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

Holiday Update...

Coming Soon! Must push off to Northen Karnataka in 45 minutes - going to Sharavanabellagolla (get a loud of that name!) to do a two-day study on Jainism to begin our course on Religion and Culture in India. Back on Thursday to recuperate before leaving on Saturday for the entire month of November! It's getting a little hectic, but we're swimmers! Hope this quick greeting finds you all healthy and happy - so, is all that Christmas music spinning over the airwaves yet?!

peace and love

It's Goa Time!

Most heartfelt greetings to all y'all! This post is a long time coming - updating isn't quite my forte, so I hope you're all ready for a barrage of super great experiences on Field Visit Part II! (oh, by the way, how about that weather in MN?! Man, how good did you have to be to get 80 degree days in the middle of October?! Pelican was rockin' out warmer than Bangalore some days - how wild!)

Yesterday we arrived back in Bangalore from an epic journey to Goa, a coastal state in western India. A little background on this truly unique place:

* In 1510, the Portuguese arrived in India and immediately established the colony they called Goa. In 1947, the whole of India (save Goa) gained independence from Great Britain, but it wasn't until 1961 that Goa received full liberation from Portugal. So this sets the stage for a dramatically different Indian experience. Catholicism, although losing membership, has a notably strong influence in the region. One 3km square pocket of Goa has 9 churches! One afternoon we took a tour of the area cathedrals. Here's a story: One particularly beautiful joint doubled as a mausoleum for St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish missionary to the region who died en route to China. The his crew opted to bury the body in the sandy beaches of some Chinese coast. The guy's miracle and what eventually led to his canonization was that his body didn't decompose. I guess it just more or less shrunk a bit, but anyways, his relics now reside at the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Infant Jesus in Portuguese). I snapped a few photos, but if you really want to see the body, you have to be patient. Unlike Lenin, this guy keeps a low profile and is only displayed for the public once every 10 years on December 3rd.

Alright, so if the churches dotting the landscape didn't indicate to you that you were in a whole new world, the intense tourism and economic boom will. Goa is the world's 5th most popular tourist destination. And this leads me to why we were there in the first place (other than to get a wicked tan - :) ) The course we're involved with right now is titled The Ethics of Development, so the field visit was tailored so that we would be up close and personal with globalization and its effects in this high traffic area. Unlike the earlier trip, we traveled as one large group. All 19 of us road together in a sleeper bus (aka giant riding lawnmower with lay-down option) - the original 13 hour bus ride morphed into some 20 hour excursion. After we arrived in the capital city (Panjim), we were split into 3 smaller groups and sent to study mining, tourism, or fishing and their relation with globalization. I was on fisher folk detail. Five ladies (Jill Suurmeyer, Jessica Gillaspey, KatyAnna Johnson, Emily Nelson, and Tessa Garle) stayed at this beach front resort with very little academic direction. So we took our own take on learning and decided to just comb the beaches looking for people armed with nets and asked them questions. To really experience it all more, we even got up at 6 am one morning to watch the day's catch come in. It was great! A group of young gents were on the beach playing a bit of cricket, so we asked if we could bat once. No where else but in India can you stand on the shores of the Arabian Sea, cricket bat in hand and a chap named Asha "bowling" you the ball. Our discoveries in the fishing sector is that most traditional farmers are being severely neglected by the government. Mechanized farming is taking control of the market and marginalizing local fisher people. This seems to be a theme here; those practicing sustainability are subordinated by those with serious power clout. Funding never shows, land is taken away, the market becomes more volatile for the small farmer/fisher/shopkeeper.

After we spent the weekend on the beach, it was back to Panjim for consolidation of what we all learned. Our groups presented the information we learned and sparked debate in the group on the concept of ethical development and alternatives to the globalization model. Accomodations in Panjim were something comical; the hotel we stayed at was basically some warped Gustavus experience. Our rooms were all very close to each other, so doors were left open, and blaring over the loud speakers was American country music. No CF's though, so we countered the tacky music with an Indian dance party on the boys' porch. The rest of the week was a series of lectures and meetings furthering our knowledge on the status of economic development in the area. Highlight from the week include:

* visiting an opencast mine (read: super destructive striping of minerals) as a group of "geology" students from the U.S.
* The Ben and MJ birthday bash - Doug got a Batman cake for the two to share!
* shady riverboat cruise we took to study a different side of tourism
* "Academic Interactions" with the local university students
* the town's bookstore - had really everything you ever really would need (ex. books on how to run your own bar or coffee shop - not one, however, on how to run your own bookstore)

So this story becomes a saga when we finally try to leave. We're all pretty stoked that we would be dodging the sleeper bus experience and be taking an overnight train home. So we get on the train, happily travel 45 km and then stop. Six kilometers ahead of us is a derailment of a goods train. Talk about a tribute to globalization! We sat at one station inside our car for 4 hours while Nazar, a Visthar employee, figured out where we would go because getting back to Bangalore was impossible. So here we are, a 19 member traveling circus, playing games on a train, drawing the attention of kids from other sections. At one time, we were entertaining 4 kids under the age of 10 with our silly little camp games. No where else but in... :) We spent night in Margao, Goa, and left the next day at 7 pm on, you guessed it, another sleeper bus. This time it was a lot more comfortable. But here's the kicker: early morning time, say 4:30 am, we had a pit stop at the side of the Indian highway. There is absolutely no coverage, no privacy - it was a gauntlet of people on their haunches. In an attempt to hide myself, I decided to walk down into the ditch. I didn't get more than 2 feet in that journey when I felt I was shin-deep in sewage. No where else but in... :)

Now that we're back at Visthar, we have the task of completing a paper on globalization. I plan to focus on AIDS and disease, but everything we do now is a little lackluster. We go on "holiday" this Saturday. A group of 11 of us will be jetting to Thailand for a week of Pad Thai, wats, and river markets. Eight of us (Jill, Jessica, KatyAnna, Kee, MahNia Mauo, Michael Paulson, Mallory Vogel and me) will be toolin' around Bangkok and some southern islands while three others (Ben Wagner, Michael J. Sielaff and Tessa Grevle) will be heading to Chaing Mai to teach English in a school and volunteer at a church. By the end of the week, we will all be rendezvousing back in Bangkok for a few nights of reunions.

Hope all is well with you and this greeting finds you enjoying a memorable fall!

peace and love

SJPD Family Reunion

So the field visits are complete. We are all back at Visthar, with the final group rolling in yesterday at 7 am. It’s crazy the ownership you can feel for a place after such little time. We were driving through Bangalore on the way back from the train station, and it felt a little surreal. Almost like we were having our homecoming – I was so happy to see billboards I recognized, roads where the shops’ names were a little less foreign. Of course it’s a bit of a relief to be back to comfortable, but at the same time, it’s sad. The whole visit was the most rewarding experience of my academic life – it’s the experiential approach to learning that made everything just so powerful and meaningful. Instead of reading about child bonded labor, we were made witnesses to such practices. This was also really challenging as well- you can’t easily retreat from the “subject material”. Denying the existence of these truths was so tempting, but it was loud, in your face, and asking “What are you willing to do about this?”.

I feel a little like I’m stalemate with the experiences we had while visiting the town of Hospet in North Karnataka – don’t know where to start. Our days were super busy, filled with meeting people representing aid organizations and also those directly affected by the systems of child labor, bonded employment, untouchability, and sexual abuse. So instead of starting from the beginning and recapping each day, I’ll just highlight one very memorable day.

Tuesday, September 25th:

The focus of this day was child bonded labor. We met with children who were sent to work for employers as part of a model for repaying debts their parents had accumulated. Most of the kids were boys between the ages of 7 and 15 that were spending their childhood years herding their employers’ sheep. It was heartbreaking to meet kids who have basically resigned to the fact that their futures hold little more than animal husbandry. We asked them if any of them were interested in going to school – they said yes, but noted that dreaming of education did them very little good. It just wasn’t a practical option anymore. This caused some serious anger in me – when did these young boys morph into pragmatic adults, almost bordering defeat? You could see the youth in their eyes, but when they spoke of what they had experienced, how they are treated, you realized how they matured out of necessity and have surpassed you in the knowledge of tragedies. One of the boys asked us what we could do to help them. We were silent; before the previous day, we had not even known that child bonded labor existed, let alone thought about how this abstract concept could be fixed. So we responded saying that we could serve as voices to millions of other people, broadcasting their stories and calling out the systems as a horrible and very real truth.. Yeah, we were eloquent, pretty satisfied with that answer. More silence ensued. We countered with “What do you think we should do?” The same boy answered saying all he needs is two cows and a couple of chickens – that’s his freedom from the practice.

That evening, we went to a tribal village of the Lambani to participate in cultural singing/dancing. The Lambani are a group of indigenous peoples in India and have a very vital and exciting culture. While there, we all (including Ben, the only gent on our trip) were invited to wear traditional women’s dress and dance around with the ladies of the community. This quickly turned into a whirlwind of emotions. At some points, I was so pumped to be breaking funky moves with these women and really experiencing the culture first hand. At other times, I thought I was going to break down in tears because I would suddenly be bombarded by a small mob of people holding my hand or trying to fix my dress, and I couldn't understand what they were saying to me - I felt royally overwhelmed. Highlight of my day not because it was so incredibly happy and flawless but because it was unique, complicated, and just straight up chaotic – and everyone was better for the madness… sort of liberating!

Oh, and the group I traveled with were amazing! It was great to have the small group so “getting to know you” was a bit easier. Members: Ben Wagner, Emily Nelson, Sarah Timien, KatyAnna Johnson, PaKee Vang, and me. Of course we needed a leader – that’s where Sham Kahlil, a Visthar staff member, came in. We kind of turned into a much-needed family with Sham as our surrogate uncle.

So greetings y’all! It’s good to be back!

Cricket is Confusing

Last Friday, we went out into Bangalore proper for a little taste of Indian Nightlife. Apparently, there was an EPIC match/game/battle of cricket that night between India and Pakistan. So every place we went, all TVs were set to watch this ultimate showdown. At one joint, a South African student named Josh did us a favor and explained this sport to us. Here's what I learned:

1. You don't pitch in Cricket; you bowl.
2. Pakistan has a phenomenal bowler.
3. There are wickets everywhere, but there aren't colorful balls that you try to smash underneath them with a massive mallet.
4. Games can last for days.
5. Not so big stateside; HUGE everywhere else in the world.

Seriously, it's that important here. It rivals soccer. I'm really open to the idea of adopting Cricket as my favorite spectator sport. I totally dig the flattened bat and "Gentleman's" attitude. I have to apologize to Asitha Jayawardena for never really ever getting this game - let's hear it for the Sri Lankan Team!

Today we were given the afternoon off. Michael P., Ben, and I headed out to the garden on campus to do a little cultivating. When we got there, we were given hand-held machetes and were told to hack up all the tall grass we could see. It was kind of liberating; I was maniacal with that mini-sword. The work really wore us out; I guess I'm used to seeing unwanted plant life and thinking that someone really needs to mow or it's about time for a "controlled burn". So much for agricultural mechanization - this was so much more fun! We got to work with a few of the girls and two adults who got a kick out of our sloppy slashing style. After a bit, we all took tea. Here's the thing with tea: we have it every morning with breakfast and at two tea breaks, around 10:30 pm and 4 pm.

Tomorrow our group of 18 splits three ways to go on different field visits around Southern India. The group I'm traveling with is headed towards northern Karnataka (the state Bangalore is in). We will be observing a Non-Governmental Organization that works with women and children from the Untouchable (Dalit) community. The purpose of the field visits is to explore different organizations that are trying to empower those who are typically marginalized in Indian culture. So one other group is learning about the fishing industry and how it has recently been quietly destroyed by local resorts and tourist attractions. The other groups is going to visit traditional and tribal farmers. We will be away from Visthar from the 19th - 28th, so I will give the play-by-play update once we've arrived back in Bangalore.

Enjoy your time!

Party People!

Man, what a week! Most of the weekdays were spent in introductory lectures on India (e.g. political structure, Hinduism, Indian economics, Caste System)... basically India in whirlwind form! We learned a lot and had many of our questions answered. One surprising thing I learned is that in Hinduism, there is no such thing as a martyr; you cannot die for the faith and be viewed as having the "ultimate good karma". But now with religious fundamentalism in Hinduism, this is being challenged. The concept of caste is still an element that is difficult to address. The general idea in our group is how can this practice be legitimized? It seems so counter-progressive, yet we are becoming aware that great emphasis is placed on maintaining Indian tradition and culture, regardless of how it stands when thinking about social equality. Every morning of this week was devoted to practicing Yoga with a chap who we just called S.K. (Indian names can get kind of lengthy, so initials have become clutch!). S.K. is a trained gynecologist/Yoga guru (sort of a "Jack-of-All-Trades" if you will). We are on our own now to carry on the practice...

So this time in India is HUGE for festivals. Yesterday was the festival of Ganesh. Ganesh is the Hindu god of prosperity and has the body of a man and the head of an elephant. The young girls living at Visthar invited us to their dormitories for a ceremony. At the celebration, we all sat on the floor in front of a statue of Ganesh and all his offerings given by the girls. Everyone was given a bit of rice that we threw at Ganesh. Then all adults, including us students, had a pile of this powder spooned into our hands. Most of us wanted to throw it at Ganesh seeing how well it went with the rice. But after watching the rest of the adults there, we were apparently supposed to shove the 3 tablespoons of this powdery white stuff in our mouths. Some just lapped it up; I went for it and most of it missed my mouth. But the bit I did managed to pour in there tasted super sweet. It reminded me of the crushed Fruit Loops at the bottom of the box that you throw away because it only makes your milk taste like Toucan Sam is trying to give you diabetes. Funny thing about cereal here: the milk we get for our corn flakes every morning is hot. We asked Nassar, our program guide/caretaker, if he had ever had cereal with cold milk. He laughed at us and said no; that's just crazy talk.

I'm starting to feel like I'm becoming a member of a community here. It's more than being a student with the Social Justice, Peace, and Development group (we call ourselves SJPD for future reference) :). Fellowship with our neighbors in this new city of ours has been greatly needed and never in short supply. Invitations to visit homes are streaming in from friends of Visthar. And I'm now in a place where I'm comfortable saying "We are Visthar, and Visthar is us." Now that we're adjusted to the life and times of Bangalore, it only seems right that we give credit where credit is due - I'm glad my life is being supported in a place where all the people live by the idea that the purpose of their lives is to affirm the lives of others regardless of social standing, economic status, age, gender, or religious affiliation. This place is incredible.

Check out the link to my photos for some visual India! Also, I'm going to add links to other blogs of the kids of SJPD just to give you all a different perspective of what is going down in Bangalore. It's never the same trip for any of us here - I learn new things myself just by reading what my group mates have to say! They're all so brilliant - I think you'll enjoy their thoughts!

Thanks for stopping by!

ang

Namaste!

Greetings from India!

I first have to apologize to all those lovely, important people in my life who haven’t heard any news on my whereabouts in the last two weeks! Things have been complicated - the really unstable internet connection compounded with my general laziness has made this post a long time coming!

We are staying at a place called Visthar 16km north of Bangalore. Visthar is a Non-Profit Organization which typically hosts groups of students or professionals for their various events. Our relationship with the entire campus is very intimate – we eat all of our meals in a large common room, take-in lectures in classrooms, pay our phone bills at the finance building, research in the on-campus library, and do everything else in our dormitories. I stay with one other girl (Jessica from Concordia, Moorhead) in a room that is nicer than any of my college dorm rooms, hands down. Each room has its own bathroom equipped with a shower! Just whenever we want a hot shower, we have to flip a switch 10 minutes beforehand to turn-on the water heater.

Bangalore is a pretty incredible place to call home. It is dubbed “The Silicon Valley of India” due to large international investment into the technologies industry. This translates into a city with abounding wealth and a lot of diversity. On a few occasions, we have been able to travel (via Visthar bus) into the city to get acquainted with our new college town. A book store and coffee/chocolate shop have already been located! All of our outings are tailored to give a unique cultural perspective. We are challenged not only with the basic navigating of the city, but also to thoughtfully process more than the superficial. My attendance at a lot of these group activities has been very low, so I might be just vague on specific tours taken and sites seen. I was out for almost 8 days with a pretty nasty upset stomach. I did manage to travel with the group for two days to Mysore, a city southwest of Bangalore, but I only saw the ceiling of my room for that trip. It has been really heartbreaking to miss those group bonding activities and witnessing India the way I had initially hoped and expected. I was under the weather while immersed in a completely different culture, on the total opposite side of the world from all the remedies I was familiar with, yet I was still comforted. There is something to say for the people here in India and with me on the trip. Without knowing me, people were willing to do whatever they could to bring me a little more comfort. It was really touching – I am so appreciative of countless people. It’s a little overwhelming!

I hope you are all enjoying the wonderful fall weather wherever you may be. Those turning leaves, apple treats, crisp nights, football games, and hot drinks – nah, I don’t miss it at all! (well, maybe just a little). Good luck with all you do, and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Ah, here it goes! (inaugural/ tribute post)

Shalom and welcome to the blog! Here I will be keeping an account of the stellar happenings while traveling throughout India. For the next four months, I will be studying with a group of Gustavus and Concordia students in Bangalore, India. The program is called Social Justice, Peace, and Development, and we are led by Professor Doug Huff of the Philosophy Department at Gustavus Adolphus College.

->Mad props goes to Katie Halvorson for coining a suitable blog title. The name has got me pegged (Angela Rose in Bangalore...) - although I do acknowledge a fierce similarity between it and lady WWII broadcasters. But you won't find any propaganda pushing here, only deep thoughtfulness.

Many of you may recognize the format of this blog - I'm paying tribute to Andrew Evenson, a fellow Gustie and long term buddy who traveled to Germany last fall, whose art in blog making precedes me. A link to his current blog along with some other goodies are listed. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Things will get underway officially on August 30 when we arrive in Bangalore. Be sure to drop a line via comment section or e-mail - I'm thinking about you all and hope you have a fantastic fall!

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Now playing: Sufjan Stevens - That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
via FoxyTunes