Hi all!

 

Ok, I know this blog posting is long, long overdue, but at least here it is!

 

We are now almost officially living in Mumbai. (We'll register with the foreign office on Monday).

 

We are living in Navi Mumbai (or New Mumbai), just across an inlet of the Arabian Sea from the main city. We are in the neighborhood of Vashi in Navi Mumbai.

 

We have a lovely, brand-new 'flat' (yes, we're in former-British India), on the 10th floor of a 15-story building right in the middle of the city. Grocery shopping, clothes shopping, restaurants, an internet cafe, and international calling booths are all in easy walking distance, and the train station is a 10 min. walk away. Will's work is just next to the station.

 

So, we are still getting settled, but will be finishing our first week of work here. Will travelled far for training from Monday to Wednesday, but now he's going to his regular office.

 

As for me, I went to the Akanksha office on Monday and Tuesday, and it took me about 45 min - not bad at all. But, on the first day, I actually MISSED two trains because they were SO packed that not a single soul could add themselves to the car -- although some tried. The pictures you see, if you've seen them, of Indian trains packed to the bone and people hanging out everywhere are real. It's insanity.

 

Akanksha is fantastic. Here's the link to their website: http://www.akanksha.org/

 

I will be the English teacher at the organization's first full-time school. I'll be teaching 5th graders (about 10-11 years old), and will have one homeroom class that I'll meet with at the beginning and end of the day, and be in charge of, basically.

 

The school will have 3 classes of kindergardeners and 2 classes of 5th graders. Then next year those kids will move up a grade and we'll recruit more kindergardeners and 5th graders, so that the school eventually ends up with all grades k - 10.

 

The school goes from June 1st to May 1st. I'll get a week off for Christmas and a week for Diwali (an Indian holiday - research it for us!!). Plus we'll both get other days off - we should have time to explore India to some degree.

 

We will be recruiting children from the slums nearby the school who are not doing well in standard school or aren't going at all. From what I've seen from the trains, I'm really excited to have the opportunity to provide care, support, and education to the kids that need it here.

 

And, at the same time, we are living in an exciting country, an exciting city, and meeting lots of people. We'll be sure to upload photos soon.

 

While I didn't end up on a more long-term basis with the organization in Afghanistan, we are excited to be doing something needed here.

 

Hello to everyone in Japan - we miss you!!

 

Hello to California - we miss you!!

 

Love to everyone!

Finally, we uploaded some photos! Thank you expensive wireless internet!

We've been snapping photos here and there, so hopefully these will give you a sense of what we're seeing here!

Go to http://flickr.com/photos/serenden/

Or click on the photos in the sidebar here to go to the flickr site...

Enjoy!

We hopped into a cab last night on our way home, and I caught a smile in the cabbie's eyes as he glimpsed me through the rearview mirror. I caught the large red coloring on his forehead, too, smothered thoroughly in the crease between his bushy eyebrows.

Through the dust and stench of pollution on the streets of Mumbai, the honking of cars and swarms of people, I was momentarily calmed by the small, neon flashing figure of Ganesh, the Hindu god personified as an elephant, sitting atop the dashboard. In front of the figure were three sticks of aromatic incense burning, sending sweet and spicy fragrances wafting through our little cab.

I enjoyed that cab ride.

Tonight, on my way home, I was not so fortunate. I'm quite sure my cabbie tonight was picking up prostitutes on his way to my destination. And his cab smelled worse than the streets.

Some people keep their space holy, others have different things on their mind.

Such are our differences.

Pollution Everywhere

How do people survive breathing so much pollution every day? The sky is not really even blue here. The city is smothered in its own filth. Across the glistening bay, skyscrapers appear through a haze. Across the street at 3 in the afternoon, the trees play host to the dust, and drink up the toxic puddles that lay beneath them.

Kabul was full of dust, but Mumbai is full of toxins.

Swarms.

And then there's the people. I've never seen so many people. It is truly a swarming mass of humanity, never-ending, always moving. There are men in button-up business shirts and trousers, but few briefcases. Women in bright saris going to work, or selling vegetables. Old men taking a nap on the sidewalk, their skin blending with the shadows. Children running through the side streets, street sweepers with straw brooms, working men with somewhere to be, old women sitting idly near the gutter, hand extended in search of food or coins.

A man sells an huge, oversized orange balloon on a street corner. Another sits on the sidewalk in a mask, and when he blows into a plastic mouthpiece, his mask grows pink paper horns. He shows his horns as I pass by. Then there is the man who stood naked on the street corner. Naked, he just stood there. A few people stared. An ox-drawn cart pulls unnamed supplies down a busy street. A horse-drawn carriage, brightly shining in sequins and white, carries two young girls in a procession bright saris and men with umbrellas.

And then there's the animals. Large, holy cows meander on random corners, or stand quietly munching hay, tied to a pole. Dogs lie about napping, or rummaging in search of scraps. Goats occupy alleyways, ducks bathe in a puddle as a cat watches eagerly from atop a trash bin. Birds circle above, chirping from the trees, barely audible over the traffic.

The definition of a concrete jungle.

7am, traffic is slowly making its comeback from the relatively quiet night.

Birds fly from rooftop to window sill to tree.

The haze gives way to light.

Mumbai.

City from my history books. Relic of British colonialism. It is alive.

A certain calm sets over me now that I have seen it with my own eyes.

But there is a lot to do.

end poetic-ness.

Yesterday we visited the NGO we hope to work with, and were both impressed. They are in the process of expansion, having started with just 5 schools in the early 90's, now with over 40 schools just in Mumbai.

They recruit children of all ages who are struggling in the formal school system, and bring them to a center for a few hours in the morning or evening, aside from regular school times, to teach them English, Math, and a basic value system, through example and discussion, in order to promote them as responsible contributors to society. It is Indian-run, and was started by a group of college students - the young helping the young.

There is a special program which I am hoping to work in, which takes children with an exceptional academic promise, and tutors and supports them to continue their education through university, in order to lift them and their future families out of the poverty cycle permanently.

We met with the teachers for this program yesterday and sat in on a section of their class - a teacher led a literary circle, where the kids discussed a book they are reading by writing summaries, discussing grammar points, and talking about the content. She focused on helping the kids to think logically and engage in useful discussion. Rapport with the kids is very important, and I know it will take much time and effort to gain it. But the kids seemed great - lively but positive, mostly. I am sure there are bad days.

----

As for our full trip so far, for me, there is a certain formation of strategy and idea that is slowly making itself known. While I was impressed with some of the aspects of development we saw in Afghanistan, I also became very aware of the need for improvement and for more effective international intervention.

Here, if we are given the chance to become strongly involved in a successful NGO, who has ties to western and eastern best-practices, funds, and led by strong young individuals, we can gain a solid means of applying our knowledge for those in need, and for the elevation of overall peace and positive development.

Learning first-hand the trials and challenges in Afghanistan was worth all the risks. For myself, and for the role I seek to play in society, there is simply no other way to grasp what it is that we, as a human community, need in order to further our capacity as enlightened beings. Without that knowledge, my contribution could not be fully informed.

Hi all, I posted just a handful of photos from our last days in Dubai... we haven't taken the cameras out in Mumbai yet, but hopefully will this weekend!

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/serenden/

Hi all,

 

Well, here we are, our trip stops for awhile, in Mumbai.

 

First impressions -- lots and lots of people. Crumbling buildings, a film of dirt covering everything, including the keyboard I'm typing on, lots of pollution, and a little stinky.

 

Hello Bombay!

 

For me, I really enjoyed Dubai, and what else we saw of the UAE. The Muslim call to prayer eminated all around us 5 times a day and was incredibly beautiful and soulful. I can easily see the lure. Things were clean, people were kind, and modesty was the norm.

 

While sitting in our small hotel's lobby in Dubai, I had a great conversation with a woman performing the Hajj. This is the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca that every Muslim strives to complete at least once in their life. She was originally from Morocco, but was living with her Indian husband in Malawi. She wore the traditional bedouin black garment, covering all but her face, which was strikingly beautiful. A young mother of two, she was easy to talk with, and was excited to be on her first pilgrimage. We talked about shopping, travelling, and then religion, and it was an easy conversation. She was suprised and happy to hear that I'm quite familiar with Islam.

 

The Muslim world is vast and varied, and there is a lot for the West to learn. There must be no better way to do this than from Muslims themselves, and I hope I get more chances to have such enlightening conversations.

 

Anyway, back to Bombay. We slept all day today so haven't seen much. But we'll be here for awhile, so we're in no hurry.

 

Will keep you all posted!