Tabby's Adventures Abroad

India again?

2011-06-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, indeed. This time I'm spending the summer in Lucknow studying Urdu. No promises about writing regularly or even at all, since such promises make me less inclined to actually do it. Instead, my plan is to live the experience rather than record it. And if I should be inspired to write, that I will do.

The jist is that things are swell. I'm learning a lot & generally enjoying having one focus (learning the language) rather than feeling scattered w a ton to do at once.

Love to my loved ones. Meh to weirdos reading this I don't know.

I started writing this one back in July, but never finished it. Here it is anyway..

2011-01-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

27 July 2010

Yes, I know. It has been AGES since I’ve written here. But that just shows you that I’ve been out having a great time w my research & getting to know people here that writing hasn’t been a top priority. But the time has come for me to share with you readers a bit about what I’m up to in Ethiopia.

We’ll start w what’s happening on the research-front since that’s the top reason I’m here this summer (thanks to Chris & IWMI). I’ve met with countless farmers & bureaucrats and now have a fairly good understanding of the general consensus by different parties here on water contamination, treatment options, the role of industries, farmers, NGOs, and governing bodies, and varying perceptions on wastewater for food crop irrigation. I’m still working away at how best to frame the issue in my thesis, but one aspect is certain- I must consider the issue with hope rather than despair. I have some more specific opinions on the matter, but I’ll not spoil my thesis paper for you before it’s even written. You’ll just have to read it once it’s published. ;-)

In other news, I finally went around Addis on Sat to do some of the touristy things. The opportunity was perfect bc Golda (the woman I CouchSurfed with before I moved into my house) has another CouchSurfer here from France right now, and friend who came to town from Costa Rica to give out the UPeace diplomas to the Peace and Security Studies grads at AAU. Golda’s been here about 4 months & still hasn’t seen the main attractions either. So her friend/employee at Upeace, who happens to be from Addis & used to be a tour guide here, offered to take us all around in his car to show us some of the coolest parts of town.

We went to Lucy’s Restaurant (named for Lucy, the oldest homo sapien sapien skeleton to have been found on earth) for lunch, followed by a tour of the National Museum which houses a molding of Lucy (the real skeleton is apparently in New York) among other groovy fossils & cultural remnants.

After that we went to Piazza where there are loads of little stores and cafes all stack on top of one another on a hill above Churchill Ave. Apparently this building style was left by the Italians following their brief occupation during WWII. Be’alem showed us some of the best & least expensive leather stores in Addis. Leather is one of the main exports from Ethiopia (after coffee, of course). I feel a little guilty admitting that I ordered a leather jacket for myself, not just on the same principles making me vegetarian (though only when in the States. Hey, I don’t want to miss out on the Ethiopian food experience. Plus, the meat industry here isn’t nearly as disgusting as in the US. I see the cattle being herded around the countryside & the city, not caged up in a filthy feedlot being injected w growth hormones). The guilt comes more from knowing that the leather factories/tanneries are in large part responsible for a lot of the untreated pollution that’s dumped into the river. But it’s cold & rainy here, man. And I definitely did not bring warm enough clothes (probably the reason I keep getting sick). Plus, I’m supporting a local business that makes high quality stuff.

Be’alem took us to Merkato next, allegedly the largest market in Africa. It is certainly the biggest market I’ve ever seen & I think the local saying, “You can find anything in Merkato but the human heart” must be right on par. Seriously, there are huge sections zoned by the types of goods they sell. There are sections for shoes, car parts, cosmetics, vegetables, chickens, sheep, kitchenwares, anything. You name it, it can be found in Merkato. And there is so much traffic it’s overwhelming. While Addis is generally a pretty safe place, the Merkato is also the worksite of thieves, so one has to be extremely careful there. We just drove through to take a look bc the place is so huge & overwhelming, it’s not worth getting out unless you’re prepared to spend the day there. But I know when I go back I’ll have to bring nothing but 200 Birr & my cell phone tucked safely away into my bosom- otherwise it WILL disappear. Hell. Maybe it will disappear from my bosom without my noticing anyway, since these thieves are apparently quite skilled. I’ve been warned.

Next we went up the mountain north of town to Entoto (Emperor Menelik II’s former capital)…

Moving and grooving…

2010-06-24T18:16:00.002-07:00

So yesterday I finally met with some farmers (they were actually urban gardeners) & had a really great time. It was a fantastic preliminary meeting, but I think this group won’t be particularly useful to me since they are located at the source of the spring-fed stream they draw from to irrigate their garden. We had a nice informal chat, while the women went through an elaborate coffee-making ceremony. Essentially, they first heat the coffee beans in a clay tray they put on a jiko (at least that’s what it’s called in Tanzania- a steel pot that is raised so air can flow underneath, with a clay pot resting inside with hot coals in it for cooking). Then they take the pan of smoking beans around so everyone in the room can take a whiff of the wonderful aroma. Next, the beans go into a mortar & pestle where they are pounded down into a semi-fine powder. Meanwhile, water is being brought to a boil in a beautiful traditional clay coffee pot. There is some sort of ceremonious element involving putting water into the cups, but by that point I was distracted by a bunch of kids demanding that I take their picture & another of the women showing off the wonderful handmade erbos (woven basket) & bolsas (purse- yup bolsa isn’t just purse in Spanish, but also in Amharic) she makes.

Have to run. More to come!

Oh, Sunday…

2010-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today drags on & I should be working. But every time I think about it I feel more and more muddled on what to do & how to get info. I took A’s advice & my field asst & I went to the Oromiya Ag Office on Friday to get them to hook us up with the peasant associations. But to our dismay they were not at all helpful. The man I spoke with made it clear that they had no information for me & suggested I go to the Addis office. Hence, the wild goose chase has begun. I get the impression that bureaucrats & even some of the NGOs are afraid to make any statements or give info because it may reflect poorly on them. One woman from the US who is working on a project here (which shall remain unnamed) even told me pointblank that her org and others do not want to be critiqued so would rather not work with visiting researchers. Naturally, I will & should be critical. But I was careful to ask very general non-controversial preliminary questions so as to keep those I’m seeking to get real interviews with at ease. Maybe they’ve had problems with people being critical of them in the past & are trying to avoid that again.

From what I hear, the government here is rather imposing & they are careful to hide anything that may make them look bad (seems to be the pervasive defense mechanism invoked here). And for the most part, it seems they are quite successful at it with government ownership of most media outlets & intimidation of those who step out of line. Just look at what happened with the federal election in May. In the 2005 election hundreds of members of opposition parties were killed in the streets when disputing the ‘win’ for the incumbent party & thousands were jailed. Five years later, the populace is supposed to believe that all those people who did not support the EPRDF in 2005 just changed their minds- with 99% of the vote going to the ruling party. Right. But there wasn’t much of a ruckus this time around. It seems those who were brave enough to stick it to the one-party system before have all been killed, jailed, or intimidated into keeping their mouths shut. And that’s what I’ve observed here in the capital city- people just don’t talk about politics. Life is what it is, and there’s not much anyone can do about it. Of course, I’m making a huge generalization of the sentiment here since I’ve not even been in the country for 2 weeks. Maybe there are protestors and a revamping opposition. But if there are, the government is doing a great job of keeping them out of the public eye…

Anyway, I have more meetings this week & am continuing to read everything I can get my hands on, so hopefully things get better with research. Internet is a big problem (it often doesn’t work at all, or does but is extremely slow), so tomorrow I’m going to the Ethiopian telecomm office to see about getting one of those USB internet things (what’s it called?).

In other news, I’ve had a terrible case of the shits all day & fear it’s from the Mexican dinner I hosted last night at my new place. About 12 people came over (interns from ILRI, couchsurfers, & some other random friends I’ve made) & indulged in my refried beans, tortillas, veggie fajitas, chips, & salsas- every single thing made from scratch bc, hey, you can’t buy salsa or chips here (other than pringles or potato chips). But I think it was the guacamole that made me sick since everything else, even the salsas, were cooked. I, of all people, should know better than to have uncooked veggies here considering my studies in the effects of untreated wastewater on crops & those who consume the produce. But Golda insisted her guacamole was the best in the world so I just couldn’t resist challenging her to a “guacamole-off”, since I know MINE is, in fact, the best in the universe. It probably would have been fine if I had used avocados from the tree in my yard, but the dog gets them as soon as they fall & there were no ripe ones way up in the tree. So we used fresh avocados, tomatoes, etc that we bought at the supermarket. We were sure to wash them well, but I still am suffering the explosive consequences & am really hoping my friends aren’t also sick…. =(

Anyway.. I can’t post this until tomorrow (and that’s IF the internet at the office is working) so I’m going back to one of my best finds here yet, in terms of literature- a book called “Class & Revolution in Ethiopia”. It gives a nice, concise history of Ethiopian politics from the Ancien Regime until the time it was published in 1978 (4 years after the military Dergue seized power from Emperor Haile Selassie). Fortunately, I found a 2006 edition so the one author who is still living (Nega Ayele, was killed by the military government in ‘77), John Merkakis, has provided some remarks on contemporary politics as well.

Ahhh… Comfy pjs, warm duvet, & good book. As long as the power doesn’t go out I’m set for the evening.

Loves to you all!

Btw, for some reason my texts to people in the States don’t seem to be going through. =( Something must be wrong with the country code. I’m not going to try calling anyone bc I’ve gone through $20 in 15 minutes with international calls. So, I’ll just see if I can figure out this texting business. Maybe if one of you sends me a text I can see how the # comes up in my phone.

Also, for those of you on Facebook- Kristi posted Tanzania pics since she’s back in the States, so take a look. I won’t be able to post pics on the blog for a while since it takes so long to upload them with this connection.

Addis- I love it!

2010-06-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I don't have a phone right now bc it slipped out of my pocket in the shared taxi yesterday (didn't notice bc I was wearing my big yellow pancho since it was raining) & whoever found it was probably delighted to have a phone which $30 worth of minutes was just added to. Urgh!

But no worries. I'm going to the Piazza later today to get a replacement phone (fortunately, I never bought the first phone- it's just the one I was given by the UT in India program 2 summers ago) & then to the telecommunications office (phone & internet services here are govt owned) for a replacement sim card. I think they'll be able to cancel the old one so whoever has my phone can't use it & will set the new one so I still have the same #.

In other news, things are going well here. Yesterday I checked out a house that a friend of a friend of an acquaintance lives in. She & her roomie are both Irish & work for the UNHRC with Somalian & Eritrean refugees here. They had a 3rd roomie who just moved away, so I will find out tonight if I'll be taking the girl's room. The house is PERFECT so I really hope it works out. It's nicely decorated, spacious, and has an avocado tree (yay! I'll make guacamole everyday!). They have 3 guards at the gate (the UN requires their employees to have guards) & a big beautiful dog, plus, a cleaning lady who cleans, cooks, & does laundry (woohoo! no more washing my own by hand!). And the house is just next to Bole Road, so it will be easy to catch a shared taxi to the office everyday.

I feel so spoiled here. Food is ridiculously cheap & delicious. This morning I had a macchioto (yep, I've acquired a taste for coffee in Ethiopia. Who would have thought?), a cheese omelet, and a chocolate croissant at a French cafe all for less that 25 Birr (about $2).

I've spent my weekdays at the IWMI office reading, interviewing potential field assistants, and working out a plan for interviews. My weeknights are spent with couchsurfing hosts, Upeace employees, and interns at IWMI eating amazing food, dancing, and watching some world cup games. This weekend I even indulged in my first ever Moroccan bath. I had no idea what I was in for, but Golda (who is hosting me) was going for her weekly 100 Birr massage (less than $10) & invited me along. She suggested I have the Moroccan bath so that's what I got & it was AMAZING (but I was a bit confused at first by the absence of a bath tub). I never knew I had so much nastiness in my skin until it was cleaned like that & I watched all the icky stuff come off.

I still have a ton to share on the Tanzania trip (and photos + videos to upload), so stay tuned. Hope all is groovy for you guys!

<3 Tabby

Survived the village

2010-05-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

So Kibanda was intense, and I must admit that I was not prepared for what I saw/experienced. I went to a couple villages when in Pakistan, but never stayed in one. We stayed in Kibanda for 3 days, and people were very hospitable & sweet, but so extremely poor. Most people just live in little deteriorating mud huts without electricity. Kristi & I were lucky bc her former host family has an extra room so we were able to share a bed in the extra room, but we also shared the room w rats & roaches. Ewww!

We went w Baba Salam (her host father) to see his farmer- 3ish acres where he & his wife/kids plant corn, oranges, casava, etc- all by hand, which is their sustenance for the year. We also watched Muhammed, their oldest climb a really tall coconut tree to get nazi (coconuts). And Mwamaima (Baba Salam & Mama's niece whose parents died of malaria) took us down to the water hole where we fetched water & learned to carry the buckets on our heads. I'lll post pics at some point when I'm at the right facilities to do so.

We're leaving Dar at the crack of dawn tomorrow to go to Mtwara, a beach town near Kristi's village, to relax a little. Not sure what kind of access we'll have there, but will post when I can.

Loves!

Habari za asubuhi (News of the morning)

2010-05-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

Mambo!

Hallo, hallo. I made it to TZ yeterday afternoon & things are super groovy. It's so lush & beautiful. Birds chirping, butterflies, an open blue sky, and a nice coastline. Of course, there's also the uglier side- lots of mosquitos, pollution, and poverty. But people are extremely friendly, & don't miss a chance to say, 'Karibu!' (welcome!) when ever I walk by.

I'm so impressed by Kristi since she didn't know a word of Swahili last time I saw her but is now rapidly conversing with the locals without a problem. Makes me want to take off for a couple years to go to a village somewhere (ideally in South Asia) & get the full emersion experience.

Me, Kristi, and her friend Bill (another PeaceCorps Volunteer) stayed in a hostel here in Dar es Salaam last night, but we're catching a bus this afternoon to Kibanda (right outside of Muheza) to visit the family who hosted Kristi her first 2 months in TZ. It will be about a 5 hr bumpy ride, but I actually enjoyed riding the public bus around Dar yesterday & today. Seeing the cattle shoot to cram into the packed bus was quite the adventure in & of itself.

Oh! The clothes I brought weren't the best for here (hot, humid, conservative), though I did stick within the guidelines of what Kristi said to bring (cotton shirts, skirts/capris longer than knees, etc). But showing legs (even the lower half) isn't good in the village, so Krsiti let me borrow a sexy maroon moomoo of her's that is so comfy & cool. I wish I had thought to bring my Mexican moomoo, but that's ok- I'll acquire 1 or 2 here. We are at the Peace Corps office right now using the computer lab before heading off, & there is a box of clothes that PC volunteers left behind for anyone to take, so I scored a kanga (basically a big piece of cloth women wear) & local skirt/shirt set that fits perfectly. At some point I'll find a place to be able to post pics & videos I take.

I'll be out of commission for the next several days since we'll be in the village, but will text Caty from my phone once I get a sim card this afternoon so she can be in touch should it be necessary (calystaspence@gmail.com).

Hope everything is going well for everyone.

Love & all that peaceful goodness!

P.S. Thanks for the comments. =)

P.S.S. I did take a peak at your emails but don't have time to respond before catching that bus. thanks for the emails & will be in touch when I can.

Preview of Addis Ababa

2010-05-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to Addis (the locals pronounce it 'Adees'), but will be here longer than the planned couple hour layover before going on to Dar. Flight from DC was delayed bc the plane was coming from Rome, which was late bc of volcanic ash. I missed my connecting flight to Dar by 5 hours, and the next one doesn't go until tomorrow. So Ethiopian Air put me (and 2 van-loads of nice Africans connecting to different places who also missed their flights) up at a nice hotel for the night.

I made it! Me outside of the Addis airport. And, yes, I did chop off more hair. I'm not too fond of it at the moment, but didn't want to grow a mullet over the next 3 months...

I made friends with quite a few people on the long flight here: a woman and her kids from Uganda (living in Rwanda), a guy from a village in Kenya who is studying in Kansas, a girl & her little niece from Nairobi, Kenya who have family in Maryland, and a guy who lives in Virginia who is from Addis (and coincidentally knows a lot about water issues here & is planning to email me some material).

Loading the bus.

The clouds broke as soon as we got into the van. It's so lush and green here- I love it!

It's already late afternoon here & raining outside, so I'm deciding weather I should go out into the city for a preview, or take what I can see from my balcony as enough for the night. I'll give Livy (someone who went to school w my friend Jamie who now lives in Addis) a call in a bit to see if logistics of getting together would be a hassle or easy-peasy & go from there.

Addis Ababa- view from front of Hotel Riviera. You can't tell much in this shot, but the city is very hilly.

4 star hotel.

Room balcony.

This view is great. The rain hasn't stopped a group of teenagers from playing soccer in the muddy field (which they are sharing w horses, donkeys cows, and some sort of wildebeast thing) behind the hotel.

View.

Field/soccer game/livestock. Maybe this will be one of my research sites.

Feeling so sleepy all of a sudden.. Maybe I'll just take a little nap.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Off to Africa

2010-05-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It's been a couple years since I've written here. But, this is my Adventure's Abroad blog, and since I hadn't been abroad in a while, there was really no reason to write here. But I'm heading off to my 4th continent on Thursday, so have taken the liberty to inform you all about what the heck I'm up to this time.

Where in Africa? Why?

Ok. So I'm skipping the country on Thursday heading to a new world (for me) to spend 3.5 weeks in Mtwara, Tanzania, where I'll visit my best friend from high school, Kristi, who is in the Peace Corps there. She's staying in a village in the Southeastern corner of the country, and is teaching English to kids, educating about HIV/AIDs, and is working on some permaculture projects. Other than the kids who speak a little bit of English, I don't think I'll be able to communicate much with the villagers other than making gestures and faces- ha haa. But Kristi's been there for about 10 months now, and speaks Kiswahili well enough, I think. I'm just looking forward to seeing Kristi, taking a much needed break from books and word documents, and getting over the culture shock of such a different place. There, my shower water bucket-carrying techniques won't be for saving water and sculpting my guns as is here in the desert of Arizona, but will be used out of necessity in the village with no water conveyance infrastructure. This experience will be quite the eye-opener, I think.

After those few weeks, I'll head to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for 2 months to do my summer fieldwork for my masters research. I'll be studying the farmers who use highly polluted water to irrigate their crops because there is very little water treatment, and the ways in which they work to safeguard their interests (i.e. mitigate health risks and maintain their livelihoods).

Here's a little something related to the topic:
http://www.gadaa.com/AkakiRiver.html

Since I'm leaving in a couple days, I better get back to finishing up the billions of pages of final papers to write. But more on my research and travel plans to come.

Loves to all.

Been back in the states for months

2008-11-15T17:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I planned on writing a nice closing blog back in August when I was returning to the US, but I was too emotional & didn't feel comfortable posting what I wrote.

So, here I am, at the end of the semester & planning another possible project in Pakistan for next summer. I spent this semester presenting findings from last summer's project and writing a few articles on it. And I'm applying to graduate schools for next fall.

Thanks for following my blog & it will be back up next time I go abroad.

Post (what # are we on now, No?)

2008-07-30T03:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in Karachi now, the 7th largest city in the world. It's dusty, polluted, smelly, & crowded. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving to Thatta (Keenjhar Lake) to interview some fisherfolk, then I'll be off to Nawab Shah to meet farmers. Basically, I've met tons of bureaucrats, NGOs, & researchers about the freshwater issues in Pakistan. Now it's time to meet those who are most harshly affected- the poor workers who live closest to the land & depend most on the Indus Basin. I'll be back in Karachi tomorrow late afternoon, where I'll meet an aquaintance & his wife (both water rights activists in Sindh). They'll take me & Jawaria (the friend from WWF who is serving as an interpretter & assistant) to meet the villagers of Karachi (ironic sounding, I know, but that's what they're called), people who used to farm or fish, but have been forced to move to the city for a host of reasons, usually including lack of water in the lakes or rivers to irrigate their fields or for fish. We'll meet & interview some of those people, who are struggling to eek out a living in Karachi. Then we'll have dinner with Mr Memon & his wife at their place.

This is one thing I really appreciate about the people of Pakistan. Everyone seems to want to be a good host. No one allows me to pay for dinners out, even if I am the one who invited them, because, "you are a guest here". Loads of individuals have introduced me to their families & shown me their homes. A perfect example of this hospitality was just last night. One of the WWF staff took Jawaria & I to Hyderabad to meet a guy who wrote a book about the Kala Bagh Dam issue & to meet several people from SIDA (the Sindh Irrigation Development Authority, a really excellent group which has given over 5 million farmers the opportunity to manage their own water resources collectively). We then sat in on one of the initial Friends of Indus Forum meetings, & saw about 40 activists planning to develop this advocacy group to improve the livelihoods of those living in Sindh Province, all of whom are suffering because they in the lower riparian section of River Indus (including Karachi- very close to the outlet of the Indus into the Arabian Sea), where the riverbeds are essentially used as drains for the sewage & industrial effluents to flow into the sea. Not much potable pani (water) actually makes it down to these people, as it's all dammed up or being used/wasted by those living in the upper riparian areas.

Anyway, so Jamal is one of the WWF-Karachi guys who was facilitating our meetings in Hyderabad (about 2 hours north of Karachi). He took it upon himself to take us to his hometown, Kotri, which was just a few km from Hyderabad. There, he showed us the Kotri Barrage (the last one in the Indus Basin before the water/waste reaches the sea). He took us to his brother's home (where half a dozen of his & his brother's children were running around, not to mention his sister-in-law, his wife, his auntie, uncle, & a few other sisters). From the roof of the house we could see children playing in the small amount of water that was present in the usually dry riverbed (it's monsoon season for the next month & a half, so they see a bit of rain this time of year). Luckily, I brought the camera for the interviews & meetings early in the day, so was able to take some footage. His brother & his wife had to play host at their house, & even though we told them we'd already been given at least 4 chais (lipton tea, with milk & sugar that Pakistanis drink hot- even in the summertime) that day, they adamantly insisted that we enjoy some of the delicious roh-afza, a rose flavored red beverage whose name literally means "soul blessings". Then we went a few houses down the street & visited his house & a whole host of other family members. They presented us with a few glasses of Pepsi & we chatted for a while. Jamal even said we could stay in Kotri if we liked, as it was getting late. But we opted to go back to the place we were already paying for in Karachi, even though the laidback, comfortable nature of Kotri was much more appealing.

As soon as we hit the super-highway we were met by monsoon rains & flooded streets. We eventually made it back, thank goodness!

I'm alive!

2008-07-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

No time to write. I'm at an internet cafe & am paying for every minute here so have to make it snappy.

Basically I have a ton to write about, so I'll do it when I have time.. The good news is I'm in Islamabad again, doing interviews, & considering a trip to the north to see the glaciers which feed the Indus (not the unsafe north). On the 27th or 28th I'll take off for a week in Karachi, which should be really interesting bc it is supposed to be the dirtiest, largest city in the country. I have been fortunate enough to see the clean cities of Lahore & Islamabad for the past month, so it will be a change, if nothing else.

Also, I'll finally be able to meet with the farmers & fishermen of Sindh Province, which should be much more stimulating than all of these bureaucrats. =)

Having a blast, but getting really sick of the food.

Family & Friends, I love you & miss you all! Wish I could have been at Amanda's wedding, I heard it was lovely.

Oh, yes, & don't worry if I go to the north. I even have permission of the Minster of Interior, so safety isn't an issue there. Coldness is something to be more concerned about..

Post At

2008-07-01T02:18:00.000-07:00

Ok.. It's been AGEs since I last wrote, but I've been having a ball & haven't had much time for blogging. Plus, I got sick of the play by play account of what I'm up to. From now on I'll just write about the exciting bits.

Load-shedding is another reason I haven't been online much. Each city government rations power bc there is an extreme shortage here. In Lahore we are without electricity for 8 hours per day now. Fortunately, Ammar's family is among less than 1% of the population that can afford a UPS system (which is a power generator of sorts), which will keep 1 light on per room & keeps the fans running. Everything else is out. All of the appliances. All lights deemed "unnecessary". Everything. I cannot imagine how the poorest of poor survive with no power at all. Ever. It get's so hot & humid here. But, I suppose they have adapted to it. I'm sure that doesn't make it any less miserable for these people.

I went to a shrine 2 Thurdays ago in a village called Mianmir to listen to Qawaali music (Sufi devotional music which is incredibly transic to hear). En route to the village (which is really a suburb of Lahore), I saw people sleeping on the side of the road with, literally, nothing but the clothes on their backs. I'm sure they came to Lahore seeking work, but even if they were lucky enough to find something, they still can't afford to pay rent. Imagine laying next to the road, being disturbed by the headlights of those better off than yourself, inhaling dust from the street. The question keeps coming to my mind, "What's on their minds? Are the feeling downtrodden & defeated?" Surely, they have families they must be concerned about. Or perhaps they're alone. Doubtful, as the population of this country is mushrooming for a reason. The poor tend to be the ones who embrace religion the most, as they are the one's most in need. Extremism is prevalent here, and Islam is similar to Christianity in being anti-contraceptives.

That night I also visited the Shah Jamal Shrine, one that is famous for a pair of drummers who begin at midnight every Thursday & play until dawn. One of the drummers has been deaf since birth, but he picked up the skill of rhythm from his father who would tap beats on his back when he was a child. This guy & his partner (I believe his name is Pappu Sain) are absolutely amazing. The night I went, I was 1 of 6 women present, with well over 500 men in attendance. The men sat in a very dense ccroud, which formed a circle for the devotees who danced like mad in the middle. These guys danced for hours, shaking their heads, stomping their feet, & best of all, spinning when they were moved to spin. They were drenched in sweat & clearly high on more than just "the spirit". In fact, I didn't take a hit of anything, but even from behind the protective barrier where women sat, I still felt the affects of being surrounded by hashish. And that was outside. I had the best sleep of my life that morning when I got home. Naturally, I could not go in to the WWF office that Friday, being so sleep deprived.

I did some shopping with Pinky, Ammar's 17 year old sister, for the shalwar camees so I won't stick out so much here. The shopping experience was good fun (even though I normally hate shopping for anything other than food), but exhausting. I had a hard time keeping up with this girl, who is a pro at picking out fabric, lace to match, designing the curta, and walking through ever step of what she wants with the tailor. I thought it would be easier just buying a few things ready-made, but didn't want to miss out on the experience of having something made & tailored just for me.

Most of my clothes are finally finished being stitched, and I find that people treat me quite a bit differently when I wear the shilwar & camees (traditional pants & shirt with a dupatta- scarf) than when I'm wearing my everyday jeans & t-shirts. Naturally, the locals appreciate that I am making an effort to appreciate their customs & culture, & I feel more comfortable when people assume that I am from the northern areas (where people have fair skin & light colored eyes), rather than staring at me, knowing I'm a foreigner. Of course, that assumption is shattered as soon as I open my mouth to speak.

Even though I have learned a bit of the language (really a few words here & there), I don't know the grammar well enough to put together more than disjointed fragments of a sentence. Most of the people I encounter (the wealthy/elites, business people, academics, & goverment officials) do speak English, but I'd like to be able to speak to commoners (I know it sounds horrible to say that, but here there are servants, cooks, drivers, door-people- all in the service industry bc they need work). I encounter these people everyday, & get by with others translating for me, or with my pathetic attempts at speaking Urdu.

There is a guesthouse where some of my friends were staying, hosted by the American Institute for Pakistani Studies. This org is in serious trouble due to funding cuts by the US government. It's funny, the federal govt won't support American students studying Pakistani Studies in Pakistan, but will support the studying of Pakistan in other places.. what!? It's the same with Fullbright; they've cut their Pakistan progran altogether. It's a sad thing, because this Institute promotes cultural understanding & interaction, the obvious deterrent to extremist assumptions about people in other places eventually leading to "terrorism". I ot a few Urdu books from the library there today, & the program director invited me to come back for private lessons. Unfortunately I won't have time for language classes, being so busy with this research project. But I'll keep trying to read & pick up bits & pieces on my own..

Anyway, Jawaria (the girl from WWF who is working with me on this project), Ammar, & I are about to take off for Islamabad where we'll be for the next 10 days or so. I'll be interviewing scores of goverment official for the research project. Wish me luck!

Post Sat- Research & Other Reflections

2008-06-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

3 days ago the internet connection wasn’t functioning & I haven't posted since, so here’s a makeup account before I get to today’s post. Essentially, I went to WWF in the morning to further develop my research plan & to get more contacts, came home for lunch, went to change money, and Ammar & I went to meet Scott (the photographer/lawyer I met at the airport in Delhi) at the Holiday Inn where he was staying. The government car & driver picked us up & we went to the Pakistan/India border to Wagha (also spelled Wagah) to witness the closing of the border ceremony, which I got footage of: (I'll post it when I can). It was very much a show of might & masculinity, sort of a “who can make the most noise to prove their worthiness” type of pre-mating performance. The Pakistan military men stomped around & puffed up their chests, so did the Indian military men on the other side of the gate at Amritsar (sp?). There were stadium seats on both sides, but the seats were only gender segregated on the Pakistan side of the border. Men wearing green shirts which read “Pakistan zhindabad (sp?)” (long live Pakistan) ran around in circles in front of the gate & patriotically waived their green flags with white crescent & star to the chanting of slogans by the crowd. Before the ceremony began people were dancing, clapping, & cheering to Europop songs, among others. The same thing was happening on the Indian side of the border, but to their own chants, songs, and cheers. Once the ceremony official began, the military men came out wearing black uniforms on the Pakistan side & beige ones on the Indian side. Who knows why the Pakistanis chose to wear black (could have something to do with Islam) in that terrible heat! Both parties were wearing funny hats, the same hats that the doormen at the hotels in both India & Pakistan wear. They are pretty much the same as the one Napoleon seemed to favor, and just as goofy looking. So, the ceremony began & these men stomped their way down toward the gate, each side hurled their gate open & stomped right on up to the line dividing the 2 countries. They faced each other, puffed their chests, looked up toward the crowd on their side & seemed take a deep inhale as they looked around the stadium. Then one from the Indian side & one from the Pakistan side shook hands, stomped away, & both gates were slammed shut. The sort of dance was repeated once more & then the 2 flags fluttering above the border were both lowered in a long, drawn-out, rather ceremonious fashion. Finally, it was over & I was dripping with sweat.
Scott invited Ammar & I to join him for dinner, & asked for advice on a place to go. Since we mentioned sheesha earlier, which Scott had never tried, we decided to go to a nice Arabic restaurant where they had sheesha, delicious food, and a really nice Sufi band. Ammar’s sister, Niaz (nicknamed Pinky), came to join us a bit later. The discussion was good fun because, while Scott is a semi/pseudo-liberal from California, he also practices corporate law & is a bit of a right-winger on many issues. Ammar, on the other hand, is much more of an idealist & holds much higher standards for politicians & don’t want them to represent him on some issues (which Scott said he’d be fine with), but on all issues. Personally, I could see both sides & piped in here and again, but things got ridiculous after a while. The discussion became a bit heated when Ammar said that Hillary Clinton was a war criminal & Scott started demanding to know what right Ammar had to OUR education system. Pinky showed up right in the middle of the tension & didn’t say much. Finally, things lightened up when we started asking Scott about his photography book that he did on Vietnam.
When we came in last night Ammar’s pops wanted to talk. He’s an extremely intelligent guy: a doctor, a poet, a documentarian, and an activist. He jokes around a lot about “you people” (referring to Americans or whites in general) being imperialists hindering the development of a previously rather progressive country. He gave me a history lesson (not to make me feel guilty, but just so I’d be aware of how Pakistan came to be the way it is). He talked about how in the 70s there were tons of foreigners who visited the country, fewer fundamental extremists, more liberated women, more secularism. But the Christians & Muslims joined forces against the atheists (both being people of the book)
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Wednesday was relatively uneventful. I worked at WWF from 9am until 3pm. Then I came back to the house & have been reading materials about the Indus for most of the day, preparing a more detailed lit review, and drafting interview questions more specific to each of the stakeholders I’ll be approaching. I took a break to join Pinky who really enjoys TV (this Pakistani girl knows what’s happening in all of the American sitcoms & pop-culture in general, very few of which I’m familiar with at all). I just watched a documentary on the Indus made by a Swedish WWF guy which pretty much covered the issued I plan on addressing for my documentary. Oh, well. Mine will be better put together, I hope.
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Yesterday
I've had a horrible cold/ flu, so I just stayed in & slept most of the day. Ammar's mum said she'd get me some antibiotics. I'll write on today later.

Post Chai: 2nd day in Pakistan

2008-06-15T12:09:00.001-07:00

This morning I was able to sleep in a bit, thank goodness! I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while & really needed it. Once I finally awoke, I unpacked, & joined the Jan's for lunch. Afterwards, we went to an awards ceremony for Ammar's dad, who was being commemorated for a poem he wrote. It was very interesting because only a few words of the entire ceremony were in English- the rest in Urdu. Also, random people from the press & others kept trying to get me on camera or snap pictures of me. It's unsettling, yet gives me a bit of perspective, to once again experience that feeling of being "La Otra". At the ceremony, Ammar introduced me to an aquaintance of his who got her doctorate in Madison, Wisconsin & has quite a few connections who can help me with the research & who may allow me to interview them. They focus primarily on water purification issues at the community level. I will be meeting with her late this week. Also, another friend from UT (who I met through Ammar) is living in Islamabad this summer & informed me that his next door neighbor happens to be the former Minister of Agriculture. I'll definitely be interviewing him.

After the awards ceremony Ammar & I went to a cafe where his cousin & a few friends met us. We smoked sheesha, ate, and had "mocktails"- alcohol is banned in the country. I heard very differing perpectives on local & global politics from Pakistanis who each had their own take on the world. None of them seemed particular fanatic about Islam, and one even said that the Q'uran does not prohibit drinking (though the law does), but going to Mosque to pray while drunk violates the law of Islam. Interesting. Maybe that's how Musharraf himself justifies his love for alcohol.
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This is day 3, yesterday's (see above) did not post for some reason or another.

Today I went to meet with WWF- Pakistan. A young intern, Jawaria, will serve as an interpreter for my interviews with any who don't speak English. She has vibrant green eyes, not often seen here (I haven't ascertained whether they are contact lenses or not) and is a few years older than me. She graduated with a degree in Enviromental Science at a university in Beruit. Her boss, Hammad, is the Director of Freshwater & Toxins at WWF (which oddly is the acronym for World Wide Fund for Nature, not World Wildlife Fund as in the US, but they ARE the same org- panda & all) gave me tons of direction for the research project, as well as reports to read up on background info & contacts of potential interviewees. Hammad offered to give me a desk at the WWF office to do my work while in Lahore, & is even having me fill out an internship form to make things official. =) He is a very pleasant fellow to be around & I am happy to be working with him. Oh! He also, it turns out, was on the same flight as me from Delhi to Lahore a few days ago. I didn't notice him, but apparently I stuck out like a sore thumb in the airport & on the plane, so he couldn't have missed me.

Which reminds me.. I met a guy in the airport who is from LA & is a lawyer & photographer. He did a work of art, which some call a coffee table book, a compilation of photos he took in Vietnam. After selling 5000 copies he decided to do another one, this time in Kashmir. Scott planned on taking photos on the Indian side of Kashmir, but he was contacted by the Consulate General of Pakistan who requested that he come to the Pakistani side as well. So, they gave him a budget of $10,000 to come & take photos. The guy sorted of adopted me as his daughter at the airport & we talked on the flight. Once we arrived, government people were waiting to greet him & sped both of us through the immigration & customs processes. They also got my giant, heavy bag (mostly from books & equipment) for me- sweet! Once I saw Ammar waiting for me & we were about leave, these guys surrounded us & waned to know who Ammar was & where he was taking me. We had to explain that I was with him all along & that neither they, nor Scott were responsible for me. However, the govt is giving Scott a paid visit to Wagah to watch the Closing of the Border Ceremony (about 35 minutes from Lahore), and he has invited Ammar & I to join. So tomorrow evening after Ammar gets out of school (where he teaches) & I finish working at WWF for the day, we'll meet him at the Holiday Inn where the govt people will drive us to Wagah, then we'll have dinner. This guy actually had tea with the former president of Pakistan today- he's got all kinds of clout & connections. And he said he's got my back if I ever need a lawyer. Too bad I didn't know him that time I was wrongly thrown in jail for a night..

After discussing the project with Hammad & Jawaria, Jawaria invited me to stay at the office for a special lunch, in celebration of the birthday of one of her colleagues. Although I have seen a ton of McDonalds & Pizza Hut franchises in both India & here & Pakistan, among others, & was not surprised by their presence, it felt strange eating Pizza Hut pizza here, especially at the WWF- an org working on several fronts involving sustainability, conservation, improving the lives of the poor, and supporting the local economy. But here lies one more contradiction, a plentiful phenomenon present in every society. Many of the WWF interns/employees were very welcoming, but a few young ladies, older than me by a few years at least, acted as 12 year olds, staring with smirks on their faces & occasionally giggling. I hope they don't think I'm too much of a spectacle for them to complete their work as I continue coming into the office for reading materials & such.

I spent some time talking to Ammar's parents today, who said I should call them Auntie & Uncle, & they'll refer to me as Beti (daughter). Auntie wants to take me to get some lighter local clothes, because the material of the silwar camis I have is too thick for this heat. Even though the monsoons have come early, no doubt as a result of climate change (Ram, a local & Maymester guide we had in India, said he had never in his life seen rains at this time of year), it is still unbearably hot. It even gets up to 44 C.

On another note, Ammar still hasn't told his parents his American name is Simon.

The house in which I'm residing is in an area called the Defence Housing Authority, a really nice neighborhood. It's a new thing for me, being waited on by the cook & the servant, but they are pleasant people & have already taught me a few Urdu words, though they don't speak much English. Today at breakfast I asked the servant woman (her name escapes me), "Kya ye?" as I held up the fork. In a matter of minutes she taught me the names of everything on the table. I learned canta (fork), cheeni (sugar), makhan (butter), churi (knife), & chamach (spoon) and a few others which my memory has failed to retain. Tomorrow I'll try to use these words & pick up a few more.

On this note, I will end this blog posting. Tomorrow awaits us all.

Panch: I made it to Pakistan!

2008-06-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

If you know how to count in Hindi, you may be wondering why I skipped Post Chaar (# 4) & went directly to Panch (post # 5). It's not that I'm that bad at counting in Hindi (though, I think my spelling of it is pretty rotten), but rather that I do have a Post Chaar in the works detailing what I've been up to for the past 2 weeks, but I'm not prepared to post it until I have more time to write about my experiences in India.

To see photos of adventures in India, check them out here: For pics: https://webmailapp6.cc.utexas.edu/horde-2.2.9-assign/util/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fmaymesterindia08&Horde=36d90dcac7eca3ed843d618ccc163c74

This night I write about my latest news: mainly, the fact that I arrived in Pakistan a few hours ago, met Ammar and his lovely family who graciously welcomed me into their home, had a nice dinner, and am looking forward to more challenges & opportunities here. Tomorrow I'll get my things in order & get a sim card for my phone (I'll let you guys know when I have the #). The research, time spent with Ammar & others here, and exposure to a new place are going to be fantabulous!

Caty, I wanted to call to wish you a happy birthday, but don't have a working phone at the moment. Dad, happy early father's day, & hopefully I can give you a ring sometime soon as well. I love you all & hope you're having a swell summer.

Post Tin: 2 Weeks In

2008-05-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, as you may have noticed I haven’t been very diligent in keeping up with this blog. But I have a good excuse. The Maymester schedule is so rigorous that I have very little time to myself. A typical day goes like this: 8am: breakfast, 9-12:30: class, 12:30: lunch, 1:30: leave to visit an institute or academy, sometimes in a different city, anytime between 7pm & midnight: eat dinner & return to hotel. Then, on weekends we go to different cities. Essentially, we’re going, going, going every minute of the day & by the time we get back we’re too exhausted to do anything. It's amazing, but prevents us from doing much exploring on our own or just taking personal time.

Since I've been here the group has visited the Wildlife Institute of India, the Forest Research Institute, the Rajaji National Park, the Lal Bahadur Shastry Natl Academy of Administration, the Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Inst (I know, really long name), the Wadia Inst of Himalayan Geology, and the Survey of India. We have explored the cities of Rishikesh, Haridwar, Mussoorie, a bit of Delhi, & Dehradun where we're staying. Of course, these visits have been quite adventuresome. In Rishikesh we had to walk on a crowded pedestrian bridge to get across the Ganges River when it was pouring, with 40 mile winds, and trashed kicked up all around us. In Haridwar, we were fortunater enough to be there at just the right time to see (& take part in) the Ganga Aarti- the nightly river worship ceremony of the Holy Ganga River. It turns out that my friends got footage of me taking part in the ceremony, so I'll see if I can get that from him to post. We also were able to appreciate the Buddhist temple & a Tibetan Culture Center here in Dehradun. Also, we heard a fabulous talk from the Doon Society- a very active, and effective group of dedicated individuals really making an impact in conservation of land in India & in helping villagers become self-sustaining.

I better get to sleep now, as I have to be on the bus at 6am (in about 4.5 hours) to head into the Himalayas to Yamunotri where we’ll stay for the weekend. It’s really exciting because we’ll be able to hike through the Himalayas & see the sunset from the mountains.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to put pics up after I get back.

Sidenote: I'd like to put more of myself (i.e. my perceptions of the events, encounters, etc), rather than just what the schedule has been down in this blog. Right now it's difficult bc I just don't have time, but I'll try to do more of that to make these posts more interesting for you, readers, and to attempt to document the actual experiences for my own benefit.

Post Dho: Welcome to India

2008-05-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I had an interesting few weeks leading up to this trip. The most interesting happening was having to get an emergency appendectomy the day of my sister's graduation (2 Fridays ago). But it was fine. I'd rather have it out than in, as it can no longer bother me at this point. Plus, it got me out of a final, which was fine, just FINE.. =)

So, the day I was to head out was a bit hectic as well. I was to fly to Chicago through American Airlines & then catch a connecting flight to Delhi. That's not quite how things panned out. The flight to Chicago was delayed, which would have caused me to miss the flight to Delhi. So, after waiting a billion years in line at the airport to figure out what to do, the guy said I'd have to wait until the following day to head out. Once I got to Samara's place (my sister's; she agreed to let me stay the night at her place), I realized that I HAD to arrive sooner than this flight could get me there or I'd miss the bus with my group to Dehradun & would have to find a way there on my own- which, of course, I could have done with no problem, but preferred yo take a free ride with people I halfway knew. From Samara's I called the airport, went round & round, until they said there was a flight heading to LA in an hour that I could catch. So, Mara & I grabbed my stuff, rushed out of the house & down the highway, & I said, "We'll never make it.. Let's go back." Fortunately, I have a very determined & wise eldest sister who said, "We're already halfway there. There's no harm in trying." And she was quite right, because I did make it after all. Flew to LA (in the opposite direction of where I needed to go), caught a connecting flight to London (my first time in Europe & I didn't see a thing besides the airport. Damn!), & then hooked up with British Airways to go to Delhi. After flying BA, I never want to take AmAir, Continental, or any other silly US airlines. They had a complementary bar, a bag with a sleeping mask, socks, a mini toothbrush & toothpaste, & headphones to plug in to watch movies or shows.. Oh! And GOOD food. They know how to treat a person real nice.

The 3 other students I ran into taking the same London flight & I took a cab to the hotel where the rest of the students were staying, had time for a hurried breakfast, & hopped on the bus to Dehradun with everyone. The ride took about 7 hours, but it was fascinating because it seemed like there was never an end to Delhi & the beginning of open countryside. That's what happens when a billion people inhabit a country a third of the size of the US. I saw tons loads of people in the street during that long ride. So many people, with so many different modes of transportation (they were on foot, bicycles, on horses, on carriages led by horses or cows, riding motor scooters, in cars, buses, rickshaws), some were pissing or defecating in the street, some were selling fruits, snacks, or other goods, others were just hanging out outside, waiting for something. Most of them were men , half wearing western clothing. The few women I did see were all wearing saris or the silwar camis- the beautiful, traditional dress of India. I saw loads of stray, mangy dogs, cows wandering the streets (but not on a milk shed), and signs in both Hindi & English. I head horns, bells, horns, birds, and more horns (I'm still hearing horns as I sit in my room typing). I tasted & ingested pollution & caught whiffs of delicious Indian food. The wealth disparity was apparent, as there were beggers in the streets & people in shiny new cars.

Finally, we arrived at the hotel, had a lovely buffet dinner, & I passed out for the night. Yesterday at 8am we had our first Hindi lesson, but we only made it to the vowels as the lesson was prefaced with a 45 minute poetic shpeel about the beauty of language, communication of the soul, and the necessity for understanding. The teacher is a local, and quite a romantic. But he's still fun. The we got our cell phones & internet cards & had the rest of the day to ourselves. Many of us went to explore the Pultan Bazaar, the open air market. We had a wonderful time riding in rickshaws (I'll take pictures of them later so you know what I'm talking about), sort of open taxis on 3 wheels, to get to the market & we each paid only 10 Rupees (about 25 cents). At the Bazaar, everything you can imagine was being sold cheaply (but of course they jacked the prices up for us). I talked a guy down to giving me a nice Indian shirt for 120 Rupees ($3), so ladies, let me know your sizes & I'll hook you up. In the midst of all the cheap goods & fruit stands, there were random piles of trash everywhere. Some of it had been partially burned, but of course the aluminum & ashes remained in piles in the streets.

I have to run to a party, but I'll be back to finish updating the post...

-internet/phones/ WATER
-Hindi class
-sleep schedule
-wondering about everyone
-IRB
-Recruitment
-Phone #: The # is: 011-91-975-839-1502
-Address
-Will put pics up later/ maybe video

Post Numero 1

2008-05-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well, 13 days to go until I'll be on that plane to South Asia for 3 solid months. I'll be taking a UT faculty led "Maymester" class (Environment & Society in South Asia) for a month, and then will head off to Pakistan to do 2 months of research on the Indus River- and see Ammar. =)

This summer certainly will be an adventure, or rather a series of adventures, as all trips should be. I feel perfectly confident about what I'll be doing once I get there, but a bit anxious about being able to accomplish all of the things I have to do here before taking off- getting someone to sublet my room, packing away my stuff for the summer, packing appropriately for the trip, acquiring the right gifts for the people I'll be interviewing in Pakistan & for the people I'll be staying with, and getting the whole lot of it to fit in my bag, making sure all the stuff I'll need for the research is in order, applying for all of those things I want to do next (& scholarships), the list goes on..

No need to worry. Somehow everything always seems to fall right into place, & if it doesn't, who needs it anyway?

Plus, there are all the family happenings: graduations, weddings, birthdays. All should be fun & perfectly distracting to keep me from worrying about finals & what I haven't studied. Plus there will be good food involved.. And if any of you know me well enough to be reading my blog, you know how I feel about food.

Anyway, a girl is kicking me out of this classroom I'm inhabiting, so I must be off.

Here's to this summer! Cheers to all reading & feel free to leave comments.

-Tabby