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Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon March 4th 2012

Get comfortable, this is a long one! The four of us strangers from the other side of the globe were brought together only two and a half weeks ago and with our varied educational backgrounds, personal values, and life experiences we have made up a very unique, yet effective team. John is the motivator! He makes things happen and at the end of a long, fulfilling day he is always ready for "one more interview". I am the critical one or as Natalie calls me "the analytical thinker". I look at each situation from every angle and evaluate the positive/negative impact of every decision made. I can admit, that at times, my over-analysis is a bit overwhelming and counter productive. Natalie keeps us all on the positive track, reminding us of our purpose here in India ... read more
The first time I met Ankit
Anita studying.
Our new family members.

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon March 4th 2012

The small stuff that entertains us.... On the way to the slum one day Natalie decided that she should initiate a poll to determine which is the worst smell in India and the choices would include: a) body odor, b) livestock (cows, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, monkeys), c) cow patties drying in the sun (actually not that bad), d) human feces from the communal toilet (large holes dug in the ground), e) burning garbage/plastic, f) side walk urinal stations with urine streaming down the street, g) my roommates after weeks of eating beans. It's a pretty tough call.... but I think it might be a tie between d), e), and f). India is a country full of many contradictions and each day we add another to our list. Examples include but are not limited to ... read more
Cow patties drying in the sun.
A nice outdoor urinal that actually offers privacy.
Silent Zone- I wish!

Asia » India » Haryana » Kurukshetra March 3rd 2012

Hey Everyone, Well I just wrote this really long entry to you all and it disappeared so I will keep this one shorter. I went to this hippy dance party on a roof top cafe which looked over Laxma Jula. I went with 6 of my new friends. No alcohol and we all danced around this fire under the stars. Amazing amazing amazing! I had my prayer beads (Sandalwood Japa) blessed today by this amazing man called Prem Baba. He does lectures everyday for 2 hours and I have been to see him talk twice now. He has spoken about so many things in such a simplistic way... Amazing amazing amazing!... read more
Dance party cafe
Abru my friend and My meditation teacher 'Ma'
Nice hotel on the Ganga

Asia » India » Haryana » Jangpura March 2nd 2012

Before my arrival here, the mention of Delhi conjured an image of too many people and too many rickshaws, of crowds and traffic struggling for space, of staring eyes and blaring horns. It evoked the smell of spices, frying oil, and human excrement. To be sure, Delhi is all of this, but it is also much more. As my host Vidhi told me, “Delhi is built on the ruins of seven different cities and more than 50 different empires. It has over 1,400 monuments, most of which are over 400 years old.” If you don’t know where to look, it can be easy to miss the secluded shrines and tucked-away temples; to walk right past the history. The most surprising thing about Delhi, however, is all of the green – the tree-lined roads and parks where ... read more
Delhi Traffic
Playing in a Park
Photo 3

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon February 20th 2012

The month of February brings it's own set of distractions and emotional challenges for me. Even though I find myself on the other side of the world, entrenched in a different culture/language/environment, my thoughts are often drifting back to my family back home. My protective nature leads me to worry about my Mom and siblings as I wonder how they are coping this month? The month of February brings with it the date of my Dad's passing and some of my most cherished and heart wrenching memories of the last few weeks of my Dad's life. The 26th of February marks the two year anniversary and I find comfort in knowing that my mom will be surrounded by our never failing support system. But still i wish i could be there. I still replay the same ... read more

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon February 18th 2012

Heather, Natalie, and I arrived at our new homestay in Faridabad late last Sunday night (February 12/12) after a long day spent in Agra visiting the Taj Mahal. Our new host family consists of Shri (dad), Mamta (mom) and their two daughters Naisa (age 4) and Naima (3). Another important member of our new family is a volunteer named John. John has been staying in Faridabad with Mamta and Shri for the past ten weeks. The three of us girls had no idea what a whirl wind we had just been dropped into. First stop on Monday morning was to the slum school which would be our home base in the weeks to come. What an awesome and completely overwhelming experience. As we walked along the dirt roads lined with garbage, stray dogs, and livestock we ... read more
"Our" slum from the other side of the canal.
Natalie being welcomed by the community!
Heather teaching the kids how to say the body parts in English.

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon February 11th 2012

India has gone relatively smoothly so far. My airport pick up went well and then I waited for another volunteer's flight to arrive before we were driven to our home stay. Because it was very late (1:00 a.m) we went straight to bed. It wasn't until morning that we would have a chance to explore our new environment so of course, my anticipation didn't allow for a very restful sleep. Not only that, it was difficult to sleep because I was freezing cold. How come nobody told me that winter in India was going to be cold? I guess skipping one Canadian winter has made me weak as I can't put on enough layers of clothes to keep me warm. The evenings cool to around 6 degrees Celsius (no heater in the home stay) and warm ... read more
More sightseeing.
Me and creepy saree guy

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon January 20th 2012

well up at 2:37 am could not sleep anymore went to bed at 8:30 or so just want to be tired when i fly out to Delhi tonight at 9 pm. Different things are my going trough my head, being so far away from Tammy and the cats, again and to be so close to a dream that is to be for filled it is very surreal this . have to take the train to schiphol at 9:44 am so i have a few more hours to linger and surf the web.... read more

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon October 5th 2011

Kashmir e Ladakh hanno ben poco a che spartire con il subcontinent indiano. Cultura e tradizioni islamiche per il primo, buddismo e forte influenza storica del Tibet per il secondo. Oltre i confini anche in virtu’ del fatto che sono luoghi non solo piuttosto isolati dal resto dell’India, ma dal mondo in generale. Politiche imperialiste e guerre per i territori contesi hanno plasmato i confini e travolto le popolazioni che si affacciano sul versante pakistano o cinese. Entrambe queste regioni fanno nominalmente parte del distretto Jammu & Kashmir. KASHMIR. Olla’, Olla’ Coca Cola --- Mira, Mira Kashmira Un gioco di interessi e geopolitica fa si che l’India continui a tenere sotto stretto controllo il territorio con ingenti forze militari. Srinagar, capitale geografica della regione kashmira, e’ una citta’ divisa in due. Se da un lato ci ... read more
Verso l'infinito :-)
On the Shikara
Foto cartolina

Asia » India » Haryana » Gurgaon August 12th 2011

Una giornata intensa. In tarda mattinata mi intrattengo a chiacchierare con la guardia dell'hotel. Scopro che ******** (provate voi ad imparare i nomi) è originario di un paesino dell'Himachal Pradesh, a 6 ore a nord di Delhi. Lasciata moglie e figlio, ha deciso due anni fa di venire nella grande città per trovarsi un lavoro adeguato. La retribuzione dell'hotel (78 € al mese) lascia un po' a desiderare, comunque pare compensi il fatto che possa raggiungere la famiglia solo ogni 3 mesi. Tanuj, compagno di studi in Bocconi, mi suggerisce con una discreta insistenza e cordialità a trasferirmi da lui per i prossimi due giorni. Nel primo pomeriggio accetto l'offerta e suo cugino passa a prendermi in hotel. Nonostante fossi un po' incerto sull'aver lasciato la mia cameretta in hotel, mi rallegro quando scopro che Tanuj ... read more




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