Breaking the Camel's Back

Shalom friends and family and warmest of greetings from Udaipur! Welcome to the last leg of the “Up North” road trip – we conclude this epic in Rajasthan, the largest state in India, rockin’ out the deserts of the country (think camels everywhere!) The city of Udaipur is a pretty unique place – it’s kind of the oasis of the entire state. It was constructed on two lakes in the middle of an arid land. And this geography makes the region super distinct and an ideal place to start our last course called “Environment, Ecology, and Livelihood”. I’ve decided to present the events in glorious Photo Essay format – hope you enjoy these adventures!

Hello Udaipur! This picture was taken from the City Palace – Rajasthan is keeping some sort of monarchy alive with these folks called Maharana/Maharaja. They basically have lost all constitutional sovereignty of the area – now the Maharana runs a group of 5-star hotels in the city, but hey, someone has to do it.





A Sunday luncheon with KatyAnna, Alye and Jonathan, next year’s SJPD faculty lead. On all accounts, this place is straight-up touristy – there are a lot of shops to buy traditional Rajasthani artwork and lots of these funky rooftop eating joints. Now during tourist season (Mid-November to February), all these places are busy. When you’re taking supper out there, remember to bring your authentic Pashmina shawl; it gets downright freezing here at night (around 47 degrees). :)

Jessica and I are a great team – we usually score big when we stick together. This is one example; off to the side of our uber classy room, there is this wickedly regal terrace. There are soft places to sit all over the place and the space is basically the ultimate pillow habitat. So comfy (like wools socks and woodstoves in MN come Christmas time!)!

My new bestie, Tinkerbell. This little guy is the hotel dog, just trotting about the grounds, laying on the grass, usually being totally dog-like. I’ve really just been in my element with Tink – I’m missing those furry companions of mine a lot. He still doesn’t have anything on my favorite Daschunds from back home (how could I forget handsome Haunsel?).





Part of the program is to split up into small groups to go out into the field and study some special topic; I volunteered to check out the local watershed. A major place for concern regarding the water resources is royally poor law implementation. For example, detergents made with phosphorus are illegal in most countries; they have been banned because when phosphorus is introduced to an aquatic system, it becomes a source of nutrition for small organisms and encourages hyper-speed algae growth (called eutrophication). In India, the law isn’t enforced; maybe due to economic disinterest. Domestic waste water doesn’t go through any sort of treatment; water that has been used leaves houses through pipes to these sewer facilities that are just basically glorified cement ditches – it all eventually winds up in the lakes. Think about how this compares to some of those 10,000 lakes in MN – have you ever seen something that resembles this?


Water is in a state of emergency here. And I don’t think there’s enough civic engagement. Or at least that’s what my small field group told the two local newspapers that interviewed us as “American research students studying the condition of Udaipur’s lakes”. Get this: photos were snapped of Kelly Anderson, Michael Paulson, and me really analyzing the status of aquatic habitat. We looked super intellectual; bummer the headline for one of the papers read “Oh My God, what a bad condition for lakes!” (that was the paper quoting one of us apparently). I’ll have to bring the clippings home and hang them on the fridge (they’re in Hindi, though, so I guess I could just totally make up the whole text of the article and say something profound)! Definitely not experts here in any sense of the word, but we were asked to formulate some sort of potential solution for the problems. That’s where the local advocacy came in – and although I might have felt like some sort of media-pawn, it kind of just came down to if us clueless yet concerned students help draw awareness to the situation through a few articles in the paper, then I’m alright with that. My hope is that the groups that are really devoted to this mission are highlighted for all of their incredible and tireless work.

Trivia for the day: Which James Bond movie is this world famous hotel the setting for? I’ll think of a prize later – maybe something masala-fied or curried.









This shot is for my mom. Check it – look at all those tomatoes! I ate that entire bruschetta. Shows you how much I’ve adapted to food here (who ever expected I’d warm up to that food item in India?!) :)

In Rajasthan, a major industry is marble processing. After the cutting of the marble slabs is done, there are copious amounts of this fine white powder that need to be disposed of. Companies cut this powder with water which essentially turns it into a smooth cement. Here’s the kicker: where to put it? There are governmentally sanctioned dumping grounds for the substance adoringly called “slurry”. But the economic incentive of ignoring the law and disposing of the industrial waste 8 km away from the lakes is just so strong. A huge issue with this is that the “Marble Mafia” is getting rid of the stuff on hills within the watershed of these lakes. So when it rains, the slurry percolates into the ground, contaminates the groundwater and serves as a seal for the aquifer. Citizens of Udaipur have noticed recently that their personal pump wells are getting coated with a fine white material; the day we visited this site was the first time that some of these people found the source.

Over the last two years, marble companies have successfully dumped enough toxic sludge to cover the land with a 25 ft thick layer. It looked like some evil paint volcano just erupted all over this supposedly “worthless and unutilized” land. Thing is, this region used to be fertile, could actually support some flora and fauna. But nothing can grow in this death cement.





Once other companies find out there is a place to get rid of hazardous materials in close proximity, this area becomes a dumping ground for other industries. While we were there assessing the situation, a truck pulled up, the driver opened a valve, and let loose gallons of acid waste.





Astha and Bhuvan, both Business Management students in Udaipur’s university, were our guides for the lakes tour. We had a great time hanging out with them and getting the perspective of our generation living in Udaipur. Let's hear it for new friends! They are an absolute blast.





After seeing so much degradation, Astha thought it would be good and educational for us to visit one of the more pristine lakes. Basically, I think we just wanted to have a picnic lakeside, so we traveled 10km out of Udaipur-proper and came to this place where I couldn’t see a single building. Very tranquil – ate some food and taught Astha and Bhuvan how to skip rocks Boundary Waters style.




Inside reads: “Arbind Singh Mewar [the Maharana aka Udaipur’s royalty] cordially requests the pleasure of the company of Ms. Angela Magnusson [that’s me!] for cocktails [His Highness really likes his drinks] at Shambhu Niwas Palaca [the Prince’s out-of-site crib].” Professor Doug really worked hard to get us invited to visit with the Maharana. He accepted, and one night, all the girls dressed in Indian saris and salwar kamiz (long shirt layered over matching pants) while the gents sported kurtas (the long shirt). It was a real big deal – we spent nearly 2 hours speaking with Arbind and his two children (who are in their 20s). We asked him about the condition of the lakes, how he sees environmental sustainability in the area – it was great conversation, but it was hard knowing what’s real. The Princess told us that their family was just on the cover of India’s equivalent to People Magazine (called Hello) – she was careful to tell us about having to censor what she says because journalists contort words. So when I asked her dad about his vision for Udaipur, it just felt a little rehearsed. But man, were they well-versed in social graces!

I guess this is the first time all semester where I have felt in a complete state of emergency. I’m livid, I’m indignant, I’m going to scream – I hope these pictures better articulate my anger in a little more tactile manner than me just writing about it. Seeing that absolute disregard for social responsibility and ethics and management of something so sacred and beautiful was just the last straw for me. All semester we have seen injustices done to those who aren’t quite able to counter the exploitation – people lacking resources, women being used as a domestic utility. It’s just seeing the inept leadership taking advantage of people and natural settings that throws me over the edge. It’s like “We’re fed up with these political games” sort of thing, and when you finally have resolved that something is absolutely wrong with one thing, then it makes it that much more urgent to do something about it.

Back in Bangalore for a week and a half of concluding and goodbyes. Whoa, can’t really believe that it’s time for all of that – a little bit surreal, a lot a bit bittersweet!

peace and love

Picture a Guide Book...

Scoops: Here’s to Sheri and all the Summer Scoopers! This picture was taken in Hyderbad where apparently the ice cream and sweet shop has a franchise!

The Taj Mahal – not a mosque, like I came in thinking. This fantastic place is actually a tomb built by a Mughal king for his wife. Get this lady: pregnant 17 times, bore 14 children!

My sari, a traditional Indian dress for the ladies, apparently wasn’t wrapped around me right. So on the steps of the Taj, a super energetic woman stopped me and offered to fix my threads. It’s a labor of love to get that thing to stay on – but she was able to fix me up right in no time! Who can say they got dressed at one of the 7 Wonders of the World?!

Jessica, my stellar roommate and sari sister, and me at the Taj Mahal.

Inscribed around the entrances of the Taj is the Koran, the Holy Scriptures of Islam. Look at that text – Arabic is really beautiful!

More to come! So how about those 6-8 inches of snow?!

Holy Cow!

Here’s to a world of pure imagination! After a 2 day visit to Delhi and the Taj Mahal (how wild?!), it was off to Varanasi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi, or Banaras/Kashi, is the holiest of cities in Hinduism and also has a lot of religious significance for Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges, Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest cities, being 4,000 years old (Athens, Bejing, and Jerusalem are the only other cities that share this 4 millennia stint). So here’s the story of how this place gained such spiritual meaning:

* Bhagiratha, an ancient king’s grandson, is upset about a curse put on his family’s land during the time of his forefathers. He goes to the Hindu god Shiva and says "Lord, why are we still cursed? The sins of generations long ago have surely been repaid in full." Shiva looks at him, shrugs and replies "Look, I really can’t help you. Go ask Ganga, one of the Hindu goddesses." So Bhagiratha asks Ganga "Lady, I beg you, please relieve my family and our lands from this terrible curse. If you do, I give you my word we will forever worship you." Ganga, being incredibly merciful, answers "The curse will be lifted if I come down to Earth. But, watch out, ‘cuz if I’m coming down there, I might ruin you all. Go ask Shiva if I can rest on his head instead of the land. That way, I won’t flood the world." And Bhagiratha exclaimed "Alright! We have been saved!"
-> To this day, the Ganges continues to wash away the sins of the people and dances as a goddess on Earth.

I am floored by this metropolis. The population of the city is 1.7 million, yet wherever you find yourself sauntering about, you feel as if you are in one extended quaint town. Varanasi is quite possibly my favorite destination on the trip thus far. Monday morning, we woke up at 4:30 and set off on a 10 minute walk that would bring us to Ganga. It was something spiritual walking down the cement steps to the river – it’s like a total life force. So I’m not a Hindu, Jain, Sikh, or Buddhist, but I sort of felt like I was on some type of religious pilgrimage just trekking to her shores. I feel as if this place has a power to disregard any religious affiliation and just get at your heart. At the banks, people were bathing, performing poojas (sacred rituals), brushing their teeth, meditating – best part of waking up! We got into a boat to cruise the shore, checking out the morning routine of devotees. The river was littered with boats carrying early-rising and curious tourists. What we saw that was indescribably powerful were the funeral pyres built to cremate the dead. Being the holiest of locations in all of India for Hindus, it is believed that after death, a body must be taken to the Ganges and burned to ensure the quickest travel to the liberation from earthly karma (read: "salvation"). Ashes from nearly 200 bodies are tossed into the river daily. As we rowed along, smoke steadily rising from separate piles of wood dotted the shoreline. A little bit sobering, a lot a bit surreal. Water quality is a huge issue – treatment facilities are similar as throughout the country. Poor infrastructure, even poorer administration of laws and regulations. The place where people bathe is the same place where people gather water is the same place where garbage is dumped is the same place where the dead are finally disposed of. The problem with environmental management on this river is that it is considered wildly spiritual; it is absolutely insulting to tell folks that their religious practices are ill-suited in the world of modern sanitation. How else is salvation expected if not from the traditional process of dropping burning bodies into the water? So people continue to overappropriate the uses of the river to dangerous extents.

We arrived back at the Inter-religious house where we’re staying at around 8 and had breakfast. Introductory lectures on Hinduism followed. This religion is phenomenally entertaining but not in a cheapened sense of the word. There are so many intriguing facets, so many characters involved. I’m still far from understanding the fundamentals of this faith so please bear with me as this concept of Hinduism develops! The afternoon was ours; I spent the time doing some much needed laundering of everything I own, resting and reading. We left for a temple visit at 5:30 – to get to the place, we had to walk through narrow streets lined with vendors of fabric, spices, incense, and food. It was a lot of strategic meandering to get around the massive cows lounging in the tight alleys! I loved it – it was like a madhouse with those fun mirrors that give you a totally different and new image every few steps. The temple is on a high security site. In the 1600s the temple had been destroyed by Moghul invaders from Persia. With them, they brought Islam and built a mosque in its stead. Since that time, the temple has been rebuilt, practically on top of the mosque, and now there are some pretty intense feelings associated with the place.

Maybe my strong feelings towards this place are because it’s so honest. Nothing is sugar-coated – it’s saying to you "yes, that’s a burning body, deal with it" or "you got a problem with overcrowded streets?" or "welcome one and all – whatever you believe!". You can really identify with a city that’s in your face – Varanasi has nothing to hide. Everyone I have talked to from SJPD are all thinking "hey, this place is crazy unique and is going to challenge me like nothing before". I think a lot of that is because the sentiments in the group are changing – you can almost hear the others growing. Also, everything is feeling a lot less sterilized, a lot less American-proofed. I feel as if we are seeing a "truer India". It probably isn’t a more real view of the country; the skyscrapers of Bangalore and Delhi are just as much of India as the row boats on the Ganges river are. Goes to show you how seriously dynamic and diverse this nation really is.

Oh, I almost forgot: Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all enjoy this time with family and friends – my thoughts are with you all, and I wish you a Happy Holiday season!

peace and love

It's All Good In Hyderbad!

Shalom my friends – this update is coming at you from the city of Hyderabad in Central India. This is the first leg in a religious epic that will take us to some grand places in Northern India. After we leave here, we will be going to Delhi and the Taj Mahal, then setting sail for Varanasi on the Ganges, I’ll be in Mumbai for my 21st birthday, and Udaipur in the desert state of Rajasthan will be our capstone. It’s outrageous that when we get back to Visthar on December 8th, there will be only 10 more days to absorb India before jetting off to the USA – whoa, we still have so much to learn!

Here are my feelings on the Religion and Culture course; this entire semester has sort of been preparation for these final weeks. Religious dialogue has kind of just been a typical thing for us ever since our first few plane rides together. So now that we are starting an intense course on faith and people, we kind of have this semi-foundation (at least a comfortable place for all of us students to have conversations on, say, Islam or Hinduism, more or less new territory for everyone). The class started first in Sharavanabellagolla and continues now to Hyderabad, a city where we are diving into Islam. Throughout my life, I have been introduced to this faith in a variety of locales. Here are some highlights from lectures:

* The holy text of Islam is the Koran – it is written in Arabic and is considered 100% valid only when read in that language. Reason for that is scriptural interpretation, interpolation, speculation is not tolerated. I remember when my mom came home from a Community Education class armed with an English version of the Koran. Pretty cool, huh? - she’s my hero!
The Koran was given to the prophet Muhammed from Allah (aka God) – this God is the same God that made the covenant with Abraham and sent Jesus of Nazareth to be another prophet for the religion. But Jesus isn’t salvation for Muslims – they believe in the life and teachings of this prophet. So as it has been explained to us, Muslims acknowledge both Judaism and Christianity as valid religions. It’s just that Muhammed came along later as the final prophet to create a spiritual seal. Fun Fact: “Jesus” is mentioned 72 times in the Koran; Muhammed is not featured there once.
-> And another thing: In the Bible, Jesus talks about how there will be a guide sent to the people to lead them spiritually (John 16). Christians believe that this guide is the Holy Spirit; Muslims believe that Muhammed is the one Jesus is talking about.

* The ultimate end in Islam is very similar Christianity. This is how it will go down: God will come for the Last Judgement on that day; Jesus will be there. So will another messenger named Mahdi. Jesus is going to be on the throne; Mahdi is going to be reunited with God as he has been wandering around since he was sent to earth (he is a short messenger who got apparently got lost among the melee of tall people; I really don’t have much to relay to y’all on this Lego-sized man – things were covered pretty quickly. Perhaps a link may help… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi

* God (aka Allah) is with us yet no one can define God. God is unfathomable, nameless, and formless. Once you begin defining God, God escapes you. God is absolute and is beyond your capacity to comprehend. (whoa, pronouns are clutch. Can’t really use a “he” or “she” when talking about God. And “it” seems just insulting – so that’s it.)

*The color of Islam is GREEN – it symbolizes fertility, hope, and peace. The doors of the mosques where we visited were painted a vivid shade. It’s hard to discriminate, but green would have been my choice if I were coming up with color schemes for faith.

*In Islam, Adam and Eve are created together. Adam wasn’t lonely; Eve wasn’t ever an afterthought of creation.

*Sufism – this is the mystical dimension of Islam. Rumi the poet was a Islamic mystic. It integrates elements of smoke (insense), drums, and dancing. Of mysticism: when they get to a certain level, mystics don’t belong to a religion anymore. They are spiritually undefined.

*One day, we watched as our lecturer prepared for his afternoon prayer. Muslims pray 5 times/day, facing Mecca. The prayer has a certain motion of bows, kneels, and arms movements coupled with petitions in Arabic. It was kind of hypnotic – watching it all put me in a temporary trance.

Look out for some pictures!

peace and love

Pictures

Look alive - more vacation pics coming at ya (my Flickr account is sketchy and won't let me upload all the great visuals from the trip) :(. Enjoy!

Soi Cowboy - eat your heart out Las Vegas!

Pauly, Jill and Jess in the Gulf of Thailand

MaiNhia, Mallory, me, Jill, Jess, KatyAnna, and PaKee at Sunset Point. Here's to the man (the only one from SJPD on Koh Samet) behind the camera!

Jill, KatyAnna, and Pauly at our hostel in Bangkok.

Pauly and me with our super sweet waitress at a Japanese restaurant in Bangkok; only two people in the joint who really didn't know how to use the chopsticks, but way fun nonetheless!

A little product placement for Mecca Cola!

Da Beach

Jains, no jeans

Hey there folks – what’s happening?! Here’s another post comin’ at y’all – this time we’re back to the academics. So when we got back from Holiday, we were told to stay packed because the group was heading to a Jainist community to start our course on religion. Jainism is one of the oldest “religions” and is quite possibly the most unique “ways of life”. The basis of Jainism is renunciation – aka, the ability to “just say NO”. Like Buddhism, it doesn’t necessarily have any requirements of a formal religion or God – kind of just a philosophy. However, we found that worship is common and very “exposed”. The night we arrived, we met with a spiritual leader (Swamiji). So he didn’t have extravagant robes of gold or jewelry hanging all over his body. In fact, he didn’t sport any sort of attire. He was naked. It’s taking renunciation of materialism to the farthest extreme. Swamiji wasn’t the only nude Jain there – all the monks of Jainism, once they have reached a certain level in their studies, ditch their clothes, their families, modes of transportation save walking, and any tools or technology. Here’s the laundry list of the things that have left me shell-shocked:

*The spiritually inclined are absolutely naked. Everywhere they go, they go in the buff. Take at the end of November; the monks are heading to Delhi for a conference. They will walk there, and everyone they meet will have an unusual and cheeky visual encounter.
*Women can become spiritually equivalent nuns – however, they are not allowed to be naked. We questioned Swamiji about that – didn’t seem like a model for equality. He said that in India, it’s just culturally unacceptable have a naked female body on display. So here’s my question: how can you fully renounce the world and all its superficial values if you deny some followers full liberation from material goods? Honestly, I think it’s a questionable gesture in terms of renunciation – as truly remarkable and appealing as this lifestyle is, it still is really dictated by social norms.
*No tools – not even silverware. One day, we went to go watch the monks eat their 1 meal for the day (they take this at 1 pm ever day). Instead of cutlery, they were served their meal standing by devotees.
*One of the main premises of Jainism is non-violence – that means towards all living creatures. So there is absolutely no bug-squashing. The monks avoid the risk of hurting any organism by carrying a broom with them wherever they go to brush little critters out of their path.
*Diet – very literal take on non-violence. So Jains are vegetarians, but they also limit what they eat to things that grow above ground. The reason for this is that they believe the roots are the heart of the plant. Eating a carrot, potato, onion, or clove of garlic is equal to murder.
*The mobility of Jain monks is really affected by the season and the time of day. During monsoon season when there are more insects out and about, their movement is just confined to the monastery, lest they should trample a cockroach. This goes for the evening when insects are more active. We were required to eat our final meal before sundown because otherwise, there would be no one to fashion a meal for us.
*Jains believe in evolution – but not really a Darwinist’s perspective. One of the monks we spoke with said that humanity is now experiencing devolution as a result of our increased obsession with consumerism. So what are the physical implications? Humans are getting smaller, it ALL aspects of their bodies.

- these stark contrasts help remind me that I didn’t come to India to criticize everything that is contrary to my culture and social conditioning. This is not an interrogation; it’s education! It’s keeping egoism and cultural biased in-check…

Man, I was completely fascinated by the whole visit. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before or have even dared to think about!

Mad Props!: Doug, our GAC professor was sick and unable to accompany us to Sharavanabellagolla. Instead, Sham Kahlil (gent who went with us to Hospet) and Nazar (constant travel companion) led us on this journey. Very likely two of the greatest, most friendly, most hilarious men I have ever met. Sort of comic relief in an uncomfortable situation – one afternoon, Nazar led us on a rock-bounding expedition during a hike we had to visit some Jain temples. Let's hear it for the leadership!

Oh, I almost forgot – Happy Diwali! This is the Festival of Lights and is the largest festival that is celebrated each year! In celebration, we will be eating sweets and watching fireworks tonight. Not planning on sleeping as we leave for the airport at 3 am to fly to Hyderabad for the trip up north.

Posting as soon as reasonably possible!

peace and love

From Bangalore to Bangkok

Sawadeeka y’all! That’s Thai for Hello my favorites! It’s great to be posting again – we just got back from nearly a week and a half on “holiday” and much has happened. On the minor details front, the paper on AIDS and Globalization was successfully completed – excellent! We left India on the 27th on a 3-hour flight to Bangkok – after we arrived, we bid farewell to Michael J. Sielaff, Ben Wagner, and Tessa Grevle as they had to continue the traveling Up Nort to Chiang Mai. The eight of us who remained in the capital city checked-in to our hostel, unpacked a bit, and then jetted off to the weekend market. On Sunday, we visited the National Museum of Thailand for a few hours to try and orientate us to the really unique place. While we were in Bangkok, we tried to take in a lot of cultural activities – Thailand is a Buddhist nation, so we visited many “wats” (temples) and stopped by the Grand Palace one afternoon. Come Wednesday, it felt time to sort of escape the concrete jungle, so we boarded a 12-passenger van, then a double-decker bus, and then a ferry to get to the island of Koh Samet. It was the token touristy thing to do, but seemed absolutely necessary after we got there. The weather was perfect – sunny and upper 80s. We were put up in bungalows (little shacks with a large bed and a fan) for $5/night and spent Halloween day beachside taking in the Gulf of Thailand and people-watching the hoards of European tourists at their seaside bars. On our second and final night there, we watched the sun set from the top of a hill a 20-minute walk from our resort. It was just classic! On Friday, we rendezvoused with the group who traveled north and exchanged stories from the week. Saturday morning we split ways – Jill, Jess, and I were on a mission to find the city’s fertility shrine, which apparently houses a huge collection of phallic symbols. Women wishing to become pregnant go there and pray – if they get “with child”, they come back with a token of a phallus. Never did find it – okay since none of us were dying to get pregnant. Just curious, that’s all! That night, we departed Thailand for Bangalore and arrived back at Visthar yesterday morning around 6 am.

I (heart) BKK!

It didn’t take much for me to fall in love with Bangkok – here are a few of my favorite things about this stellar metropolis:
*Public transportation – ridiculously efficient! The airport was immaculate, the taxis were everywhere, the city has BOTH a skytrain and a metro subway, traffic moves with more or less some fluidity. I was impressed at how slick it all was – eat your heart out, NYC!
*Food – so there was your classic Pad Thai (rice noodles w/ bean sprouts in a peanut sauce; at least one meal of this per day!), but the noodle soup, spicy basil with chicken, the pineapple, all were to die for!
*Street Vendors – all the above in convenient, roadside distribution.
*Contemporary living – admittedly, I latched onto the obvious “westernization” of Thailand. It reminded me a lot more of home than any place has in the last 2 months. I’m a little ashamed for talking up Bangkok so much because it is “modern” – but it was welcomed familiarity on my vacation.
*King Rama IX – okay, so Thailand is kind of like England in that it has a constitutional monarchy. We didn’t know this before, so when we saw buildings plastered with pictures of an 80-year old Thai man, things got weird. But at the National Museum, we learned that since the early 20th century, Thailand has been under the rule of a series of “Ramas”, and the 9th is taking up residence in the Grand Palace right now. His face is everywhere! There is an intense sense of pride and reverence in the king. For example, Rama #9 is sick in the hospital right now – to show support and solidarity for the king, the Thai wear yellow shirts with the monarchy’s insignia embroidered into the fabric. Talk about coordinating outfits! Also, we went to a Thai movie called “Unlimited Love” (enough said!) one night. Before the movie was screened, they played this segment set to the Thai national anthem with scenes of the King – there were only 11 people in the theatre, and we all stood for the 3-minutes while it was running. Wild!

Now for what really irritated me:
*Sex Tourism –everyone hears about Thailand’s dark side, but nothing could prepare me for how exposed it really is. Maybe I’m just naïve; I know this sort of stuff happens all over the world, even stateside, but I just have never noticed it. So when we walked down Soi Cowboy (Bangkok’s Red Light District), I was way disturbed at the level of promiscuity there. No one seemed to have any discretion – there were obvious transactions on every block, and a middle-aged, white man always was involved. It was hard from that point onward to not look at any older European/American man with a Thai girl and not think he is a total skeez. It really disgusted all of us – there was one time we saw a young Thai woman, not much older than any of us, crying and getting into a taxi with a 50-year old chap that would take them away from Soi Cowboy. Pakee Vang wondered if any of the men here see us as white tourists and be reminded of the people they have back home – say daughters or wives. It is the portrait of human exploitation and trafficking. Kind of makes you really value those Gents in your life who have some sort of concept of respect and honor.

*Body Image – this should (and probably will be) a post of its own. Not that I was frustrated with specifically Thai body image – but I did find myself drawing a connection between the American concept of “beautiful” and that found in Bangkok. Ads featured more skin than found in India, and the models were classically thin. The model for beauty was really sold in the city – there were work-out facilities on every block and for the first time since leaving MN, I saw folks running down the sidewalks for leisure. I just guess I was reminded at how obsessed our culture is with a certain look – it was strange how much pressure I felt even halfway across the world to look hot in a tank and cute shorts.

*India’s Quirks – coming back to India was harder and weirder than I expected. Maybe it was just because I wasn’t paying enough attention – but regardless, a lot of my time here has been spent making excuses for certain things that really aren’t acceptable. One particular scenario that I have just pardoned is the behavior of some men. We were primed before we left the states that we were going to be treated like “movie stars” and that the women on the trip should be aware of the attention we were going to receive from gents everywhere we would go. So when we started noticing the constant stares, the inappropriate comments and the incessant whistling, I decided I was going to be “culturally sensitive”. It was forgivable because we are white, foreign women and a spectacle. In Thailand, though, I felt like we were under the radar – far less conspicuous. So when we got onto the airplane back to Bangalore, riding with offensive remarks and 40 pairs of eyes fixated on the women in the group, I got indignant. It’s one thing being sensitive to the practices and beliefs of a culture and it’s another to totally let yourself become an object. I might be losing patience for this and other standard-operating-procedures of India.

All in all, I guess we learned more than we had bargained for while on vacation. Always the scholar - oh, were we able to recover though! Now we’re diving back into the academic work (hence the impromptu trip to study Jainism in Sharavanabellagolla). Look-out for a post on this unique lifestyle soon!

peace and love