British Raj, the Pig Kingdom, Weddings, Chillies, and Other Associated Phenomena

Camera: I need to get a new one, as mine broke. On the bright side, I do have many photos, both from my current and last trip, that I will post on my blog, which I hope will enliven it for you all. I think it will. I need to get the indestructible camera that can be thrown against the wall and still function, as careless is my middle name (really, check my birth certificate). Indeed, never give me anything you value; I very probably could end up breaking it. Update: got a new one, have pictures. It’s a sexy Olypus Stylus µ-minu Verve. This line of cameras is known for being water proof and dust proof and generally tough, a must in the village areas, especially since I can’t resist the kids’ supplications and often hand my camera over to them and watch them vanish away and come back with a memory card much fuller than when I gave the camera to them :). As an added bonus the camera was only $125. Gotta love Indian prices.

Internet: I spoke much too soon about the internet. We definitely don’t have it yet as of today (June 15th). The company keeps saying that they are going to come and then finds some sort of excuse not to come. I won’t hold my breath for them coming , that’s for sure. Update: internet came on June 16th, finally. It has been of great use in being able to email, find information to show the youth groups, and in showing the NGO workers how information and other resources can be accessed from the net. See “NGO work” post for more information.

Eating mangos: so, I have been enlightened as to the technique for eating mangoes. What they do in India is squash up the insides will the skin is still on by applying pressure. Then they cut a piece of the top off and suck out the insides. This is absolutely delicious and very efficient. Much better than trying to cut the mango up with that huge pit in the middle. The other benefit is that the mangos that we would think are too mushy to eat in the US (which in fact have some of the best taste) can be eaten easily and with great pleasure. Good stuff.



International TV programming: a lot of the English language programming here has a very international feel (though still focused on Asia). I have watched interesting programs on a lady who started a female taxi drivers business in Bangkok (as a way for women to be independent; pretty amazing operation), on a Japanese architect named Eto who has designed some very innovative and fascinating buildings, and some cartoons that were amusingly similar to their counterparts here in the states. I remember one of them basically had the message that things basically always work out well so don’t worry, listen to your parents, and do your chores. It’s interesting how this moral instruction through TV programs occurs for the youth. I think it is probably an important source of such instruction, though I have seen no study on the effect of this programming. With respect to the cartoon saying you shouldn’t worry because things usually work out the example may have been a bit extreme: the kids in the cartoon put way too much soap in the washer and it overflowed filling up the room. They managed to scoop it out the window, and to their surprise when they went outside this soap had washed everything outside, so their parents were doubly happy. Hopefully no kids think that it will actually work like this in real life. This cartoon was in Hindi however. Another Hindi cartoon had a kite that was lifted into the air not by wind but by laughter. The message is obvious. Cute.

Ice cream man: in a throwback to older times in the US, there seems to be an ice cream man in all of the villages in which I have spent significant time. I was confused at first as to why someone kept coming through the village, beeping a horn. After someone told me what the person was doing, it all made sense. The lack of refrigerators make the ice cream man a necessity; and there is some satisfaction in getting the treat when he comes, as it feels special. On my first trip to India an associate of the NGO told me that whatever is not common feels special to people, i.e. to village people light bulbs feel special, while to city people candles feel special.

Throw the vegetables on top: so, I was riding in a share jeep to a field site when the jeep stopped to pick up some people on the side of the road. They had large bags of vegetables that they were taking to the market. As the car already was carrying about 15 people, there was simply no room for this new stuff. So, one of the new passengers simply climbed on the roof of the share jeep (cloth on top of metal bars) and took the burlap sacks of vegetables with him, and sat down. That is how he rode the entire way. Nice breeze, I suppose.