's back and back and back again!

Happy Holi!

Like my 'stache?

A couple Videos about I-India

Wanna Help?

Since October I have been going a couple of times a week to a special place. It's called Child Inn and it's one of the 5 homes for street children run by I-India in Jaipur, Rajastan. This organization, in addition to the homes for street children, also runs a lot of other programs in Jaipur: they run the Jaipur Child-line, which is a free number for children to call if they need any help. They also run mobile schools, and shower buses for children who live on the streets or in the slums. They also run vocational training programs for jewelry making, sewing, and arts & crafts.

I have been going to Child Inn, which is a boy's home. The boys there are usually between 10-18 years old. Most of them go to school and take computer classes, tutoring (for extra help) and sewing or craft classes after school. When I come I do drawing with them, or just play and chat.

Working there for a long time, I have come to see that while the staff wants the best for the kids, it is always a struggle because they need more funding for the children's education, health care, and daily needs like food, clothes etc. I wanted to share with everyone about this organization and the great work they are doing for children here in Jaipur, many of whom, without this program, would be forced to live on the streets. There are lots of ways to help, you can sponsor one child, or donate for different programs. You can read more about it here.

Goats in Coats and Local Pests

Whew.... again, a long time since I have posted. I "lost" my house internet connection, and Jaipur is back to it's regular electricity schedule where the electricity goes off between at least 10 am-12 noon and sometimes even longer making my chances to sit down and write a blog far and in between.

So since my return from the U.S. for Christmas things have been going pretty decently for my stomach in Jaipur.. those probiotics really make a huge difference...

Now that my stomach issues have settled down, I have realized lately just how normal it feels for me to live in India. When I'm on a bus to Delhi on the highway the scenery feels so familiar and normal now, getting a rickshaw or going grocery shopping is run of the mill, and overall I feel generally... normal. I think that revelation came while I was on the bus and I just thought... wow. I have always thought I could live in India for a long term and feel happy, but I was really worried this fall that maybe I couldn't, and that maybe my whole plan in life would have to be rearranged.. A daunting task, to say the least.

Not to say everything is perfect and happy all the time, but any problems I have nowadays seem to be normal life problems rather than "living in a foreign land" problems.

So, then, the title, you ask. Well, it's winter here, which doesn't necessarily mean it is freezing cold, though it is really chilly without heating and the houses aren't really insulated in anyway. Generally I am doing fine with all that, but I came to know some really cute practices which I never would have guessed. First people put coats on their dogs, and sometimes the neighborhood street dogs also strut their stuff in their winter sweaters. But the best by far is the goats in coats. Now, these goats are herded about, with their big floppy ears and strange goaty-eyes, all over the place, city included. A cute little old grandma comes through my neighborhood regularly, herding her goats through the city blocks. These goats seem of a hardy stock, but for some reason, it seems everyone decides that in 40-60 degree weather, a goat needs a coat to keep itself toasty warm. Indeed. So, if I am ever down, I can think, of goats in coats.

The second interesting issue as of late are some local pests... now generally pests in a house could be... let's see... ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, maybe a mouse or such.... not so here these days.. the pests giving me the most trouble of all...

monkeys.

oh monkeys. How I fear them. One day they were in the front hall, stealing someones pants and trying to rip them up. I have to say. Monkeys are scary. ouff.

and then lately... even worse... the monkeys have decided to use my balcony as there special-monkey-gift-deposit spot.. aka... monkey toilet. This not only means that my porch is now covered in little miniature human-turds and pee stains... it also means... HELP!!! I can't open the door to my porch.. monkeys might come in...!!!

Someone at school told a story of former residents of their flat who left their porch door unlatched one day and a monkey sauntered in, open the fridge and started downing the eggs as if he did this every morning. Of course, they couldn't do anything but watch, those sale monkeys have teeth, yaar.

Lazy Day

Ahh. I am so lazy today. I went out dancing at a club last night with friends (something I don't do in the U.S.). It was, surprisingly, pretty fun, despite the fact I almost lost my favorite green corduroy jacket! (Luckily I found it, yay!)

Well, in the U.S., the one or two times I have gone clubbing, it was been... hmm.. I don't know. Slightly irritating, I guess. I don't really like the general club-going populace, I don't like grinding (I am a group dancer!) and I don't like to "meet" people at clubs.

This club, called B2B is in a Country Inn and Suites in Jaipur. It is rather expensive to get in (500 rupees a person, or about $12.59 but you get a little over half that back in drink coupons) and you can only go as a couple. At first, this was annoying because we weren't sure we would have an even amount of people. But inside, the environment was much nicer. No one seemed to be prowling around to "meet" people, everyone was content with their own group of friends, or partner. Dancing was fun, though I was disappointed that there was not as much Hindi pop music as I hoped for.

So after a fun evening of dancing with friends (though I was missing V and wishing he could be here this weekend!) I came home and slept for...

12 hours.

That's right. 12 hours. Whew. I didn't know I have the potential to sleep 12 hours straight, but apparently I did. And no, I didn't drink too much. My stomach is super acidic and that is not helping by all the spicy fried foods of India, so lately I can't really imbibe the alcohol. I was just, sleepy, I guess. Who knows.

So today I woke up at 3 pm (indeed!) and all day I have been lazing around, reading blogs, and not doing the homework which is waiting for me. I have to finish reading a Hindi story called Eidgah, and also write my 5 page weekly journal.

Oh alas, but I don't want to. I am really excited to (hopefully) head to my parents house in the U.S. for christmas, and bring V along. I hope it snows. I want to take him sledding. And eat Christmas cookies. And have a fire in the fireplace in the living room, and relax sipping eggnog. Mmm. Hopefully we will be on our way in two weeks. V has his visa appointment this week, and the U.S. embassy really is a fan of paperwork. For a little two week vacation V have to procure every document in the world. Or something like that.

Hopefully it will all work out fine though... I really hope we can go for a nice vacation....

It's so funny, I was so excited to get back to India, and I am enjoying it, but still, now I am all excited to take a little break and see my friends and family and show V where I grew up.. and eat lots of yummy food. There is certain food I keep thinking about:

1.) Chilean Sandwiches from Downtown Crossing in Boston
2.) Veggie Sushi
3.) Christmas cookies- especially my mom's mocha fudge
4.) Christmas morning pastry.. we call it "slug" but it's real name is 'Cream cheese coffee cake". The tastiest thing ever.
5.) A basic veggie sandwich with lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. Yum. And a Moe's sub.

Yum! I can't wait. I hope we get to go.

Life of a gori videshi larki in Jaipur

sigh. that's right. siiigh.

so, whats a gori videshi larki, anyways, you ask? Well gori is fair/white, videshi is foreigner and larki is, well girl.

Ok, so you get the idea. I am a white foreign girl in Jaipur. Indeed.

I have been in India since August, and in Jaipur for 3 months now.


And let me say it. UGH. Yes, that is right, ugh. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mean all of India is ugh by any means, or Indians or Indian culture (etc etc etc). In fact I am still a big fan. Especially of the people I am close to... boyfriend, friends, kids at the NGO, etc.

But day-to-day walking down the street in Jaipur is one of the most irritating things ever. So, Indian women here dress in a variety of ways. We have the traditonal mama's in their saris, with gold jewelry, big bindhi on the forehead and some nice chappals (sandals). We have the salwaar kameez types, swinging their duppattas around their necks, and them we have the young ladies who tend to wear a mix of the salwaar kameez look and the t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers get-up.

I generally wear a mix of the jeans with kurtas, duppattas, salwaar suits, etc. Usually I pull my hair back. Mostly I look kind of nondescript and entirely dull and flavorless. I do it on purpose, mainly (and, a bit out of laziness).

But regardless of what I wear, be it full Indian get-up, or full Umrikan shirt n jeans, I get the same stares. Lest we forget, streets in India are pretty much everywhere filled with more males than females. Anywhere I walk, first you get the rubbernecking. If I (a gori videshi larki) make eye-contact with said rubberneckers, this may.... insinuate some interest. Ha! I am just looking around. So the only way to walk is mainly by staring at the ground, not looking at faces, I have become good friends with the pavement on the way to class, its potholes, sandy parts, and bumps...

In addition to the rubberneckers, we have a few different type of yellers. Type A is the shop owner/cycle/auto driver who sees me and thinks "ah ha! a videshi tourist sucker is born every minute! Lets see how much I can charge them for fill in the _____" Type A yellers tend to yell such non-varying phrases such as "madam! come into my shop!" "you neeeeed a ride? come into my auto, madam!" or the ever-favorite smacking of seat followed by "aao" (come). right. I am walking to school. Like I do everyday. And your winning charge of "madam madam!" will really draw me in. Whats up with "madam" anyways? Man I hate that word (whew. deep breath.)

Type B yellers generally include adolescent, teenage boys, young adult (men) and a few bold women/girls. The more benevolent look at me (or any gori videshi larki) as if they have just seen a movie star, and begin waving their hand and shouting "HELLO! HOW-ARE-YOU?" or other such simple English phrases, excited to finally have someone to shout them at besides their school teacher. Older guys ride by and say "Hello!" etc and smile, hoping for a positive response and attempt to make further inane chatter. All such people, with the exception of small cute children in school buses, get ignored with the whole "look at my feet and at like I can't hear" routine. The rule is, never, ever encourage.

Type C yellers are the worst. Always older teenage boys or any age men, they probably watch too much (illegal) imported western porn. Hence, the only time they see gori videshi larkiya is when, well, they are watching foreign people have sex on t.v. As you can imagine, not the best foot to start off on. Thanks porn industry!

Type C yellers are usually on bikes. They like to yell things like "HEY SEXY!" or "WANT A RIDE?". These guys are usually from well off families and seem to think they "know it all". Like the notion that if a white girl takes a ride from you, that means you get to have sex. Or that, white girls have sex with anyone, coz its what they do for fun. Damn. Sexy. Unfortunately, along the way, all of these guys forgot to use their brains and realize that humans are humans, no matter where we live. In that, I have a family, I go to school, etc. No, I am not a sex machine. Sorry to disappoint.

Beyond Type C yellers we get into touchers, which is a whole other breed. There is the "oops! I bumped into you!" guys, the ride-by-on-bike-and-swipe, and then the guys who don't pretend they are not sexually harassing you and just grope you, straight up. (Luckily this has not happened to me, though it did happen recently to someone I know). I generally avoid crowds, because this is where touchers strike... I got a gross pair of sweaty lips planted on the back of my neck once at a parade in Jaipur. wretch.

Now, I am not saying this only happens in Jaipur. I had a whole "oops I bumped into you.. and oops again!" happen in Chennai which resulted in the 40-something guy getting a decent slap from me...

I am always on the alert, I have these dreams of knocking said "Eve-Teaser" of the future (though I think it is all just sexual harassment, not the benign sounding eve-teasing that Indians use for such incidents) off his bike, or slapping,punching, or kicking him where it counts. But of course, type a and b yellers don't deserve violent measures, usually just a scowl or ignoring them works, but type c yellers and touchers... I say slap, kick and punch at will. Well, don't like... you know, send him to the hospital, but embarrass him if possible.

Anyways, thanks for listening. I really needed to rant about this. whew.

Where to begin?

Ah, it's been so long since I posted anything, it's so hard to decide where to start.

Let's see. I'm in Jaipur, India, and have been since the beginning of September. The month of August I spent in Delhi, and also traveled to Dharamshala for some time (with the WB too!)

I have been studying Hindi here and also visiting my wonderful boyfriend in Delhi quite frequently, and he often visits me here, too.

Actually, he just came to visit, and after about one day I unfortunately got sick (AGAIN!) so he stayed extra time and spent most of it taking care of me. Poor guy. I really hate having to rely on people for help too. It always makes me feel bad.

My stomach and I have not been getting along extremely well since I got to India, but I am determined to beat it into submission (or... whatever). When I first got here I kept having weird stomach aches which I think were just from jet lag/nerves, so they went away after awhile. Then I was all chill in Delhi. But since I have gotten to Jaipur I have had... erm.. I think three bouts of the old "delhi belly" (which I never got in Delhi...) and once I had conquered those and seemed well on the mend, I got this strange stomach affliction.

Now, it all started with linzi being not-so-smart. Sure my stomach has been better for a few weeks without incidence (and may I note, my roommate nor anyone else seems to be getting sick while eating the same exact things as me!) but I guess I should not have gotten carried away and thought I could enjoy an evening out with friends, which involved, three weak alcoholic beverages. Now, I don't know IF they were really the cause of the stomach incident, seeing as how it was three weak screwdrivers (from which I did not achieve anything near drunkenness) or if it something else (like my mysterious "IBS" diagnosis from the grand doctors of the USA, which means "yup, yer stumuch hurts n we dunno why. you want sum rolaids?")
but the next day I upon eating I was saluted with a mysterious pain right underneath where my ribcage and sternum meet. Hum. So I waited a day, but the pain was rather not so fun, and if I tried to eat it became horribly worse (thought I did not feel nauseous or have any other normal symptoms of stomachy-badness.) So at about 10 pm my boyfriend V and I decided to visit the doctor.

Now, keep in mind that in Hindi visiting the doctor is "doctor ke paas jaanaa" which literally means "to go NEAR to a doctor". Whenever I think about this particular phrase, I think of the doctor as a guru, and in his essence I may be cured. Well, going to a doctor here is not to much different (at least in my experiences so far) than gaining some doctor-y essence. On this particular evening the doctors visit went like this:

(also note, this visit did not start with taking of temperature, asking about current problems/medication, or asking about any allergies to drugs)

Doctor: "Come sit, tell me whats wrong"
Me: "Since morning I have had this strange pain right here, that gets worse if I try to eat"
Doctor: "right here?" (poke)
Me: "OW! yes."
Doctor: "and you said you have nausea?
Me: "no, I don't have nausea. Just this pain."
Doctor: "aha, ok. I will give you these medicines and you will be completely better."
(proceeds to write out a long list of drugs with various notes about how often to take each one. When finished I have a list of 4 different medicines. And since he is a doctor, it is of course, illegible)
Me: "um, what exactly is wrong with me? I mean, what are all of these medicines for?"
Doctor: (laughs heartily) "That's a silly question!"
Me: (interjecting weakly) "But I want to know what the medicines are for before I take them"
Doctor: (grumpily) "You are having gastritis (I think this is what he said) which is inflammation of the stomach lining. These medicines will make you better. (This was followed by a half-hearted attempt to explain each medication). "Ok, now the first medicine is an injection."

He gave us the list and we went into the lobby (which was luckily very empty) and asked the nurse on duty where to get the medicines. He told us the hospital pharmacy was closed, so we had to take an auto rickshaw, get the medicines, and then come back so he can administer the injection.
When we came back, medicines and disposable syringe in hand, the nurse took me back and had me lie down. Only then did I realize, EEKS, it was not a normal shot but an "IV" shot, meaning.... he was going to stab the syringe into a vein on my hand. He told V to hold me down. GULP. Luckily, after such a dramatic opening, I learned that Mr. Male Nurse was in fact excellent at stabbing people's veins causing only minimal pain. Yippee.

After this I went home and tried to follow my pill regiment (I still don't know what one of the medicines is for!) but the next night it was still bad so we went back and he gave me a few more medicines, and told me only to eat liquid or semi-solid foods. whoo fun.

So that began on Sunday, and today (Wednesday) I am starting to feel mainly better, though
still having a small amount of pain. V stayed with me until today, even though he had to miss some of the classes he teaches. He helped me a lot, made me food, and all that. I feel really bad though, I keep getting sick and having to be taken care of. Sigh. Poor guy. Of course he is a wonderful sweetheart, and gets upset if I thank him for helping me.

So that is the latest story. Maybe I can give you some more stories soon, since I have aquired some free wireless internet from who knows where.

Two days

Two days until I fly outta here for delhi. Hip hip hooray. Now. Back to packing.

today= yay!

well, I just have to say, I'm having a lovely day.

here are some superb things about today:

1.) I got my (fixed) visa from the Indian Embassy, thereby granting me the privilege to go back to India for another year. I just keep carrying it around and looking at my beeyootiful visa. oh visa. so shiny. so colorful. so correct.

2.) In exactly two weeks from today I will be stepping down on Delhi soil to begin said year-long adventure. Oh I cannot wait. I need to get on my packing. I bought a very large suitcase. I am not taking the tags off yet. We will see if I will use that or if its even too big.

3.) I suddenly remembered (ok ok, I must confess, amazon.com reminded me by recommending me said title) that I was once upon a time considering buying a Bollywood dance workout video. Today I was thinking, what a grand idea, a workout, some smooth dance moves, and fun all in one. So I bought:
This DVD dance workout is bhangra style (think Punjabi's bouncing around with their hands in air) and henceforth is very fun. It's not very complicated in the dance move department, but gives you basic fun moves and, boy, it does make you sweat. After finishing the workout for the first time today, I was thinking "aww, I wanna do it again" which I think is a good sign. I refrained from doing it again though, I don't want to overdo it and then not want to do the video again. Instead I will look forward to doing it tomorrow, and hopefully I will become so sweet on the dance floor. no one can stop me.