The most difficult part of my internship so far has no doubt been the different style of working here. Don't get me wrong--everyone at Veerni seems to work pretty hard, and the programs I've read about in the Annual Report do actually seem to take place in the capacity they mention. BUT everything seems to be done in the least efficient manner possible (and this is not an exaggeration). This does not seem to be unique to Veerni (other international interns I've met in Jodhpur mention this regularly) and it does not seem to be unique to the workplace (Take for instance local samosa stands: they divide the labor required for even the simplest task and you must pay one person the 5 rupees for your samosa, get a receipt, and walk half a foot to the guy who takes your receipt and puts it in a bag...I think Adam Smith would be rolling in his grave witnessing this). It's all in the name of efficiency, but really, it can be extremely slow and frustrating.
For someone who is perhaps too high-strung in her life and work at home, I have been trying to use this as a learning opportunity--I should slow down a bit whenever I can. But for now, it still "offends" my sensibilities (as an American? as a Shulman? I'm not entirely sure...)
I've also recently mastered the ambiguous Indian head nod, something I still find incredibly frustrating when I am asking my boss an important question. It resembles the little head tilt a la Night at the Roxbury and it neither means yes or no...though it usually seems to mean yes (?) That said, I've started doing it, and even though I've picked it up, I have trouble interpreting it (I'm not even sure what it means when I myself do it).
I've also picked up saying "ha" (the Hindi term for "yes"). What's great about it is that it is said with an inflection that makes it sound like you are having a revelation every time you say "yes." It's adorable and, given that positive reinforcement simply doesn't exist here (no one will ever say "this report is great" or "good job"), it's nice to get a revelatory "ha" every once in a while when I hand in completed work.
My apologies for all of the blabbering about my frustrations with the way things seem to work here. I promised myself I would talk about the issues (the drought and famine are two that I've unexpectedly encountered, which not surprisingly have a HUGE impact on the way in which women's rights operate here), but that will have to wait until next time.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Fun fact of the day
I just spent roughly an hour looking at photos of nipples that are cracked from breastfeeding on the Internet. To be honest, all of the women in the photos online are white, and I do not want to convey the message that you need to care for your nipples, otherwise they'll magically turn pink; I want to talk about nipple hygiene, particularly with HIV positive women....grrrr.
Anyways, considering that I have no plans to have a baby in the next decade, I now know a disgusting amount about all aspects of breastfeeding. This presentation has taken forever (portraying the dos/don'ts and costs/benefits of breastfeeding through photos is far more difficult than it first seems), but it will all pay off on the 1st when we start doing the workshops and rallies in person.
In other news: Both Jasdeep and Chloe have left Jodhpur for various travels and then a return to their respective homes (~tear~). There should be more volunteers coming to live in the guesthouse in the next week, but it won't be the same.
And it is HOT. I've been in 113 degree heat here before, but it cooled down in mid-July. Well now, due to rain, the temperature feels like it's gone up again and even though it's technically only (only?!?) 100 degrees right now, it feels far more oppressive with the humidity. This makes it really, really hard to stay awake, even in a room with a fan, which meant I slept most of my day away, with the exception of a few-hour excursion to a nearby holy garden and to a shop for saffron-flavored ice cream!!!
Anyways, considering that I have no plans to have a baby in the next decade, I now know a disgusting amount about all aspects of breastfeeding. This presentation has taken forever (portraying the dos/don'ts and costs/benefits of breastfeeding through photos is far more difficult than it first seems), but it will all pay off on the 1st when we start doing the workshops and rallies in person.
In other news: Both Jasdeep and Chloe have left Jodhpur for various travels and then a return to their respective homes (~tear~). There should be more volunteers coming to live in the guesthouse in the next week, but it won't be the same.
And it is HOT. I've been in 113 degree heat here before, but it cooled down in mid-July. Well now, due to rain, the temperature feels like it's gone up again and even though it's technically only (only?!?) 100 degrees right now, it feels far more oppressive with the humidity. This makes it really, really hard to stay awake, even in a room with a fan, which meant I slept most of my day away, with the exception of a few-hour excursion to a nearby holy garden and to a shop for saffron-flavored ice cream!!!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Work, work, work...
Sadly, this post will likely be pretty boring as this week has been chock full o' office work and not much exploring. That said, it has been great to have so much work to do (as previously, I was forced to spend a fair amount of time twiddling my thumbs and always wanted to contribute more.
Strangely, two of my coworkers (one an administrator and the other a "social scientist" who went with the field team daily) quit without any notice last week. It was quite bizarre and, after asking around, I found out that this is quite common, but still considered to be extremely inappropriate. Weirder still, they came in Friday, announced they were leaving because they got other jobs with higher salaries, but said "if the new job doesn't suit me after ten days, I will come back."
On top of this, the head honcho has been out for vacation and will only be returning August 1st, so my other supervisor (the team's nutritionist), Rashmi, and I were basically the only people running the administrative office this week! It was insane and involved calling the ex-coworkers awkwardly multiple times in order to locate files on their computers and such. Extremely frustrating...
That said, we got a lot done this week.
I wrote (and rewrote) a grant proposal for the 2008-9 budget of our sewing program, which aims to give women skills that allow them to have an income, and therefore become more economically, and ultimately socially, independent.
I revised the latest edition of our Annual Report, and as the most computer-competent in the office now (now that the main administrator is gone), I was in charge of formatting the thing--a task that required hours of struggling with page numbers, low quality photos, etc.
And I was also in charge of planning a workshop and rally to take place in a different village daily next week in honor of World Breastfeeding Week. For this, I've primarily been working on a powerpoint that explains the benefits of breastfeeding, the how-tos, etc., while fighting some common misconceptions. As you would expect, most Indian rural women do breastfeed, but apparently, they have some beliefs about breastfeeding that could potentially harm their babies (i.e. they don't breastfeed right away--they give the baby honey or cow's milk for the first day; they stop breastfeeding--sometimes for a week at a time--if the mother has a mild cold; and they don't realize that everything that they ingest is eventually ingested by the baby).
The main struggle in my creation of this curriculum has been a way to visually depict everything. I don't know Hindi, but even if I did, it wouldn't help because almost all of the village women are illiterate. So, I am making a pictorial guide to breastfeeding, and Rashmi will then present it in Hindi. Finding photos that depict the fact that babies' immunity is strengthened by breastfeeding is hard enough; finding more culturally-appropriate images on Google (i.e. ones that don't show upper-class white women) is even more difficult.
I am pretty excited about the events that will take place though, and I think the powerpoint will be a useful tool, not only for these workshops but for the individual counseling that Veerni does with pregnancy women.
On top of this all, I've been working even more to understand the background literature about child marriage and HIV, for the ethnography I will be conducting. Fun, and fascinating, stuff.
Well, that is all. As you can see, work and no play has made Julie a dull girl...but I'm doing what I came here to do, and I do feel like I'm finally contributing, so I'm pretty happy.
Strangely, two of my coworkers (one an administrator and the other a "social scientist" who went with the field team daily) quit without any notice last week. It was quite bizarre and, after asking around, I found out that this is quite common, but still considered to be extremely inappropriate. Weirder still, they came in Friday, announced they were leaving because they got other jobs with higher salaries, but said "if the new job doesn't suit me after ten days, I will come back."
On top of this, the head honcho has been out for vacation and will only be returning August 1st, so my other supervisor (the team's nutritionist), Rashmi, and I were basically the only people running the administrative office this week! It was insane and involved calling the ex-coworkers awkwardly multiple times in order to locate files on their computers and such. Extremely frustrating...
That said, we got a lot done this week.
I wrote (and rewrote) a grant proposal for the 2008-9 budget of our sewing program, which aims to give women skills that allow them to have an income, and therefore become more economically, and ultimately socially, independent.
I revised the latest edition of our Annual Report, and as the most computer-competent in the office now (now that the main administrator is gone), I was in charge of formatting the thing--a task that required hours of struggling with page numbers, low quality photos, etc.
And I was also in charge of planning a workshop and rally to take place in a different village daily next week in honor of World Breastfeeding Week. For this, I've primarily been working on a powerpoint that explains the benefits of breastfeeding, the how-tos, etc., while fighting some common misconceptions. As you would expect, most Indian rural women do breastfeed, but apparently, they have some beliefs about breastfeeding that could potentially harm their babies (i.e. they don't breastfeed right away--they give the baby honey or cow's milk for the first day; they stop breastfeeding--sometimes for a week at a time--if the mother has a mild cold; and they don't realize that everything that they ingest is eventually ingested by the baby).
The main struggle in my creation of this curriculum has been a way to visually depict everything. I don't know Hindi, but even if I did, it wouldn't help because almost all of the village women are illiterate. So, I am making a pictorial guide to breastfeeding, and Rashmi will then present it in Hindi. Finding photos that depict the fact that babies' immunity is strengthened by breastfeeding is hard enough; finding more culturally-appropriate images on Google (i.e. ones that don't show upper-class white women) is even more difficult.
I am pretty excited about the events that will take place though, and I think the powerpoint will be a useful tool, not only for these workshops but for the individual counseling that Veerni does with pregnancy women.
On top of this all, I've been working even more to understand the background literature about child marriage and HIV, for the ethnography I will be conducting. Fun, and fascinating, stuff.
Well, that is all. As you can see, work and no play has made Julie a dull girl...but I'm doing what I came here to do, and I do feel like I'm finally contributing, so I'm pretty happy.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
You say Bombay and I say Mumbai...
I spent the weekend in Mumbai (well, I spent half of it in Mumbai and half of it on trains going to/from Mumbai) and it was interesting, to say the least (apologies for the lack of photos...)
I've become increasingly adept at navigating India. I now have a good sense of what things should cost (and when people are trying to rip me off) and I am a pro at figuring out the train system.
That said, figuring out Mumbai was still new and pretty frustrating. In Jodhpur, you bargain with a rickshaw driver every time you go somewhere. In Mumbai, they use metered taxis. At first, I was excited for the relief from bargaining (after all, I always feel silly and guilty bargaining over what often amounts to a dime). But as I soon discovered, this metered system makes it soooo much easier for the cabbies to rip you off if they think you're a foreigner. For one thing, as it's based on mileage, they can drive around in circles in Mumbai for the extra money and I wouldn't have a clue. But they also use antiquated meters (that reflect what price your taxi trip would have cost roughly 10 years ago) and then whip out a chart that converts the number on the meter to the current cost. Lo and behold, they often also have fake charts, used on tourists to make them pay more (and I feel I was victim to one of these when I first took a car from the train station to my hotel). It's absolutely infuriating. What's more is that, like in the rest of the India, the cab drivers seem unable to say "no," so even if they have no clue where your destination is, they won't tell you this until you've driven around for 10 minutes asking other drivers for directions. This isn't a huge problem in Jodhpur because even if they waste 10 minutes looking for a place, you've already settled on a price. But in Mumbai it can get expensive fast.
Mumbai as a city seems to pretty metonymic of India as a whole. You get slums next to skyscrapers and cows and beggars roam streets that have billboards for Indian Fear Factor hovering over them. As Sarah MacDonald wrote in the interesting, but also self-absorbed and mildly offensive, Holy Cow, "India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true. It's rich and poor, spiritual and material, cruel and kind, angry but peaceful, ugly and beautiful, and smart but stupid. It's all the extremes. India defies understanding..." I find this statement to be right on and I struggle with the never-ending juxtapositions surrounding me every day.
Moreover, Mumbai is definitely modern--with coffee shops and nice pizzerias and air conditioned shops all over the place. But it's still uniquely Indian. For example, women in Mumbai wear kurtas, but, in stark contrast to Rajasthani kurtas, they tend to be sleeveless and worn with leggings. They also wear makeup and, to my absolute horror, held hands with their boyfriends (disgusting!)
Though my time in Mumbai was a bit shorter than I would have liked, I still got to see some of the major sites.
I went to the house where Mahatma Gandhi used to live when he was in Mumbai (and where he began his historic fast). Along with an amazing photo gallery (filled with interesting letters Gandhi wrote to Hitler, Tolstoy and others), there was a strangely beautiful room where Gandhi's biography was told in a series of dioramas. There was also an extensive library downstairs filled with Gandhi's own writing, books about him, and books reflecting Gandhian philosophical principles; it was fascinating, and I wish I had more time to spend there.
In addition to Gandhi's home, I saw Victoria Terminal (a mammoth train station that looks more like a cathedral), Chowpatty Beach, a few markets, and the Gateway of India. I also went shopping and, on Saturday, had dinner with the friend of my dear Anna Wiener.
Other than that, I spent a ton of time on the train (and because of this, in the past week, I've finished four books!). The trains in India are great and I love train travel, though the company can sometimes be interesting. This time, it seems (though the story is too complex to get into here) that the engineer sitting across from me wrote me a love note. And on the way to Mumbai, I almost went crazy when this guy decided to play his MP3 player out loud (wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't playing, of all things, horrendous Tracy Chapman remixes--where it wasn't Tracy singing, Kids in the Hall, and an Umbrella remix).
I'm now completely overworked at my job, so I may have less time to write in the near future, but I will try to post soon.
Also: the schnoz is still a bit sore, a bit misshapen and nonfunctional, but otherwise, I seem to have recovered fine.
Signing off for now and wishing you all a happy summer,
Julie
I've become increasingly adept at navigating India. I now have a good sense of what things should cost (and when people are trying to rip me off) and I am a pro at figuring out the train system.
That said, figuring out Mumbai was still new and pretty frustrating. In Jodhpur, you bargain with a rickshaw driver every time you go somewhere. In Mumbai, they use metered taxis. At first, I was excited for the relief from bargaining (after all, I always feel silly and guilty bargaining over what often amounts to a dime). But as I soon discovered, this metered system makes it soooo much easier for the cabbies to rip you off if they think you're a foreigner. For one thing, as it's based on mileage, they can drive around in circles in Mumbai for the extra money and I wouldn't have a clue. But they also use antiquated meters (that reflect what price your taxi trip would have cost roughly 10 years ago) and then whip out a chart that converts the number on the meter to the current cost. Lo and behold, they often also have fake charts, used on tourists to make them pay more (and I feel I was victim to one of these when I first took a car from the train station to my hotel). It's absolutely infuriating. What's more is that, like in the rest of the India, the cab drivers seem unable to say "no," so even if they have no clue where your destination is, they won't tell you this until you've driven around for 10 minutes asking other drivers for directions. This isn't a huge problem in Jodhpur because even if they waste 10 minutes looking for a place, you've already settled on a price. But in Mumbai it can get expensive fast.
Mumbai as a city seems to pretty metonymic of India as a whole. You get slums next to skyscrapers and cows and beggars roam streets that have billboards for Indian Fear Factor hovering over them. As Sarah MacDonald wrote in the interesting, but also self-absorbed and mildly offensive, Holy Cow, "India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true. It's rich and poor, spiritual and material, cruel and kind, angry but peaceful, ugly and beautiful, and smart but stupid. It's all the extremes. India defies understanding..." I find this statement to be right on and I struggle with the never-ending juxtapositions surrounding me every day.
Moreover, Mumbai is definitely modern--with coffee shops and nice pizzerias and air conditioned shops all over the place. But it's still uniquely Indian. For example, women in Mumbai wear kurtas, but, in stark contrast to Rajasthani kurtas, they tend to be sleeveless and worn with leggings. They also wear makeup and, to my absolute horror, held hands with their boyfriends (disgusting!)
Though my time in Mumbai was a bit shorter than I would have liked, I still got to see some of the major sites.
I went to the house where Mahatma Gandhi used to live when he was in Mumbai (and where he began his historic fast). Along with an amazing photo gallery (filled with interesting letters Gandhi wrote to Hitler, Tolstoy and others), there was a strangely beautiful room where Gandhi's biography was told in a series of dioramas. There was also an extensive library downstairs filled with Gandhi's own writing, books about him, and books reflecting Gandhian philosophical principles; it was fascinating, and I wish I had more time to spend there.
In addition to Gandhi's home, I saw Victoria Terminal (a mammoth train station that looks more like a cathedral), Chowpatty Beach, a few markets, and the Gateway of India. I also went shopping and, on Saturday, had dinner with the friend of my dear Anna Wiener.
Other than that, I spent a ton of time on the train (and because of this, in the past week, I've finished four books!). The trains in India are great and I love train travel, though the company can sometimes be interesting. This time, it seems (though the story is too complex to get into here) that the engineer sitting across from me wrote me a love note. And on the way to Mumbai, I almost went crazy when this guy decided to play his MP3 player out loud (wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't playing, of all things, horrendous Tracy Chapman remixes--where it wasn't Tracy singing, Kids in the Hall, and an Umbrella remix).
I'm now completely overworked at my job, so I may have less time to write in the near future, but I will try to post soon.
Also: the schnoz is still a bit sore, a bit misshapen and nonfunctional, but otherwise, I seem to have recovered fine.
Signing off for now and wishing you all a happy summer,
Julie
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Off to Mumbai
Despite the fact that I will be spending more hours traveling to/from Mumbai than I will in the city itself, I thought it would be silly if I didn't at least see Mumbai and make it to all of the major sites while I'm in the "neighborhood". So I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon and then spending roughly 28 hours exploring the city and taking in the various landmarks, as well as some much-desired Thai food, pizza, and other things more available in the Westernized parts of India. I will also be seeking out an ear nose and throat doctor to get checked up--exciting stuff.
But if anyone has been to Mumbai and has suggested about what places are most valuable to see, let me know! Otherwise, I will be back on Monday!
But if anyone has been to Mumbai and has suggested about what places are most valuable to see, let me know! Otherwise, I will be back on Monday!
My sad septum...
So, funny story:
There once was a girl named Julie. She never loved her nose, but in the past few years, she had learned to accept it, and was even starting to like it.
Well, one day, she decides to go to India for three months. While there, she meets a very sweet 3 1/2 year old boy named Ayush. Last night, they were playing around and suddenly he lunges forward and accidentally headbutts her in the face...crunch...Julie's nose gets broken. Hilarious, no?
I will be going to a doctor to check it out in the next few days. It's pretty ugly, but not horrendous (and some of that is probably swelling). More upsetting though is my inability to breathe out of it so far (complete inability to breathe out of one nostril; partial ability--with deep concentration--to breathe out of the other) and the pain, which kept me up last night despite copious amounts of painkillers. We'll see what the doctor says and I'll probably wait to do anything about it until I get home (though hopping on the medical tourism bandwagon would be tempting, given that there are some really good and very cheap Indian doctors...).
In other news:
I started my one-on-one Hindi lessons yesterday and they are going well. Hindi is pretty hard. The structures aren't so bad, but there are sooooo many syllables in some of the verbs and things that I get tongue-tied quickly. But that said, I have no expectations of becoming even conversationally fluent; it's just nice to have some ability to speak it while I'm here.
I also found a translator! So I am getting my interviews ready to go and hope to start those soon!
And finally, Judaism apparently doesn't exist. The other day, my coworkers were asking me about what religion I am. They weren't terribly surprised I'm not Hindu, but they did think that, given my last name, I am Muslim. When I told them I am Jewish, they were incredibly confused and had no idea what I was saying. In my attempt at explaining that it's a relatively common religion in the U.S., after Christianity, and that Christianity, Islam and Judaism are similar, they then became under the impression that Judaism is an offshoot of Christianity and seemed pleased at the end that they "understood," stating : "Oh, so you are Christian." Ummm, no. But I will leave that for another day....
There once was a girl named Julie. She never loved her nose, but in the past few years, she had learned to accept it, and was even starting to like it.
Well, one day, she decides to go to India for three months. While there, she meets a very sweet 3 1/2 year old boy named Ayush. Last night, they were playing around and suddenly he lunges forward and accidentally headbutts her in the face...crunch...Julie's nose gets broken. Hilarious, no?
I will be going to a doctor to check it out in the next few days. It's pretty ugly, but not horrendous (and some of that is probably swelling). More upsetting though is my inability to breathe out of it so far (complete inability to breathe out of one nostril; partial ability--with deep concentration--to breathe out of the other) and the pain, which kept me up last night despite copious amounts of painkillers. We'll see what the doctor says and I'll probably wait to do anything about it until I get home (though hopping on the medical tourism bandwagon would be tempting, given that there are some really good and very cheap Indian doctors...).
In other news:
I started my one-on-one Hindi lessons yesterday and they are going well. Hindi is pretty hard. The structures aren't so bad, but there are sooooo many syllables in some of the verbs and things that I get tongue-tied quickly. But that said, I have no expectations of becoming even conversationally fluent; it's just nice to have some ability to speak it while I'm here.
I also found a translator! So I am getting my interviews ready to go and hope to start those soon!
And finally, Judaism apparently doesn't exist. The other day, my coworkers were asking me about what religion I am. They weren't terribly surprised I'm not Hindu, but they did think that, given my last name, I am Muslim. When I told them I am Jewish, they were incredibly confused and had no idea what I was saying. In my attempt at explaining that it's a relatively common religion in the U.S., after Christianity, and that Christianity, Islam and Judaism are similar, they then became under the impression that Judaism is an offshoot of Christianity and seemed pleased at the end that they "understood," stating : "Oh, so you are Christian." Ummm, no. But I will leave that for another day....
Monday, July 14, 2008
Jaisalmer and camel safari
This weekend, Chloe, Jasdeep, and I went to Jaisalmer, a desert city roughly six hours away by train. It was a really great trip and a nice change of pace from Jodhpur.
Striking a pose on the night train--with homemade mango beer in hand
Question of the day: mining coal or shoveling poop?
An absurd embroidered Donald Duck wall-hanging in our hotel room--which was otherwise beautiful and decorated in an Indian style
On the first day, we toured around the city itself--mostly inside the Jaisalmer Fort, which claims to be the oldest living fort in the world (with roughly 25% of the local population living inside the fort and with many hotels). Due to the increasing pressure on the fort from its expanding population, it is also one of the world's top 100 most endangered historical sites.
Inside the fort, there are a whole bunch of shops, restaurants, cows, hotels and temples. Despite a lot of locals living there, it's extremely tourist-y, but is still somehow pretty nice.
First, we went to the main palace. Beautiful rooms and beautiful views. Especially neat was a really intense irrigation system that the palace developed. Considering that it rains roughly 15 cm each year, a system for storing water was much needed (and today, this dry climate and the increased need for water enhances the danger facing the fort).
A view of the city from inside the Raj Mahal
The fort--what a gorgeous color!
We then went to the Jain Temples--of which there are seven in a cluster of varying size and beauty. It was interesting to go, as I don't think I've ever seen a Jain temple before.
Well, despite it raining in Jaisalmer only four days each year (they say they've gone seven years straight before without seeing rain), we saw Jaisalmer in the rain! On the first afternoon, it poured, which meant that we (still tired from the train) retreated to our room and missed a few of the smaller sites. Before we went in though, it was quite a site to see the locals celebrate the rain. I can't imagine rain being such a rarity--but it is, and people were truly enjoying it.
On Saturday, we embarked bright and early on a two-day camel safari, which was pretty fantastic. As we chose the "off the beaten track" trip, we first took a jeep roughly an hour out of the city and then hopped on our camels for our adventure. We rode the camels for roughly six hours each day and on Saturday night, it was incredible to head to the dunes at sunset and the sleep on the sand underneath the stars (with our camels hanging out a few feet away). In addition to three guides (who made our meals, sang a bit, and helped lead the way), we were with two young teachers from Toronto and two students from McGill.
The prettiest camel resting his head
A view of our "caravan"
How cute!!!
Some bonding between me and my camel, Kadu
Riding a camel was, overall, really relaxing. It's not too dissimilar to riding a horse, though your legs have to sit much wider, you generally lack stirrups and you are much higher from the ground. That said, we were able to trot on the camel (which caused giant butt bruises, but was extremely fun). It should also be mentioned that it was roughly 115 degrees throughout the safari--but in the middle of the desert, there was a pretty great breeze, so the heat was not nearly as oppressive as I would have guessed.
Rolling down the dunes at sunset
Jasdeep pretending to be the much-feared thugs or thags (desert bandits, in Hindi)
Walking along the dunes
Some camel love--they seemed to enjoy nuzzling eachother
Kadu and me
Camels are such fantastic animals. Seriously---I could watch them fold and unfold their legs or chew for hours. So cute.
Striking a pose on the night train--with homemade mango beer in hand
Question of the day: mining coal or shoveling poop?
An absurd embroidered Donald Duck wall-hanging in our hotel room--which was otherwise beautiful and decorated in an Indian style
Inside the fort, there are a whole bunch of shops, restaurants, cows, hotels and temples. Despite a lot of locals living there, it's extremely tourist-y, but is still somehow pretty nice.
First, we went to the main palace. Beautiful rooms and beautiful views. Especially neat was a really intense irrigation system that the palace developed. Considering that it rains roughly 15 cm each year, a system for storing water was much needed (and today, this dry climate and the increased need for water enhances the danger facing the fort).
A view of the city from inside the Raj Mahal
The fort--what a gorgeous color!
Well, despite it raining in Jaisalmer only four days each year (they say they've gone seven years straight before without seeing rain), we saw Jaisalmer in the rain! On the first afternoon, it poured, which meant that we (still tired from the train) retreated to our room and missed a few of the smaller sites. Before we went in though, it was quite a site to see the locals celebrate the rain. I can't imagine rain being such a rarity--but it is, and people were truly enjoying it.
On Saturday, we embarked bright and early on a two-day camel safari, which was pretty fantastic. As we chose the "off the beaten track" trip, we first took a jeep roughly an hour out of the city and then hopped on our camels for our adventure. We rode the camels for roughly six hours each day and on Saturday night, it was incredible to head to the dunes at sunset and the sleep on the sand underneath the stars (with our camels hanging out a few feet away). In addition to three guides (who made our meals, sang a bit, and helped lead the way), we were with two young teachers from Toronto and two students from McGill.
The prettiest camel resting his head
A view of our "caravan"
How cute!!!
Some bonding between me and my camel, Kadu
Riding a camel was, overall, really relaxing. It's not too dissimilar to riding a horse, though your legs have to sit much wider, you generally lack stirrups and you are much higher from the ground. That said, we were able to trot on the camel (which caused giant butt bruises, but was extremely fun). It should also be mentioned that it was roughly 115 degrees throughout the safari--but in the middle of the desert, there was a pretty great breeze, so the heat was not nearly as oppressive as I would have guessed.
Rolling down the dunes at sunset
Jasdeep pretending to be the much-feared thugs or thags (desert bandits, in Hindi)
Walking along the dunes
Some camel love--they seemed to enjoy nuzzling eachother
Kadu and me
Camels are such fantastic animals. Seriously---I could watch them fold and unfold their legs or chew for hours. So cute.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Some random ramblings...
I realized I had some photos to show that did not seem to fit the themes of previous posts, so tonight, I will just ramble.
My job is going well, though it can be extremely frustrating at times. As an intern here for twelve weeks, I am eager to find ways in which I can make a substantial contribution to Veerni and the community it serves, but I feel I have yet to do so. Essentially, my supervisors want me to see all the villages they work in prior to doing other assignments. While this is great (and necessary), the people I go to these villages with are often resistant to translating...well...basically, anything, which leaves me to the few stray words I pick up, my natural knack for charades, and the brief and infrequent explanations I'm given about what's going on. It has been interesting to watch and learn (mostly, I've been observing health education workshops and meetings), but it's also extremely frustrating that my task is simply to "sit and observe." All I can say is, it's a good thing I never settled on a major in anthropology...Today's meeting also turned into some kind of women's empowerment slumber party (after about two hours of workshops, the village women and girls broke into song and drew beautiful designs in henna on my hands and on the nurses' feet). It was extremely fun, but it completely took me by surprise.
My henna-ed hand, and a glimpse of my salwar kameez
That said, this aspect of my job should change very soon. I already have a stack of grant proposals that they need help with in the coming weeks, my individual B.A. thesis interviews should start up in a few weeks, and now that the selection of a new nurse has taken place, some supervisors who were previously busy with the applicants, will be available to give me tasks. I'm just kind of impatient for all of this to happen (and have expressed this to my boss...)
In other news, I met the Maharaja of Jodhpur today! His Highness was at the dedication of a new office space for my friend Smita's organization and I gladly accepted my invitation to attend. While the event was exciting, his Highness was fairly distracted as the various speeches and ceremonial gift-giving occured. That said, it was great to meet him (if only because that means I am one step further to arranging my engagement to his son and inheriting the palace).
The poised and elegant wife of the Maharaja
His Highness, the Maharaja.
I will be leaving tonight for Jaisalmer--a gorgeous desert town with what is supposed to be one of the most brilliant Jain forts in the world. Tomorrow, we (Chloe, Jasdeep and I) will tour around Jaisalmer and on Saturday, we will begin a two-day camel safari (during which, we will get to camp out in the desert!) I am extremely excited :-)
And now, to leave you with some random photos of my life in Jodhpur....
A man with extremely impressive ear hair (it wasn't from the inside--it was growing out of his lobes!!!)
Ayush and an adorable baby
A tender moment between Jasdeep and Ayush
Some inspiration for Daniel Owings' next 'stache style
A creepy, CREEPY, decoration in a Jodhpur rickshaw. A lot of rickshaws have these photos of random baby models in them...sometimes clothed, sometimes not (?)
My job is going well, though it can be extremely frustrating at times. As an intern here for twelve weeks, I am eager to find ways in which I can make a substantial contribution to Veerni and the community it serves, but I feel I have yet to do so. Essentially, my supervisors want me to see all the villages they work in prior to doing other assignments. While this is great (and necessary), the people I go to these villages with are often resistant to translating...well...basically, anything, which leaves me to the few stray words I pick up, my natural knack for charades, and the brief and infrequent explanations I'm given about what's going on. It has been interesting to watch and learn (mostly, I've been observing health education workshops and meetings), but it's also extremely frustrating that my task is simply to "sit and observe." All I can say is, it's a good thing I never settled on a major in anthropology...Today's meeting also turned into some kind of women's empowerment slumber party (after about two hours of workshops, the village women and girls broke into song and drew beautiful designs in henna on my hands and on the nurses' feet). It was extremely fun, but it completely took me by surprise.
My henna-ed hand, and a glimpse of my salwar kameez
That said, this aspect of my job should change very soon. I already have a stack of grant proposals that they need help with in the coming weeks, my individual B.A. thesis interviews should start up in a few weeks, and now that the selection of a new nurse has taken place, some supervisors who were previously busy with the applicants, will be available to give me tasks. I'm just kind of impatient for all of this to happen (and have expressed this to my boss...)
In other news, I met the Maharaja of Jodhpur today! His Highness was at the dedication of a new office space for my friend Smita's organization and I gladly accepted my invitation to attend. While the event was exciting, his Highness was fairly distracted as the various speeches and ceremonial gift-giving occured. That said, it was great to meet him (if only because that means I am one step further to arranging my engagement to his son and inheriting the palace).
The poised and elegant wife of the Maharaja
His Highness, the Maharaja.
And now, to leave you with some random photos of my life in Jodhpur....
A man with extremely impressive ear hair (it wasn't from the inside--it was growing out of his lobes!!!)
Ayush and an adorable baby
A tender moment between Jasdeep and Ayush
Some inspiration for Daniel Owings' next 'stache style
A creepy, CREEPY, decoration in a Jodhpur rickshaw. A lot of rickshaws have these photos of random baby models in them...sometimes clothed, sometimes not (?)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Bollywood gives me unrealistic expectations about love...
Our Saturday would not have been complete without a Bollywood movie, so we headed to a nearby cinema and caught a screening of Mere Baap Pehle Aap, a comedy about a father who, with his son's help, reunites with his long lost love and gets married again. Though it was all in Hindi, it was extremely fascinating to watch and, due to the over the top acting, it was usually pretty clear what was going on. The musical numbers that randomly pop up were especially entertaining. One thing remains however: the India shown in Bollywood is not an India I have yet to encounter. Supposedly they are all filmed overseas, but even so. The India on-screen (filled with tanktops and iphones) is scandalous, wealthy, and reminiscent of South Beach. Very strange...
Among the astrologer's predictions for me, he said that I will be falling in love in the next year. Well, a word of advice to whomever chooses to woo me: You must now have a) a catchy song, b) a choreographed dance and most importantly, c) a posse.
Among the astrologer's predictions for me, he said that I will be falling in love in the next year. Well, a word of advice to whomever chooses to woo me: You must now have a) a catchy song, b) a choreographed dance and most importantly, c) a posse.
Mehrangarh Fort
As usual, my Saturday began with a half-day of work. When I came home, however, Chloe and I ventured off on a full day of sightseeing around Jodhpur.
The main attraction we went to is known as Mehrangarh Fort. Mehrangarh is an extremely impressive Hindu fortress that is roughly four hundred feet above the Jodhpur skyline (and on a clear day, it can be seen from much of the city). It is absolutely beautiful and as it dates from the 1400s, it is fantastically preserved in all its splendor.
Some things of note:
-Despite it being a Hindu fort, it employed many Muslim architectural principles.
-They often used right angles on the winding path up to the fort, so that charging elephants would not be able to gather speed.
-Some of the intricate walls were created in an effort to keep the royal women in purdah, while still allowing them to see out onto the courtyards and onto the city.
Unfortunately, I failed to note what I took photos of (there was a decent audiotour, so I was pretty immersed in that), so here are some mostly-captionless photographs of the fort itself and some of the stunning views of Jodhpur.
Approaching the fort....
Jodhpur is called "the blue city"--though blurry (due to pollution), you can see why...
The main attraction we went to is known as Mehrangarh Fort. Mehrangarh is an extremely impressive Hindu fortress that is roughly four hundred feet above the Jodhpur skyline (and on a clear day, it can be seen from much of the city). It is absolutely beautiful and as it dates from the 1400s, it is fantastically preserved in all its splendor.
Some things of note:
-Despite it being a Hindu fort, it employed many Muslim architectural principles.
-They often used right angles on the winding path up to the fort, so that charging elephants would not be able to gather speed.
-Some of the intricate walls were created in an effort to keep the royal women in purdah, while still allowing them to see out onto the courtyards and onto the city.
Unfortunately, I failed to note what I took photos of (there was a decent audiotour, so I was pretty immersed in that), so here are some mostly-captionless photographs of the fort itself and some of the stunning views of Jodhpur.
Approaching the fort....
Jodhpur is called "the blue city"--though blurry (due to pollution), you can see why...
We visited an astrologer. He didn't say anything too exciting or impressive, but it was fun nonetheless
Saturday, July 5, 2008
First day in the field and a July 4th celebration
One of the Veerni reports I revised began with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. She once said, “Where, after all, do human rights begin? In small places, so close and so small they cannot be seen on any map of the world.”
This quote struck a cord with me today, as I ventured out on my first day of fieldwork in one of the villages that Veerni currently serves. We went to the village of Melwa, roughly 50 km from Jodhpur--only an hour away--and yet a world apart. Melwa is in the middle of the desert and is made up of about 1100 people and their stone, mud, and thatched huts. It felt extremely isolated, but extremely vibrant at the same time. They do have electricity, but for only six hours each day (and even then, it seems as though week-long blackouts are common).
Though I do not yet know what my role is on these fieldwork trips (until I begin my interviews), it was extremely fascinating to observe what was going on, and in this sense, the language barrier was in my favor because it let me absorb all the other details of what was happening around me. As I was with the “social projects” team yesterday, the goal was more for a lecture and discussion, than for direct care. The two social workers I was with led a discussion about family planning, particularly about the Pill. It was interestingly a co-ed discussion and both the men and women seemed cooperative. Each side certainly made joking remarks, but in all, both the men and women seemed receptive.
As I observed the crowd, a few things became overwhelmingly apparent to me. Firstly: it was clear that the men get more to eat than the women and children do (and boy children were more likely to have plump bellies than little girls were)—a disparity that doubtlessly contributes to the extreme male-female ratio in the region. Secondly: as I had read, it is not uncommon to see girls as young as 15 with babies breastfeeding in their laps. While I do not know the age of these girls for sure, it is nearly impossible that they are over 18 (the legal married age for girls).
At one point, the villagers were also given free reign to ask me questions. They did not ask much, but as is apparently common in India, the first question after “What is your name?” is “What is your father’s name? What is your mother’s name?” Thinking of this, I realized later that this is one of the last things I ask friends (I still do not know the name of some of my closest friends). They then usually ask how many brothers I have (and when I say “none,” they are always quite shocked) and how many sisters I have. They do ask if I’m married, but do not seem surprised when I say “no” (they have heard, it seems, that Americans get married much later). They also want to know my father’s profession (which is hard to explain in English, let alone in Hindi. The easiest way to answer is to say “doctor”).
On the way home, to my surprise, we randomly pulled over for lunch (the social worker’s daughter-in-law packs a lunch for them each day, apparently). We sat under a tree in, quite literally, the middle of the desert, with nothing for miles except a few trees, a lot of sand, and a shepherd and his goats. It was a bit surreal to just sit and eat lunch in this type of silence, but I really enjoyed it.
Last night was really nice as well. In honor of July 4th, Smita’s interns from the Foundation for Sustainable Development, who are mostly American, were going out for thali at a local restaurant and Smita invited Chloe and I to join them. It sounds silly, but when traveling in India, it is always pleasant to meet other English speakers, and it was extremely comforting to have dinner without the awkward smiles, giggles, etc. that take place when struggling with a language barrier. It was also great to connect with other Americans who are working on similar issues and hopefully, in the future, we will be able to get together to talk about our projects or to just hang out.
This quote struck a cord with me today, as I ventured out on my first day of fieldwork in one of the villages that Veerni currently serves. We went to the village of Melwa, roughly 50 km from Jodhpur--only an hour away--and yet a world apart. Melwa is in the middle of the desert and is made up of about 1100 people and their stone, mud, and thatched huts. It felt extremely isolated, but extremely vibrant at the same time. They do have electricity, but for only six hours each day (and even then, it seems as though week-long blackouts are common).
Though I do not yet know what my role is on these fieldwork trips (until I begin my interviews), it was extremely fascinating to observe what was going on, and in this sense, the language barrier was in my favor because it let me absorb all the other details of what was happening around me. As I was with the “social projects” team yesterday, the goal was more for a lecture and discussion, than for direct care. The two social workers I was with led a discussion about family planning, particularly about the Pill. It was interestingly a co-ed discussion and both the men and women seemed cooperative. Each side certainly made joking remarks, but in all, both the men and women seemed receptive.
As I observed the crowd, a few things became overwhelmingly apparent to me. Firstly: it was clear that the men get more to eat than the women and children do (and boy children were more likely to have plump bellies than little girls were)—a disparity that doubtlessly contributes to the extreme male-female ratio in the region. Secondly: as I had read, it is not uncommon to see girls as young as 15 with babies breastfeeding in their laps. While I do not know the age of these girls for sure, it is nearly impossible that they are over 18 (the legal married age for girls).
At one point, the villagers were also given free reign to ask me questions. They did not ask much, but as is apparently common in India, the first question after “What is your name?” is “What is your father’s name? What is your mother’s name?” Thinking of this, I realized later that this is one of the last things I ask friends (I still do not know the name of some of my closest friends). They then usually ask how many brothers I have (and when I say “none,” they are always quite shocked) and how many sisters I have. They do ask if I’m married, but do not seem surprised when I say “no” (they have heard, it seems, that Americans get married much later). They also want to know my father’s profession (which is hard to explain in English, let alone in Hindi. The easiest way to answer is to say “doctor”).
On the way home, to my surprise, we randomly pulled over for lunch (the social worker’s daughter-in-law packs a lunch for them each day, apparently). We sat under a tree in, quite literally, the middle of the desert, with nothing for miles except a few trees, a lot of sand, and a shepherd and his goats. It was a bit surreal to just sit and eat lunch in this type of silence, but I really enjoyed it.
Last night was really nice as well. In honor of July 4th, Smita’s interns from the Foundation for Sustainable Development, who are mostly American, were going out for thali at a local restaurant and Smita invited Chloe and I to join them. It sounds silly, but when traveling in India, it is always pleasant to meet other English speakers, and it was extremely comforting to have dinner without the awkward smiles, giggles, etc. that take place when struggling with a language barrier. It was also great to connect with other Americans who are working on similar issues and hopefully, in the future, we will be able to get together to talk about our projects or to just hang out.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
I've gone from "snow days" to "strike days"...
Today was technically a "strike" day and the minute I got to work, I got sent home in one of Veerni's cars. They did not really explain to me what was happening, but through a discussion with some Indian friends and by reading a Jodhpur paper later on, I gathered a tiny bit of what the situation is. In the process, I learned that the national paper I read each morning (like all national papers here, someone claimed) is run by a religious faction and therefore extremely skewed.
But here's what seems to be going on, from a less-biased NDTV.com:
"Jodhpur will be closed down on 3rd July, 2008.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday called for a nationwide strike on Thursday over the Jammu and Kashmir government's order cancelling land allotment to Amarnath shrine authorities.
BJP chief Rajnath Singh alleged that the state government's decision to revoke the allotment of 40-hectare forestland to the Shree Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for development of facilities for pilgrims was a 'complete surrender to the fundamentalist and separatist forces'.
'By revoking the allotment of this land, the Congress party has demonstrated that it is one with the fundamentalists in creating a theocratic environment in the Kashmir valley,' the party alleged in a statement.
'The BJP calls for a nationwide strike on July 3 to protest against this monstrous act of revoking the allotted land to the shrine board,' the statement said.
There were violent protests in the Valley during the past week after the government decided to hand over the forest land for the SASB and there were angry demonstrations in Jammu after the state government cancelled the land allotment.
On Saturday, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) pulled out of the Congress-led coalition government in the state, protesting the land allotment.
The radical group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which also called for a countrywide shutdown on the same day, announced it would launch a phased agitation till the Jammu and Kashmir government gave the land back to the SASB."
Apparently, near me it is still safe (though, as a precaution, few people went out today and virtually every shop, market, and tourist site was shut down). But the situation seems a bit up in the air (one NGO director here made sure no new interns were taking the train here until Monday--apparently protests often happen on rail tracks), so travel plans for the weekend are definitely getting postponed. And so far, I've gathered that it's basically taxi and rickshaw drivers on strike (I'm not sure who else), as these people tend to be part of these religious groups. But it's all really vague, so for now, I've been putting myself on house arrest and just waiting to see what happens.
But here's what seems to be going on, from a less-biased NDTV.com:
"Jodhpur will be closed down on 3rd July, 2008.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday called for a nationwide strike on Thursday over the Jammu and Kashmir government's order cancelling land allotment to Amarnath shrine authorities.
BJP chief Rajnath Singh alleged that the state government's decision to revoke the allotment of 40-hectare forestland to the Shree Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for development of facilities for pilgrims was a 'complete surrender to the fundamentalist and separatist forces'.
'By revoking the allotment of this land, the Congress party has demonstrated that it is one with the fundamentalists in creating a theocratic environment in the Kashmir valley,' the party alleged in a statement.
'The BJP calls for a nationwide strike on July 3 to protest against this monstrous act of revoking the allotted land to the shrine board,' the statement said.
There were violent protests in the Valley during the past week after the government decided to hand over the forest land for the SASB and there were angry demonstrations in Jammu after the state government cancelled the land allotment.
On Saturday, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) pulled out of the Congress-led coalition government in the state, protesting the land allotment.
The radical group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which also called for a countrywide shutdown on the same day, announced it would launch a phased agitation till the Jammu and Kashmir government gave the land back to the SASB."
Apparently, near me it is still safe (though, as a precaution, few people went out today and virtually every shop, market, and tourist site was shut down). But the situation seems a bit up in the air (one NGO director here made sure no new interns were taking the train here until Monday--apparently protests often happen on rail tracks), so travel plans for the weekend are definitely getting postponed. And so far, I've gathered that it's basically taxi and rickshaw drivers on strike (I'm not sure who else), as these people tend to be part of these religious groups. But it's all really vague, so for now, I've been putting myself on house arrest and just waiting to see what happens.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Settling into a routine...
Work is still going really well and I like my coworkers a lot. My boss is mainly giving me writing assignments, so that I "get accustomed to the climate prior to spending long days out in the field." I'm eager to get out, but I will be spending a half-day in one of our villages tomorrow and I have made sure that I will be working in the field daily soon.
So, for now, I am finishing the annual report and writing two grant proposals. Though it's relatively boring office work, getting funding is a huge struggle for Veerni and I think that having a native English speaker write the documents will really help them out. Among the funny English mistakes I've found in the report: "At our gynecological camp, the Veerni team diagnoses a wide range of problems and provides care on site. The diagnoses include: yeast infections, pregnancies, STDs, and virginities." I'm not really sure what they meant, and I'm not sure I want to know....
In other news, I am settling into a bit of a daily routine here. Each morning, I wake up, take my bucket bath (though I have a shower, for anyone who has travelled with me, you know how big a fan I am of bucket showers), read an English Indian newspaper over my chai and breakfast, and head to work. As I generally take one route to work, I am now recognized by all of the children and women who I encounter on this route. Often, the women are outside picking stones out of lentils, washing clothes, bathing their infants, etc. The children (sometimes as young as four) seem to partake in morning cricket matches in the streets. This means that I often risk getting hit with a cricket ball, but the games are rather cute to watch. There are also a number of cows and dogs that greet me each morning and, one day, even a stray camel (who must have run away from his master, as he had a cart hooked to his back and was dashing through the streets).
After work, there are a number of places to go in Jodhpur. Generally, it seems I will go for shopping (usually just to the fruit market), see a Jodhpur tourist site, or just head back to the guesthouse and hang out. Once my job settles in, I may start volunteering at Sambhali as well and I expect to start my Hindi lessons in the next week. I also plan on going to a Bollywood movie soon.
Once its dark, and after dinner, we have gotten into the routine of congregating in the courtyard and hanging out. Last night, we drank our delicious pineapple beer (seriously...this stuff was amazing), chatted with the new Maltese backpackers, and played a few card games. Before bed, I usually either do some yoga, read, or study a bit of Hindi on a computer program I have.
For now at least, it is really nice to have a separation between work and life, as I feel I have virtually never experienced that before. Going to UChicago means that there is constantly something I should be working on and even my internship last summer demanded a fair amount of stuff outside of my regular hours. This may change once I get into the field (or once I start the terrifying Fulbright application process), but for now, it's extremely pleasant to be able to go home and just sit and chat or read for hours. Work is intense, but it happens at work, and even though I am engaged in the issues we address on a constant basis here, I am still able to divorce myself from certain obligations for a few hours each evening. As I plan to travel every weekend, it is also key that I relax during the week (because I see many hours of night trains and sightseeing in my future). But really--it is so odd that just sitting back and reading a novel is such a luxury at home, and finally gaining this "luxury" has reemphasized that.
So, for now, I am finishing the annual report and writing two grant proposals. Though it's relatively boring office work, getting funding is a huge struggle for Veerni and I think that having a native English speaker write the documents will really help them out. Among the funny English mistakes I've found in the report: "At our gynecological camp, the Veerni team diagnoses a wide range of problems and provides care on site. The diagnoses include: yeast infections, pregnancies, STDs, and virginities." I'm not really sure what they meant, and I'm not sure I want to know....
In other news, I am settling into a bit of a daily routine here. Each morning, I wake up, take my bucket bath (though I have a shower, for anyone who has travelled with me, you know how big a fan I am of bucket showers), read an English Indian newspaper over my chai and breakfast, and head to work. As I generally take one route to work, I am now recognized by all of the children and women who I encounter on this route. Often, the women are outside picking stones out of lentils, washing clothes, bathing their infants, etc. The children (sometimes as young as four) seem to partake in morning cricket matches in the streets. This means that I often risk getting hit with a cricket ball, but the games are rather cute to watch. There are also a number of cows and dogs that greet me each morning and, one day, even a stray camel (who must have run away from his master, as he had a cart hooked to his back and was dashing through the streets).
After work, there are a number of places to go in Jodhpur. Generally, it seems I will go for shopping (usually just to the fruit market), see a Jodhpur tourist site, or just head back to the guesthouse and hang out. Once my job settles in, I may start volunteering at Sambhali as well and I expect to start my Hindi lessons in the next week. I also plan on going to a Bollywood movie soon.
Once its dark, and after dinner, we have gotten into the routine of congregating in the courtyard and hanging out. Last night, we drank our delicious pineapple beer (seriously...this stuff was amazing), chatted with the new Maltese backpackers, and played a few card games. Before bed, I usually either do some yoga, read, or study a bit of Hindi on a computer program I have.
For now at least, it is really nice to have a separation between work and life, as I feel I have virtually never experienced that before. Going to UChicago means that there is constantly something I should be working on and even my internship last summer demanded a fair amount of stuff outside of my regular hours. This may change once I get into the field (or once I start the terrifying Fulbright application process), but for now, it's extremely pleasant to be able to go home and just sit and chat or read for hours. Work is intense, but it happens at work, and even though I am engaged in the issues we address on a constant basis here, I am still able to divorce myself from certain obligations for a few hours each evening. As I plan to travel every weekend, it is also key that I relax during the week (because I see many hours of night trains and sightseeing in my future). But really--it is so odd that just sitting back and reading a novel is such a luxury at home, and finally gaining this "luxury" has reemphasized that.
Pineapple beer
All I can say is: YUM.
Olivia, the South African chef, taught us a few days ago how to make pineapple beer. All you need is: a few ripe pineapples, water, sugar, and a bucket.
If the pineapples are ripe enough, they will have plenty of yeast in the skin. If they aren't ripe enough, you can add a little more yeast (which we did).
You chop the pineapples up, put them in the water, add a load of sugar and leave the mixture for 2-4 days (depending on the climate of where you are--for us, it took two). Keep tasting it daily until it seems right. Once it seem to have reached the level of alcohol you want, bottle it and put it in the freezer (to stop fermentation). Without putting it in the freezer, it will become more alcoholic each day.
And it was truly fantastic (and so easy!) This is definitely a trick (along with the mango eating) that I will have to bring home with me. And I think Chloe, Jusdeep, Smita and I are going to try other fruits (pomegranates next, then a lemongrass-ginger-pineapple blend...mmmm)
Olivia, chopping the pineapple into slices
The photo is a little dark, but the guy on the yeast box just looks so happy!
Stirring our vat of sugar and water
The pineapples are floating and ready to go...
Olivia, the South African chef, taught us a few days ago how to make pineapple beer. All you need is: a few ripe pineapples, water, sugar, and a bucket.
If the pineapples are ripe enough, they will have plenty of yeast in the skin. If they aren't ripe enough, you can add a little more yeast (which we did).
You chop the pineapples up, put them in the water, add a load of sugar and leave the mixture for 2-4 days (depending on the climate of where you are--for us, it took two). Keep tasting it daily until it seems right. Once it seem to have reached the level of alcohol you want, bottle it and put it in the freezer (to stop fermentation). Without putting it in the freezer, it will become more alcoholic each day.
And it was truly fantastic (and so easy!) This is definitely a trick (along with the mango eating) that I will have to bring home with me. And I think Chloe, Jusdeep, Smita and I are going to try other fruits (pomegranates next, then a lemongrass-ginger-pineapple blend...mmmm)
Olivia, chopping the pineapple into slices
The photo is a little dark, but the guy on the yeast box just looks so happy!
Stirring our vat of sugar and water
The pineapples are floating and ready to go...
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