Within two days of each other we got matching bruises! how romantic! India is a dog eat dog world!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
pics and links
here you can see a typical goods carrying truck, pani puri which we made with our friends val and amol, an old muslim womans hands, and one of the clients where i work. 
check out more pictures athttp://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=581221203751864030/l=353766354/g=11441637/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
check out more pictures athttp://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=581221203751864030/l=353766354/g=11441637/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
Oneness blessin-working for the NGO
hello there my loves. it has been months since i have written. the big news is that you should be able to call us on an asheville number. i have emailed sue as our test pilot today. the number is.....828-333-4656. please call because i miss you. we are around 10 hours after you. so your morning time is best. हे लुक हिन्दी there is a type in hindi option how cool. so i have spent 21 days silently meditation and to date i would rank the wedding and this meditation course, http://www.onenessmovement.org/ the highlights of my life. i am looking forward to seeing how my life will change with this in it. so far i just do the 2x/day short practices. i am looking forward to giving deeksha to more folks. i have been livin in a lil flat and working for an NGO for two weeks. we work with HIV heroine addicts. pretty intense and a great program. they strive for helping others to help themselves. One of the addicts who i got to know a bit, relapsed and died in a train accident. This is what happens with this population a lot, pretty crazy, pretty sad. but i am glad i got to know his beautiful smile! I am conducting an art therapy workshop this weekend, should be great. i miss you all
Monday, February 18, 2008
Bollywood and Delaware!
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The pictures are of me and some locates hawkers at the Mumbai Arts Festival and other arts festival happenings!
I think I forgot to talk about the Kanheri Caves in Sanjay National Park. They were straight up amazing! They were built around 900 AD by Buddhist Monks! Here were over 109 caves. Most were simple dwellings, but about 20 are truly amazing. One is like a prayer hall with pillars carved in the walls and a shrine. Another was like a lecture hall complete with two long sitting areas. Most caves had canal for drainage! It was great. We are planning a field trip to the Park with the youth who come into our drop in center! I’m stoked.
Di and I walked to the Caves and it was a good 2 mile walk. We saw many communities of monkey along the way. When we past one set of monkeys there was a car, about the size of a station wagon carrying about 18 people feeding the monkeys. As Di and I walked by they stopped feeding the monkeys and just stared at us. (This is not uncommon, we get stared at all the time. I suspect any white person gets stared at all the time. It can get quite annoying sometimes) ANYWAY I want to do a study to see what people stare at longer…Monkeys or Foreigners! I will publish my findings in Science Today! Look for it upon my return to the states in the September 2008 issue!
Di and I went to Filmistan the other day. Filmistan and Film City are the sets that many Bollywood films and most India TV shows are shot. It was amazing! I have a new dream! To have my own cooking tv show. I would eat all day! How great is that! So let me report back to everyone what it is like to be on the set of a cooking show. They shoot for about 12-14 hours straight for 6 days. That basically gives them a season of shows. It takes around 20-30 minutes to shoot an episode and they everyone gets to try the tasties! Not too bad. On top of this world class food there is a stream of chai/coffee/soda/water. Of course lunch and dinner are served but they act as a side course the multiple gourmet tastings throughout the day!
If you have read this long you deserve the secret to getting stuff done or going places in India. The person who greets you will refuse you entrance pretty much no matter what. Even if you have a huge invitation that says you belong there or even if the building has a large picture of you face on it. You will not be let in. They will claim you need 5 other forms of identification or need letters from public officials of some sort. Do not be discouraged! Keep insisting that you belong or were invited or whatever the case maybe and after about 3 minutes they will welcome you in! Good Luck~
So Delaware is a real cool place on the other side of the world as opposed to in the US!!! I have gotten the following reactions to me being from Delaware the past 2 weeks!
Our one friend Red is Indian but lived in Chicago for 14 years and has about 340 tattoo’s and is a boat load of fun. (Yes we did sing her the “I used to Work in Chicago” song. This song did not nearly go over as well as I would have hoped with the international audience.) Any way were talking about where we were from in the states and I proudly told her Delaware! She basically fell over in excitement and started touching me screaming “I have never meet anyone from Delaware, that is an imaginary place!” This went on for a solid 5 minutes!
Another volunteer with AJWS was equally as excited to meet a true Delawarian. Over diner we were introducing ourselves and again I got the chance to throw the Delaware title out there and her reaction was equally as exuberant! Your from Delaware?!?!?!? That is amazing. I have never meet anyone from Delaware! What is it like? Can I have your autograph. And then we posed for pictures! It was great!
I think I forgot to talk about the Kanheri Caves in Sanjay National Park. They were straight up amazing! They were built around 900 AD by Buddhist Monks! Here were over 109 caves. Most were simple dwellings, but about 20 are truly amazing. One is like a prayer hall with pillars carved in the walls and a shrine. Another was like a lecture hall complete with two long sitting areas. Most caves had canal for drainage! It was great. We are planning a field trip to the Park with the youth who come into our drop in center! I’m stoked.
Di and I walked to the Caves and it was a good 2 mile walk. We saw many communities of monkey along the way. When we past one set of monkeys there was a car, about the size of a station wagon carrying about 18 people feeding the monkeys. As Di and I walked by they stopped feeding the monkeys and just stared at us. (This is not uncommon, we get stared at all the time. I suspect any white person gets stared at all the time. It can get quite annoying sometimes) ANYWAY I want to do a study to see what people stare at longer…Monkeys or Foreigners! I will publish my findings in Science Today! Look for it upon my return to the states in the September 2008 issue!
Di and I went to Filmistan the other day. Filmistan and Film City are the sets that many Bollywood films and most India TV shows are shot. It was amazing! I have a new dream! To have my own cooking tv show. I would eat all day! How great is that! So let me report back to everyone what it is like to be on the set of a cooking show. They shoot for about 12-14 hours straight for 6 days. That basically gives them a season of shows. It takes around 20-30 minutes to shoot an episode and they everyone gets to try the tasties! Not too bad. On top of this world class food there is a stream of chai/coffee/soda/water. Of course lunch and dinner are served but they act as a side course the multiple gourmet tastings throughout the day!
If you have read this long you deserve the secret to getting stuff done or going places in India. The person who greets you will refuse you entrance pretty much no matter what. Even if you have a huge invitation that says you belong there or even if the building has a large picture of you face on it. You will not be let in. They will claim you need 5 other forms of identification or need letters from public officials of some sort. Do not be discouraged! Keep insisting that you belong or were invited or whatever the case maybe and after about 3 minutes they will welcome you in! Good Luck~
So Delaware is a real cool place on the other side of the world as opposed to in the US!!! I have gotten the following reactions to me being from Delaware the past 2 weeks!
Our one friend Red is Indian but lived in Chicago for 14 years and has about 340 tattoo’s and is a boat load of fun. (Yes we did sing her the “I used to Work in Chicago” song. This song did not nearly go over as well as I would have hoped with the international audience.) Any way were talking about where we were from in the states and I proudly told her Delaware! She basically fell over in excitement and started touching me screaming “I have never meet anyone from Delaware, that is an imaginary place!” This went on for a solid 5 minutes!
Another volunteer with AJWS was equally as excited to meet a true Delawarian. Over diner we were introducing ourselves and again I got the chance to throw the Delaware title out there and her reaction was equally as exuberant! Your from Delaware?!?!?!? That is amazing. I have never meet anyone from Delaware! What is it like? Can I have your autograph. And then we posed for pictures! It was great!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Update from India
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So how goes it everyone? Things are great here. In the past few weeks Diane and I have partaken in the AJWS staff training for our India Placement. I would like to give a shot out to Sam, William, Sunita, Anna!! They were the staff for AJWS and the training was extremely beneficial and informative for both of us. We also got to meet the other incredible volunteers~ Ron, Debby, Debby, Sylvia, Murrey, and Jason. They are wonderful people and we wish them much luck in their up coming volunteer placements!
Diane and I went to Sanjay Gandhi National Park this past Sunday. There is a cat problem so they say. Between 2004-2005 33 people have been eaten by leopards! LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN IN TWO YEARS 33 PEOLE HAVE BEEN EATEN BY LEOPEARDS! That is wild! How does this happen you might as? Well Mumbai has about 14 million people in it and this National Park is pretty much the only green space around. There are huge high-rises and apartments all around the park. Poor people have started to live in the park because of land issues. This is illegal. The local government is supposed to regular this, but the local politicians want the vote of the people living in there so don’t enforce the law thus 33 PEOPLE GET EATEN BY LEOPARDS! Truly Wild and sad. There was a wedding in the park by some of the local inhabitants. We were able to see the presentation of the bride as well as the party that ensued after the ceremony! It was very lively with music and all. Here are some pictures from our trip there.
We also went to our first house party in India! It was a heck of a good time with lots of food. Diane and I feel that Indian’s are much like Jewish Mothers and Italian Grandmothers! They just feed and feed you. You have to say no about 123 times before their request subside. It’s great food though. Mom don’t worry I’m not starving by any means! I’ve actually put on some wait!
We moved from our temporary home in Thane- (thanks Val and Amul!) to our place in Bandra! This place apparently has Bollywood stars all over the place but I haven’t been able to recognize one yet! The local Crepes places is run by a Bollywood actor but I don’t know who!
We have meet someone who produces an Indian TV cooking show. We are going to his studio tonight to taste some of the foods. I think the show is on ZEE TV on Sunday at 12:30 pm if you get that channel! Look for the two white people stuffing their faces! That will be us!
Me and the Thali have had a falling out or sorts! Well I guess it is really Mumbai’s fault but Mumbai does not believe in the bottomless Thali much like the rest of the country. It is sad so my hunt for a bottomless Thali is underway and I will report back once I have found it! If you know of any near Bandra please do let me know!
Thanks~
Diane and I went to Sanjay Gandhi National Park this past Sunday. There is a cat problem so they say. Between 2004-2005 33 people have been eaten by leopards! LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN IN TWO YEARS 33 PEOLE HAVE BEEN EATEN BY LEOPEARDS! That is wild! How does this happen you might as? Well Mumbai has about 14 million people in it and this National Park is pretty much the only green space around. There are huge high-rises and apartments all around the park. Poor people have started to live in the park because of land issues. This is illegal. The local government is supposed to regular this, but the local politicians want the vote of the people living in there so don’t enforce the law thus 33 PEOPLE GET EATEN BY LEOPARDS! Truly Wild and sad. There was a wedding in the park by some of the local inhabitants. We were able to see the presentation of the bride as well as the party that ensued after the ceremony! It was very lively with music and all. Here are some pictures from our trip there.
We also went to our first house party in India! It was a heck of a good time with lots of food. Diane and I feel that Indian’s are much like Jewish Mothers and Italian Grandmothers! They just feed and feed you. You have to say no about 123 times before their request subside. It’s great food though. Mom don’t worry I’m not starving by any means! I’ve actually put on some wait!
We moved from our temporary home in Thane- (thanks Val and Amul!) to our place in Bandra! This place apparently has Bollywood stars all over the place but I haven’t been able to recognize one yet! The local Crepes places is run by a Bollywood actor but I don’t know who!
We have meet someone who produces an Indian TV cooking show. We are going to his studio tonight to taste some of the foods. I think the show is on ZEE TV on Sunday at 12:30 pm if you get that channel! Look for the two white people stuffing their faces! That will be us!
Me and the Thali have had a falling out or sorts! Well I guess it is really Mumbai’s fault but Mumbai does not believe in the bottomless Thali much like the rest of the country. It is sad so my hunt for a bottomless Thali is underway and I will report back once I have found it! If you know of any near Bandra please do let me know!
Thanks~
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