India- Week 3

Professor Gross wrote me this email and posed some really interesting questions I wanted to reflect on and share.

Dear Jessica,

Just finished reading your blog and it sounds as though you are experiencing India in many real ways! The power outages are a common phenomenon across the larger urban centers (so get used to it). The bombing are also, unfortunately an increasingly common phenomenon, due to the ongoing religious and political tensions within and between India and neighbors (though I believe Bangalore has for the most part remained unscathed). Wondering what you think of the contrasts and extremes in this amazing country. Bangalore as the center of India's booming IT sector is growing in leaps and bounds, and yet their remains incredible poverty alongside. I have always been struck by Thomas Friedman's assertion that "The World is Flat" -- but am led to question this when exploring cities such as the ones you are visiting -- is the world really "flat"?

On a side note, you indicated in your blog that you were about to explore public transportation... to get you from your host to classes every day...

I am curious to hear your experiences and thoughts on all of the above, as you continue along on this wonderful adventure!

Best wishes,
Prof. Jill Gross

So since I've been here the one reoccuring theme that I've noticed is the startling contrasts. Bangalore is known as the IT hub in India and so many up and coming companies are based in Bangalore. But at the same time, I live in a house that uses as little electricity as possible, I don't have access to the Internet everyday, the power goes out frequently and so many people don't have access to technology. We studied the IT sector for my class and we discussed how it has changed urban life in B. I think it's interesting that there are such polar views on the IT boom: some think it's done amazing things for the economy and for Bangalore's image but others think that the IT sector is to blame for all the waste, pollution and marginalization of people. I've done some readings, gone on field trips to Electronic City and talked to a lot of people and it's amazing what a big discussion it is. Even for example, last night I went out to dinner and drinks with our host parents' nephew (aka our host cousin) and almost all of his 20-something year old friends work at Dell, Infosys or another IT company.

As far as the bombings, in my Politics and Development class we are conducting debates in groups about issues that are important to Bangalore. Our group will be debating the role of the government (national and local) in addressing the terrorist attacks. We will talk about individual rights, grassroots organizing and investment in intelligence. I hope to learn more about how people here feel about the govt's reaction to the bombings.

Finally, public transportation. BIG SIGH. hehe. Well the bus at 8am every morning is quite and experience. I can only describe it as similar to rush hour on the 6 train in NYC. It is absolutely PACKED with people. If you dont jump on quickly enough the driver will leave you. Women sit in the front and men sit in the back, which actually makes me feel more comfortable, especially when we are packed in like sardines! There is a ticket man who distributes tickets. Meg and I get cheated out of 1 or 2 extra rupees once in a while. Traffic is crazy here. It flows like sidewalk traffic-there are no rules except dont run into anyone else. Currently, B is building a metro that will be both underground and above ground. It is a contentious issue because it will displace many residents and shopkeepers.

Aside from all that I am experiencing, I do miss NYC a lot. I am getting accustomed to the city and feel more and more comfortable in it. I can't believe I will be leaving in two weeks! Time goes by so quickly.

This week we will be presenting on our contemporary issues: mine is waste management. I have learned a lot about governance, corruption, environmental justice, and much more. I will share more once I have finished my research.

Thanks for reading as always! I will post more personal stories next time.

Our hut in Pondicherry

India week 2

Wow. so much to write about. i am at an internet cafe now and some of the keys dont work so please dont mind the spelling and grammar.

this weekend a group of 22 students went to Pondicherry, a former french colony. we drove 6 hours from bangalore and stayed in tiny huts on the beach. i stayed in a room with 3 other people and slept on a small mattress meant for 2 people. we arrived at pondi at 1am and got settled in and went right to bed. then on saturday we spent the entire day on the beach, getting sunburned, riding waves and laying around. after lunch i went with a small group of girls into town and visited museums and galleries. we went to one historic museum with artifacts and sculptures and one modern art gallery. at the gallery we saw a photo exhibit on the beijing olympics. the photographer was there so we met him. he invited us to tour the guest rooms and the view of the ocean. the view was breathtaking! it looked like greece or paris.

at night we all went to dinner and drinks- all 22 people! we had french food and enjoyed each others' company. at night we were invited to a party near our hotel by some indian locals. after the party i went down to the beach (i had to hop a fence) and laid out under the stars for a while. the weather was gorgeous at night...breezy but still warm.

the next day, unfortunately, there was news that bombs went off in delhi. our host parents and facutly were worried about us being far from home so we ended our trip early. we returned to bangalore by 9pm and had dinner with our host parents at the cafe.

meg and i went to bed so early because we were exhausted from our trip.

on monday we visited two agencies that work with children's rights. i went to the concerned for working children (CWC) an organization that empowers children to represent themlesves. they work with policy and advocate for fair representation of children's voices in government. they work with the UN and other intl NGOs that help protect against child abuse at home and work. they were an amazing place to visit.

today instead of our anthro class we went to the high courts (supreme court of kanartaka) to witness what hearings are like. the security was tight due to the recent terrorist attacks but we managed to get in. it was a beautiful courthouse with lush green gardens.

tonight i will go to the theatre to see a show "the magic drum". i must go because it starts soon.

sorry to be so abrupt but that's all i can say for now. i will try to upload pictures :)

India Week 2- Sunday

I am exhausted to I will have to keep this short.

This weekend we attended a wedding. It was wonderful. We went to the mehendi party where the bride's friends get henna and bangles. There was lots of dancing and eating. Everyone looked beautiful in their Indian clothing. All my classmates and I got dressed up as well.

Today was the wedding ceremony. My friends and I wore beautiful sarees that we borrowed from our host mothers. I will try to post pictures when I get to an internet cafe later this week! The ceremony was lovely. It was a celebration of two families getting together. There were hundreds of people who attended. I really learned a lot about the culture of marriage in India. It's inspired me to have an Indian-themed wedding or bridal shower when I get married :) I am missing home a lot but I am also growing more comfortable with my homestay.
Tomorrow I have class at 9am and then in the afternoon we will take a trip to the IT sector. We will learn about how the IT sector has affected urban life in Bangalore. We will hear from policy makers, economists and academics.
I am glad that people are commenting on the blog. It shows me that people are actually reading it. I apologize for not writing more frequently. It's not so easy to access the internet. I will check my email once a week so feel free to write to me!

I hope everyhing in NY is well. I heard there is a hurricane on its way. I hope it's nothing too serious. Please keep me informed. Thinking of you all!!!

write me letter while I am in India!

Jessica Lee
Environment Support Group
105 East End B Main Road,
Jayanagar 9th Block East,
Bangalore-69, India

India Week 1- Tuesday

At last! I have stepped foot on Indian soil. I arrived on Sunday morning at 4am into Bangalore Intl Airport. It's been nonstop since then. The group is definitely exhausted! For the first day and night we stayed at a hostel in the center of the city. As soon as I got to my room I took a cold shower from a bucket (very refreshing and old school). Then we ate breakfast and a group of us went for a walk. The streets of Bangalore are hectic! Being from NYC I thought I could handle it but it's nothing like Manhattan. There are thousands of distractions at once-- honking horns, speeding cars, swirving scooters, pedestrians, stray dogs, potholes, debris, garbage, and more! It's pretty dangerous walking around if you dont pay attention. Luckily, no one got hurt. We all walked around and found a Sikh temple. We were lucky because we met a Sikh man who has lived in the US for 25 years and took the time to explain the religion to us and show us around. We sat with him and hundreds of other people after the service and ate lunch and drank tea. It was wonderful.

Afterwards, we had lunch at the hostel and slept for hours. I woke up in time for dinner and did some reading. It was difficult for me to go to sleep because of jet lag but I managed to get a few hours.

The next day I wasn't feeling so well because of the lack of sleep and my body wasn't used to the new environment. I stayed in bed and rested. People around me took such good care of me so I was fine. I woke up for lunch and got ready to go to my homestay family.

I am now rooming with Meg, a girl from Westchester who goes to Wake Forest. I am glad to be with her because she seems very easy going. I think our personalities match nicely :) We are staying in a family with a married couple, a grandmother, and uncle. We call our host parents Uncle Sudhi and Aunti Anju. They are so nice and accomodating. He works for an engineering company and she owns a cafe at a theatre near our classroom. Their son, Rohit, works in Delhi training in the restaurant/hotel business. We live in a small village-type community in the south of Bangalore where it is very quiet. We are about a 20 min drive from our classes. Starting Thursday Meg and I will have to learn to walk to and ride the bus to school. EEk.

Today we slept in late, had breakfast, walked around, bought a cell phone and toured around the cafe area. We met up with Jamie and Laura from IHP, who are staying with Anju's sister nearby. It was nice to have dinner with them at the cafe. The food in India is so good!

Tomorrow is the Ganesha festival. Meg, Anju and I will join Anju's sister at her house. It is supposed to be a lively festival that celebrates the elephant god, Ganesha, the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles. I am really exicted to see what the festival is like.

AHH the power just went off. Since I've been here the last few days the power has gone off several times each night. Because Bangalore is such a populated city it uses a lot of power and occassionally there is an overload. Thank goodness my entry saved before the computer shut off.

Overall, I am enjoying my time here. I am just trying to take it all in and come to the realization that I am actually in INDIA. I am focused on taking care of my health and appreciating every moment. Classes start on Thursday so I will try to write more when I can.

Please stay in touch and write to me. Leave comments. Email me. Or call. My India cell phone # is 961-143-7500 ( i dont know the country code). I will try to send postcards asap (if i have your address).

Hope NYC is doing well without me! Miss you all.