Blog, blog, blog...

Guanaja...

2011-09-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

A nice place to get lost - Guanaja...

So a couple months ago i went to Guanaja - a small island north of Honduras. I was out there for a capstone project...man was it sweet - i would post all the pics, but then you might get jealous. well this picture is up there cause i am finally all done with my Guanaja experience and what an experience it was.

2007-01-03T03:22:00.000-08:00

So this is india -

welcome back to my pics - it has been a while - and my time in india is now drawing to a close...it has been an amazing time! in about three weeks i have done much more than i could have ever imagined! time here has flown by...between research, weddings and traveling there is not much else to talk about...the time has flown by - i have traveled by almost every form of transportation - train, plane, automobile, bus, camel drawn cart, scooter, rickshaw - at some times hoping from one vehicle to another! i have sat in a honda city (the equivalent of a civic) with 7 of my cousins - piled in with 5 in the back seat - i have sat on the runway of a two-prop plane for an hour waiting to fly back, in one day i was traveling for 10 of 12 hours...the other two were at my cousin actual wedding ceremony! haha! this is india. i met C.K. Prahalad...he wrote the book, "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" - that was amazing, talked with him for about 20 min or so, shared with him what i was doing and why i walked up to him to speak to him...i met my mom's side of the family - which is HUGE...i toured a factory of my uncle...spent new years partying with my cousins - loving every minute of it...i have bucket bathed, showered, wiped my face after a long train ride, i have sat with the wierdest people (still had fun) didn't know i was getting onto a train till it was about to leave...this is india...my family is amazing...the people i have worked with out here are amazing...i have had a good time...so ends my research work and my time in india - these images are ones that i saw while driving to an from site visits - here a traffic jam is too many cows on the road - an man takes a years worth of grain and flour home, and listen isn't it alway good to see something "Nice" - haha! gotta love india...the things you see while you are on the road will just BLOW your mind...there is no rhyme or reason...camels, cows, dogs, goats, sheeps, cats, people, bikes, motorbikes, scooters, rickshaws, tempo's, cars, buses, 5 people to a motorbike, a car full of a family of 15 - all sitting on top of each other on bumpy roads for hours...you see it all...and my favorite - men pissing on the side of the road EVERYWHERE! gotta love it man...the world is our bathroom... so where to from here...mexico - then school, then onto honduras...then back...then school...then ??? till later...

2006-12-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

Oh my what a day...

Talk about a long day, I don't know how anthropologist do it - honestly...spending the day interviewing and talking to people about things...and researching, like collecting data is frickin TOUGH! i am lucky that i am working with an organization that is well established, has excellent record keeping and is willing to help me with everything. Let me tell you - this was day one of my interviews and it NEARLY kicked my ass. but that is alright, an ass-whooping here and there is necessary, needless to say, i am tired. the good thing is that i don't need to translate too much and i am getting into the habit of each night after all my work, writing down everything - thoughts from the day, ways to make my research method better, things that i should have done differently, things that i will do differently next time, better ways of asking questions, not thinking that surveys are self-explanatory and there is a ALOT of handholding that goes along with it, knowing that if you are conducting a survey in another language that you have to be fully prepared to talk about it or at least have the people you are going around with well verse is what you are ACTUALLY trying to accomplish - realizing that people don't understand the concept of Social Economics...even more so when people live in joint families, the money all goes into one pot, so there is no break out of income and an understanding of how income should be broke out - yeah, this is fun - i mean it is a learning experience and an eye opening one, but also SUPER exhaustive and crazy time consuming...

but i will say one thing - the group that is helping me out here JSS it frickin AWESOME! they have pulled together this week to help me collect my data and hopefully achieve the goal of getting 100 interviewee's...now that is impressive - the pull and power they have in order to do this is extremelly surprising to me and is awe inspiring. actually a government run organization that has its SHIT together. i can't believe the level of detail that they have in record keeping and everything! this is absolutely amazing - without them, not even one interview would be possible...and with them, i might actually achieve my goal of 100...which is even more amazing, take for instance tonight, two staff members and a driver were with me for two hours just to chase down 9 people! it was frickin awesome - we were driving and the trainer would see someone on the side of the street and would tell the driver to stop, we would jump out and then interview the person RIGHT there, it was awesome - a couple times i almost got hit, but hell, it was fun! i mean these people are AMAZING! i can't even begin to tell you - they are helping me to just help me, wow - and the most i can give them back is recognition in my paper...but they will be recognized and i will be sure to take a staff photo for my files - amazing...absolutely amazing...

i love doing this work - it is awesome - this is what i enjoy, i can't wait to be paid for it! but until then i am one tired interviewer....

till later.....

2006-12-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

it is nice to just walk...

it is amazing what you see when you walk around. you see people doing everything. from pissing in the field to working hard at doing nothing. it is amazing. at any given point in time, when you walk in india you will see three things without fail: cows, dogs and some guy pissing. it is amazing. you would think, that you would see other things - but no, this is a guarantee...i mean of course you will see cars, bikes, bicycles, vegetable vendors, etc. but, you will ALWAYS see those three things, in addition...

i went for several walks today around Ujjain. it is quite a pleasant town. i feel more comfortable with it this time than the first time i was out here. i feel more like it is my home and not as many people stare at me, which isn't really true, cause a lot of people stare at me. i think it is because i am walking around with a camera slung to my back and often i am wearing clothing that is not typical of people that walk. i know that sounds odd, but i wear nice clothes, and people that usually wear nice clothes drive or ride on scooters, yet i walk. haha! people love it...well, i don't know that for sure, but i love it...

but nothing beats walking around, i enjoy doing in D.C. and i enjoy doing it here in Ujjain. the thing is when you walk around, you feel more at home and comfortable with were you are...i guess it is because you go by everything at a more leirsurely pace...instead of flying by in a car! haha!

this was a random entry....

till later...

2006-12-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

the 21st century in india...

this might sound odd to most people that are use to hearing about india in the news and the #1 place to outsource all forms of technology and hear about all the techonological advances that are happening in india, but what most don't realize is that is only in a small section of india. now, mind you it is expanding into more rural areas with projects such as E-Choupal, which is bringing kiosk to farmer so they can check the internet for fair market prices for their goods, but still internet and technology is still slow to make it's way all throughout india. i mean heck, even in the states you can go some places where they don't use the internet...anyway, this isn't my point and what i really wanted to talk about, i am talking about how now I AM in the 21st century in India...

so what do i mean by that, i have a cell phone and internet connection in my own room. now, while many of you might not be amazed with this feat, you should be. I am in a smaller town in India, an hour north of Indore called Ujjain. This town is surrounded by smaller villages, in fact, when you walk about 30 min away from my house you are already in village life, where people barely have a home (but they do have a T.V. and most have cell phones) but no connection to the internet. so i am proud. but this is partially cause i am living with my cousin, who is quite well to do here in Ujjain and was able to get me connected (cell phone and internet) by making ONE phone call and having it all done within a couple hours. amazing.

so now, i am caught up to the 21st century of india where i, just like the local vegetable walla, have a cell phone and the ability to chat with anyone at anytime...

so you are still reading this and saying "what the f is this guy talking about" - i would say, never mind. you just wouldn't understand unless you were out here and experienced it yourself.

till later...

2006-12-15T01:02:00.000-08:00

Its raining fish....

I got up early, over my jet lag and feeling good - belly full of my aunts good cooking from the night before. brushed my teeth and started the day, i was excited about my AM run, it has been a while since i have been able to get up liesurely and enjoy a nice run in the morning. so i left nice and early, before it became too warm, at 7:15 - strapped on my running shoes put on my suunto and left. it was nice - the weather was pleasant, not too warm, a nice breeze blowing. i ran for about 30 minutes, my legs felt heavy due to the time between my last run and this one. but that is alright, i still ran for four miles and really had a good time. it was nice. it felt good to run and sweat out all my worries. so i finished my run, went and stretched out on a spot that was overlooking the sea. enjoying the cool breeze coming off the water, cooling me down from the run. i was watching the people walk by and enjoy their morning excercise, talking business and what they will be doing today. older women walked enjoying being out and social with their friends. what a great morning, tonight i leave for ujjain - the day was going to be good...i was walking out of the park, on my way home...smile on my face, ready to get the rest of the day going...

then i got hit by a fish.

yes, that is right, from above a dead fish came down and hit me - and kind of did the dead-fish-nasty -scale slide down my front and right onto my shorts. it took me by surprise, it was the LAST thing i was expecting to have happen. i mean, often times when a bird shares something with you, it is their poop - but not their meal. no bird came swooping down to grab it, it simply slid off me and onto the ground. i slightly lept back, not knowing what to think, looked up (hoping that there wasn't another one on its way) to see where it came from and there i saw him, the black ugly crow, with a big grin on his face, happy it hit me with the dead fish.

now is this a good omen or a bad? i don't know. but then again, i don't really believe in omens. but if i did, i must say, this couldn't have been a good one. haha! but yet, there you have it. what wierd thing has hit you from above? i mean i have been hit by acorns, bird poop, leaves, etc. - that is all fine and dandy, they come from trees (well not the bird poop, but usually from a bird sitting in the tree) - but not a dead fish. yeah, that is a first...i am sure wiered things have happened to other people, well that is a guarantee...but that is the wierdest thing to happen to me...

after that i looked around, and saw other dead fish on the ground - i came to realize that must be the place where they all get carried to and then dropped. making me feel better that maybe someone else has also been hit by a dead fish from above...i guess that is comforting? but still disgusting none the less...

so yeah, that is my wierd story of the day, i hope there are no others. i fly out this evening to ujjain to see my cousin-brother and do some work. super excited.

oh and my one warning is this, as you walk under palm trees, beware of the dropping dead fish...consider yourself warned.

till later....

2006-12-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

Back in India -

so here i am back in India - it is a normal feeling, i don't feel odd or out of place - my hindi came back real fast, though it is worse than when i left 3 months ago, i am still impressed i was able to bring it back as quick as i was...i wonder if i could do the same with nepali? probably not...it has been nearly TWO years since i spoke that....

so to my loyal blog readers (and i can't even say i have any, cause my mom, who would be the only one, has no clue how to use the internet or the computer) you will notice one difference in my blogs - no original pics...so this means, that i will snag pics from other sites and load them up - that way, i can maintain my picture status, without bring you with just words - so here is why i will have no pics - my brand new digital camera, is broke. two months out of the box, used often and the screen on the LCD blew out - you wonder what $400 camera could do this - the Sony DCS T-10 - the top of the line...damn - gotta love manufacturers defects - so my camera has been sent back to sony and will come back 6-8 weeks, possibly longer due to the holidays, so therefore i have no digital camera to take pictures with - so....with that said, i have brought my SLR to India, and will be shooting film - and when i get back stateside, i will develop ALL my film and get CD's made of my pics...maybe then, i will go back and put up pics related to the blogs...maybe...

but i will say one thing, with the SLR in hand, i feel like a real photgrapher, not a point in shoot kind of guy and i forgot about how fast it take pictures...so i am excited - a little bulkier than i like and no sense of immediate gratification, but hey - it will be worth the wait!

so the flight out here was fun - i must say, i like Air France, all of their seats have individual screens so you can watch whatever you want - which is nice, the movies all start at the same time, so it isn't when you click on it - they also have simple video games - it is quite nice - touch screen and all - the food on AF is not so desirable, but they provide you with free wine and beer - oh the beer - i think this was the first time i have seen Milwakee's Best served...and some ber called 1665? either way, it was the lowest class beer i have EVER seen on a flight, not beeing a beer snob or anything, but one would expect better - at least bud light...well regardless, i started on wine and got wasted on wine - it was fun, till i passed out and woke up extremelly hungover and had to fight my way through Charles De Gaul Aiport - which is not pleasant with all the restoration that is going on...plus, french efficiency is amazing! one security check for several flights of people...it makes NO sense to me..but anyway -

the last leg of the flight from france to India, i pretty much slept - it was nice - well not really, but because i was still recovering from the wine, it made the sleeping easier - then watched a couple of movies and chatted with the guy sitting next to me...overall a pleasant and nice experience - didn't drink on the second flight, i had more than my fill on the first one! haha!

now back in bombay, surprisinly not that jet lagged - so that is nice...

anyway, this is all for now - time to do work...

till later...

2006-11-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Seeing the world through different lens...and man i love my chaco's!

it is crazy when you put on a pair of sunglasses and how different you become...you see things differently...colors are brighter - more defined...sharper...it is amazing...so yeah - i was driving seeing all these beautiful fall colors, saying DAMN! those are some amazing colors, then i would take a picture and it wouldn't look the same...so i was wondering why is that - then i removed my glasses - and it all made sense...i guess that is just how things are - there is something deep that can come from this - we are all wearing glasses and we see reality through those glasses, but when we take off our glasses, we see the truth? is that true...maybe - i have always seen that people become someone different when they are wearing sunglasses...it amazes me - they think they are cooler, a rock star, someone special - but when they take them off, then they are just their plain ol'self - isn't that sad? sad or not, but that is a reality - people look different with glasses - lets take the most famous character that changed identity by removing his glasses - Clark Kent and Superman - i mean come on, no one could tell who it really was? it was just the glasses that made that much of a difference...i guess - but glasses say something about people - what they are like - an image they are trying to portray - they want to be someone different...i remember being in atlanta and walking around with a friend of mine, she would go into glasses shop and buy frames with those plastic lenses in them and walk around wearing them...thinking she was someone different...it was amazing - i guess then you can say i have been blessed with a false identity my whole life, i have been wearing glasses since i was about 12 - damn, i didn't realize i was cutting edge - ahead of the curve...that make me feel special, but here is the irony, i don't wear glasses anymore...now i want a pair with plastic lenses in them so i can be that person...

chaco's - product promo about to come - are the best shoes in the world. hands down - they also are amazingly photogenic...

till later...

2006-10-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Things we walk past everyday...

but never take the time to look at - welcome to the fair and lovely city of DC - how many people know where the two pictures are taken from? often times we walk everywhere without really noticing what is around us - we have our ipod in our ears, we are starting at a piece of paper, we are looking around, talking on the cell phone, thinking about our work, thinking about our day, trying to avoid people, shuffling around through life not noticing the little things around us - too concerned with getting to our destination to sit down and complain about the day - or just sit and have a beer and forget about the day - not taking the time to really see what is around us and what is going on...so have you done this today? how many people fall into this category? i know i do and when i realize i am doing it, i stop and look around and watch people and relax and make up stories about them and what is going on in their heads - why they are walking fast, why they feel the need to be on the phone all the time - yeah...

if you notice one thing - when people leave their own city and go to another, they notice more, they pay attention - or if they leave the country, they notice the simple beauty of the area around them and continue, they take pictures and bring them back home and share them with friends - so do you do that in your own city? do you take pictures of things you see around you in your own city? if no,why not? isn't your city as beautiful as any other city? i mean people obviously find it to be beautiful, otherwise they wouldn't take pictures and take it back home to share with others - why, do we as humans, take for granted what we have RIGHT in front of us.

my friends make fun of me, cause i take my camera everywhere i go - they tell me i am silly, but then they want to see my pics - i know we can remember things, and we have great memories, but not all of us are blessed with photographic memories - in fact, often we have to take photographs to make our memories - how crazy is that - so then, why don't we walk around with a camera in the town that we live in? i know for a fact, that DC is a dynamic city, where there is always something new - the scenery changes from day to day - the world around us is continually evolving and moving - yet, we all just walk by with our ipods in and don't think about stopping and staring.

life is all about what is around you - life shouldn't be your work and your work shouldn't be your life. life is experiences and enjoying - getting up in the morning and watching the sunrise - walking in the evening to watch the sunset - taking in the nasty days and the beautiful days. life is enjoying - play in the rain, don't hate it - enjoy it - so you get wet, that is the worse that can happen...

word - now this is a shameless plug for an amazing artist - Josh Ritter - http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/10/ritter.html - he is awesome -

till later...

2006-10-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

12:21 -

tired - moving - looking for Ohm, Namaste and Tranquility in my life - all three - now i just need a ying-yang and buddhist knot - to complete my little temple of peace and serenity - this is the little hall way between my three favorite place - my bedroom, my living room and the most important, my bathroom - coming to this little turning point you can go either way - anyway you go you will be happy - especially in the bathroom - word - what can one say, it is 12:24 in the morning and i am working on a paper that is due as soon as i finish it, which means i will not proof read it, just submit it - talk about procrastinating - hence this blog - yet another way of staving off the completion on this paper and the quest to go to bed - all in due time - so is this blogging wigging you out - i can see why - so yesterday i was on this wiki and i was chatting - i got a headache and almost puked - it was awful - never again and as my friend katie said in a text message to me "wiki made me siki" so true - how long can one ramble - i feel like i could ramble for hours and hours - but i will have to stop procrastinating soon and get back to my paper - to do what i need to set out to do - which is write till i have completed the assignment and then go to bed - go through the hall of tranquility and move towards the most tranquil place - well i should say the second most tranquil place in my home - my bedroom - the first being the bathroom - you know you feel at home and at peace in your bathroom - admit it - be proud - tell others - it is okay - the bathroom is your escape from life and everything going on around - why do you think all my magazines are in there - i don't have time to read them if it wasn't for bathroom time - otherwise, i would do what you do with out magazines - stare at the wall or look around - you know it - you do it in public toilettes - that or you are concentrating on getting the hell out of there and speeding up the reason you are in there - either way, you know you love it when you walk into a bathroom and there is a newspaper or magazine - admit it - don't be ashamed of it -

word - back to my work -

peace -

2006-09-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Bogged down in emails...

ever feel that you are often deleting more that you are reading...that when you open up the computer you are kinda scared - damn, more emails - damn...see...only a 104 you might say, man i have at least 1,400 emails in my inbox, heck 104 emails is what i get in a daily basis...is this something to brag about? i don't know about you, but i am ready to blow up my email inbox and start from scratch...maybe that is why people change email addresses often, so once in their life they can open up their email and see a inbox count of ZERO...

has life gotten so out of control that we can't live without the instant gratification of information and answers...it has...and as we continue to expand out techinical capabilities then we get more and more dependent upon them - to the point that i actually don't remember when i received a letter in the mail (outside of all that junk mail that i always keep getting) or when i have actually written a letter...damn - i am no better - in fact, i was having this conversation with a friend the other day about getting a cell phone that would keep me accessed to my email and the internet...and i went back and forth, but ended with me saying - no way, i am already addicted to it enough, that i would be horrible...so i have decided that if i have a cell, that it would be simple, i don't even want a camera on my phone...

the reality of the situation is such - the more and more we make our lives easier, the more and more we complicate it. now there is not just one way of getting in touch with people, but many. this is good and bad. i like it and i don't. i will be quite honest though, i know this has happened to you as well, when you don't have a cell or access to the internet, you go through withdrawls, which (depending upon how dependent you are on them) can last up to one week...but then, for some unknown reason you get used to being without it...and you enjoy it - then for some unknown reason you are drawn back to it and you want it again - it is like crack...it is horrible...

so here it is - we all think it, but we never verbalize it. i think we should have a "National Write a Letter Day" - where we actually write letters to the ones we love, and not email them. bring back the personal touch to relationships. who is with me? I think it would be a great way of getting back into the habit of it and i think it might help us all learn a little patience...which is one thing that is going away...(you know how you react if your computer takes more than a minute to load, you start cursing at it and yelling at it, like it can hear you and start to move faster becaue you are yelling at it...)

damn, i have been away from email for about 5 minutes...i wonder if anyone has emailed me...

till later...

2006-09-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Jameson on dice...

back in school and back with my grad school friends - good times all around - so we were playing this game that involved a DVD, a board and dice - my friend was passing me the dice and one fell into a cup of Jameson - so the picture was taken...

being back in DC is quite surreal - i don't know what is really going on, i am in a constant state of movement, life here doesn't seem to slow down or stop - there is always something going on, always something to do - in fact, you have to schedule free time, or alone time or me time...it is amazing - you could spend a whole day not with yourself...i mean you are with yourself, but not really, cause in the end you are being someone for someone else - so in the end, you don't get to be with yourself...wierd isn't it - often, people schedule time for themselves - that i find amusing -who does that? people say, well if i pay for a yoga class, then that is my time - so now you have placed a "monetary value" on your time - amazing, couldn't your time be free? maybe not...then that isn't worth it - right?

so lets change the subject before i enter a circular talk and in the end, end up where i began, with all of you shaking your heads saying - "where is he going with this?" - lets talk about bar conversations - we have all had them - some of them we remember, some of them we don't want to remember, others we just can't remember...when people get a little bit of alcohol in them, they start to talk about the wierdest things. topics come up that would not normally discussed, things get said that would not normally be said and in the end, every one laughs and those that remember the conversation simply shake their heads and say "why were we talking about that again" - then simply dismiss it as a drunken conversation with little to no truth. then there is the topic of conversations that happen per the city you are in - i will speak towards DC, because that is where i am - the bar conversations are highly political and within my circle of friends it is about international development. so when we talk, we talk about things that are happening in the world around us -then we end up getting into highly deep conversations about how we should really change the world, to end the conversation with - "lets have another drink and worry about it tomorrow!" - such is development.

welcome to my life...

till later...

2006-09-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Back into the grind -

so my adventures in india are over, but my adventures in the states have just begun! haha! now it is time for my second year of Grad studies - following up on the desired plan to become a International Development Specialist - this i have learned will happen one paper and reading at a time - and in the end, it will happen over beers and drinks at bars with fellow classmates and DCites discussing politics and economics after several drinks. AHH DC - it is fun - plus it is fun to get into highly intellectual conversations with people after several gin and tonics - i highly recommend it - it is truely amusing - pushing buttons without pushing people away - i think it is a skill and one that can be acquired in our fair and lovely city of DC - i think they term it "being politcally correct" - you can insult people, without really insulting them...it is true - try it - it is fun...

so i am back in the grind of day in and day out life in DC - back at GW back in the library and back with the books - it is nice to be back and to be doing thins again - well i say that now, and come about two months i will be cursing my life as i am buried under papers and reports...haha! but until that point in time i can lavish in the freedom of being a college (albiet graduate student) student one more time...

alright - next time pictures of my adventures in DC - i will try to make these blogs as amusing and insightful (or boring) as you have found my other blogs - i will try to tread on topics that i will be looking at in class and that i will be discussing with fellow drunken classmates in bars......

enjoy....

till later -

2006-09-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

Back in DC...western style...

2006-08-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Time to say goodbye to India...

My time out here has been amazing - 6 weeks of work and pleasure. my fam out here has treated me like a king - or actually better than a king...india is one of those places where no matter where i am, i feel at home. sitting in the train, flying, being in Mumbai or being in Ujjain. Either place is home. Travelling to the villages and seeing the simpler side of life and living in the big cities where people move like they are in america - home. india is a place that will always be in my heart...even if i don't live out here...

so here you go - this is my last blog from here - india to me is many things. it is a cell phone and E-Chopal for the rural famers where they have access to market prices in order to sell their goods. it is a place where information technology and technology in general is booming and is everywhere. cell phones, portable phones, satellite phones, internet via satellite connections, etc - they have it all - but the roads, oh my the roads. you can call someone in a village, but during monsoon, you might as well forget about seeing them. as much as they have via technology infrastructure, they are lacking in basic infrastructure. roads, sewage systems, electricity, etc. are not constructed and people don't have full access to even the basic needs. you will see a local farmer going around with his BSNL or Reliance mobile phone - but when you look at his home he might not have running water and the road to get to his home might be a dirt (mud when the monsoon rains hit) road. india is a place where everything is governed by the religion and the politics. there is rich culture and heritage here. india is a place where i can go into a town, tell people my last name and they will recognize who i am. in indore, where most of my family is from i walked around the streets and if i mentioned who my grandparent's were, people would stop and stare and say "you are his grandson" then shake my hand and walk away with a smile. not before telling me more about my grandfather or grandmother...amazing...

india to me is a country that is rich in resources - there is so much going on out here that it blows your mind...people are everywhere - you can't throw a stone far without hitting someone, in any direction. on the streets you will see everything - not in mumbai as much, but in the smaller areas. in fact, in big headlines in Ujjain the news paper wrote, that they are finally placing a ban on elephants on the public streets - they say they cause traffic jams...what about the cows, water buffaloes, pedestrians, dogs, goats, and bicycles? don't they cause traffic jams. on the roads here you will find all walks of life - there is nothing that isn't allowed on the road - really. to drive out here is a test of patience and how alert you are. if you take your eyes off the road for one second, anything could happen. india is a country of organized chaos. i don't understand how they do things out here. someone how the country is moving forward...

i have come up with an appopriate analogy of india...here they have "bhel ghadi's" - which are cow driven carts - here india has place the cart in front of the cow and on the cart is a fully ACed room nicely built with internet, mobile, cable, etc. and you still have the same cow behind to cart, with the same ol' wheel...and some how this cow is able to move the cart forward - how, no one knows. like that statue in Ujjain who drinks alcohol - where it goes no one knows...remind me to tell you the story later, it is quite amazing...

india is a place where so much happens - the fluidity of this country is mind-blowing...don't plan out here, just go with the flow - you need patience...planners out here would be hurting...such is the country...

religion - oh my...the people here are spiritual - everyday is there is a festivity, there is always something going on. in Ujjain, the number one profession was being a pundhit or a priest - here there are mala's being sold on a daily basis and prasad is given everywhere...it is a big business here - so much that the Internal Tax department is now looking at big donor's for mandal's (religious associations) across mumbai - i tell you if you see some of the extravegences that they do for some of the festivals, you would be amazed - better than most weddings in the states...

india is family - it is my roots. it is the place where i have come from and will always be associated with. i have learned more about my background being here for the last 6 weeks than i could have ever learned - people shared stories about my parent's, grandparents and other family members...it is to me a place that i will always look to and know, that is where i am from...

india to me is a home away from home - the states is my home, that is where my immediate roots are...mom, dad, rahul and now the newest addition to our family tara (my sister-in-law) - india to me is no longer a forgein country that is just for my parents, india to me, is now me...

i leave for the states - where i will be thrown back into the mix of everyday life. i leave behind memories and established relationships. i leave behind smiles. i take with me everything and more. i wish i could give back to all those that have given to me while i have been out here. but i will be sure to pay back twice over...

thanks to sharad bhai and sujata bhabiji for putting up with me for a month. i can't forget choti rani - or jhini - at to the rest of my family for opening their doors, emptying my suitcases of american goods and filling them up with all that is india...

till later...

2006-08-27T10:05:00.001-07:00

KANK...my first ever bollywood film in India...

where i actually understood about 80% of the dialogue! so i watched this film with my family - we made a road trip to Indore, where the closest movie theater is - this drive was about 75 minutes from ujjain- so not bad overall, in fact it was quite a nice drive...anyway, we went to the Mall - yes, Indore has a proper mall - not an outdoor, open air mall, but one with AC and all! inside was a nice posh theater where we sat and watched the movie...

so some thoughts about the theater - it was nice, better that i was expecting. inside they had a waiter who came around and serviced you while you watched the movie, so if you wanted popcorn, samosa, veggie burger, candy, soda, etc. anything - they would bring it for you - have you ever had assigned seats in a theater? no, not in the states, but here, you are assigned the seat in the movie theater - quite a novel concept, which has it's pluses and minuses...anyway, the seats were quite comfortable - actually really nice, the bathroom was clean - in fact, this was a very very pleasant movie experience overall.

so the downsides - there is always a downside - the people behind us had some issues with keeping still - so while we watched the movie we had the pleasant experience of feeling each and every kick and movement of the people behind us. cell phones - yes...the cell phone, they are not blocked not do people turn them off, so during the movie people's phone's were ringing and people were holding conversation's right there during the middle of the movie! they would even tell the people they were talking to that they were watching a movie, yet these people still didn't seem to mind and continued a full length conversation...so yes, this happened not once, not twice, but multiple times. so this was annoying...then the talking, the deep murmur of voices that arise when things occur, and then that one kid who feels that he needs to be heard by all...but then again, i must say, if these were my only complaints overall, then i am becoming nit picky...

the theater was as good or if not better than most american theaters - the sounds quality was awesome - the only other complaint about that was that they kept the volume at FULL VOLUME - so literally everything was twice as loud as it normally is...but oh well - i am not deaf from sitting in the movie...

now about the movie - to tell you the truth i am no siskel and ebert of indian movies - i don't know what is good or not - so i polled my family and here were the responses:

Jhini - "The movie was okay, i didn't really enjoy it. The movie before the intermission (yes they have an intermission in indian movies) was good, but afterwards it was boring."

Sujata Bhabiji -

Sharadbhaisab - "It was too long"

So there you have it...overall we all would give KANK a B - you can wait for the video...but the CD is a must buy! haha!

Yes...i did forget to mention the intermission - for those of you who don't know, Indian movies tend to last a good 4 hours - within the four hours is hours and hours of earth shattering dialogue and then songs and dance - lots of songs and dance - so interspersed between the earth shattering dialogue, there are dance scenes so you don't fall asleep...the music keeps you awake...and to be quite honest there are two main reasons people go to see indian movies 1) music and the dance scenes and 2) clothing- here they understand the latest fashion in indian wear...so there you have it - intermission half way through - so you can stretch, go to the bathroom (holding 32 OZ of soda for 4 hrs is quite tough and a challenge on the bladder!), order more food and just talk to people about what you think so far...and then lots of dance scenes to keep you awake so you don't fall asleep during the dialogue...

but yes, i did enjoy my experience watching a bollywood film in india - as of today, i have accomplished all my outstanding (non-work) goals that i wanted to do...and i feel complete...

now i am going to fall asleep listening to the soundtrack of KANK...

till later...

2006-08-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Two "Must go places" in Indore...

yes...if you need therapy, there is no therapy like "Dr. Jain's Cow Urine Therapy Health Clinic" and if that doesn't help you out, check out the "Smokin' Grass Restaurent" - i think you might find the right herbal care for you there! haha!

the beauty about the cow urine therapy is that the urine is free, just go out onto the street, stand next to the closest cow, place a large cup underneath, wait and presto, a healthy non-medicinal way of treating your ailments... if that doesn't solve your problem, hop on over to the "Smokin Grass" - where you can get the best "Chai" in all of india...it might cost a little more than 2 rupee's, but it is well worth it...

man - india is too much for me, when i read the headlines of the local paper i can't help but laugh - the english out here is different. each spelling is made up as they think it is...i think i am going to start a company that will correct their english - honestly, but then i might get into arguments with people about which is the correct english - theirs or mine...haha! when you wander around here you will see some of the most interesting names of restaurants and even more so the most interesting spelling - read a menu, the english menu will crack you up - read the billboards - the ads will crack you up - read the newspapers - that will make you laugh - read the magazines...even better! haha! i was reading a car magazine, and they were talking about driving a Porsche Cayman on the streets in india - which let me tell you is not the smartest idea - but none the less the writer was describing the feeling of the top down and the wind blowing through ones hair as (this is not verbatim, but from memory) "smearing her (referring to the wind) hand through your hair as you drive through the streets of Mumbai" haha! gotta love it, i have never heard of wind "smearing" it's hand through anything...well i guess in the end, it is just different, if they come out to the states and read a magazine out there, they might find it as amusing as i find theirs...who am i to comment! haha!

as more funny one liners come about, i will be sure to report them...until then, i know for some herbal therapy where i will be going...how about you?

please pass the urine and the grass...thx!

till later -

2006-08-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

16 hours to Bilai...

so the train ride - the train ride was fun. it is the best way to get around

India

- it takes time, but overall it is worth the trip to see all the parts of

india

that you can't get to by car or my plane. it is amazing how vast the country side is and where people live. it is no wonder that 80% of this country is dominated by farm land. each place you go, there are rice field, wheat fields and all sorts of other vegetables going. it turns out that most people take the train everywhere they go. we measure distance here in time it takes to fly to a location - they measure it in how long the train ride is. most people can't afford to fly around here and the train is the next best option. some towns, you have to travel up to 50 -60 KM to get to the nearest airport, while you will only have to travel 2 km to get to the nearest train station. trains are so accessible here that it is amazing. they are not the most reliable when it comes to time, sometimes that can be a hit or a miss - but in getting you to your final destination and closes to it - there is no comparison. lets talk about what you see - the rolling hills of

india

, the flat planes, the people working all around not knowing what a computer or the internet is. simple lives where as long as they can make enough to put food on the table, they are content. most often you will see people traveling by foot, sometimes bicycle. the rich people travel on motorcycle - and most of the time you will see people traveling with the animals they will be using on their land. from the train you will see everything - the land is green and the water is plenty. people are laughing and enjoying their day to day chores. the train lets you sit back and relax - enjoy life and not worry about traffic jams, pot holes in the road - nothing. you do worry about one thing - and that is your bags. luckily on my train ride, i was sitting with people that were really chill and super fun to talk to. in fact, we bantered the whole way. the people you can meet in the train are amazing - each has a story - and in 16 hours, you can get to know your neighbor really well...

that is one thing i like about india, people here are nice and enjoy talking to you. they are interested in who you are, more out of their own curiosity, but also to just get to know you. people love to chat with others around them and tend to smile quite a bit. i am not sure if this is the case in other compartments - but in mine it was the case - it is funny, being a single male on a train everyone asked if you are married (always the first question), where are you going, do you have family there, where are you from, are you studying, what work are you doing...they ask personal questions - for some people this makes them feel uncomfortable - for me, i find it amusing - i enjoy talking to people, you can learn so much about different people - which to me is great...the people i sat with in my compartment were from Orissa, which is an area that i know nothing about - so i got to learn more about them and their culure - plus to hear their language was amazing, it was similar to hindi, but just different enough that i couldn't understand it...

another beauty about the train and my family in india, is that it is guaranteed that i will go through a town where i have family - such was the case when i was going to Bilai, the train stopped in Naghpur, I have a cousin sister who lives there - so she gave me food for the remaining part of the ride! haha! gotta love india, i don't think i could say the same about the states - if i travel by train anywhere, i doubt that in a town that i stop in i would find family or someone that would come out and give me lunch! haha! another great thing - almost anywhere i go, there is family...

if you have never done a train ride in india, then i would highly suggest it - go nice, not third class or farther - at least do an AC sleeper car - you will enjoy your time - watching India go by and seeing all the colors - you will enjoy it...take a nap, wake up and you will have someone offereing you chai or coffee - the people next to you will take care of you - it is amazing - traveling by train is fun, so much that it actually makes traveling by air seem cumbersome and annoying...but there is one major annoyance that you have traveling by train and that is storing you luggage - often times you have to place it under your seat or near by...and if you haven't traveled in india or with indians, the you will not know this - but they like to bring their ENTIRE home with them - with the exception of the kitchen sink...so often time, there is no room left for your bags to go...in fact, i had to move someone elses bags around to place mine in and then sleep on my back pack! and then on top of that, i had a family of four's bags all around me...but for all the inconveniece, it is worth it...

till later...

2006-08-22T02:08:00.000-07:00

Kurkure, kurkure, kurkure! Chatpata chaska, mmm, mmm, good!

these two adorable girls who are promoting the brand Kurkure (try saying it three times fast, it is a tongue twister!) are two of my little nieces - Rupal is the one holding the bag and Rishika (her little sister) is the cute one sitting right next to her! haha! for 5 days, i had the join of playing with these two and my two other cousins - so here is what i accomplished in 5 days - i taught Rupal how to dribble a basketball and shoot - i put the finishing touches on Rishika learning how to ride a bike - i became the go to uncle for anything to get passed or done within the household...haha! it was awesome...

so for two weeks i lived with out internet and no knowledge of the outside world. but that is okay, i was in a different world - the world of family - this was an all consuming world. bilai is where a lot of my family resides. i don't know why - but on a single block you can visit at least four different houses, all cousins and family. they are close in proximity. but i have come to learn, just because you are close in proximity, doesn't mean you are necessarily close. family dynamics and the world of the family is something that most of us don't get to experience. we all live in nuclear families where we occasionally see other members or when we get together it is for a reunion, then family time is over. sometimes we live close to each other and sometimes we don't. this isn't for all, but for the majority. indian's, for the majority, live in joint families - something we see a lot with the ethnic groups within the states (i.e. the latin american and mexican household). but for one week, i lived in the world of the Nayak's and Jain's - a different world all unto itself and not without the drama of everyday real life. it was amazing, each home had a different feel and a different take. it was bizarre for me to be so engulfed by everything going on - often times i sat back and watched and learned what was going on. i took things in and listened to what was happening. the world can be so consuming, that you won't find time to go outside the world to find others. family time takes up so much of your time, that your friends and people outside take a back seat. it is amazing. in one household, the down time came at two times - once between 10 am-1 pm and again from 11 pm - 6 am (when every one was sleeping). other than that the house was a constant hustle and bustle. from morning to night. it was amazing - to see how things work and watch people take care of everything. in other households the hustle and bustle started and ended quickly, with the bulk of the day being down time. amazing - plus - household dynamics. i felt like i was in a mini-soap opera. drama, drama, drama! haha! so for a week, i was not connected to the outside world and the other's around me, but just to the world of the family - where i did everything that the family did - my schedule shifted to match theirs and then started to flow with theirs. each time things were planned, they were cancelled. nothing really went as planned...but yet, i enjoyed myself and my time out there. i enjoyed the constant energy and people always around. it was nice being with all my brother's their wives and their kids. it was nice being the youngest uncle of them all, the one that the kids felt the closest to. it was nice being able to hang out with the wives and talk and then play for hours with the kids. the kids were content to play with just each other and needed no other time with friends. the back and front yards of the house were their playground. not once did i see another neighborhood kid come to play - they were amused amongst themselves. amazing.
i wonder after seeing this, what my life would have been like if it was like this. if i had no friends outside of just the home and my family. how things would have been. how would i have grown up. being the american uncle has some privilege's, but also has some down sides. it has been nice being able to hang out and be free with the kids.
my family is amazing - they all are unique in their own way. they all love me for who i am, and i think i get a lot of slack just because i didn't grow up in india. they enjoyed spending time with me and i enjoyed spending time with them...
let me tell you one thing - all my little nieces and nephews are adorable. maybe i am being biased, but that is okay - i think they are the best nieces and nephews anyone can ask for...i would do anything for them!

please pass the kurkure...

till later...

2006-08-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Marry me and you will get a Maruti 800...

what else could you ever want in life - a Maruti 800 - the car is indestructible - it is awesome - small - compact - has nothing in it - it is basically a gear box on wheels - everyone has one out here and it is perfect...there is no other car that can beat it on the roads here in India! here you can't really go any faster than the people or bikes that are on the street - so your maximum speed is about 20KM and i have seen cars get up to at least 60KM - then brake immediately and start up again at a nice 30 KM speed - yeah - the roads are rough - you need something that can take a beating and keep on ticking...for that you have the Maruti 800 - the RR (Royles Royce) of Indian automobiles...and damn, this car makes me look good! haha!

so it has been a while - i know - i have been without internet access for about two weeks - since i last wrote i have traveled to bilai via a 16 hour train ride, spent a week with family that has treated me like a king, went from there via road to Raipur, flew from Raipur to Mumbai, spent two days out in Mumbai and then flew to Indore - where i spent a good week out there working and spending time seeing family and friends and now I am back in Ujjain for the rest of my duration out here...it has been a crazy two weeks, where i have seen more of the country side, re-established all of my connections and have fell in love with all my nieces and nephews - my brothers and their wives are amazing - it has been a whirl wind of fun. who knew that traveling india and spending time out here would be so much fun! it has been a blast - each home i go to they open their door and feed me till i have no more room left in my belly...it is great - i have put on some weight and i feel great! haha!

so the question on everyone's mind is when am i going to get married (hence the inspiration for the picture, i figured any indian women would throw themselves at me if they saw me with my Maruti (which isn't really mine, but don't tell them!) 800). so i told them, take a pic with this car and send it to all perspective women, i require a full bio-data, with picture and all. they must sit for a test and complete post graduate studies, to just sit around and become a house wife. that is the only thing i want, a well educated house wife...;-) haha! but, yes i am the last to get married on the nayak side of this generation of cousin-brothers. heck, i am already a grandfather and i don't even have my first kid - my first kid will already be an uncle/aunt before they are even born! haha! that is too trippy...anyway, we need not talk about that - i have nephews who are my age! that in itself is too trippy...welcome to a large indian family. but i have given them no answer to their question, mainly cause i don't know myself. my whole family wants me to get married in india - though i know that would be a tough task to accomplish - but at least they have told me when i come back i should come back with a chachi (female version of cha-cha, i.e. aunt) - so everyone ask me, where is cha-chi and when do i get to meet her...and all i have to say, is who ever cha-chi will be will have loads of happy family members awaiting her arrival here in india - and knowing how they have treated me while i am out here, i can only assume she will get treated better! haha!

maybe i should start telling people i will become a jain monk...that might get them off my back!

till later...

2006-08-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

The goat of India...

haha! so yeah village life is great, you wander not only with your fellow human beings, but with anything that has legs and can move - even the beloved goats! haha! it is interesting, in certain areas of Ujjain you will find only goats - this is mainly in the area where people eat goats - there is not much more reason to raise goats that to eat them...right - well at least maybe to drink their milk as well - mmm...goats milk - that sounds like a tasty treat! haha! if india had the market for it, they could export goats cheese, which is quite a tastee treat! haha!

so today i forgot my camera - i was bummed, i went out to a village and was left out there with no direct way back - but more of the "go to the street, a tempo will come, get on the tempo and say Nakow, from there get into another tempo and say Tower, then from there, get into another tempo and say Mahashweta Nagar - have a good one and good luck!" haha! then, as i walked onto the road, two little boys were sent to make sure that i got onto the correct tempo - they hung out with me, said they would flag down a bus or a tempo for me - then they did, and the tempo guy said i was too big and kicked me out! then i saw all the busses, packed with people - i wasn't about to try to stuff myself amongst all of them - so i walked - it was a nice 30 min walk, where i was kicking myself for not bringing my camera. so no pics today - i was upset - but it all worked out well, i walked to Nakow, got into a tempo and said "Tower" - and they said sure...30 min. later i was at the clock tower in the middle of the town - having had my fill of take this tempo here and there, i decided to call my fam to pick me up. while i waited, i found the local ice cream parlor and had two scoops of ice cream - black currant and choco fudge - surprisingly good and quite refreshing! haha! it was nice - then Arjunbhai (the house help) came on the scooter to pick me up - it was nice! then he scooted me all the way home! haha! it was fun - a surprisingly unproductive day, in the sense of looking at self-help groups, but quite productive in the wandering of Ujjain...

it was nice to wander again. it made me feel like back in nepal when i would just take village walks. along the way, i saw households upon househols making insents, i saw people of all sorts doing different projects. little kids running around, free of any worries that most people have. homes were simple, often made of cows dung. they had simple roofs, not much more than tin on top help down my bricks and rocks. cows, goats, and kids all played in harmony. dogs ran about - scratching themselves due to all the fleas. little kids were carrying their baby brothers and sisters - already taking car eof them, they were maybe no older than 4 years old themselves. i saw the old art of welding - where the wife of the welder was sitting using an old school hand pwoered blower to make the fire hot enough so they could shape the iron. i saw people living their lives with no electricity, but through the light of the day. people all looked at me and stared, then moved about their business. yest i stuck out - but only a little. well maybe a lot, but still...

today was a good day - tomorrow is going to be a long day - i leave at 3:30 AM - the good thing is that i am in an AC coach - which means it will be a comfortable 16 hours train ride - not in the back with everyone else. i have traveled that way, it is fun, but for such a ride, i would rather have the ability to sleep for a little undisturbed...plus, i have the ability to have that luxury, yeah, i am a pseudo snob - but within india, i will take it!

till later -

2006-08-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Ujjain - home away from home...

so you all know that i am not living in squalor - here is my brother's house...and yes, that is his Honda City (Civic for us in the U.S.A.) - we live in a nice part of town - in fact, it is so nice that the Hare Krishna's (who we all know and love, Hare, hare, hare, hare KRISHNA!) have placed their first temple in Madhya Pradesh (MP) (and currently the only temple in the whole state!) and let me tell you that is one NICE temple...ISKCON temple, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness - now not wanting to get in trouble and to tell you that i am open to all religions - but to be quite honest, Hare Krishna's are to India what Scientology is to America - but that is just my opinion - sorry if you believe in either...anyway, back to the point at hand - we live in a nice part of town. my brother's place is really nice - i have a whole huge room to myself on the top floor, with my own bathroom and all - hence the picture of the bucket bath - it is a sweet place. he has completely filtered - double osmosis (whatever that means) - water that i can drink so i don't have to worry about boiling water. the place is well kept (they have full time house servants, a gardner, a night guard, a huge german shepard, a little white dog that has a Napoleonic complex, full service delivery of their clothes after they are dried they are ironed, two cars, etc.) - yeah it is a NICE place to say the least...so going from here anywhere is easy - there is always a car available - this is not the peace corps life that i am used to - this is living in the lap of luxury...

but all of this is simply because my brother is a well known doctor and if you say his name anywhere, someone knows him and even more someone has gone to him for surgery. he is an orthopedic doctor - who runs his own practice and does surgery as well. my bhabiji (sister-in-law) is awesome - she takes good care of everyone - she makes sure that all things run smoothly within the household. jhini is 13 and is a trip - i think i have told you all of this. she reminds me ALOT of me when i was growing up - just always having fun and listening to music. she is a doll - she doesn't even think of me as her uncle (cause most of them are married with kids and at least 30 years older than her!) but as a brother - which is fine by me...

but life out here is good - with all of this, i can focus on my work and not worry about the little things - having such a short period of time out here, this helps out a lot - otherwise, my days would be spent doing my laundry, cleaning my room, ensuring that i had everything, on top of getting around and making it on time to the places that i need to be...

so yeah - i could get used to this! haha! but alas, i know that this is a nice little break from the reality of when i come back to the states and i have to start doing all the things on my own again! haha! i will be so spoiled by the time i come back...this is horrible! haha!

ujjain is nice - it is known as a religious town, so many people from around the area come here for religious reason's. There is a huge temple out here that people travel far from to do pooja in and now that their is the ISKCON temple, even more people will be coming out here. Already at night the place is packed near the house - the street is lined on sunday's with cars, not to mention the numerous people that walk to get there. It is amazing, here each tree has red marks, a sign that someone has come and done pooja. Insents are sold like crazy, people are doing pooja (prayer) every day, at sometimes twice. Each corner there is another temple or some sort of mandhir - someplace for a lost soul to find solace. here there is a blend of muslims, christians, jains, hindu's, hare krishna's and who know what other religion! there are some religions here that i have never even heard of or seen! it is amazing - each has their own dress, their own culture, their own way of doing things. each is known for a different trade - doing different things...it is a site to be seen! i guess i never really understood many things, but coming here makes me question that much more. it is amazing how religious people are. during this month, in the indian calendar, people quit their jobs or stop working and walk for miles to come to Ujjain to pray - it is a special holiday that last all month - what is it, i have no clue, there are so many of them, that it is hard to keep track of. no wonder being a pundit (hindu priest) is a full time job - you can make a living out of just specializing in certain types of marriages or checking out horoscopes. I didn't know people still did that - consult the religious people within the village to see when the right time for marriage or to have kids is. it is still done out here...

ujjain is a unique place. it is an interesting place. their are so many different people here. with the organizations i have had a chance to work with, i have had the ability to go to sections of the town that even my family has not been to - but then again, that is my line of work. what i will be doing. it is funny, i actually feel quite comfortable in the villages - where life is simpler. or tougher, depending on who you talk to.

life is ujjain is good, i enjoy it. i am off to bilai in a couple of days. life out there will be good as well. my whole family is out there. i will see them all for the first time in many years. all the kids have grown and i am a "grand father" - three times over now. i have one "grand daughter" in Ahmedbhad one in Bilai and a "grand son" in Bilai - of course, they are not my real grand kids, but when they see me, they will address me as Dhadaji - which in Hindi means grandfather...ugh! haha!

till later -

2006-08-03T02:59:00.000-07:00

Tarana - a little village with ALOT of potential...

sorry it has been a while since i have posted a blog, my cousin's computer died, so until i was able to load the software on my computer, i have been unable to access the internet...but regardless, i have lots to tell - maybe i will blog twice today... ;-)

so yesterday i went on a village visit with the organization i am working with - Jan Shikshan Sansthan - JSS - the small village was about 50 km from Ujjain and it is called Tarana. Tarana is a typical small town, population of about 20,000, primarily farmers. The town has children that run around naked and are happy to be. JSS has several income generating trainings going on out in this area from the girls and women of the area. These trainings include cutting and tailoring, beauty parlor, and mehndi - JSS also does literacy training for the mainy illiterate women in the village. it was amazing how energetic these girls and women were to be learning a trade - some of them had jobs, but realized that upon marriage they might have to move and may not find another job or so they are picking up a techinical skill so they can still work and earn money. About 85% of the girls and women i met did not want to be dependent upon their husbands or family members and wanted to be able to do their own work - earn their own money. now the true test is that after all the training if they actually go and do work. how they accomplish this and what happens next.

but before the village visit, we met up with a group of women that were travelling from Jawalpur (another district in Madhya Pradesh) to meet with a group of women near Tarana that have started a self-help group (SHG) that has grown from 10 member to 130 members! First off, let me tell you one thing, this is an amazing accomplishment for women in india to have such a large SHG - most are about 20 people and no larger. So to be able to manage a group of 130 people is amazing! so they came to learn how these women did it, how they manage it and what rules and regulations they have in place in order to make sure it runs smoothly...it was amazing to hear what these women had to say about it - i was in awe. I sat there and listened to all the good and bad things that have happened, eating it up alive! they have helped to increase the overall livelihood of the village - by simply saving a minimim of 30 rupees (.66 cents, $1=45 rupees)) each month and now, two years later, they have close to 400,000 rupees (~$8,900) ...now that much money is UNHEARD of in a village that small - but it shows you what women can do together saving just a minimum of 30 rupees each month. Now they have the ability to help each other out with moeny if they need to make their house better, their child has a health emergency, etc. And to date, no one has been late in making the monthly payments and no one has defaulted on their loan...damn - makes me smile ;-) gotta love it - i wish i could spend more time with them seeing how they operate and working with them and teaching them some awesome income generating projects, teach them some small business practices, etc. - work with them and see what more they could do! it was awesome to see that! cause you know within that group of 130 women, there have been business failures, learning and successes of work that they are currently doing - the social system that is in place to keep them growing and having women join them - amazing.

it is nice being out here and seeing such amazing things, but i know there is so much more - more villages that can do that - more work created so they don't have to just depend upon the monsoon rains and harvest in order to earn their money - by creating an economy within the village, then that would help to reduce the rural/urban migration that occurs seasonally and help families to ensure that their children and family members have access to education, proper food, housing, and other basic needs - especially water. Water in most of these area's is in shortage - with this money they could build a well or a water catcher in order to ensure that they have proper potable water - drinking water, bathing water, etc.

i met some of the most amazing people in the village - in fact, i enjoyed being around the people in the village much more than the people within the urban area. The simpleness of the life out there, the way they appreciate the little things and enjoy learning and understanding what more they can do in order to progress...in fact it reminded me of my time out in Nepal - in my small town of Sano Thimi they were appreciative of everything that i did, no matter how small. plus, the kids in the village just cracked me up - they all called me Sir and just would look at me! haha! the funniest part of it all is this, when i speak in hindi, they all laugh, then listen and then smile - and that makes me happy - it means that my sloppy hindi is actually making some sense! hahaha!

before i talk i tell them, my hindi is just like your english! tooty-footy, meaning broken! haha! and they all start to laugh - then i fully butcher more hindi words, stop and think and then say it a completely different way, then Siddarth or who ever is with me, translates my hindi into proper hindi! haha! it is awesome - i love it - so what i say, gets said about 4 times! haha!

till later -

2006-07-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Bhutta Walla and Jhini and me eating corn.

Road Tripping in India...

So you haven't really lived till you have taken a road trip some where, where rules just don't exist. Where everyone is in a hurray to get to their final destination. Where the highway is a road that is wide enough to hous two lanes, but it doesn't really matter which lane you are in - people, cars, animals are everywhere and the biggest trucks you have ever seen are on the road. Where every minute you feel like you are playing chicken with oncoming traffic...then you stop - the world flys by you, cars honking and you are sitting by the side of the road eating corn. haha! India has a beautiful country side, which makes you feel calm, I can't say the same about driving! haha! I have road tripped in Nepal, that was fun - scary and fun at the same time - India is much better than that. There are the occasionaly rest stops - dhabba - where people can get a nice hot meal that is sometimes laden with flyies, but yet it is the best food you have eaten, other people stop on the side of the road and create their own rest stop. This usually occurs when they get hungary and see someone selling corn on the side of the road. During our journey we stopped at such a place - the corn man's advertisement is simple, five pieces of cooked corn in a bucket filled with dirt, he cooks the corn on an open fired created with one piece of thick wood - essentially creating an oven by digging a small hole in the ground and keeping the wood hot enough to cook the corn - then he roast the corn, places a simple mixture of lemon and spices together and spreads it over the corn like butter...and boy does it taste good! Bhutta or corn is in season - so on every open shoulder you will find a bhutta walla (corn person). It is awesome.

This is my niece and I eating - enjoying the corn that was just freshly cooked no more than five minutes before - we chose the corn, he cooked it, we ate and then paid him...a perfectly fair transaction for which all the money goes to him and his family. On our way back, we saw our bhutta walla, all his corn was gone - within the day he was able to sell all his corn and went home with just some money in his pocket. The next day he will do the same - bring the same amount, maybe more, or as much as he can carry - he will then make corn and wait for hungary customer to drive by and stop by his stand. He knows he has competition from other bhutta walla's, but he also knows that the demand is high - so people will come...

from the corn man, we made the rest of the drive - it was fun and scary - a constant in and out, passing people, snaking our way through the roads of india to our final destination, my aunt and uncles house. To go the 85 KM it took us 2.5 hours - along the road to slow people down were speed bumps and tolls. Gas stations now exist on the roads, 7 years before you would not have seen that. The scenery is still the same - miles and miles of open fields, people, cows, dogs, donkey's , horses, and goats are wandering the street - all of which you have to look out for so you don't hit them. Cars narrowly each other and the other people on the road. it is amazing how things operate. it will never cease to amaze me.

time to go...

till later -

2006-07-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

Ye Ol'Bucket Bath...somethings never change!

I have been coming to India since I was 2 years old. Since then the one thing I always remembered about being here was the bucket baths. At first we use to have to wait for the water to boil, then we would fill one bucket half way with hot water and the rest with cold and another bucket with the rest of the hot water and cold water - this way two people could take a smei-warm bucket bath. You had to be smart and not waste the water, otherwise you had to take a cold bucket bath. Sometimes we took cold, I mean REALLY cold, bucket baths when we were leaving early in the morning and it would take too long to warm up water and have a lukewarm bucket bath. Then one year I came to india, and the bucket bath was no longer, and people took showers - well, that was until they realized that it was simply a shower head they put up in the wall and really it didn't work, so in the end you took a bucket bath! In Mumbai, it is the fashion for all people that have nice places to have showers, yet people still keep the bucket around, just in case. I will say one thing about the bucket bath - after living in Nepal, there is quite some logic to it. If you have the time to bucket bath, then it is great. Showers are high pressured cleaning systems that tend to waste water. Bucket baths are a slow, water saving way of taking a bath. If you have never had a bucket bath, then you will be wasteful, i have learned to bath - fully that is - with 3/4 of a bucket. This is done by simply ensuring that every drop that hits my body is strategically placed to remove any and all of the soap. The longest time is taken to clean your body of the soap. The greatest part of the bucket bath by far is the end, when you get to take the remaining water yell "Om Shiva" or "Ahh!" and pour the water all over your head and feel the water rushing over you one final time! Then you hope that you have not left any soapy parts, because otherwise you have to fill the little cup with some more water to clean yourself. Bucket baths are awesome. I must say, when i was little that was my favorite time was bucket bath time and that was simply waiting for the water to poured all over my head by my mom and dad, and eventually when i got bigger than the bucket and could pick it up with some water in it, then doing it myself. I must say though, if you have not bucket bathed, that it is something you do! you would be amazed with how clean you can get from just one bucket of water! But, I must say, a cold bucket bath, that is BRUTAL! far more brutal than a cold shower, simply because you know that each time you pour water on your it will be cold and it is the equivalent of chinese water torcher! The anticipation of the cold water and then how slowly it goes over you as you shiver while you try to soap yourself - brutal. I would not suggest it, unless YOU really need to wake up...

i know i have written this before, but i am still amazed by the way they drive out here in India. It is a constant dodging of people, with a flurry of horns, with people going which ever way they please at any point in time. I can only imagine how being a drunk driver here would be - i mean everyone seems to be driving drunk! haha! i guess, they are even more out of control. But honestly, here when you are driving you not only have to be aware of your car, but the cows, water buffaloes, people, biclycles, motorcylce, scooters, dogs, kids, birds, taxis, other cars and trucks! People use all forms of transportation that is available to get around and everyone goes were everyone else is! haha! mind blowing...people zig zag in and out to get around people, they rely on their breaks to save them - i am surprised i have not seen more accidents, everyone comes close - driving on the street is like a constant game of chicken - when both people flash their light and then either duck in front or behind the person they wanted to pass - then in the end they get passed by the person they passed...every light is like the beginning of the India 500 - when people see the clock on the stop light (yes they have a seconds till green timer) get to 5 seconds, they start to go regardless if there is any on coming traffic! it is amazing! and no traffic cops do anything...but watch. Rikshaws (these little three wheel black bug looking thing) are stuffed with at least 15 little kids coming from school - you see their bags hanging out the back and when you look inside all you see is kids and not even the driver! it is amazing...yet somehow people get around - usually by sticking out their hands and honking, thus displaying that they want to go in that general direction...people constatly waving their hands...

alright - today has been a good long day, it has rained, which is nice - cools things down a little - but lots done and lots more to accomplish!

till later...

2006-07-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

So i had my race - i have not put up pics yet - but here are some action shots from my ride and run -

http://www.waramos.com/displayimage.php?pos=-58677

http://www.waramos.com/displayimage.php?pos=-58678

2006-07-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

No really, I am in India...haha!

So many of you are wondering why I am here, well here is a picture of one of the training groups that I am working with. This is a sewing training group combined with a mehndi (henna) painting group - the items that are on my lap and in my hand are decorative items made by the women as well - this is a group of about 30 women, each broken into two batches of 15 - one set of 15 does sewing the other does mehndi. The man sitting to my right is Siddarth Jain, he is a Program Officer with Jan Shikshan Sansthan - or JSS - the name is a tongue twister for me! and has been working with me while I am here doing my work. It has been great to have him around - excellent coordinator! The two women standing up behind me are the trainers the one in the purple sari is the sewing training and the one in the white kurta is the mehndi trainer. The program assistant Sandhya is the one taking the pic - the first pic she took she cut off the heads of the trainers in the back! haha! i could tell by the way she was pointing the camera down instead of at us! haha! this training is amazing, many of the women do multiple task in the household and now want to make some small spending money - so they have decided to take this training. Something they can do at home while earning money. Most have taken other training's and with this will pad their income by 500 - 1500 rupees (~$10 - 30) per month. Which, in addition with their husbands or family income, is enough to provide more food, better medicine and medical treatment, clothing and other items for themselves and their family. Additionally, most of the ones that are married, their husbands support them working, which is great to hear.

So yes, I am actually doing something here! haha! It is nice to be busy and working for something that I really enjoy! Okay, enough about work -

You know, I was expecting really hot weather out here, or just rain 24/7 -but it hasn't been like that - in fact, it has been quite pleasant, each night it rains, so by the morning time it is nice and cool so it is easier to go for a run or a walk in the AM and not worry about collapsing due to the excessive heat! Plus the rain cleans the street of all the fun stuff that can be found! haha! So I have found out, that Ujjain is a very religious town, more people here are Pundits (Hindu Priest) than anything else - that is the biggest profession here! anyway that is my random fact for the day - it is amazing the random things you see when you are in a religious town - for instance, the last couple of days i have seen elephants walking the streets, why you ask, because they are worshipped - just like cows...cows wander the street alot - i will take a pic and post it up, when you see how many cows can be found at any given point in time you will flip! haha!

i have come to learn that there are three ways of getting anything done in this town: 1)know someone big or 2) tell them you are from America 3) build trust. I always thought that people would be willing to help, no, you have to know someone - once that is established, you can get anywhere and get anything. the second thing, is to tell people you are from America - then they will do anything for you, ask you 101 questions, try to speak with you in english and ask you if you watch Hindi movies! haha! it is awesome - but the main thing, is that you have to build the trust of people - once they trust you then they will be more willing to help you - thankfully, i have learned the art of building trust - but if not, I have the other two on my side! haha! so opening doors is pretty easy...helps when you want to get something done...

no funny stories today - just random observations...

till later -

2006-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

the BEST shoes ever...Goldstar - made in Nepal - word...

now i will run faster, move quicker, be able to dodge - no, i no longer need to dodge the cow poop, now i can run through it - with goldstar, anything is possible...possibly the finest export from Nepal..since Mt. Everest! Haha! the camo-goldstar - if i ever decide to join the army, these are what i want on my feet...

so what is the good word - life is chill in Ujjain - so yesterday i went to get cloth, now i am about to have 6 shirts made - one pair of pants - and two night suits - hehe! loving it!

went by the office today - it was awesome - met with three training groups: beauty parlor, engine repair and refrigerator & AC repair - it was awesome. i was able to talk to all the participants that are being trained, learn more about them and why they are doing this. Most of them have completed some form of education - the lowest was 9th grade - some dropped out of school, so they could start working - each has a story. all of them after will be working, starting a business, working for someone - but somehow will put their new skill in place. One man, came from Rajasthan - he has is own school - he is taking 4 trainings and is going to go back and train the trainers of these programs. Amazing stuff - passing on the knowledge so others can learn and prosper...gotta love it!

so yeah - i forgot to add pigs and peacocks to the list of animals that i dodge when i run in the morning! haha!

life out here is simple - but people work hard - the work ethic is what gets people forward, what ever job they do, they do it the best they can - even if it is making a Samosa. But as things are evolving, so are things here in Ujjain - some things stay the same - like bicycles and motorbikes out number cars, and those are outnumbered by people walking and the people walking are ALMOST outnumbered by the cows and other animals that wander the streets - it is crazy - people make left turns from the right lane, no one heeds traffic signals - the streets are so disorganized - yet the traffic flows...people keep moving and things get done - some how, they get to where they are going and do the work they need to get done...such chaos would not exist in the states and if it did, people would not know what to do with themselves...

so one thing i forgot to mention about the domestic flight - which i found to be scary and amusing at the same time - in planes in the states, there is enough room for two people to get out of the emergency exit - here in india, they have decided to add an extra row...so the only space to get out of the exit row is the seat next to the window - otherwise, good luck getting people out of the plane! yeah scary and amuzing, amusing, because they see the space as extra seating room not as why people should escape quickly...value of 4 extra seats is worth possible not being able to get everyone out of the plane...that is scary! no need to think about this, i have three more domestic flights to get on before i get out of here...

india is an amazing country, here you can get cell phone service everywhere , even in the small towns and villages, but you might not be able to get to those villages by a car - it is like they put the cart in front of the horse, yet figured out how to move the cart, while making it modern! haha! this blows my mind - they have an IT and Cell infrastucture in place, but not proper roads and access to all the villages and people in the rural area's...blows my mind.

till next time...

2006-07-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Life in Ujjain...

Yeah - so my flight was awesome - no complaints...no need to hassle with the agent, checked my bags right through - i know you all were worried - hoping for a heroic battle where i pulled out the "I am an American - let me do what ever i want" - no need to bring out the American pride...my smile won the gate agent over, so much she didn't even ask about the weight! haha! The airport was super clean - flat screen T.V.'s every where, and they even had cell phone chargers in the airport for people to recharge their phones...amazing - i have heard they even have them on the train, well i will have 16 hours on a train to tell you where they are located - when i travel from Ujjain to Bilai, I am going by train, and I just found out, that i get to spend 16 hours in an AC car - coasting through rural india - super excited! many pictures and stories from that!

So life out here in Ujjain is awesome - my cousin-brother's home is amazing - i guess when you are a very well known doctor (owns his own clinic and is the best Orthopedic Surgeon in the area) in what use to be a small town and now is large, you can command a nice place - i have the whole upstairs to myself - my own room, bathroom, etc.. I get to go for runs in the mornings where i dodge cows, poop, pee, people, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, tempo's (ugly three-wheel taxi's), rickshaws, dogs, cats, goats, chickens, random carts, religious people, moms, dad, kids, grandparents, boys holding hands, girls holding hands, clothes, shoes, kids pooping, dust bins, trash, bad people, smelly people, ugly people and birds. who needs a triatholon when you have to look out for all of those things! haha! The weather out here has been amazing, better than Mumbai, it rains at night, is cloudy during the day and the weather is so nice, that I am not sweating...now you all know me pretty well, i sweat a TON - but not here...my sister-in-law is teaching me hindi, she makes amazing food and rocks. My niece (who is 13) is awesome, she is absolutely adorable and loves to tell me the most random things - in hindi and english! hahaha! when i first met her, she said to me, "your hindi written grammer is horrible" and i was only talking to her! haha! Jhini (pronounced like Genie) cracks me up...more about my family later...

today, we went by the market - craziness, i am going to get some clothes made out here - so we bought a bunch of cloth and i will get several shirts, a pair of pants and some "night suits" made! haha! gotta love india, i am going to come back better dressed than when i left, for half the price! haha!

enough about that - being out here is amazing - so i am actually working out here, most people are thinking i am being a lazy bum around the house, but no, as of yesterday i started working - so here is what is going to happen. I am visiting with three different NGO's and getting an idea of their training programs, specifically for women, and seeing what happens with the people after they have received the training. I am looking at overall marginilized people, but like i said, my main interest is in women empowerment, so i am looking at the trainings given to women. And even more so, if training that is given to men, is offered to women. So I have started with my first NGO - Jan Shanksya Shikta - they work with the District Literacy Committee and take people that have just learned how to read and write and give them vocational training. They also work with all others that are marginilized and get most of their funding from the Indian government. Amazing organization. Then I will meet with Kripa and finally with SEWA. I did some village visits today and had a chance to speak with several different training groups and really learned a great deal. Tomorrow I will meet with some more and get more of an idea, and then meet people that have actually taken the training and put it into practice by either working with someone or starting their own business! AMAZING stuff - i can't wait to really put all my notes into a paper...it is awesome, i have hit the ground running all the pre-work i did from the states proved to be beneficial - i have never thought i would be able to get so much movement so quickly - so this is great!

Wow - there is so much about here that makes me want to write every day or put everything down - i want to take pictures of everything! haha! I am enjoying myself - getting into a nice routine - here is how nice it is...get up in the A.M. - go for a run, come home have some tea and eat a little something, shower (bucket bath BABY!), get ready, do some work, eat, go into the office at 11:30, go on field visits till about 5, come home, eat, relax, hang out with my sister-in-law just talking in hindi, eat good when my brother comes home, then relax and go to bed...so nice!

word...

till later!

2006-07-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

Domestic Flying in India...

So, flying domestically in Nepal was an interesting experience, so I am intrigued about flying in India domestically. I have done it before, it is fun, but today I get to argue about all the luggage i brought over from the states - they keep telling us that i am under domestic rules, even though i bought the ticket in the states...yeah, i am excited about this! haha!

my time in Bombay is coming to an end, this means I will soon be inundated by my Family in Ujjain and Bilai - where I am an uncle to kids that are my same age and maybe a grandfather to some kids! I am too young to be a grandfather! AHH! hahaha! i can't beleive that my family is so large - i think we control an ownership share of one town in India - in Bilai on several blocks is run by my family...like a mini-Nayak mafia! haha! well, i am excited, i get to spend rakhi out there with all my fam - chill and eat...and drink lots of Chai - not chai tea, like they call it at starbucks - damn starbucks - mmm...now it is about time for some of the best instant coffee that india has to offer - Nescafe...that stuff is horrible! but that is all they serve out here...so i guess i better get use to it!

arlight - more pics and blogging to come - the rest of the trip should be fun...

but until then, here are some fun things -

-a beach here is the same as in the south of france - rocky, except here you have more shoes on the beach than rocks!
-one of the most dangerous things you can do is attempt to cross the street
-it rains, rains and rains out here and when it stops - everyone goes outside for the five minutes until it starts to rain again!
-even the streets are muddy
- the fan becomes your best friend
-cold showers
-cold showers!
-HBO sucks - every 10 minutes you have a commercial
-every show on T.V. is a Hindi movie

till later -

2006-07-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

what would indian's do without horns...

so what wakes you up in the morning time? for me, it is the orchestra of horns honking signalling the passing of cars or the frustration of drivers here in india. each morning a melody of horns starts - as early as 5:00 AM - when people are making there way to work or onto the busy streets of mumbai...so let me describe the different types of beeps - there is the short quick honk which means "i am here, so be careful" or "i am passing watch out" - there there is the long honks which means "lets move the light is green or move out you are holding me up" then there is the muliple honks which means "i am angry and going fast, get out of my way" - the horn, coupled with the hand sticking out of the window is the signal - you know where someone wants to go when they honk the horn and stick out there hand - even passengers are required to participate is the movement is on their side...it is interesting - here the honk does not necessarily mean annoyance or anger - in fact the back of trucks they ask that you honk your horn...gotta love it!

i don't think people really pay attention till you honk your horn at them...and people cross the street and even if a car is coming won't do anything, till the driver honks at them - like until that point in time they did not notice a large, quickly moving object, coming towards them. i don't know why they even have cross walks here - people rarely use them -

each traffic light is like the beginning of a nascar race - people vying to be the first one out to beat all the traffic to be quickly stopped again by a random car turning in the middle of the street or a cow in the way. people use all forms of transportation and all form of horns - it doesn't matter what you are riding/driving/using for transportation you have some form of audio signaling...that is it - here the horn is an audio signal - visual signals only mean so much...

so if i honk at you while i am driving, know that it is not out of malice or anger - but to simply tell you that i am around - to ensure that you know where i am, how close i am and not to hit me...i don't care if i am in the wrong or not, until you honk your horn and me, i will do as i please...i wonder if hey have people horns here - maybe that would work better when cutting through people traffic and trying to get someplace faster...i think we should start that - why should just cars have horns? what i really want to know is this - how did honking the horn become the way of india and nepal? who started this?

-till later

2006-07-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

the five minute monsoon...

second day out here - almost fully over my jet lag...still a little tired, but, after tonight, i will be in good shape...but that is not important...

it is interesting being back here - knowing also that it is not just for a family visit but to do some work. for the 6 weeks that i am out here, for a week and a half i will be traveling - seeing family and relatives who i have not seen in at least 8 years - that should be fun, i am going to have a crash course in hindi, so i will be able to communicate with 95% of my family - that will be the toughest part - right now, i am intermixing nepali with hindi - and i know i have said something in nepali when my family gives me a dumbfounded look - because my english they can understand, smile and nod at - my nepali, they look at me like i said the wrong hindi word and are waiting for the right one...so i have become quite perseptive as to people's body language when i speak...

so today i saw my unlce and my aunt on my dad's side (my dad's brother) - which was nice - i was talking with my cousin - Sanjay, and he said the most intiguing thing to me - i want to take a picture with you - it has been such a long time since he has seen me, he has forgotten what i look like - and when i called his home and talked to his wife (my sister-in-law), there two kids didn't even know me, so they wouldn't talk to me - blows my mind - we hear about each other so much, that you feel that we have met - but we haven't. this is what i call a reality check. it is good to have every so often...

bombay is a big city - this i never really knew - but to get from my one uncle's place to the other - it takes about one hour, with no traffic - with traffic at least two hours...it is monsoon season here, but the rains are not all the time - they are in short five minute burst, that if you wait out, you can continue along your way. interesting...

random thought - the guy that invented frogger probably came to India or some place like it when he decided he was going to make a game where a frog runs through traffic without getting hit...here people play frogger with the cars - these are real people with real cars - it amazes me - i don't think you would see people attempting to run across the highway during a fairly busy traffic time in the states - but here, oh yes...they will go, no matter how close the car is, and it seems that few people get hit...so i have come to realize - india, is one big game of frogger...people, dogs, motorcylce, cars, tucks, etc. dodging each other to get to the other side or further down the road...

till tomorrow...

2006-07-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

here is some good advice - never travel IMMEDIATELLY after a triatholon...you will be sore and sitting for 8 hours, then waiting for 6 hours and then sitting again for 8 hours - doesn't help...

so i made it on the first leg of my long journey - i am happy to be here, it is nice - so here we go - lets go on first impressions...when the plane landed, couldn't turn on my cell phone to tell my loved ones i have arrived - wierd. haven't been on the internet for several days - wierd. first time i have traveled sore - wierd. okay, enough of that...so some of you might be wondering - i did finish my race, 3 hrs and 19 min: - finished last on my swim but by the end moved myself up about 62 positions to 138th overall - 19th in the age group (out of 26) - my run time was amongst the top out of the 205 people that ran, i placed 97th in my run time...which after a last place finish in the swim and a mid-place finish in the bike, is quite good - seeing that it was the last event...hmm...a little more practice and i could have done a little better...

it is nice to be back in India- the sounds remind me of Nepal - cars honking, people driving disregarding the lines drawn on the road - people turning and stopping where they please - it is nice...organized chaos...gotta love it - my flight made it in at 1:10 in the morning, by the time i made it through everything, i got home to my uncles place by 3:00 - ate, showered and slept by 4 AM - it is right now 10:00 PM - it has been a day of rest, much needed. the flight was good - i luckily got bummed up to business class on my way from DC to Frankfurt, they needed my aisle seat and gave me a better option - i wasn't complaining, nore were my weary legs. i was able to stretch them out - then drink myself to sleep - it was nice...

day one in india - now i am ready to go to bed...i will write more tomorrow - but it is nice to be with family and at home - i feel so comfortable...

till later -

2006-07-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

getting ready for india...

so i am off today for my travels - lots to do out in india - super excited - packing my bags - finishing all my last minutes errands - cleaning my apt - showering - you know, what you need to do when you are about to sit on a plane and in aiports for the next DAY! haha! word - super excited - 6 weeks of working and family time...should be a blast - so the only downside is i am sore from my race yesterday - but the beauty of international flights in the free drinks...mmm...i will put myself in a coma!

see y'all when i get back - keep your eye on this blog...i will update it with my travel and adventures...

-peace

2006-07-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

addicted to the cocoa, the liquid crack, the little black bean...

so i don't know about you guys, but the morning doesn't start right till i have had my first cup of coffee...i didn't use to be like this - i use to be a care free, caffeine free, coffee free - free spirit - didn't need coffee to start the day - i was the envy of all my friends - i was a unique individual - but alas, i have joined the crowd - i have become one...

i use to be the envy of my fellow college classmates - they would all be walking around craving and yearning for their first cup of coffee and i would be laughing at them as they could not function without it...so you might be asking yourself - how did i become addicted...so let me tell you the story...

it was after my first year of college, i was hanging with my brother in the StL - you da Lou! - a fly town by mid-west standards. we were cruising down the strip - manchester rd. were all the cool people hang and you can find every car dealer ship, white castle (harold and kumar!), taco bell (t-bell) and steak 'n shake (late night heaven) - and my brother was talking and i don't think he was paying attention and all the sudden we were in the parking lot of the starbucks - it was like he knew where it was, he was drawn to it - no heed, no warning - just into the parking lot. so we got out of the car - i asked him "do you like coffee" - he just simply shrugged his shoulders and said "i like the taste" - i said alright...so we strutted in - two brown boys - and all the people in starbucks turned and look. it isn't often you see a 6'4" indian boy and a 5'10" - 290 lbs indian boy walk into a starbucks...my brother was the first to order - a large (venti in starbucks lingo) coffee - room for cream. then it was my turn - they all looked at me caffeine filled, beedy eyed, preparing for an order that was going to turn their heads like a grande carmel machiatto, with skim milk, extra carmel, frothy, whip cream and extra shot of machiatto (whatever that is!) - and they stared as i looked at the menu of possible coffee concoctions that i could get...and i simply turned to them and said - i will have what he is having, but smaller - they looked at me dumbfounded and asked me - tall, grande - i said small - and they simply shrugged and said - tall coffee...i then walked over to the sugar bar with my brother and asked him what he does to make this stuff taste good - he said "i add about 7 splenda's" - so basically you mask the taste of the coffee...he said yes - so i did the same - added, sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla - everything - even cream...i tasted it, liked it - then it gave me a high, i was talking a mile a minute - my brother kept looking at me to get me to shut up, it didn't work - he simply pulled out his book began reading and let my sit there and talk to the wall, the chair - everything around me simply, sipping his coffee and ignoring me...but i wasn't worried - i had my coffee - my liquid crack...so began the love of coffee...i looked at the world in a new perspective...

so then i quit coffee - that was tough - i went through withdrawl - headaches - i felt like someone had taken my life line away and gave me nothing to replace it...for two years i was coffee free - it was a good two years, then i entered peace corps - one day at Phora Dubar (the american compound) i was sitting with some peace corps friends and they were talking about the latest packages and one person commented how they just got a french press ("press") and some coffee and how happy they were - then someone made a comment about the coffee and Phora and how good it was and that you could get free refills...so it began again - it started with one cup - oh how nice it was to get that high again - the sweet liquid hit my lips, energy started to flow and the next thing i knew, i was back up for my second cup - savoring each sip and drip of coffee...i could have set up an IV line...and alas it began again...the love of coffee...

so now what do i do...nothing - enjoy it - love it - drink it - morning, afternoon, evening...it doesn't matter, i can have it anytime...i love the cocoa...liquid crack - the little black bean...

2006-06-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

the flip-flop life is the life for me. I have come to realized that i don't like being constrained by shoes. it is true - so here is the analogy, metaphor the actual understanding of the flip-flop life. Shoes enclose your feet, they cover everything up and make sure that you don't show who you are, but what shoe you are wearing. so people don't know you, they know your shoe. in flip-flops people see your feet in all their beauty and allow you to move. with shoes you have to wear socks, another layer between you and your feet. you can't wear socks with flip-flops - that would look funny...unless you don't want your feet to get dirty, well, then you shouldn't be wearing flip-flops in the first place. flip-flops or "chapals" in hindi or nepali allow you to be free of everything. when one wears flip-flops they are casual, at ease, more themselves. they enjoy life and can at anypoint in time take off those flip-flops and go run bare feet. with shoes, you have to take off the shoes, take of the socks and then your feet are free...flip-flops allow your feet to breath...shoes don't. so what does this tell you about me - i like to be free - not constrained by life and what life has to offer. sure, i will put on the shoes - but i prefer to live in flip-flops. i think if everyone wore flip-flops then peope would be more laid-back, not so uptight and much more free. so wear flip-flops - don't go to bars that won't allow you in because you are not wearing shoes - go to places where flip-flops are loved not hated. if you go some place and they say - "sorry sir/maam, you don't have the right shoes on" - then walk away - you don't want to be there anyway...live the flip-flop life...be free - enjoy - break free of the constraints that society places upon us and be yourself...wear what makes you comfortable and makes you happy - for me that is flip-flops. ;-)

2006-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

"The Terminal" - so as of recently i have been spending some high quality time in airport terminals. why? i don't know - but now i am going to start to rate each terminal that i have been in and what there is to do in them. first off, there is nothing to do in the jacksonville terminal and if you want to eat, do it before you get in - cause there is NO food inside...honestly - it is really pathetic. Atlanta has an absolutely massive terminal which you are guaranteed to get lost in and/or miss your connecting flight. St.Louis is home - so i have nothing bad to say about that one. Boston is easy - nice, fast. Baltimore is also nice - good coffee there. Pittsburg sucks. Charolette has rocking chairs - gotta love the south. Detroit - NW terminal, awesome. The other - about as ghetto as detroit. i have spent time in the NYC terminal - JFK and Laguardia - both interesing places, they are chaotic. Chicago, might as well find a seat on the floor, cause all the chairs are taken up by people whose flights have been delayed and they are sleeping waiting for the next flight, which is probably full because so many other people have been bumped. Reagan is a small airport - leave from the U.S. Airways side, the other side is pretty GHETTO - they have that old school P.A. system that is the middle of the airport and when they make annoucements you are guaranteed not to hear them. Dulles is a mad house - i have driven around that airport more than hanging in the terminal. I will tell you how it is after July 17th. Internationally the best place is Bangkok - AWESOME airport - just don't buy flowers before you come back to the states, otherwise they will quarantine the flowers, and you! india is a mad house. Nepal doesn't really have a "terminal" per se - you just get off on the runway and walk into a warehouse like structure and await your bags - customs doesn't really exist either. Indonesia is a pretty cool terminal, not as good as bangkok. Seatlle has a nice airport - but i don't remember it that well. minnesota surprisingly has a nice place - lots of space....

yeah - so that is it - soon i will be spending 6 hrs in Frankfurts terminal - i will tell you how that is then!

-peace

2006-06-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

So when do you realize you are part of a family...when you are sitting at breakfast and grandma ask you for half of your pancakes! haha! so that happened to me this AM...i am at my buddies wedding, having a blast - it is fun when you are part of the fam when you walk in through the door - it says a lot about a family...

2006-04-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Some good advice...

2006-04-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Cafe Studies

Some nice brazilian coffee! mmm...can't wait to have some!

2006-03-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

2006-03-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

2006-03-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

running mad...

i tell you i have been running like mad...life doesn't seem to want to slow itself down for me...but that is fine, i am able to keep up with life and all that it throws at me...one thing after another...

so i was thinking, at the beginning of anything new you have a great deal of downtime...then within a short period of time, things ramp up so fast that you wonder what ever happened to that downtime...