Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Shower Question
Last week, I was in Ahmedabad for an Indicorps workshop. It was nice seeing all the other Fellows after two months of being at our respective project sites. We each brought back with us the habits and customs of the villages we have been inhabiting. I noticed an interested trend during our morning rituals. In August, during orientation, everyone showered in the morning - it was a task that we had become so accustomed to back in America (or Canada or UK, for some). But now the litmus test for showering was qualified through questions such as "Did I sweat yesterday?" or "Was it cold outside?". This is, of course, coming from the guys side so I can't really say the girls were pulling the same stunts. Everything has become relative as well. We open up our collars and smell inside. I mean c'mon, we're surrounded by individuals who don't wear any deodorant and smell like they've doused themselves in their own BO.
Personally, I shower everyday assuming I get hot water. If hot water is not available, I still do a good job with the freezing cold water that comes out of the pipes.
What would you do?
Personally, I shower everyday assuming I get hot water. If hot water is not available, I still do a good job with the freezing cold water that comes out of the pipes.
What would you do?
Back At It
I'm back!
Been a while, I know. It is almost December! That is too crazy to fathom. I'm so used to being out here now. I'm not sure if it's good that the time has been going by this quickly but I'm trying to take advantage of it. Since my emotions tend to change by the minute, I believe my actions are slowly starting to follow suit. That is, I'm going a bit wild and just letting loose. I feel a bit bipolar but I think if I'm ever going to act this way, this is my chance to do it. I don't know why I care so much about the things I do care about (i.e. speaking in Marathi, walking around with shorts [seriously], singing in public, etc). I started rapping the other day during our faux-anthakshari session - that was fun. No one understood a word - I'm sure half of you wouldn't understand what I was saying either. The children (I hate to call them that since all of them are 18+ and some even my age but whatever) loved it. It seems to be getting progressively crazier. It'll be fun times.
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To those who have been following the incidents in the nearby capital of the state I am currently residing in (Mumbai to the less-informed): the villages are largely disconnected to events occurring inside the city/outside of a 50 km range. India is far less unified than is portrayed in the media or otherwise. Urban life is a complete 180 to the village life (although that is slowly and awkwardly starting to change). So even though I know exactly what is going on in Mumbai and there is a relatively decent sized Muslim population in the village, both of these things have no effect on the daily activities or the dynamics that occur here. Basically, there are no intense discussions or debates here on where India should go next nor are there any uprisings based on religion, caste, creed, or nationality.
Been a while, I know. It is almost December! That is too crazy to fathom. I'm so used to being out here now. I'm not sure if it's good that the time has been going by this quickly but I'm trying to take advantage of it. Since my emotions tend to change by the minute, I believe my actions are slowly starting to follow suit. That is, I'm going a bit wild and just letting loose. I feel a bit bipolar but I think if I'm ever going to act this way, this is my chance to do it. I don't know why I care so much about the things I do care about (i.e. speaking in Marathi, walking around with shorts [seriously], singing in public, etc). I started rapping the other day during our faux-anthakshari session - that was fun. No one understood a word - I'm sure half of you wouldn't understand what I was saying either. The children (I hate to call them that since all of them are 18+ and some even my age but whatever) loved it. It seems to be getting progressively crazier. It'll be fun times.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To those who have been following the incidents in the nearby capital of the state I am currently residing in (Mumbai to the less-informed): the villages are largely disconnected to events occurring inside the city/outside of a 50 km range. India is far less unified than is portrayed in the media or otherwise. Urban life is a complete 180 to the village life (although that is slowly and awkwardly starting to change). So even though I know exactly what is going on in Mumbai and there is a relatively decent sized Muslim population in the village, both of these things have no effect on the daily activities or the dynamics that occur here. Basically, there are no intense discussions or debates here on where India should go next nor are there any uprisings based on religion, caste, creed, or nationality.
