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!

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

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.

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.

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!

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!

Gap in Education

A friend directed me to this link awhile back and I have been meaning to post it. It clearly shows how much more work is required in the field of education to ensure that EVERY child really is able to get a quality education. Sadly, so many factors stand in the way: governments, economic resources, access to health care and cultural norms just to name a few. This visual reminder of the widening gap in education makes me wonder if any one NGO really makes that much of a difference? These numbers are charted based on national average rates. How much can and do individual success stories impact the larger picture? How quickly will the bigger picture ever improve if we are dependent on small-scale improvements, especially in a country like India?

The Yawning Gap in Education from The Economist

Mini Adventures in Thailand

Over the past few weeks I've had a few big adventures--a week in Thailand and 3 days in Madurai, and lots of mini-adventures in between. I'm back in Chennai now and back at work...it's always sad to see the holidays and vacations end, but it is nice to get back into daily routine for awhile...until the next vacation that is! I'll let the pictures narrate the stories!

Thailand is just a hop, skip and a jump away from India, but it took two flights and about 8 hours to get there. Plus, there was a potential immigration problem in India--my innocent smile solved it. And then in Thailand they didn't want to accept my domestic ticket--again, smiling seemed to do the trick! :) I arrived after an all night flight just in time for breakfast and a day exploring the island.

On my first day on the island, my parents took me literally around the ENTIRE island. We stopped at a beautiful beach for lunch, at the elephant safari to feed the baby, some sight-seeing, and for a little shopping.

No visit to Koh Samui is complete without a stop at the BIG BUDDHA!

My parents rented a jeep for my visit. It was great to have wheels to get around the island, but it was VERY small and barely sat 2, much less 3--with no shocks whatsever! No wonder Thai massage is so popular!

Hot Damn! I haven't seen a super market like this in....hmm? Actually, not sure I ever have! It was incredibly huge and so well organized. It was clean, the food looked fresh and delicious and there was almost NOBODY in it--EVER! I had to sneak a few pictures and then I was told by the staff that photographs were not allowed. Sadly, mega super markets mostly cater to the tourist industry in Thailand, and with the global economic crisis and the airport closure, there are almost no tourists in Thailand this year. Places like these are really suffering! Moral of the story: go grocery shopping in Thailand!

Lucky for me, my parents are in Thailand for several months and are staying in a bungalow, not a hotel. We were able to eat breakfast at home, make our own coffee, watch the news, and generally just relax in their flat when we weren't out and about or on the beach. And lucky for them, their bungalow complex comes with a restaurant next to a pond (with killer koi) and the swimming pool. The cooks are fabulous and everything I ate there was amazing: crispy chicken salad, lemon chicken salad, mixed vegetables, green curry, and of course pad thai to die for!

How can you beat this, really? Swim in the ocean or in the pool--take your pick! Both are amazing. And here is the best part...because all the resorts are hurting for tourists, they don't seem to care if you just walk in and go for a swim. So that is what we did...over and over again. It was like a luxury resort pool tour of Koh Samui. I wish I could have stayed longer cause I only got to see a handful of pools.

Absolutely the best pineapple and mango you've ever eaten! This very hardworking man walks up and down the beach all day with this hanging on this shoulders waiting for hungry tourists to buy fruit or roasted corn from him. It is worth every baht! The mango melted in my mouth!

Besides beaches, pools and finding more delicious food, we visited a few temples as well. This one was particularly beautiful...a temple sitting in a lotus floating on a lake. Besides big bellied Buddha and 10-armed Buddha, they also had shrines to Shiva, Ganesh and Parvathy. I guess Hinduism made it to this tiny little island! And surprise, surprise, surprise...the Evangelicals have made it to the island as well. We were invited to a Christmas service at the Evagelical Mission. Out of curiosity and hoping for some traditional christmas carols, we went. We lasted about 20 minutes before we started poking each other and asking how best we could sneak out. The best part was their version of the Christmas story which they adapted to their context to make it easier for the kids to understand. In their version, Joseph and Mary are turned away at the inns because it's high season! Gotta love it!

How did this happen on vacation? I got dragged into helping my parents teach two classes! I guess it is only fair after I dragged them around my classes in Japan. But still...I was on vacation! It was interesting to compare Thai and Indian schools. Even though my parents think these kids are a bunch of trouble-makers, they were angles compared to the inner-city Chennai kids I teach! Although, there was one boy in the 6th grade class who put a plastic bag over another kids head and tried to suffocate him. He learned the wrath of Sista K real fast and was great for the rest of class, he even completed the assignment!

Yet another delicious meal--hot pot Thai style! They give you the hot pot and you go through a line and pick out all the vegetables, meats, fish, and noodles that you want to add to it. My mom was a bit skeptical of the meat because it was just sitting out and she saw the waiters putting unused raw meat from another table back onto the buffet. Whatever! It all tasted great!

Beach time!! I want more beach time! Notice how blue and clear and clean the water is. In India, I live 10 minutes by walk from the beach and it looks and smells like a sewer. So sad!
One of the days we took a few ferries to another island for snorkeling. There wasn't enough time (there never is) but it was great to be in the water with lots of brightly colored fish of all shapes and sizes. Oh, tropical vacation, I love you!

Another pic from the beautiful snorkeling island! Also notice, how very little clothing one is allowed to wear in Thailand--shorts, bikini tops, exposed skin? What a refreshing change!
Oh, tropical paradise, why did I ever leave you?

A Christmas Eve Mai Tai! I think this is a new holiday ritual for our family. No more egg nog. No more mint hot chocolate with Baileys! We're buying pineapples, rum, fruit juice and orchids for our next Christmas celebration.

Christmas eve dinner on the beach, feet in the sand! We ate chicken satay, pad thai, massuman curry, and fruit for dessert. Who needs traditions when you have tropical beaches in Thailand? I sure didn't miss the ridiculous shopping frenzy, plates of Christmas cookies or all the obligatory cards and gifts. Family, good food and a few Christmas carols in the background...what else do you need?

Christmas Day dinner the bungalow staff put on a HUGE spread of food. There was a present exchange, I got a dry iron--so useful! I love useful gifts! But it was raining for most of the evening, so we sat and ate under an umbrella. Our contribution was our famous fudge--always a big hit. That's one tradition that's hard to give up!

Going back to the airport is always bittersweet, especially when they don't want to let you on the plane cause your ticket is invalid! Again, just smile--it seems to work! I took FULL advantage of the Bangkok airport experience because where I come from I can't eat fresh green leafy vegetables or drink deliciously expensive corporate coffee. Desperatly conservative conditions at home also call for desperate credit card measures--my first ever stop at Duty Free!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all our fellow AIFers throughout India and to all our friends and family back at home! Thinking of you and wishing you a warm and happy holiday season!

YRG Care Peds Clinic

It's easy to forget the holidays are just around the corner when you live in a tropical predominantly Hindu country. No mad dash to buy presents. No Christmas cookies at work. No drives through the neighborhood to look at lights and decorations. Don't get me wrong though, Christmas does exist in India, just in different ways. There are random Xmas trees at gas stations and in 5 star hotels and pictures of Santa hanging in restaurants alongside adverts for Xmas dinners. But it doesn't really feel like the holidays. Besides a few Xmas tunes from my iPod, the season could almost pass without notice...but one event last weekend reminded me of the true spirit of Christmas--at least the one I prefer to associate with Christmas.



A fellow non-AIF fellow in Chennai works for Y.R.G. Care, an HIV/AIDS clinic and research center. She invited us to visit the pediatric clinic (once in three months). YES, a clinic for children with HIV. Families travel from all over South India for check-ups and medications spending what little money they have on travel, food and staying over in Chennai to help their kids. During the Christmas season YRG Care turns this day of doctors visits, tests and waiting into a Christmas carnival full of dancing, singing, games, popcorn and cotton candy, and even a visit by Santa Claus.


As new visitors (and prospective volunteers) to this clinic, we were unsure what our role could or should be. They seemed to have plenty of people managing all the activities and the kids were happily entertaining everyone with their singing and dancing. We are hopeful that next time around we can be more active participants now that we have made contact with the organizers.
I would guess that most, if not all, of the students are non-Christians, however Santa Claus was there and all the kids were thrilled to dance on stage with Jolly Saint Nick (who was actually a Jolly Saint Nicole!).

This is the true spirit of Christmas: family and friends, fun and togetherness!

Happy Belated Birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday Praveen!!! Hope you're feeling 100% soon! Sorry you couldn't enjoy all the yummy tasty food last night--we'll go again in the New Year!

An MA Graduate...at last!

I started my MA program in April 2006 and after 2.5 years of combined distance and on-campus study, I apparently graduated sometime this week in abstenia. I've completed my first MA! Yes...there might just be one more!

Instead of spending money I don't have for a lot of pomp and circumstance in the UK, my wonderful roommate organized a dinner with our lovely Chennai friends and even ordered a special chocolate cake! The food was also fabulous--appetizers with real mozzarella and fresh basil, salads with more mozzarella, two cheesy delicious pizzas, and four different pasta dishes with not even a hint of Indian spice! Thanks to everyone for coming and making this a memorable celebration!


Next up: Planning my celebratory MA graduation trip to Vietnam with my dad, updating and writing a new resume, looking for jobs for fall 2009 and researching the next MA program!

A Day in the Life of...

I haven't written much if anything about my work here--and I promise to post more work and project-related posts here in the future. However, I have just posted A Day in the Life of... an AIF Service Corps Fellow and information about my work at AID India and specific projects on the AIF Service Corps Fellowship Blog. Instead of re-posting it here just follow the links above if you're interested!

Another update

My roommate and I went to this crazy Western Dance Competition last night with our landlord's son. But I'm too lazy to write....check this out SHOCK 2008.

Recent Events

Haven't been in much of a mood to blog these days...but a long one is on its' way. I might even mention exactly why I'm back in India and what I'm doing here. Seems all I blog about is my extracurricular activities, more on my work coming soon. But for now, this is what I've been up to:

Cooking: Making pancakes, crepes, bread, apple pie like treats and other goodies! It's fun to be in the kitchen and cooking again. I've missed it this last year! I just wish we had an oven...what I would give for an oven!

Went to a concert with Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Shivamani, U.Srinivas and Selva Ganesh--some of the best musicians in India! It was extraordinary! Sadly, it was only a 2 hour concert, I could have sat and listend for days.

Thankful for internet at home!

Happy Thanksgiving webcam skype call from college friends in Seattle!

Thank god for technology, for skype, for digital cameras, for laptops, for internet at home, and for POWER!! 10 years ago when I first came to India, email was barely a possibility and international phone calls were not dependable. What will another 10 years bring us?

Thankful!

There are many things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving. The list is long and not comprehensive but includes:

A Dry Safe Place to Live: Due to Cyclone Nisha--the rain and all the flooding, I am thankful for a dry place to live. This morning after our power went out (8-6), we went to Hamsa's family's house to watch live coverage of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. I am thankful both for a loving warm family that has taken me in and thankful to be safe and sound on a day of tragic proportions in India.

A Financially Supported Fellowship: Considering the current economic crisis--loss of jobs, failing banks, high unemployment, etc. I am very thankful and feel very lucky to be a financially supported full-time volunteer this year. This is a luxury!

An Internationally and Globally Minded Family: I have wonderful family all over the world that I love and respect. They are truly an inspiration to me!

Wishing everyone at home a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Internationalizing Thanksgiving

'Suband' -- Co-hosts of the tastiest Chennai Thanksgiving Party, 2008.

We've been talking about this event for several months, but actual preparation only started the night before -- shopping in the monsoon rain! After work I ventured out in my raincoat (no umbrella) and hit up the import grocery store for cranberry sauce and ranch dressing mix, the supermarket for things like flour and of course the fruit and vegetable market. On a good day I would walk to all of these places, but given the rain and the quantity of food being purchased, I hired an auto to chauffeur me around for a whopping 50 rps ($1US as of today's rate). All of you reading this in the US, Japan, and UK might think--'hot damn, what a bargain'. But, I take the bus to work for 5rps or $.10US round trip -- so it's actually very luxurious and extravagant to spend so much for transportation!

We invited people to come at 7pm because Saturday is a working day and dinner is a late affair here. Plus we were hoping to have a rooftop dinner party under a starry sky! Even though I started cooking at 10am, and with all day to prepapre, it was still rushed and we were still cooking even as guests arrived. Sadly, Hamsa is one of the unlucky ones that has to work on Saturday but was able to get 1/2 a day off. While I was sweating buckets in the kitchen, she was braving the rain running around town collecting last minute items: corn, extra plates, a microwave, and twinkle lights.

Most food preparation is done on the floor. At first it seems odd, but actually it makes a lot of sense. It's easier on the back to sit and chop. The kitchen doesn't have a fan and gets really hot. Plus the floor is swept and mopped (almost) everyday, so it's clean!

Every Thanksgiving meal must include mashed potatoes and gravy. This was no exception, although it was a completely vegetarian meal!

Our kitchen fits one comfortably, two if you don't mind bumping elbows and three or more only if you don't mind slow dancing really close!

The final line-up prepared and/or provided by the Suband Team: Fried rice catered from Saravana Bhavan, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, garlic green beans, sweet butter corn, yogurt raita, apple pie filling, applati (apple-chappati pie), banati (banana-chappati pie), and cucumber and carrot sticks with ranch dressing. But because it was a potluck, we also had sambar-idli, dosa, pulao, vegetable curry, rotis, tomato gravy, cakes, pastry items, Indian sweets, and kesari. Our tiny kitchen was literally overflowing with food!

Interesting fact: the idea of 'potluck' doesn't exist in India. So inviting people to a potluck caused some confusion and comments like "Why would I bring my own food to someone's house when I can eat it at home?" Another person thought they had to bring food ONLY for themselves and eat it at someone's house. In the end, EVERY Indian (except 1) brought store or restaurant food, nobody else brought homemade food except the Americans! Considering American culture is often criticized for its obsession with pre-packaged food, fast food and eating out, I found this very interesting.

'Thanksgiving' was a first for most of our guests. So I took a few minutes to explain the different foods. Thank goodness we had two rice dishes in addition to the 'American food'. I think everyone liked to try the new foods, but they were not overly popular with the Indian crowd.

The food did receive 'thumbs-up' from Hamsa's family!

Personally, the exciting thing about sharing thanksgiving in other countries is gathering people with various backgrounds and watching them interact, connect, network and make friends. In attendance we had Indians, NRIs, Indian-Americans, non-Indian Americans, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, doctors, med students, fellows (AIF, Fogarty, & Watson), college students, NGO professionals, HIV/AIDS activists, and education activists. Phew--it was a fascinating mix and many numbers were exchanged!

Pre-dinner lounging while we wait for all the guests to arrive! Sadly, it was raining most of the night and our rooftop idea was impossible to implement. Mr. Christopher (far right) had planned and brought games to play with the group but there just wasn't enough space since we were all packed into our very tiny apartment.

There was more than enough food for everyone! In fact, most guests left with more food than they brought--the true sign of a good Thanksgiving meal!

Our landlord's sons came up and tried the food...although polite, I think it got mixed reviews. They seemed to prefer the fried rice and veg curry options.

In addition to friends and family, we invited lots of our co-workers. This is me, my 'supervisor' (although she HATES that title), and her husband. It was fun to hang-out with them after work.

Food Coma!

I realized last night that I haven't actually celebrated Thanksgiving in the US since 2002! The last six years I've celebrated in India 3 times and Japan 3 times! I don't have any pictures from the 2003 Thanksgiving feast, that was before my digital camera era. But the other events are pictured below. Each year has taken a slightly different twist. In Japan there was always a turkey and apple & pumpkin pie, not to mention the famous door prizes! Last year in Dharamsala, we were unable to prepare food for all of our Tibetan students, so we just served brownies and tea. And this year it was a rainy vegetarian feast! Where will I celebrate Thanksgiving next year?

A Tibetan Thanksgiving Dharamsala, India 2007

A Festive Funami Thanksgiving Toyama, Japan 2006

A Festive Funami Thanksgiving Toyama, Japan 2005

Nyuzen's First Thanksgiving -- Toyama, Japan 2004