Salvador Molly's Friends & Family Night

SAVE the DATE!!

Monday, Sept 22nd!

Come...Dine 'for' us - the kids at 'SEED' (tutoring) centers in southern India!

Come to Salvador Molly's - Monday, September 22nd!
For directions, click here.

Salvador Molly's has generously offered to donate 20% of their sales that evening to support education for slum children in Madurai, India through Asha, a non-profit agency. Click here to make an online donation. Please specify that the money is "FOR SEED - Madurai (Adams)".

See you there!!

சென்னை சென்னை சென்னை

I'm moving into my new apartment in Chennai tomorrow! Since my last post I've been to India, finished my MA dissertation, flown back to India, attended a 12 day AIF Service Corps orientation, met amazing people and am about to leave for my site! I've been on the move for over a year, and I'm really ready to settle in and unpack my bags. I want a 'home' for 10 months!

Pictures, stories and more about life in Chennai coming soon!

July in South India

I have this long blog story all written out in my notebook about my experience on Greyhound in May--worthy of a long long blog entry, believe you me!! Unfortunately, I haven't had anytime to post it. Someday.

From July 3rd-27th, I'll be in South India with SAGE: Studies Abroad for Global Education. I'm co-leading the Arts & Religion program and taking 11 teens from around the US! It promises to be an exciting adventure! I won't be posting anything here, but we have a trip blog. Check it out if you are interested in our Indian adventures!

This blog will remain inactive through September while I finish my MA dissertation and prepare to go back to India as an AIF Service Corps Fellow. However, once I am settled in my new home in Chennai, Tamil Nadu working for AID India, I'll start posting again.

Coming to a state near you

My round the world post-JET tour is coming to a close. I'll be leaving the sunny British Isles tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I'll be unpacking the bags and calling it quits for good! I'm coming 'home' (a.k.a. Portland, OR) and will settle in, but will have the bag by the door ready to travel most of the summer. Here is a list of places I'll be headed from May-August, if I happen to be passing through your neck of the woods, maybe we can meet for coffee or a meal.

New York City
Washington, D.C.
Birmingham, AL
Minneapolis, MN

The Quad Cities, IA & IL

Fargo, ND
Fort Collins, CO
South India
Vancouver, B.C.
Seattle, WA

And hopefully there will be a hike, a few camping trips, and a weekend or two at the beach in there as well. But oh...I can't forget, I still have a bloody dissertation to write! Frick!

As soon as the dissertation is sent off and submitted, I'm officially headed back to India from September-June as an AIF Service Corps Fellow! Exciting news!!

So much to be thankful for these days!

Another 4,000 written, only 12,000 words to go!

That's it folks! I've finished my 6th module or assessment essay for my MA course. Feels good to have that out of the way. Just have to run to the library and print it and submit it and I'm done!

This one was about the global spread of English, otherwise known as 'englishization' which I might add is not in any dictionary or referenced by hardly anyone other than academics (and mostly linguists at that)! So, in my mind it doesn't even really exist as a word, at least not in mainstream media yet. So, if you haven't heard of it...don't worry, neither has anyone else!

Time to pack up, say good-bye, fly home and start the dissertation! Eeps!

In Memory of my Great Uncle Vern

My love, hugs, thoughts, and condolences to family as they celebrate Vern's long and full life. I am reflecting on and remembering all the wonderful visits my family has had to the lake cabin. We always enjoyed our visits and always looked forward to seeing Vern's latest gadget, gizmo, creation, or garden. Of course one of my favorite times was helping collect the tree sap and watching it being boiled down to the most delicious maple syrup I've ever tasted. Making it was fun, but enjoying it on pancakes was always a treat!! As we sat and ate, we listened to his stories which was always a highlight of each visit. In his last week, he was able to get out and watch the guys boiling down the syrup for this year's batch. He also enjoyed sitting in his chair overlooking the lake, enjoying the view and making plans for his next project.

In honor and celebration of Vern's life I made a big pancake breakfast with REAL maple syrup in his honor. It's not the liquid gold he is famous for, but it's the best I could find here! I think my sister and parents are doing the same in their respective corners of the globe. Thinking and remembering Vern's life! He is missed and will always be remembered!

Snow from Tibet

This week protesters have stood in support of Tibet and Tibetans at the Olympic Torch Relays in London, Paris, San Francisco and will stand again in Buenos Aires on Friday.

When I woke up Sunday morning (April 6th), for the first time all year, there was several inches of snow on the ground! It was like waking up in the Himalayas of Dharamsala or the plateaus of Tibet. It was a beautiful scene and it felt like the snow Gods of Tibet were watching over the UK that day. It continued to snow on my 3 hour bus journey to London and off and on throughout the protest. I arrived at the 3rd of the protest meeting points along the torch relay route. It was a very large and active demonstration, probably 2000-3000 people at the point I saw. As I stood there chanting with the crowds slogans of "Free Tibet", "China Out" and booing as the Olympic sponsors like Coca-Cola drove by, I also watched several people jump the security fence and be taken down by the police. As the torch came closer, the crowd grew louder, the police more nervous and the tension was high. It was impossible to see the runner, only the top of the flame go by because there were so many of the 'blue men' or Chinese paramilitary running around the torch as well as the police surrounding it on all sides. It was only when I stood up on a wall that I could see the expanse of the crowd. It was an endless sea of of Tibetan flags, banners, and signs with messages of 'Free Tibet', 'Stop the Killing', 'Save Burma', etc. And an endless sea of police trying to keep the peace. But in the end over 30 people were arrested.


It was striking to see the diversity of people standing together for Tibet. There were families who held signs together. A father with his young daughter stood on a high wall and chanted together, even when the crowd stopped. Teenagers wore hand-painted T-shirts and had painted there faces with the Tibetan flag. Couples held each other with the Tibetan flag wrapped around the shoulders to stay warm. A group of Buddhists sat on the steps to a building in silent meditation. And while everyone was chanting in English, you could hear different languages throughout the crowd.

Later at the rally, several politicians from the British government, an actress, musicians and Free Tibet organizers spoke in support of Tibet. The Tibetan Freedom torch was lit and will follow the official Olympic torch on it's course around the world. I hope that the protests continue and that they continue to gain the attention of the media, governments and citizens around the world. But I also hope that it continues to be peaceful.

I'm not a professional photographer, but here is the link to all the photos I took in London: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94801434@N00/sets/72157604459296337/

Peace to you, your families and for Tibet!

Another 4,000 written, only 16,000 to go

Finished one more assessment for the MA. This one was the most boring of them all. It was a critical analysis of two articles from the Journal of Intercultural Communication. Blah!

Only one more essay and then I can start the dissertation. And if I write the next paper the way I want to, it will be the lit review and background for the dissertation! Ah hah!!

Diversity Exploring Part II

A Few Residents from Asbury Overseas House

(Countries Represented include: India, Venezuela, China, Italy, UK, USA,

Congo, Egypt, Vietnam, Korea, Norway)

Since I’ve moved in, my Sri Lankan, Ghanaian, Russian, Korean and French floor mates have moved out and been replaced by an female Egyptian doctor, a Christian Egyptian, a Parisian man originally from Togo, his girlfriend from Gabon and a British woman who lives in the Ukraine.

The Egyptian doctor helped me find the local GP when I was sick. She also brought me a plate of veggies with mayo one night. She studies cardiovascular disease.

I’ve had several interesting conversations about ‘liberalism’ with the Christian Egyptian in our wireless internet room which prompted me to put stickers of Hindu gods and “save Tibet’ on my laptop which prompted him to give me a few interesting looks the next time.

I met an Indian family from Madurai living in my house. And another family that used to live in Chennai.

My sticker of Lord Muruga on my computer sparks lots of conversation among the Indian children when I’m checking Internet in the common room.

During a house potluck dinner I complimented the woman from Madurai on her delicious payasam in Tamil.

Several weeks ago my German classmate invited several of us over to her flat to watch the Eurovision Decision-England. As usual I was the only native speaker among Polish, Spanish, and Korean women.

On the bus to London I sat next to a Muslim Tamil-speaking man from Sri Lanka.

On the bus coming back from London I sat next to a man from Nigeria.

I went to a birthday party for a woman from Iran. She showed us pictures from her wedding and taught us Persian dancing.

Several days later she came to my birthday dinner and brought her Persian music—more dancing with women from Germany, Spain, South Korea, the US and Iran.

While my mom was visiting, several people stopped us in stores to comment on our ‘cute’ American accent. One woman had diamond and gold studs embedded into her teeth.

In the course of my moms four-day visit we ate pub grub, Bangladeshi curry, Persian chicken with tea for two, a Full English, and enjoyed a New York family restaurant.

I gave a presentation on “English as a Global Language” with a classmate who moved here from Algeria when she was in middle school and didn’t speak ANY English. She is now studying to become an Arabic-English translator.

This same friend from Algeria invited me to her house and baked me sponge cake, biscotti, and jam cookies. While I was enjoying tea and cake, we heard the call to prayer and she went in another room and prayed.

I was invited to an Iranian New Years dinner with students from Mexico, Indonesia, Spain, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, the US and of course, Iran.

The next night I went out drinking with the above Iranians. At the table there were Americans and Iranians drinking beer, vodka, and whiskey while comparing international gestures of offense. If only the US President Bush and the Iranian President Ahmadinejad could have a similar light-hearted conversation.

I have had lots of great conversations about fundamentalist Christians with the American on my floor who is studying theology. We were kindly handed Easter ‘booklets’ by our British floor mate.

I attended the St. Patrick’s Day parade in the city center with the above mentioned American. In addition to the dance troops, bag pipers, and every other person with painted green faces, there was a Sikh drumming group and an African music group in the parade.

The rich international community and experiences I’m having in Birmingham continue to surprise me! It is unlike anything I have experienced anywhere in the world. The only sad thing is, I don’t feel like I have many British friends as part of THIS experience. Although I know lots of Brits from my three years in Japan so I don’t feel as if I’m missing out too much! If I had the money I could spend my days traveling the UK visiting them all…alas the funds have quickly disappeared and I’ll be living out my last weeks in Birmingham enjoying the diversity and multi-culturalism.

Save Tibet

The emails from my Tibetan friends continue. The latest round has included some video and photos. I'll post the link to the video below, as I think it tells a powerful story. I'm still deciding what to do about the photos...they are very disturbing images of bodies beaten, shot and tortured. Part of me wants to post them to show people the extent of the violence that is occurring. And part of me doesn't want to even look at them a moment longer because they are so horrific.

Please visit Beijing Wide Open to read about a Tibetan activist speaking out about the Olympics. This woman took the video that I've embedded below. The monk in the video was a student of my dad's and became a good friend. He has a powerful story to tell. Please watch.





If you are wondering what you can do to help please visit the International Campaign for Tibet website. There are links provided to send messages to the White House and your member of congress. Please support Tibet!

Save Tibet

In the last week my family and I have been receiving emails from the Tibetan monks and lay people we met, taught and became good friends with last November/December in Dharamsala, India.

I thought I would share some of their communications (anonymously) for people who are interested and want to hear more of the Tibetan perspective and voice in response to the recent violence in Tibet. They are eager to share their message with the outside world, and I am happy to help in any way I can.

______________________________________

Date March 15th

Here we are very busy at the moment. We are regarding this year a right or unique year for Tibetans living both inside and outside of Tibet. It is because this year Olympic is going to take place in China. Therefore, since the 49th uprising day of Tibetans, which was held on the 10th of this month, we are witnessing big protest going in every country where we have Tibetans living in it.

In particular, this time since this 10th March many protest are going in many part of Tibet, which we are seeing from our news mediums and specially from BBC, CNN and other renowned TV channells. These broad casting brings courage and confidence in the hearts of Tibetans to organize further activities. In Tibet, one of my monk friend also took part in protest and he tried to attempt suicide. He is badly injured and now he is in hospital under chinese arrest.

All in all every Tibetans are regarding these on going events as a door for a big change for Tibet and Tibetans and also for other small countries which are under chinese rule like our Tibet.Here in Dharamsala, we are organizing protest, hunger strike and candle light march almost everyday. I am also sincerely taking part in these moves. All the Tibetans taking part in this on going protest against china in both inside and out side of Tibet, we are demanding freedom for our national and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama into Tibet.

This protest will go on until the end of the up coming Olympic in China. With this i am requesting you and your close ones to stand for Tibet and take part in Tibetan protest against China going inside your country.

Thanking you!

One Dream, One World, Free Tibet! And Long Live HHDL.

With a big request, Your Friend.

______________________________________________

Written in response to the above email by my father:

To: My Excellent and Wise Student,

We are listening to the news each day and are very sad to hear about the problems in Tibet and in Dharamsala. I have a sign on the back of my car that says, "Support Tibet." We think of all of you and of all of your families and friends. We hope you are all well and that you stay healthy.

However, - - you know, that China is a very powerful country and there will be no immediate change in how they recognize Tibet. The things that you and all Tibetans do to make the world aware of the injustice is good. Everyone must know and remember the injustice. We should never forget and we should not let China lie to the world. The things that you do to keep the world aware are important and will result in change - - someday, - - but NOT today!

You are wise and you know that change will NOT be soon. Many people and many countries support Tibet, but you must know that no one will rise up in support of Tibet against China - - today. Many people in China are also very unhappy about the injustice, - - but they too will not rise up - - today.

As you and your friends help us remember, please, do not do anything foolish. I was a soldier and I fought in a war in Viet Nam. I learned that it is too easy for people to die for an idea. Many foolish people and many cowards can do that. It is much more difficult to learn how to live for an idea and to make it grow. I believe this is the wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well! The MOST IMPORTANT THINGS that you and other Tibetans do for Tibet are to WORK, LEARN and TEACH. It takes more wisdom and more courage to work for an idea in the long term than to die for an idea today.

Tibet is so very important! It must live and survive and be a part of a better understanding of all people in the world. But, Tibet IS NOT earth, mountains, buildings, and borders. Tibet is a people with a language and a history and a philosophy that is unique and valuable to the whole world. You say to me "Free Tibet." I ask you to free yourself from small ideas that tie Tibet to a place and to borders that China has violated. Tibet is not a place. Tibet is a people. Tibet is not a problem to be corrected. Tibet is a possibility of peace and love.

For Tibet to survive, Tibetans must be engaged in the world to help us all learn about whom we are and who we can become. For Tibet to survive, it must be as a people with a culture that is compelling and shared. For Tibet to survive, it may not be as a place, even if that beautiful place is sometime recovered in the future for Tibetans. For Tibet to survive, it will be because the beautiful wise people of Tibet see beyond the impermanence of place to possibilities for their people. As you help us all remember the Tibet of the past and the injustice of China, I urge you and your friends to stay focused on the Tibet of the future. We must all WORK and LEARN and TEACH. Tibet is so much more than a place. Tibet is an idea that we must celebrate and bring to the world. Please, help us all focus on this future.

I thank you for bringing Tibetan culture to my life. Your changes & growth can help us achieve "one world."

With regard, your teacher and your student

____________________________________________

Date: March 19th

Hello fd

this is what happening in my mathre land in Tibet.

Recent urgent Tibetan public peace protest against China in Amdo Ngawa on the 16th and 17th Morning of March, 2008

1) In this big protest whole of Amdo Ngawa rose up against china, which includes, Kirti monastery, Gomang monastery, Segon monastery, Mami nunnery, Suwa monastery, Tsen-Nyi Monastery Trotsik monastery, Adue monastery, Dogay monastery, Togden monastery, Dongri monastery and public of Amdo Ngawa, upper Ngawa, lower Ngawa, Trotsik and other left parts of Ngawa, Meruma,Chojyama, Charuwa and other nomadic areas and the Secondary Tibetan School of Amdo Ngawa. All in all around 13000 Tibetans took part in this big Tibetan public peace protest.

2) So far we have known around 20 death casualties including monks, nuns, students and laymen killed in this big protest. Our other sources states around 40 Tibetans got killed. Large number of Tibetans went lost in the protest and their whereabouts are still not known. The some known protesters who sacrificed their lives in the protest are: lhundup tso9student), Atisha(age 23), tsezin(age 33), Tashi(age 23), Gejyam, Lobtse.

3) Many were put behind the bars and when the Tibetans went to demand for their release from the prison, Chinese authorities didn’t listen to them and in return Tibetans turned violent and started breaking the premises of the police custody. Likewise, few other Chinese offices were destroyed by Tibetan protesters.

4) This recent peace protest in Amdo Ngawa, becomes one of the largest peace protest took place in Tibet excluding the protest in Lhasa. It becomes the largest number of Tibetan people took part in the peace protest and one of the biggest peace protest against China in which largest number of Tibetans got killed by the brutal Chinese policemen and the troops.Following slogans are of the recent peace protest taken place in Amdo Ngawa:

a) Long live Dalai Lama

b) Free Tibet

c) Stop torturing in Tibet

d) Release the Tibetan political prisoners

e) Release Panchen Lama

The three main reasons responsible for the outburst of this recent big public peace protest in Amdo Ngawa are:
Firstly, Tibetans have strong wish to see their spiritual and temporal
leader, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Secondly, Chinese government has
been always keeping silence about the peaceful dialogue between Tibet and
China. Thirdly, Chinese government is continuously applying harsh mechanisms
to control the Tibetans inside Tibet.

_____________________________________________

Date: March 19th 2008

its the time is very bad as from in the Tibet can start up to need freedom .so chine's police killed lots of the tibetan people .this is very much suffer . in the tibetan people told that we will get peace of the freedom and also democracies . if you want to look it the situation . you watching the BBC NEWS and also you search in the BBC ok i hope you now more than me

____________________________________________

Date: March 19th, 2008

ya.... more than 100 people were died in tibet and here in india.. total 80
people were arrested by the indian police and nepal so much voilence there.

____________________________________________

Date: March 18th, 2008

My resepct teacher i have some bad news. Did you see in B.B.C? Tibetans were protested Chinese everywhere in Tibet frome 10th of March until now. Many Tibetans were killed by Chinese. Yesterday i saw in T.V some dead bodies of Tibetan. That was very terrible. I am deeply sad and worried for my poor country and my family. I don't know anything my family's situation. I don't call to my family if the Chinese know whose are relationship with Tibetan from India they are must arrest. I am only know my uncle was arrested by Chinese he lives in Lhasa. Now i am realized i have no country and home i don't know what i have to do actually i want to go back in Tibet now it is became very diffuclt. Teacher please you give me imformetiom what i have to do. How are you and what are you doing now? Do you still in England? Take care beyyy

Ann...on the loose!

Until I have the time to write and post some pictures, there is a great update on my mom's blog, Ann...on the loose! about her whirlwind visit to Birmingham, my 30th b-day and all the adventurous in-between! It was a fabulous visit!!!

Another 4,000 written, 20,000 to go

Well, I've made it through another 4,000 word essay. They do seem to be getting much much easier. Or maybe I'm getting lazier. Since I'm on-campus I was forced into giving a power point about my topic several weeks ago. So it was much easier to write up after having organized all the information for a presentation! I have six weeks to complete 8,000 more words and then it's on to the last 12,000--the mighty dissertation!

For all you interested EFL/ESL nerds out there...for this essay I designed a teacher education course for volunteers in India. Maybe someday I'll actually get to use it!

A long long long time ago...

Well, it's finally happened. I've reached another age milestone in my life. And with each major milestone is the need to look back and see just how far I've come. Here are some pics from the baby album that my mom just sent to me. She'll be here in just a few hours to celebrate the big day with me--exciting! But hopefully she hasn't packed the whole album! :)

I still haven't learned to pack a bag and I still carry way too much STUFF!

Thanks for the pics and the first few years! Here's to many many more!

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Some of you may remember my post last fall:
Remembering My Dear Aunt Mary

In her honor, my Aunt Debby is trying to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by walking in a 1/2marathon this coming spring.
Below is the letter she has sent to family and friends.  I'm posting it here to try and encourage more people to donate, not just in memory of
my Aunt Mary, but in memory of all aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters who have died of cancer.  I don't think there is a single person who has not seen cancer impact someone in their life.  Please consider donating money to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

To the family and Loved ones of Mary E. Milne --

In the 5 months since Mary died from complications of chemotherapy, I
have sought to honor her and do something meaningful in her memory.
The day after Mary's memorial service I agreed to participate in the
Mayor's Walk here in Portland, a 10-K walk held in conjunction with
the Portland Marathon. While going through the various booths in the
registration area, I stopped at the Team In Training booth and
learned that this organization fundraises for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society. Mary had designated this charity as one which she asked people
to support in her behalf. I knew then that I should get involved.

Now I am asking you to help by supporting me and donating in Mary's
honor. I will be walking the 1/2 Marathon Race for the Roses on
April 6th, 2008. Please be as generous as you can and make a contribution
either on my website or send your check to me made out to the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:

Deborah Anderson
940 Rosa Parks Way
Portland, OR 97211 USA

Each donation helps accelerate cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
and brings hope to the patients and families who are on the front
lines of the battle against these diseases.

Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly and securely.
You will receive a confirmation by email of your donation and I will
be notified as soon as you make your donation.

You can learn more about my efforts and make a donation by visiting
my Web site:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntor/tntorDAnders


Thank you for your generosity -- I know Mary would thank you as well.

Love to all of you, Debby Anderson

Diversity Exploring

A Nigerian man helped me with the laundry machine yesterday.

A Pakistani man showed me how to use the bus and brought me to his neighborhood, a predominately Pakistani neighborhood.

In this Pakistani neighborhood we ate at Lahore’s Kebab & Pizza House run by Kashmiris from India.

I’m the only native speaking English student in Intercultural Communication.

I’m one of two native speaking female students in the department, but the only American.

I’m one of four native speakers in the entire department, two are American.

My department has students from Korea, Taiwan, China, Brunei, Vietnam, Spain, Algeria, Germany, Pakistan, the UK, the US, Japan and Iran.

I went shopping with my Ghanaian neighbor and we met his Nigerian friend in the city center last week.

I hear Arabic, Spanish and French on the bus.

A Chinese woman asked me for advice.

I’m working on a project with a woman from Iran.

My Sri Lankan neighbor advises me as I attempt to make dahl. She tasted my dahl and approved.

I share my fridge with a man from Korea. He told me where I can buy Japanese udon and miso.

There is an American down the hall who lived in Arden Hills, MN and went to college in Iowa. So did I.

The Chinese restaurants in my neighborhood all advertise “Fish & Chips”.

The “Fish & Chips” shop in my neighborhood sells chicken tikka and naan.

In high school ‘diversity’ was across town.

In college we talked about ‘diversity’ in our seminars, we looked for it on our campus but we didn’t see it.

In my professional experiences, diversity has been limited to interacting with 1-2 different culture groups at once.

In the last three weeks, I have interacted with more people from different cultures, religions and countries than in my entire life.

Sometimes you don’t need to travel to find the world, you just need to know where in the world to go.

Exploring old Brum

The Japan to India 2007 tour is officially over. And here I am, in Birmingham, England about to start classes. After hours and hours of worrying about visas and procedures and documents, I made it into the country without even a skeptical glance. It was almost disappointing considering all the documents I had printed, ordered, requested and copied to prove my legitimate status as a student for the coming four months. But I'm here. I arrived in good 'ole Brum (as it's apparently known) two days after arriving in the UK. I spent the first day recuperating from travel with relatives in Sussex. I spent the second day with a friend's family eating gourmet food in Swindon. And now, I'm here.

I woke up to sunny skies today! A miracle! To keep myself occupied and to soak up that precious Vitamin D, I layered on the coats and jumped on the train to explore the city center. It is an active downtown full of people of all shapes, sizes, nationalities, religions, and cultural backgrounds. There were Sikhs driving buses and eating hot dogs, Indians shopping at the Chinese grocery store, and hordes and hordes of people from all walks of life looking for the best bargains in the open markets! On one street corner there was a kilt wearing man playing the bagpipes and across the street their were Hare Krishna's playing instruments and chanting. The obvious diversity of the city after traveling (and living in) very homogeneous cultures is a pleasant change.

At the library I picked up all the brochures I could find about lovely ole Brum. There seems to be a lot going on and if I have the time (and money) I can take in museums and theater galore. Not to mention explore places like Stratford-Upon-Avon, Coventry, and Warwick. My schedule could get pretty busy in the next four months and that's without classes!






I tried to take in the sights and sounds of this new town. And how best to do that than by eating food from a cart--the local greasy stuff. I got chips 'n curry. This really translates to a slightly curry flavored sauce smothering a plate of french fries. It was ok, but for $3, it was about the cheapest food on the street. After standing on the street and stuffing my face with grease, I needed a different kind of cultural experience. So I ordered a latte and sat at Starbucks people watching! But I won't be doing that very often. A tall latte is about $6US! Eek!


My new humble abode for the next four months. I am only onw of about 80 people (including 20+ children) from 25+ countries living here. I have a small room with a shared bathroom and shared kitchen. My very friendly and helpful neighbor is from Sri Lanka. Others I've met on my floor are from France, China and the Congo. But my fridge buddy is a kimchee lovin' Korean--fridge stinks!! The trials and tribulations of international living!

New Years Transitions

This year I spent my New Years holiday in Mamallapuram, India, on a British Airways flight and in Sussex, England. Here's what it looked like:

New Years Eve--Our last family meal together poolside at Ideal Beach Resort. The buffet dinner came complete with a choice of continental, Chinese, tandoori, S.Indian, N.Indian, or Sri Lankan cuisine. While eating dinner we were entertained with classical music, classical dance, a folk performance and comedy sketches by the staff. It was a very festive meal in a beautiful resort in Southern India--a day of good-byes to people and places!


New Years Day--Just hours later, I was walking around the countryside of Sussex with my aunt and uncle. I saw beautiful tree lined lanes, old churches, sheep and horses grazing and it was significantly COLDER!


New Years Day Dinner--chicken, beans & mushrooms and cous cous! A delicious reintroduction to western cuisine with family I haven't seen in years! It was a very warm welcome to a new and very chilly country!

Christmas in Madurai, India

Christmas of 2007 will go down in the family history book as unique and special. As a family we made a conscious decision to celebrate this year with as little of the traditional materialistic fanfare as possible. On Christmas Day there were no stockings, no cinnamon rolls, no tree and no presents from Santa. As much as I love all of those traditions, it was refreshing to wake up and acknowledge the day as most any other day. Instead of focusing on unwrapping unneeded items for hours with obligatory 'ooh' and 'ahh' or 'i've always wanted....' (but not really meaning much of it), we headed off for a day of fun and celebration with some truly amazing kids and volunteers!

Instead of cinnamon rolls and coffee we ate masala dosai, onion othappum and idli at our favorite local restaurant, Meenakshi Bhavan. We took one of the SEED Plan volunteers and her mother out with us to celebrate the Christmas morning! We only found out later that it was the FIRST time her mother had eaten in a restaurant. At the risk of sounding colonial, it was fun to be able to give her an experience she had not had before. It wasn't a fancy restaurant, it wasn't extravagant by any stretch of the imagination, but her life situation has never given her that opportunity to be served. She has always served others.

After breakfast we convened at the SEED center with all the volunteers and other visitors and got into two vans headed for the other two SEED centers in Sambakudi and Thathenary. Each center was decked out in decorations, drawings and the students at each center had dances, songs and speeches prepared to celebrate the day!


Our very small contribution to the festivities was cake for each of the centers. In the US cake is purchased by size, in India you purchase it by weight. So in total, we purchased over 9kgs (20lbs) of cake for the 3 centers! It was ALL happily devoured! We also sang with each of the groups. It wasn't very elaborate, but we also sang some pretty enthusiastic rounds of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". I didn't know it could be so much fun (or loud)!

After visiting the two outlying centers, we returned to Madurai and went back to Meenakshi Bhavan for meals! All the volunteers and visitors crammed into the restaurant and gorged on rice, sambar, rasam, vegetables, papads, curd and sweets. Again, this was the first time some of these volunteers had eaten a 'South Indian meal' as such!


After lunch we had one more event at the main SEED Center in Karumpalai. Two of the kids were dressed as Ms. & Mr. Claus! They must have been cooking under that outfit, but they didn't seem bothered and played the part for the festivities! At one point they did a dance and gave out presents from their little bags. It was all very very cute!

No function or event at the SEED Centers is complete without lots of singing and dancing!!! It is what they do best! It is always great fun to see their amazing choreography and new cinema dance moves!



It was a very very Merry Christmas!! It wasn't traditional, but it was very memorable--spending time with amazing kids and volunteers, being together as a family, sharing and celebrating with so many people in a different country! And there were no presents to return, no decorations to put away, no tree to dismantle, and no after Christmas sales to bother with!! I think this is the kind of Christmas I'd like to recreate in the future!

A New Year - Purposeful Reflection

A 'year' is a measure bounded by time, defined by calendars, and followed by billions. We use it to measure life cycles, births and deaths. We use it to remember and record historical events and natural disasters. We use past years to reflect on where we came from and future years to plan where we are going. With each passing year, I find myself in different countries, attempting to speak different languages and negotiating different cultures. So as another year comes to pass, I too reflect on what I've accomplished and the places I've been.

A year ago, I found myself ringing in the New Year with my parents, aunts and friends on Mt. Hood--snowboarding, watching movies, cooking and eating delicious food and playing games. This year I'll be ringing in the New Year with my family on a beach on the Bay of Bengal in South India--swimming in the pool, lounging in a hammock, dipping my fingers into a spicy curry and packing my bags because just hours after the clock strikes midnight, I'll be on a plane bound for London.

In the last year I've completed a year of my MA studies, finished a 3 year term in Japan and said good-bye to many friends there. I've traveled through Russia, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Nepal and India. I've traveled by trains, ferries, buses, planes and jeeps, sometimes for days at a time. I've swam in Lake Baikal in Siberia, puked Peking Duck in Beijing, argued with a Chinese imposter monk at Ganden Monastery in Tibet, climbed to 18,000ft in the Annapurnas of Nepal, made friends with Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, visited old friends and family in Madurai, planted research seeds in Chennai and soaked up the sun at Ideal Beach (again). Looking back on the year--time seemingly passed quickly from one event and location to the next. But a review of the year reminds me about how much can be accomplished, seen and experienced in a year. Not to mention how many new friends can be made, how many different foods can be tried and how many different cities can be visited! I'm thankful for the last year and the adventures and experiences I've been fortunate to have. A year is a long time and should not be wasted or taken for granted! And perhaps doesn't need to be marked as such because time continues, life continues regardless of the date on the calendar.

I don't know what the next year will bring for me or my family, but I foresee more great adventures and therefore endless learning experiences! By visiting new places, meeting new people and challenging my own beliefs and values I feel real growth and learning takes place!

However, if a 'year' marks a time or phase in one's life, I'm not sure how relevant it is to me. People often ask me "When will you settle down?" or "When will you come back to the US?" But my life isn't marked by phases of international travel--my life incorporates travel, different cultures, meeting new people and exploring new places! The 'New Year' holiday does allow us all time for reflection and marks a change in the date...I'll be marking that date change by leaving one continent and arriving in another. However, ultimately our lives continue, the pause for reflection is but a brief moment...the adventure keeps going.

May your New Year holiday be both a time of reflection as well as a purposeful movement towards accomplishing and living out your life goals!