Tuesday, December 15, 2009

After a long gap...Wow! What's that sound?

After a long gap, I am posting to my blog again. It's because of the project below I haven't been posting for the last few months. Watch the video below and stay tuned for how you can support this project via kickstarter.com





Behind the Scenes of "Wow! What's that sound?" from Kirsten Anderson on Vimeo.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The Art of Compassion

A great man once said,
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

That man is His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual and political leader of Tibet. I have seen the Dalai Lama twice in my life. His infectious smile, his curiosity about other cultures, and his love of life, travel and adventure remind me of another great man, -- my Grandfather, Harold Iverson, or as I started calling him when I was one, “Pops.”

Pops was a man of compassion. He practiced this compassion in his skillful plumbing and woodworking and in trips cross-country to attend graduations and do home projects. He practiced compassion through insightful questions that he asked during international phone calls and in handwritten letters. Two weeks ago, when I slept in a bed next to him, he practiced compassion by watching the clock all night and ringing his bell at exactly 3:55am to make sure I wouldn’t oversleep and miss my flight, - - even though it meant we had to say our final good-byes. He was taking care of me while I was supposed to be on watch taking care of him. He was innately loving. It’s who he was.

This was especially evident through his acceptance of his family’s choices and the unconditional love and support he gave us. While I never doubted this, it was made evident to me 4-5 years ago when I was living in Japan. I received one of his hand-written letters, full of curious questions asking about the food I ate, how I managed with chopsticks, was I learning Japanese, and about the exorbitant price of watermelon. It also had family updates and the latest news from Pops’ and Marge’s garden. But this particular letter was special and one I’ll never forget. Pops wrote that he was proud of me for following my own path, for not feeling I had to follow societal pressures and norms. He was 100% supportive of my efforts to travel and see the world - - to follow my own dreams. He knew my path to happiness was my own and he honored me for being honest with myself.

There are many spoken and unspoken expectations in society. I have met some and not met others. I’m okay with that. Though my path is different, Pops never judged me and never questioned my choices. He only encouraged and supported me in my quest to find happiness. In our last hours together, Pops said, “As long as you are happy, go ahead”.

Our family has had its share of divisiveness, hurt, and pain, - - but as I reflect on Pops’ life and all that he stood for, I’ve learned a great lesson from him, that perhaps I will never master as well as he, ...the art of true compassion. I strive to follow his example and to honor the life he led; to be a more compassionate loving person in my own life each day.

The Dalai Lama said:

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive.”

Pops has just made his greatest journey. He leaves us with lots of stories and memories but more importantly the example he set--that compassion should sit at the core of one’s life. I’d like the rest of my life’s journey to be filled with the same spirit. - - Pops will always be with me, guiding the way.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

The Biggest Journey

My grandfather just made the biggest journey of his life. He was adored by many and will be greatly missed. Thank you for the memories, the stories, the support and the unconditional love and compassion.

I love you Pops.



My mom wrote a wonderful account of our memories of him and his life on her blog: Woman...on the loose!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Ready to Read

I've been getting complaints about my lack of blogging lately...my apologies. Where is the time? Who has the energy in this heat? But the primary reason is because of a new project I'm working on, Ready to Read. The exciting news: I was awarded a grant from my alma matar, Grinnell College, to implement the project over the next 10 months. That means I'll be staying in India and I have a lot more time for blogging (in theory). In the mean time, visit the Ready to Read blog where I will be posting program updates and challenges--of which there are many!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

AIF Exposure Visit: Kutch's Migrant Population & Education

Last week, while recovering from a mutton biriyani induced illness, I flew to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, took an overnight bus to the city of Mundra in the district of Kutch, Gujarat and spent two days visiting the migrant communities a fellow AIF fellow, Diane, has been working with for the last 8 months. Working within the education sector with urban disadvantaged populations I have not been exposed to the rural scenario. It was hot, it was dry, it was sparse, it was dire and unlike anything I had seen before. The following attempts to highlight and explain some of my observations as I continue to process what we did, where we went, what we saw and all the questions that were raised.

AIF Exposure Visit

After Prev and I found our ‘honeymoon suite’ on the bus, I walked up to the front, called Diane and handed my phone to the driver’s assistant so she could tell him in Hindi where to drop us. Seven AC hours later we were awoken by the driver’s assistant and escorted off the bus. But not only were we escorted off the bus, we were escorted through the early morning dark cool desert directly to Diane’s doorstep. Apparently, Patel Travels and Diane are close, really close, next-door neighbors to be exact.

There was little rest for the weary. After a few minutes of shuffling around stuff and settling on a sleeping arrangement that would only last an hour, we crashed, woke up, showered, and ran out the door to catch the bus with peanut butter and nutella sandwiches in hand.

The next two days of buses, jeeps, walking, meeting people, trying to stay hydrated and trying to stay out of the sun was exhausting and while fascinating, was ultimately depressing and it left me asking lots of questions about the role of NGOs, development and education:

  • What is the role of funders in projects? Is it purely monetary? What level of accountability should be required?
  • How can marginalized migrant communities be brought into the network of public services such as primary education and primary health care?
  • If governments can’t (or don’t) provide marginalized communities with basic services and NGOs also struggle, who will provide these services? What needs to be changed so the government or NGO sector can integrate these populations?
  • Is something (minimal services) for a few better than nothing at everyone?
  • What are the benchmark indicators for primary education? How many days does a teacher need to be at school to call it education? How many days does a student need to attend school to call it education? What resources need to be provided in a school to call it a center of learning? What skills do children need to acquire for primary education to really be an education?
  • Are there sustainable models of education for migrant communities that have worked in other areas? What can be learned from those?
  • Are NGOs and donors doing adequate research before implementing projects in particular communities? Do they know enough about the communities they are working with? How can those of us working in development improve the information gathering process to better serve the communities we work with?

The primary reason I wanted to visit Kutch was to see how education was (or was not) happening in these migrant communities. The government has schools in the villages, but these schools are not accessible by the migrant populations: saltpan workers, fishing villages, and the animal herders. Realizing this need, an NGO in Kutch works primarily to provide basic services for the migrant populations.

Day 1-Surveying the Salt Pans


After munching on our sandwiches and getting briefed by Diane on the almost 2 hour bus ride, we arrived in a town called Adipur. We met our jeep driver and their research assistants and headed off to the a nearby Salt Company’s saltpans outside of a village on the southern coast of Kutch.



The saltpans are expansive and sunglasses are required to stare out at the glaring bright white salt. Similar in size and shape to the endless square rice paddies of Japan, the saltpan squares disappear on the horizon. While most of the workers work at night to avoid the heat, the day landscape is also dotted with bright pinks and oranges, and the brilliant blues and greens of the saris of the day labors raking the salt under the hot sun.

The primary activity of the day was observing the research assistants administer a demographic survey, focused on the women of each household. The aim was to collect qualitative information about the saltpan workers, because not much is known about who they are, where they come from, or how they are living. Apparently, most of the workers are from Eastern Kutch, the Rajpur and Bachau blocks. They work 6 days a week, and make about 300 rupees. They get one day off, decided by the salt company, to go and buy necessary food provisions in the town nearby. Perhaps because the workers and their families come from various villages and areas in Kutch, or because the work demands that families live near their particular saltpans, there does not seem to be much of a community atmosphere among the workers.



Each family lives in a collection of burlap tents, their only protection from the sun and heat of the desert. Since most of the parents work at night, the kids sleep alone in the tents. Consequently, while the parents are sleeping during the day, the kids are alone to entertain themselves. While I was there, walking from house to house following the researchers, I saw lots of kids. Without access to much fresh water, they looked like they hadn’t bathed in a long time—matted salt filled hair. The few babies I saw had skin rashes of varying severity, in one extreme case flies coated the baby’s buttocks.



While we were driving around the saltpans with the research assistants, Diane pointed out the cement building designated as the school. It sat empty, and looked unused, no teacher or students in sight. Perhaps it is just summer vacation? However, while we were doing our research, one of the young girls came up to Diane and asked her “Where is my teacher? He hasn’t come in a long time.” It was a sad situation, and there was nothing to say to her. Diane’s earlier attendance tracking study indicated that the teacher had indeed not been at this particular school in quite awhile.


After the research team called it quits for the day we returned to the college, dropped off the assistants and sent the jeep driver home. We went to the local “College Canteen” and sat down for a much needed refreshment - ice cream and cool drinks. We reflected on the day and the dire situation of education and life in general in the saltpans.


Day 2-Finding the Fishing Village

After another delicious feast of peanut butter and nutella sandwiches on the bus, we were dropped off in a small village where our jeep picked us up and drove us to the Muslim fishing settlement on the coast. This settlement is drastically different from the saltpans. Most of the fisher families come from villages 10-50 km away, and commute on a regular basis. The fishing village is set up to replicate a real community, with several small shops, and burlap tent compounds encircled with wooden fences hugging the shoreline. Many of the compounds have animals presumably both used for transport and food. We also saw a solar panel, several motorcycles and even a car at one house. But even as we arrived, several families were packing up and leaving, apparently the fishing season had stopped being as productive as they had hoped.


As soon as we parked the jeep and got out, an old man, one of the elders of the village, approached Diane and proceeded to tell her all about how various NGOs had been coming to this village and the work they were doing there, or the work they had promised to do. In the end he said that the NGOs had disappointed the communities. That was evident when we went to visit the school and had a look at the dry water tank.

The school consisted of concrete block rooms with a corrugated tin roof. There were colorful paintings on the walls to teach kids about fruits, the Gujarati alphabet and body parts. But nobody had used the school in such a long time that there were bird droppings covering the floor causing a horrible smell and ants had already destroyed parts of the floor. Furniture was piled up in a corner, unused for sometime. Another concrete block floor base had been built but did not have walls. It looked like the villagers had constructed a makeshift room with burlap bag walls, but it had also been neglected.


We walked around the community and along the beach, which was eerily waterless. The tide was so far out we couldn’t see the water. This also meant that the boats just sat in the muddy sand, stranded until the next tide. On the way back to the jeep, we stopped by a water tank that had been built to help supply the community with fresh water. However, when we looked inside the tank was bone dry. Apparently it was assumed that the nearby village would be the fresh water source for this community and they would not allow it. So families continue to commute into town on a daily basis for water, or have a tanker come and deliver water to their homes.



After leaving the fishing village we headed to the main office of Yusuf Meherally Center (YMC), Diane’s NGO placement. While the office itself was quiet, nearby is one of YMC’s hostels for migrant workers children. The idea behind the hostel is to allow kids to stay in the community and attend the local government school. Considering the teacher attendance is problematic at the migrant worker schools, this seems to be a more viable option. However, it too has downsides. Many parents do not feel comfortable leaving their children with strangers, especially the girls. In addition, some families do not always migrate to/from the same village; they do not have a home base, so keeping kids in a hostel in one village is counter intuitive. This particular hostel had about 24 students both boys and girls, but is probably capable of housing double or triple that. The kids were in the middle of eating lunch when we arrived, but were happy to show us their living quarters and take a quick picture with us.



Before returning to Diane’s lovely little row house, we had the driver take us through the new Mundra port area. This port is quickly changing the landscape and economy of the region. And with increased levels of pollution in the water, the migrant fishing community may be forced to find a new livelihood in the near future.


Before boarding another overnight bus, we played with the neighbor boy, Samye, the son of the Patel Travels employee. On our way to the bus stand, we took a quick tour of the walled old city and stopped off at a little snack place for dinner. Eight AC hours later and we were back in Ahmedabad knocking on Natassia and Ekta’s door at 5am.

Thank you to Diane & Dean for being such wonderful hosts. I could not have asked for better exposure! Thanks also to university research grants, the skilled jeep driver, the College Canteen, Patel Travels, and Diane’s friendly neighbors, especially little Samye.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Mujer en el flojo!

I've just signed on for another year in India and my sister has just started her 4th year in Korea. No point in sitting around and waiting for us to come 'home', so my parents are applying for the Peace Corps...how cool is that! Yes, I have cool parents! Here is the latest update in their application adventure posted on my mom's blog: Mujer en el flojo! Woman...on the loose!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Missing My Japanese Home

Recently a lot of people have been asking if I miss Japan, my last long-term home. Maybe its just their suggestion of missing Japan, but yes, I am really missing Japan. Especially at this time of year when all chances of snow storms are gone, but the mountains are still snow-capped. And when the cherry blossoms are blooming, a time for friends, co-workers, and family to gather for picnics, barbecues and bonfires under the trees. As I sit in my non-AC steaming apartment trying to convince myself that sweating buckets on the bus on the way to work isn't an awful way to start the day....Yes, I miss spring in Japan.



Funagawa--My favorite Cherry Blossom viewing spot!


My backyard once upon a time: Nyuzen Tulips and the Japanese Alps in the background.


Cherry Blossoms Up Close


Spring flowers in Nyuzen with the Japanese Alps in the background

Thanks Yukiko for sending the pics! Can't wait to see you in two weeks!!!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Happy Holi from Udaipur

Last month I took my first non-AIF just-for-fun trip in India to Udaipur to celebrate Holi, the festival of colors. I've had this blog post almost ready for weeks, but just haven't had the time to finish it and upload it. So, before I get on a train for rural Kutch tomorrow (blog with photos soon, promise), here are a few of my favorite pictures from my last adventure to Udaipur.


looking out and looking up


day and night


The lake palace


disturbing the birds on the lake


up close



streetside fresh gulab jaman--yum!


the view from our hotel


Holi color & water guns


Holi color


Pre-Holi*



Post-Holi*


Happy Holi* from...



too much fun with photography*

(*photos borrowed from friends--thanks!)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

MASH Professional Development

Since starting my MA at the University of Birmingham, I've been colleagues and great friends with a group of very talented and research driven guys (sadly, it is a male dominated industry). During our coursework, they decided to start MASH-Meet Ask Share and Help, a collaborative group for University of Birmingham graduates. In addition to the conferences they have organized in Japan, they have recently started a Professional Development column on ELTnews.com. Guess who is featured this week?

This has been a great tool for professional development and collaborative research projects including publishing. More on that as it develops...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

A Birthday Bash

Another year older, another year wiser? Hmm...that's always the question! But it is a good time to reflect and think about what's happened in the last year and how all the fun and interesting surprises life throws at us. I didn't know a year ago that I would be celebrating my birthday in India his year. And I don't know where I'll be celebrating next year. It's all part of the fun!

And what a fun birthday it was! It started off with a very HOLI surprise.

8am on my rooftop. I went up there to 'help Hamsa hang the laundry line' and instead got pounded with pink.










After showering and cleaning most of the color off, Hamsa and I made brunch for several friends. The menu included Mexican egg scramble, fruit salad and fajita salad. It was super tasty. I just wish we had a bigger kitchen to cook in, and a dining room to serve it in.

I attempted to make my Grandmother's cinnamon caramel rolls (without an oven). They were delicious even if they were a little doughy.


Georgina--eat more, please!!


Hamsa even rolled out our own 'tortillas'. Yep, we're homely like that!



After enjoying a delicious breakfast we continued the food feast at "Ecstasy" a gourmet chocolate cafe in Chennai. We ordered the chocolate chili loaf, chocolate chili milkshakes and tiramisu.



Enjoying our women's day at Ecstasy!



After watching "The Rosa Parks Story" at the International Women's Film Festival, the birthday bash continued with dinner at Cornucopia.

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate my birthday and international women's day. It was a fabulously fun day with great friends and lots of food.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Have you laughed today?

On Valentine's some friends and I went to a local Spanish tapas hangout for a drink and tapas, of course! Excellent calamari by the way. At the end of the night, the manager bought our table free shots and asked a photographer to take our picture. We thought it was the restaurant photographer taking a picture for their photo bulletin board. Little did we know it was for the trashy tabloid section of the paper. Hahaha...I can't stop laughing. I'm a 'Cocktail Queen'. It's so scandalous, I love it!


Saturday, February 21, 2009

A Tribute to One of the Greatest Adventures

I haven't been doing much blogging lately. I've thought about it, I've wanted to do it, but I just haven't had the time. I realized the reason I was able to blog so much in Japan was because I worked at a job that actually required very little of me. When I wasn't planning lessons or grading papers I sat there studying for my MA or handwriting blog posts. That kind of leisure time no longer exists. But in the last few months I was able to piece together this little Tribute to one of the Best Adventures of my life--trekking around the Annapurnas. Enjoy!




If it doesn't fit your screen, you can view it on youtube.com

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Would you believe....

It has taken 6 months, but I've finally discovered more to Chennai than dosai, filter coffee, temples and street-side jasmine stalls. Would you believe...

...that I had delicious kimchee and bulgogi this week at a Korean owned restaurant.
...that I ate amazing calamari and prawns at a Spanish Tapa's bar.
...that the Thai green curry is almost as good here as it was on Ko Samui.
...that a club in Chennai was charging $65 per couple to get on Valentine's. And that three friends and I got in and didn't pay but that's another story.
...that there are house parties with expats wearing stilettos, tuxedos and fake mustaches and drinking old monk.
...that there are crazy Italians, Portuguese, and Spanish people residing here.
...that the carrot cake at my favorite outdoor cafe is passable as real carrot cake.
...that there was a full marathon through Chennai this weekend.
...that pictures of Obama are becoming part of the natural landscape.

But let us now forget there is also...
...the guy who works at the auto-parts store down the street was concerned that I was walking around after dark.
...the aunty that live downstairs who wants to know why she hears us coming home late some nights.
...the bus drivers that yell at me for standing in the door well because its too dangerous for women, but men can hang out the bus door.
...the auto drivers that try to charge my twice the going rate because I'm a foreigner.
...the sketchy men that gawk on the side of the street or yell obsenitites as they ride by on their motorcycles.

I mention all these things because when you 'see' Chennai you would not believe that there is much more to it what meets the eye, which can be really overwhelming and quite honestly, not that impressive. There are no real tourist sites or places of interest in Chennai, but if you stick it out, and can put up with the bus drivers, aunties, curious neighbors and sketchy men, there is an interesting blending of cultures under the surface. I don't need and don't want to be part of the expat scene all the time, but it is nice to find and experience the blend occasionally.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Competing for Public Space

Everyday all over Chennai's walls, gates, doors, trees, telephone poles, buses, and autos people paint or paste advertisements. The majority of them are for the latest Tamil movies. These posters are usually larger than life images of heroes saving the day--dramatic, but they haven't inspired me to see any Tamil movies of late.



The next popular city-wide advertisement is for English schools. My favorite by far is for the "Speak Easy" School of English. Apparently they didn't think to google it before they named their school that. Then again, cultural context means everything! Wouldn't it be great if it really was a speakeasy, pretending to be an English school. Could be an entirely new methodology there, probably a fairly effective one. Alcohol is only available in five star hotels, not far from the laws of prohibition.



OH, and let's not forget all the signs with interesting translations, not to mention content.



But what I find ironic is that the last two, are by far the most visible signs in Chennai. The 'Speak Easy' English school and sex specialist, Dr. Biswas have the most signs posted of any I have seen. So much so that they are constantly competing for signage space. Every day one has replaced the other, until they become one in the same, asking the question...Does Dr. Biswas have a proper English translator on hand? Apparently not.



Draw your own conclusions...the streets of Chennai are plastered with 'Speak Easy' and cures for impotency, among other sexual dysfunctions.

For more fun signage, check out my Signs in Chennai set on flickr.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Life in Chennai



This is the video I made for the AIF midpoint orientation. It's just a little peek into life in Chennai! Make sure your speakers are on - Enjoy!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Madurai & SEED 9th Annual Day

After my tropical beach vacation in Thailand I flew down to Madurai to visit my host family and attend the 9th annual day for the SEED Center. I've lived in Madurai for a significant amount of time and let me tell you....it's a whole different beast! Even for a 'town' of over a million people, it feels more like a village. Cows, goats, bullocks, and horses roam EVERY street. And everyone knows everyone. It's the kind of town where if you buy blue bangles near the main temple at 11am, by the time you reach home 20-30 minutes away, your family already knows that 1) you bought bangles 2) what color they are 3) where you bought them 4) how much you paid for them and 5) who you were with. One has to be VERY careful as there are NO secrets in Madurai. I loved living there, but am glad to be experiencing a metropolitan Indian city this time around.


A South Indian meal on a banana leaf prepared for me by one of the SEED volunteers mothers.



My host mom trying to negotiate with a cow so she can back her scooter out into traffic.



My host mom cooking deliciousness--a scene I have enjoyed and benefited from for 10 years!



A SEED student, volunteer and good friend of mine! She is currently trying to persuade her parents to postpone her marriage 2 more years so she can get more work experience.



Two more SEED volunteers (and a former student) who are also my role models!



The SEED students playing group 'janken pon' a game the Japanese ALTs taught them during an English camp in 2005.



Welcome to SEED's 9th Annual Day!



The Annual Day event had dancing, singing, and speeches! It was a fun afternoon and evening of community and togetherness for the 3 SEED centers in Madurai.



Some artwork done by the SEED volunteers! They should really market and sell this stuff! It's beautiful!



Some of the SEED students demonstrating some of the their art projects
during the art exhibition!



Happy NEW YEAR to all the SEED Centers!