Smoke Screens

Today I decided to go to one of my local restaurants in my neighborhood called "Kings Food Factory". This place has traditional Indian food along with some American "comfort" or as it is known here, "continental food". They have air conditioning (a true luxury here) and a full ice cream bar. I also noticed today while I was eating the band Nickelback was playing in the background and thats when I started noticing pictures on the wall that I had not. One was "The King of Music" another was the "King of Kung Fu" (which was Bruce Lee of course). The last one however, is what bothered me not only because it was just plain wrong but because it is one of the only signs of colonialism, besides tobacco use, that I have seen in this traditional and conservative part of India. The title of "King of Comedy" was given to this man:

That's right, Rowan Atkinson. For those of you that are not familiar with the creative work of Mr. Atkinson he is most famous for his British comedy, "Mr. Bean", a tv show that is the modern version of Benny Hill minus the women. Mr. Bean even had a movie come out that was somewhat on par with the "The Full Monty". I know this because "Mr. Bean" was one of my two favorite shows along with the "The Jerry Springer Show" in middle school. Certainly not the so dubbed "King of Comedy"

This got me to thinking though about the other things that I had seen in India that were not wuite what they seemed to be, a smoke screen if you will, so I took a picture of everything I noticed in the half-mile from my house to King's only. In this half mile I discovered:

This clearly is not Atlanta, Georgia or Texas (LPT's hometown). And I am not positive but I do think that Cher has been hiding in India running a hair and beauty spa but I might consult Olivia on that.

Ahmedabad is certainly not a "Windy City" so I do not know what the Sears Tower is doing here but...(you will notice it says Sears Tower at the bottom)

I do not think that this is what he had in mind...

And finally did you know that Obama liked India and their democracy so much that he moved here, because I didn't until today...

So I hope that you have enjoyed this little tour of Western influence here on my street in Ahmedabad and as I have seen more and if there is a request as such, I will post some more.

Current Events

Over the the past few days I have been receiving e-mails from concerned family and friends about the riots in the state of Punjab (several states to the north of me) and Cyclone Aila destroying parts of Bengal and Kolkata (in the extreme southeast of the country). First let me apologize to those who were concerned. I should have published something earlier that neither of these events were affecting me in Ahmedabad. Secondly it made me realize that even though it was Tuesday I think it was time for some Professionalism (A Monday class during the Spring semester at the Clinton School) and Current Events .

I noticed that I had not heard that much about either of these seemingly major events here in Ahmedabad (a city the size of Houston, TX) so I decided to venture out and find a good ole fashioned print newspaper. I did not realize the task that I was embarking on. The problem is that, in a city where 35% of the people are absolutely illiterate there is no point in selling newspapers everywhere. After two hours of passing many newspapers being used as pillows by many of the city's 35% homeless population (I do believe that the percentages are mere coincidence) I finally found a newspaper stand. "The Star of India" and the other one, both had front page coverage of the riots stemming from the Vienna Shootout and Cyclone Aila. I also learned that director Steven Spielberg is going to make a movie about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. So now that I am caught up on Indian current events I feel I can answer any question about Indian news. I shall keep you all posted sooner next time if anything occurs.

Monkey Madness

For those of you who have been following my blog you know that I have a special alarm clock that wakes me up every morning. This alarm clock has been known as Cattatamonkey and until today I have only been able to obtain Sasquatch-esque pictures to prove his existence. That all changed today.

As I was sitting on my front porch today I was alerted to a commotion in the trees. It was the monkey and he must have known that I was looking for him because he brought eleven friends/family members. They were quite a rambunctious group as the video will show.

Additional Photos

Since my Flickr account seems like it does not want to cooperate I will just put the pictures on the blog but please check out the post below for some actual somewhat intellectual content.




Flat Stanley serving up slap shots of public service.




This picture is of a poster entitled, "Great Women of India". If you will notice the woman directly to the left of Mother Teresa, Ela Bhatt, she is the woman who founded SEWA and whom I met on my front porch just the other day.





The mountainous desert.





For all those that have asked me about wells, here ya go. This one is empty and has no water as you can see.

Power Symbols

So this past weekend I went to the Dungarpur District in the state of Rajhistan. They said we were going to the mountains which I thought meant cooler but which actually just meant closer to the sun. Also as with most travel, SEWA provides me with a government SUV and a driver which is a great way to travel. This weekend was no different. However, the conditions of the terrain are best described by Doc Brown in Back to the Future; "Roads? Where we're going don't need roads". But I have already digressed.

Last Fall in Communication class Dr. Standerfer and Dr. Hemphill taught us about symbols and how they derive their power from their meaning. Well as I was traveling out to one of the villages I was greeted by this:






A forty foot high and wide "Hollywood" sign of a swastika. Now here is where Communication class comes into play. This symbol to the people here means, ironically enough, peace and prosperity, while to a large portion of the world it means hatred and destruction. Coincidentally enough, here in Ahmedabad there is a Swastik Road that is adorned with swastikas. It is a little eerie at first but then once you understand the meaning of the symbol it puts all things in perspective.

Here is another symbol:






These children are between the ages of 3 and 5 and are the direct recipients of a project that was fund raised by 1Well and implemented by SEWA. These children are learning how to read, write, and count as I witnessed. Truly positive stuff.



One final symbol:



To some this majestic creature represents the wild, the circus, memory(because an elephant never forgets), and to others, such as myself and a Class 5 member of the Clinton School, it represents the mascot of one the two greatest universities in the academic world. So to LaTrenia Byrd and the rest of class 5 welcome to the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, one of the two greatest universities in the academic world. A special congratulations and appreciation for all the hard work that Alex Thomas did to put together such a talented class.

A Few Experiences to Dwell On

So this morning at 4:30 a.m. I was awoken by a Skype phone call from my good friends Chad and Heather. If this had been any other circumstance I would have been irate but granted that Cattatamonkey had woken me about 15 minutes prior and Chad is about to leave for Rwanda I will let it slide. If you would like to see what this experience was about check out Chad's blog because he Flipcammed the whole thing.

http://chocolatelab.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/skype-alarm-clock/

Also since I have been here I have had the privilege of experiencing a whole new culture and environment. I have been the guest of honor at a traditional Muslim wedding luncheon because my driver said he wanted to grab some lunch. This honor awarded me the privilege of having my photograph taken with all members of the wedding party. Another honor I was given was a local men's club (of which my driver was a member) had a raffle to see who won a new motorcycle and guess who got to be the honorary drawer of the number, me (I was two off from my driver's number and one from his friend).

However the neatest experience so far is the one in this photograph below.

This picture was taken in Jogad village, a village about 2,000 years old and with a population of about 800. What is happening here is that I had just conducted an impact story with my Flip Cam for one of the elements of my project and since you can load the video immediately I decided to show the people who had participated their video. Why this is so interesting is that first I am in the middle of the Indian desert about 100km from the nearest Internet on a laptop which most had never seen before. But more importantly this was the first time that any had seen their own image played back to them before and the amazement is evident on their faces. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Work

So I have attached a link to my flickr page so that you can see a variety of the photos about life here in India and some of the work that I have been doing. In any case I hope you enjoy and please let me know if there is anything you would like me to try and photograph or if there is a question you have I will try and answer it. I would like to make this blog as interactive as possible for those that may not know all that we do at the Clinton School of Public Service or for people that just have a general curiosity about India. In the mean time enjoy the pictures and video about my humble abode.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38569433@N08/

Congratulations

I would like to say a special Congrats to two close friends Megan Lancaster and Adam English on their recent graduation from the University of Alabama. I am proud of both of you and I know you are both going to do great things in all your future endeavors.

Life in India

Well I have been here a little under a week and am thoroughly enjoying myself. There is a lot to take in when coming to country like India like the cows, donkeys, goats, camels, and dogs that roam freely around a city the size of Houston, Texas. I have taken away a few lessons so far.

1. Dolphins and Indian drivers have a lot in common.

Dolphins use sonar to see where one another is in the ocean. India's drivers do the same thing except with a horn. They use it when passing someone, when saying hello, when going over hills, when coming down hills, when going through intersections because the lights mean nothing. Somehow this organized chaos works every time with no accidents to report to date.

2. Indian's hospitality rivals that of the American South

Everyone I have met here has asked me over for dinner or to stay at their place after meeting me for five minutes. In fact using my (as one of my esteemed colleagues puts it), "Go-Go Gadget Networking skills" I made several friends on the plane ride over who have asked me to come out with them on the weekends. One was a sophmore at the University of Alabama (RTR!!!) but he was heading to Pakistan so I do believe I will be seeing him this trip.

3. Never tell your host what you like.

On a recent site visit I mentioned off hand that I am partial to ketchup. Well please believe that at lunch, (Chinese noodles and rice) that I had to use ketchup. I am happy to report that it tastes delicious despite the fact that Indian ketchup ranks somewhere between Hunts and Southern Home.

4. Monkeys make great alarm clocks

There is a monkey that lives in the tree outside my bedroom window which remains open. Every morning my friend, Cattatamonkey, wakes me up at 5:30 which is good because I am on a schedule that is somewhat resembling that of a professional. It is also good because I can go for a run at the park close to my house.

5. Speaking of exercise...

First I want to say that all those in the Biggest Loser competition are in trouble. The temp during the day here is 118. Imagine being in a sauna 24 hours a day. I sweat out all the vegetables (because that's all there is to eat) that I am eating.

6. Contradicting my exercise...

Everyone here loves tea. In fact I am really starting to like it. But this is no ordinary tea. It consists of milk, sugar, and ground tea leaves. Basically coffee. It is customary to give guests tea and it is rude for the guests to turn it down. So I visit an average of three villages a day plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner tea meaning I am wired by the end of the day. It has one positive side effect besides its deliciousness in that I am getting a lot of work done.

Apologies for the length of this blog but I have been absent from the Internet for almost a week. The internet can be wierd at times so I will try and post videos and pictures when possible.

Around the World

This video documents my trip from Houston to Ahmedabad. Also there is no joking internationally about H1N1. I had to be checked by doctors in the Ahmedabad airport for H1N1. This took two hours and was necassary to go through customs.

The Longest Plane Ride Ever

Today my trek to India began. At 6:50p.m. local time I departed Houston, TX. I have never flown internationally so this was one heck of a way to start. 15 hour plane ride and all the movies one could ever watch. There was also a sheet all passengers had to fill out about H1N1 and since I am not in quarantine I am assuming I am good to go. However I do not know if it was the plane ride or the movies actually were just that bad. Quick recap:

"W."-Bad

"The Wrestler"- Worst movie of the trip

"Yes Man"- Eh

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"- Not to shabby

"Paul Blart: Mall Cop": For the 30 seconds I watched it, No.

In the meantime I as well as Flat Stanley noticed that there was a flight track to show where we were currently located. At one point we were flying between Tehran and Baghdad. Kind of wierd to be flying 40,000 feet above an area that we here so much about.

Finally I have arrived at my layover in Dubai (daily prayer has just started). Local time is 8:27p.m. Speaking of prayer there is a difference here in the airport between the guy symbol on the door with a crown and the guy symbol with on the door with no crown. One is the bathroom the other is a prayer room. I do not know who was more stunned when I figured that one out.

Under two hours till boarding, a 3 hour flight and I am in my final destination. Talk to y'all soon.

Two Wild and Crazy Guys

What happens when you turn two of the most eligible bachelors dressed in classy attire loose on the fourth Largest city in America? You get tonight, the Memorial Hermann Foundation Gala. An event that raised over $2.3 million for their Children's Hospital. There was plenty of dancing and singing, and might not a bad meal of veal.

This night wrapped up Flat and I's weekend in Houston for now we must depart for India. We will be departing at 6:50 tomorrow night and will not stop until we reach Dubai. Then a quick layover and its off to Ahmadabad for a 3:05a.m. arrival on Tuesday (local time of course, which this blog is published in). The work begins then so stay tuned as Flat and I begin our adventure in India

Flat's Big Break

In case you were not watching the Houston Rockets take on the Los Angeles Lakers last night there was a handsome gentlemen helping the Rockets score as many baskets as possible. This newbie was seen giving out high fives and assisting in layups. While the Rockets were unsuccessful I think for this rookie he made a statement and the world payed attention.

The Blog Equivelant of A Re-Tweet

A little self promotion but I thought this story was so well written that people needed to see it. It is a powerful story about one teachers impact on two students who answered a call to service. Please check it out on the Bolivin It Up Blog by Sarah Clark.

http://bolivinitup.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/great-story/

Flat Stanley Army

Behold my vast army of little public servants that will accompany me on my trip to India. These mini-servants are inspired by the First Lady of Arkansas, Ginger Beebe. The Flat Stanley project is part of Mrs. Beebe's literacy campaign. The photos that come back from our trips will be used to show children all across Arkansas other countries and cultures. Please look at Mrs. Beebe's Flikr page so that you can view all the Flat Stanleys pictures from around the globe. Enjoy.

https://mail.clintonschool.uasys.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.flickr.com/groups/arkansasflatstanley/

The Last of the Little Rock Food

As I am wrapping up my last week in Little Rock I am trying to enjoy all of favorite restaraunts one last time. So far I have visited the one and only Buffalo Grill and Boulevard Bread Company. Next up Fantastic China, Whole Hog, and La Hacienda.

This smorgasbord (it's Swedish Ashley) of food is all in an effort to win the Clinton School International Public Service Project Biggest Loser. Weigh in is on Wednesday and I am sure that I will be horrified as to the results but I have all the confidence in India to help me lose more than all my classmates. I will keep you posted on that progress.

Also send me suggestions about where to eat in Little Rock before Thursday.

The Undefeated S.O.B.'s

The S.O.B.'s have finished their season by securing the conference championship with an impressive 26-3 victory.   Kickball and my teammates will be one of the things that I miss the most over in India. Speaking of India I depart one week from today on my trip.  I am looking forward to this adventure which is full of uncertainty but will help in the development of many skills that will be with me for the rest of my life.  

I hope that as you read this blog you will provide feedback to me about what you would like to see in addition to what I post.  So please feel free to leave your comments as I am sure that I will want to hear from all my friends and family back in the U.S.