Ruminations on Life in India

While I slack on writing blogs, I have tons of blog topics and incomplete blogs which I never get around to finishing/ posting. Here is a smattering of random thoughts on life in Pune:

Eating an ice-cream cone outside is a risky proposition in a city with visible air pollution. Then again, a mango ice-cream on a hot hot day tastes damn good.

I like hammocks and sea-breezes. Potentially more than work.

The forecast today (and everyday) is smoke.

Auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, trains, buses, cars, camels, feet: I love me some transportation in India.

I fear it will take me a long time to get used to some Indian cultural norms. For example, my friends here can be both candid and indirect. I, unfortunately, have trouble picking up on Indian subtleties and I often feel uncomfortable with blunt comments which offend my American sensibilities. Examples:
The day after some coworkers had a dance party-"So, Jamie, you cannot dance?!"
Upon eating a pasta dinner I had cooked-"It's ok, I like bland food."
Watching me eat lunch-"So, Jamie, you are getting fat, you must be liking Pune!"

On a daily basis, I find myself sitting through many small physical discomforts that are generally avoidable in the US: the discomfort of being incredibly hot, the discomfort of sitting on the ground for hours, the discomfort of being squished with 2-3 extra people in most vehicles, the discomfort of sleeping on a thin straw mattress, the discomfort of electricity and water shortages. These fairly minor discomforts remind me that privilege comes in many forms. While not enjoyable, I think it’s a valuable experience to live without some privilege, in solidarity with billions of people around the world who have no choice in the matter.

I'll post more and add to these soon...

Indian Hospitality

I spent the day wearing my coworker’s clothes after a busy night where I was unable to return to my flat..

Scandalous? Not quite.

In fact, this was only my latest experience with Indian hospitality.

Earlier in the week, I had come to office excited over my recent triumph baking chapati (Indian bread). While impressed, many of my coworkers were curious to know what else I was cooking. I revealed that chapati was pretty much the extent of my Indian cooking and asked for some help. Perhaps some of the women whose tiffins (containers of food) brought so much delight to lunchtime could teach me a dish or two?

Vrinda, member of the NGO accounting team, office “auntie,” and cook extraordinaire was quick to invite me to her home. Although the language barrier had previously kept us from extensive communication, she seemed proud to tell our coworkers that I was coming to her home that Friday afternoon.

My evening at the Deo household was lovely, sometimes awkward, and definitely educational. Vrinda’s daughter (Predna) and husband (Dr. Deo) were excited to meet me, and we had conversations about everything from health care, music, gender roles, and sports while enjoying mango juice, delicious food, and melting ice cream. Predna and I bonded over the music on our mp3 players and she took me to her nearby house to meet her husband and cook their dinner. Upon returning to Vrinda’s, we cooked a late meal (well, she cooked and I watched) in matching house dresses (which Vrinda kindly provided). After dinner, the Deos decided that it was too late for me to return home and so insisted that I spend the night. Vrinda and I retired early (in the same king size bed!) and we went to work together in the morning both dressed in her clothing.

While with the Deos, I was constantly encouraged to “relax,” not to “be formal” and otherwise to feel at home. They included me in future plans (next time you stay over, I will take you to my favorite market/favorite temple/favorite nearby hill station…) and offered to help me acclimate to Pune in various ways. This was not the first time that Indian acquaintances invited me to their home and helped me to feel a member of the family.

Another coworker, Harish, recently invited Michaela and I to spend the day with him and his wife at their home outside of the city. Michaela and I took a local train (our first!) to meet Harish at Karla and Bhaja Buddhist caves near his home in Talegaon. We spent the morning hiking and exploring, with Harish playing tour guide, telling us the history of the caves and taking a ton of pictures for us all. After working up an appetite, we were more than ready to escape the afternoon sun and meet up with Vijaya (Harish‘s wife) at their home. After a brief interlude waiting for a train (read: two hours), we arrived to a feast of several courses. We were encouraged to nap the afternoon away and enjoy the evening sunset on their lovely porch. To the disappointment of Harish and Vijaya, we did not accept their invitation to stay the night (we had work in the morning) and they put us on the evening train, waving to us as we rode away.

One of my first encounters with incredible hospitality and generosity in Pune came from a friendship forged by AJWS in country-representative Sunita. The daughter of Sunita’s best friend lives in Pune with her husband, so Michaela and I were introduced to Nidhi and Abhijeet before we even arrived in the city. Not only did the couple help us with apartment hunting and various logistical trouble-shooting, they also invited us into their home upon our arrival and treated us like family. I remember feeling a bit lost when we arrived in Pune and sitting in a warm home with a cute, loving family felt really centering.

In the end, I suppose that I am talking about personal connections. When in a familiar place, it is easy to feel so connected that meeting new people is not a priority. But, when far from known people and places, you find yourself in need of new connections and grateful to those people who take the time and energy to reach out to you.

I truly appreciate all the people I have met who have taken the time to reach out to me.

First Post in India (at last)

Many things have kept me from blogging since I arrived in India (namely lack of motivation and internet access), but as I begin month 3 in-country, I realize it is truly time to get this blog rolling. Not sure where to begin, so I suppose I will start with the present.

Life has started to come together for me in Pune.

After weeks searching for apartments all over the city, Michaela and I are finally settled in our new flat. The first of March, we moved into a lovely place in “Rajas Garden,” an apartment complex in the Model Colony neighborhood of Shivaji Nager, Pune. Though we lucked out and found a semi-furnished pad, we have still had to invest quite a bit of time and energy searching and bargaining for home goods. With the help of friends, a lot of leg work, and much patience (read: hours waiting for delivery or installation), our flat is starting to look like a home. And, we are collecting some great stories about apartment life in Pune. Some gems include:

• The electricity going out just as our refrigerator was being delivered. I attempted to help the delivery men with my headlamp, but instead made them laugh with my strange silly head gear.

• Taking half a day off of work to register the apartment with the two sets of police. The logistical difficulties of renting to a foreigner gave me a new sense of appreciation for the signs I sometimes see near housing complexes which state “NO foreigners, bachelors, or students.”

• Being lectured thrice by the apartment owner about appropriate behavior for young women (ie: no boys, booze, or loud noise). And then breaking all of these rules immediately after signing the lease when our (male) friend came to visit from Ahmedabad.

• Shopping for furniture on Laxmi Road (where each of the 15-20 furniture stores sell exactly the same pieces of furniture) and attempting to bargain for the same exact table at each shop.

All in all, I am thrilled to have a fantastic home in a great neighborhood. We live right down the street from a huge fruit/vegetable market and we are surrounded by little stores selling everything from eggs (and live chickens!) to electronics to household goods. Both Michaela and I joined a nearby gym and have recently figured out bus routes to our respective offices. In addition, we’ve met several groups of college and graduate school students in our neighborhood with whom we’ve started to spend time. So, as we put up curtains, cook our first meals, and get to know the local vendors, the apartment and neighborhood are really starting to feel like home.

Work continues to be challenging and rewarding. Last week the entire NGO spent two days at a retreat to review the activities of the past year and plan strategies and activities for the future. In addition to writing and presenting a strategy plan for the media unit, the NGO director asked me to co-facilitate the event, which took place at a hotel outside of the city. While I generally enjoy group facilitation, I quickly realized that language and cultural differences complicated this job. It is much more difficult to keep a group on task and on time when they are speaking a language with which you are only vaguely familiar. While I definitely struggled to feel out the best way to manage my role, my coworkers were very gracious about my performance, and ultimately I think that the retreat helped bring me closer to the NGO and the staff. If nothing else, the late-night all-staff dance party did the bonding trick.

Besides the retreat, I am very much kept busy editing reports, writing documents, and participating in various rallies, lectures, and documentary film openings in and around Pune. While I am still developing a long-term workplan at the NGO, I never want for something to do or someone to talk to. I often return home exhausted at the end of long days, but feeling happy with my work and my colleagues. I suppose, according to the director of the NGO, I am still in the "honeymoon" phase.

Namaste, Vanakkam, Assalam Alaikum, Sat Sri Akal, and Hello!

*** Let me begin with a quick disclaimer: this is my first attempt at blogging and I'm a bit apprehensive. Bear with me please and I promise bountiful rewards. And/or laughs with or at the author.***

I leave for India in 8 days to begin my journey as a World Partners Fellow for American Jewish World Service (AJWS). For those of you not familiar with AJWS, I congratulate you on escaping my numerous excited ramblings on the incredible organization and I urge you to check out their website www.ajws.org . On the website you can find out how AJWS works to foster civil society, sustainable development, and human rights in the developing world through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service programs, advocacy, and education.

During my 10-month fellowship, I will be working for an NGO based in Pune, Maharastra which helps marginalized populations empower themselves. The NGO works in many areas including: capacity building, advocacy campaigns, research, media, and governance. I will develop a comprehensive work plan after arriving in Pune and meeting with my supervisor. However, I have spoken with the director of the NGO and received a tentative work plan which has me researching Adavasi (Tribal) rights and writing policy briefs for the government and media. I am really excited to see where this all goes. In our phone conversation, it was apparent that the NGO and I share a vision and our work together should be an amazing learning opportunity. 

Before arriving in Pune, I will be participating in a 3-week orientation with the 10 other AJWS Fellows in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. We'll be staying in an Ashram that Gandhi stayed in, which should be an interesting experience and very different than my life will be in cosmopolitan Pune. I might not have a lot of access to internet the first few weeks in India, but once I get settled in Pune I will blog, e-mail, and skype regularly. 

8 Days and Counting...