| shut up christine | |
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Saturday, June 23, 2007 ( 5:56 PM ) shut up christine Gujarati 101 (I probably butchered the spelling) kem cho - how are you? majama - i'm fine ta marunam su che? - what is your name? marunam (insert name) che - my name is ma ne gujarati kabul notti - i don't speak gujarati exchange rate: 40 rupees = 1 US dollar the art of auto rickshaw: - before you get in, make sure the meter is set to zero - try not to scream when you're thisclose to getting hit by a bus - once you reach your destination, take the number on the meter then divide by 4, add 2 = amount in rupees, unless traveling after 11pm in which case divide by four, add 2, then multiply by 1.5 hi :) i'm here in Ahmedabad, i made it safely and luckily La Bamba and Precious (my bags) found their way back to me as well i live in a house at Gandhi Ashram with four other female volunteers... i was told that Gandhi spent some time in this very house and slept inside these same walls. man. the nail clippers are being put to use :) i love how traffic here is so crazy and then you can look to your side and there's a camel or an elephant or bull next to you my second day here i was invited to sit in on an intimate small group discussion with a "guru," there were about 10 of us there and when people asked him questions he would say things like "You are stupid! How idiotic! Your brain cannot comprehend, go meditate" and lots of other rude comments. at the end of the discussion he's shaking hands with everyone then he goes up to one lady and hits her on the forehead with his palm, does it again, and then he starts slapping her really hard in the face alternating on both of her cheeks, again and again, probably 8-10 times ...so i'm watching this thinking WTF is happening????? and then when he finally stops hitting her he says "hi" and then walks up the stairs and all of us in the room are looking at each other silent and horrified. welcome to india. but anyhow, later i learned that this guy is a piece of crap and i would like to publicly declare that Brahmarshi Patriji is THEE BIGGEST TOOL I have ever met. jerk also, i finally met Nirali. she sent me on a mission where i had to go out onto the street and hitch hike a scooter ride from strangers. so fun anyhow, everything is really, really great. it gets insanely hot though, and sometimes it feels like the act of breathing requires effort. we don't eat meat in this ashram but the vegetarian food is so good here that it hasn't been hard adjusting my diet. crossing the street is still scary for me, but its getting easier for the next three months I will be working with an incredible organization called Manav Sadhna. Manav Sadhna is literally a five minute walk away from the largest slum in the state of Gujarat, its a community of over 200,000 so-called "untouchables" so far i've been shadowing a project called Earn & Learn... many children from the slum dont go to school because they need to provide incomes for their families, often as beggars, ragpickers, or boot polishers in the Earn and Learn Program, the children are required to go to school everyday, and they're given nutritious snacks. in the afternoons, the kids create hand-made cards that are sold here and internationally. parents are more willing to send their kids to school because the children are still generating an income. if you'd like to see (or purchase) the cards these kids make, you can click here my main project will involve taking the existing academic curriculum and developing hands-on activities, games, and teaching methods to make the material more fun and engaging. i'm really excited about this...some of you know the issues i had with my job and how i felt about American SES education...i think the No Child Left Behind Act means well and looks good on paper, but i got see firsthand some of the inadequacies of the system i said i would never do this again but here i am in india doing similar work...its different though, it really is about the welfare of the kids, its not about numbers and money and test scores. i feel useful here even when its really crazy, there's a stillness and a calmness in my head that i haven't felt in months i love it speaking of love, my roommate Anchal is trying to arrange a marriage for me i'm totally playing along but i'm starting to think she's really serious about it i don't get to use internet that often but i will try to upload pictures soon #
Comments:
I am glad you are adjusting well and enjoying your time over there! Those cards look amazing. If I order some, how long would they take to get to me?
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 : 6/24/2007 5:42 PM |
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