Hey hey,
So, another bit of time has passed and I'm again overwhelmed by how much I want to share.
Lots of photos, because I am a fiend like that, but I do think they can describe much more than I ever could in words.
We spent last weekend in Dharamsala, better known as the hometown of the Dalai Lama. Actually, a neighboring village called McLeod Ganj is actually his home, but it's only a walk away from the center of Dharamsala. So I have photos of that, plus more of Chandigarh, my lovely friends here, and of Hallomajra and Ramdarbar, the below-poverty slum/village areas where I've been working.
And the title? First note that India is fabulous for vegetarians--I've had little meat since being here, and it's great--there are always "veg" options. My beloved buddy Ganda, who is a remarkable human being, tried feeding a stray dog a BBQ flavored Pringles potato chip in Dharamsala. The dog sniffed it and walked away. Ganda, frustrated that his generous offering had been rejected so, yelled out vehemently, "Hey, dog! Are you veg? Huh?! ARE YOU VEG?!"
Dharamsala's streets--I like the animals. :) And there were fantastic mountain views, it made me miss Boulder, since Chandigarh is about as flat as it gets.
The Dalai Lama's monestary. What struck a chord with me the most is the fact that they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to everyone there, no matter who you are. We didn't have lunch, but saw dal (lentils) and rice being scooped out of these huge buckets. It's such a show of human generosity--we did get to take part the next morning at 6:30 am with Tibetan bread and butter tea (um, not recommended...the tea, that is). Fun fact: LOTS of monks wear crocs. Red ones, at that (see, Billington, you're such a trendsetter!).
If I'm ever back in Dharamsala for more than a week, I'm going to take their paper mache workshop. It is AMAZING and so beautiful what they can make from just paper--bracelets, vases, cups, boxes, ornaments, thimbles...and my favorite...ELEPHANTS. Dharamsala also has its own recycled paper workshop that sells absolutely stunning traditionally bound books and journals made by Tibetan refugees...too bad we weren't there during the week, it wasn't open for tours on the weekend. :(
My friend Nith at a temple we came across. The entire place was covered in Tibetan prayer flags--and its incredibly peaceful and beautiful. The best part of the weekend was that my friend Sander and I had dinner with a Tibetan refugee named Samten and his 3 friends. They made us traditional Tibetan noodles as he shared his story of crossing into Nepal and finally into India. The next day, when we went to the historical Tibet Museum, we both remembered Samten's descriptions as we read about all the violence and pain...and it made it all much more real and tangible to us.
RAMDARBAR and HALLOMAJRA
The girl next to me in pink is Sonia, a 17 year old who has been helping us gather women and interview them. She's been so sweet--constantly making me tea, feeding me chicken curry, dressing me up (as you can see!), and teaching me useful Hindi phrases. In blue is her sister Monika and then her mother in the orange. Every time I go to Ramdarbar, they shower me with hospitality.
Just one view from the SURYA office in Hallomajra, a slum.
I love this photo of Sonia, her blue dupatta, her long black hair, and the brick wall.
Hallomajra's streets, and exceptionally beautiful saris.
Lots of photos, because I am a fiend like that, but I do think they can describe much more than I ever could in words.
We spent last weekend in Dharamsala, better known as the hometown of the Dalai Lama. Actually, a neighboring village called McLeod Ganj is actually his home, but it's only a walk away from the center of Dharamsala. So I have photos of that, plus more of Chandigarh, my lovely friends here, and of Hallomajra and Ramdarbar, the below-poverty slum/village areas where I've been working.
And the title? First note that India is fabulous for vegetarians--I've had little meat since being here, and it's great--there are always "veg" options. My beloved buddy Ganda, who is a remarkable human being, tried feeding a stray dog a BBQ flavored Pringles potato chip in Dharamsala. The dog sniffed it and walked away. Ganda, frustrated that his generous offering had been rejected so, yelled out vehemently, "Hey, dog! Are you veg? Huh?! ARE YOU VEG?!"
Oh, India. And Indonesians. I love both.
xo angie
xo angie
DHARAMSALA and MCLEOD GANJ
(ahem. dedicated to a certain em who will be studying abroad there...whooo!)
(ahem. dedicated to a certain em who will be studying abroad there...whooo!)
Dharamsala's streets--I like the animals. :) And there were fantastic mountain views, it made me miss Boulder, since Chandigarh is about as flat as it gets.
The Dalai Lama's monestary. What struck a chord with me the most is the fact that they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to everyone there, no matter who you are. We didn't have lunch, but saw dal (lentils) and rice being scooped out of these huge buckets. It's such a show of human generosity--we did get to take part the next morning at 6:30 am with Tibetan bread and butter tea (um, not recommended...the tea, that is). Fun fact: LOTS of monks wear crocs. Red ones, at that (see, Billington, you're such a trendsetter!).
If I'm ever back in Dharamsala for more than a week, I'm going to take their paper mache workshop. It is AMAZING and so beautiful what they can make from just paper--bracelets, vases, cups, boxes, ornaments, thimbles...and my favorite...ELEPHANTS. Dharamsala also has its own recycled paper workshop that sells absolutely stunning traditionally bound books and journals made by Tibetan refugees...too bad we weren't there during the week, it wasn't open for tours on the weekend. :(
My friend Nith at a temple we came across. The entire place was covered in Tibetan prayer flags--and its incredibly peaceful and beautiful. The best part of the weekend was that my friend Sander and I had dinner with a Tibetan refugee named Samten and his 3 friends. They made us traditional Tibetan noodles as he shared his story of crossing into Nepal and finally into India. The next day, when we went to the historical Tibet Museum, we both remembered Samten's descriptions as we read about all the violence and pain...and it made it all much more real and tangible to us.RAMDARBAR and HALLOMAJRA
The girl next to me in pink is Sonia, a 17 year old who has been helping us gather women and interview them. She's been so sweet--constantly making me tea, feeding me chicken curry, dressing me up (as you can see!), and teaching me useful Hindi phrases. In blue is her sister Monika and then her mother in the orange. Every time I go to Ramdarbar, they shower me with hospitality.
Just one view from the SURYA office in Hallomajra, a slum.
I love this photo of Sonia, her blue dupatta, her long black hair, and the brick wall.
Hallomajra's streets, and exceptionally beautiful saris.
Laundry hung out to dry. But check out those colors...!!
Great afternoon light, deep shadows especially on the fabric. It reminds me of a Caravaggio painting (dedicated to Kathy, because we are not creepy).
Just a fruit stand in Hallomajra. But the little boy was just sitting there, without anyone around. It's still shocking to me how many kids there are, running around, holding their infant siblings, selling things or working. It's summer now, so none are in school--but still so many of the kids in Hallomajra can't afford school, and end up working from a young age.
Twinkle and Sonia, women I work with, waiting for our gate to be unlocked. That funky red and yellow pattern on the upper right hand corner is the SURYA office in Hallomajra.
This is what happens when it rains. And what we had to get across!! My feet had a nice mud bath.
Repetition never hurts, aesthetically speaking.
At Hallomajra, waiting for government rations of rice and other staples.
A stack of SURYA's case studies, which I read (most of them are written in English) and took notes on. They're giving me fantastic material for future papers or research. Since most of the slum-dwellers are illiterate, SURYA staff write up their testimonials and then the victims authenticate it with a thumb print.CHANDIGARH
The view from the little balcony outside our room (third floor). There are always kids running around, usually playing cricket. They really love saying "Hello!" to us, but conversation usually lulls after that...
Look at these beautiful people. :) From left to right, Keigo from Japan (who is literally traveling AROUND the world after this summer for one year), Nithin from Chapel Hill (we like the Celtics, right?), Sander from Holland, Ganda from Indonesia, Pauline again from Belgium, Piero from Brazil, and JC, our devoted Indian @er who makes sure we never get ripped off.