Dan Shetler

Safik and Atiya's Wedding in Gujarat

2010-02-28T20:30:00.020+05:30

This blog post is dedicated to not only Safik and Atiya but also to all of you out there who have bugging me for the last year to blog again.

I have been traveling for almost the entire month of February. The first stop was in Ahmadabad, Gujarat for Safik's wedding. I got to know Safik a year ago when I first arrived at HMI while he was attending a workshop. He later became a student here at HMI and a good friend so it was a privilege to be able to attend his wedding. The day of the wedding we drove with the grooms family and friends in 2 buses and many cars for a couple hours to the brides house in a lovely village.

Timothee and I sitting with Safik as we wait for the wedding ceremony to start.

Safik's soon to be sister-in-law and the women of the house harassing him in good fun before the wedding.

The wedding ceremony, under a colorful canopy.

As part of the wedding ceremony the Imam asks Safik three times if he wants to marry Atiya. Then he signs the marriage certificate.

In a separate room Atiya also gets asked three times by the Imam if she wants to marry Safik before signing the marriage certificate.

After a lovely Gujariti feast Atiya said tearful goodbyes to her family before we started our journey back to Safik's house in Ahmadabad.

That evening more ceremonies took place at Safik's house to welcome the new bride. Here Atiya feeds her new husband various symbolic foods out of her beautifully hennaed hand.

The next evening at the reception we were able to meet Atiya for the first time and see her without a veil.

Safik and Atiya are now staying at HMI while Safik finishes up his course so we get the privilege of getting to know them as a newly married couple.

शादी मुबारक हो! Shadi mubaarak ho! (many blessings in your marriage)

Pictures from Hyderabad

2009-04-11T10:46:00.008+05:30

Here are a few pictures from around Hyderabad.

Char Minar, Landmark in Hyderabad built to commemorate the end of a plague.

Char Minar, Hyderabad.

Inside Char Minar, Hyderabad

View of Hyderabads Old City from Char Minar

View of the Buddha Statue in Husain Sagar Lake from Lumbini Park, Hyderabad

Dock at Lumbini Park

Buddha Statue from Necklace Road

Wedding of a coworkers sister

Volleyball with HMI Staff and students.

Playing Holi (the Festival of Color) again.

My room in the HMI Hostel

Aman-Shanti Prayer Hall at dusk, HMI

Inside Aman-Prayer Hall, HMI

Morning devotions, Aman-Shanti Prayer Hall, HMI

Jouney to the Deccan

2009-03-24T16:11:00.003+05:30

I am sorry that I have not blogged lately and kept you up to date. Lots has transpired in the last few weeks. I'll start at the present and give you a quick rundown of the significant events in reverse chronological order.

I am now living in Hyderabad, India, and working with the Conflict Transformation (CT) team of the Henry Martyn Institute (HMI). It's a wonderful place with even more wonderful people. Although I do miss the beaches and my friends on the Andamans. I'll post pictures and more details of my work shortly, inshalla.

Between moving from the Andamans Islands to Hyderabad we had an MCC Retreat in Nepal. It was really great to meet the other MCCers on our team who are working in Nepal and Afghanistan. I got to spend a few short days with Subhekchya's parents in Kathmandu and had a wonderful time. The retreat was held in Pokhara which offered a great time to relax, relate and reflect... oh and we also got to go paragliding (don't worry that wasn't on MCC's bill).

Amongst all this exciting change there was also the sadness of leaving the Andmans and the good friends I have made there. They gave me a very meaningful farewell and my thoughts are with them as they finish up the project. Before I left Liz and Laura came to visit and we took a few days to visit Havelock Island and I finally got to go scuba diving after being on the Andamans for a year.

Before I left the Andamans I also had a quick trip to Bangladesh (to get my visa stamped). It was great to be able to spend time with Sri (the Asia Peace Coordinator) and Sarah (who is doing peace work for MCC Bangladesh). I didn't get to see a lot of Bangladesh but it was a good time to start switching gears from water to peace.

The main job I had on the Andamans this last time was to organize the National Water Seminar which was held at the end of January. It came off well and was a huge learning experience for me. One of the other jobs was conducting a Borewell Mapping Project. A few significant findings came out of the research but with the amount of time it was only a beginning.

So here I am in a new place making new friends and trying to see how I can fit into a new team.

Jodhpur

2009-02-03T22:11:00.008+05:30

So we (Liz, Laura and I) got on the sleeper bus in Udaipur and headed for Jodhpur. The sleeper bus was not nearly as restful as the train but at least the sleeper bus allowed us to lay flat. We arrived on the outskirts of Jodhpur at 4:00 in the morning and we were hurried off the bus onto a dark almost deserted road in a place we had never been. We hopped in the only Auto (auto-rickshaw) available and headed for the guesthouse we had booked. After some knocking and a phone call a kind, sleepy old woman opened the door for us and showed us in. We slept until 10am when we went up to the rooftop restaurant to see this!

The view of the Jodhpur Fort and "Blue City" from the rooftop restaurant of our our guesthouse
(I might have let out some expletives at the amazing sight since we had arrived in the pitch black and I had no idea what awaited me!)

We had breakfast on the roof and then headed through the blue streets up the hill to the fort. Although we tried to resist the audio-tour of the fort it proved to be really well done and very informative. Since it was included in the foreigners ticket price, what could we do.

Just as you enter the gates of the fort you will see these hands. The wives of the Raja (King) dipped there hands in vermilion (red color) and left a print on this wall when they left the fort for the last time to jump onto there husbands burning funeral pyre.

The royal chamber of the fort.

Rajasthan is known for its miniature paintings. This one, exhibited inside the fort, reminded me of the artwork of my cousins Jake and Aaron.

The top of the fort offers amazing views of the "Blue City," but you really have to be there.

We made many unsolicited friends on the tour of the fort as well.

Many people thought Laura was Punjabi (can you tell which one is the videshi (foreigner))?

The temple on top of the fort.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Jodhpur and had one last meal on the rooftop of our guest house before heading to the train station to leave Jodhpur for Delhi less then 24 hours from the time we arrived.

I have to give a shout out to the Jodhpur train station. It is by far my favorite train station in India. I didn't want to ruin the mood by taking a picture, sorry. But it has a fantastic atmosphere. It is also featured in the movie Darjeeling Limited.

Thanks to Liz and Laura for some of the pictures.

Udaipur

2009-02-02T14:41:00.010+05:30

After Christmas I met up with Liz (a SALTER cum Service Worker) and Laura (a SALTER) to start are adventures in Rajasthan. We took an overnight train to our first stop, Udaipur, which is known as the "Venice of India," "the Lake Palace City" and some even say "the most beautiful city in India." In any case it lived up to our expectations and some of us may have even had the best days of our lives.

View from the rooftop of our guest house.

Groggy and tired from the cold night in sleeper class on the train we recuperated on the rooftop with a cup of chai and the sunrise before exploring the city.

Our guest house also offered an amazing view of the Lake Palace that Udaipur is famous for.

This is Liz doing one of the things she is usually doing (buying bananas, thinking about buying bananas, eating bananas or carrying large bunches of bananas).

And here is Laura doing one of the things she enjoys (Drinking tea or coffee)

We spent the next two days exploring the city and admiring the miniature paintings that Udaipur is also known for. View from the City Palace

Basically every hotel has a rooftop restaurant and most show the James Bond movie Octopusy every night. (Apparently part of the movie was filmed in Udaipur)

After heading over to the Ghat to shanti-out and accidentally making some friends...

...we attended a cultural program at the museum where we enjoined Rajasthani dancing, puppetering and even a woman dancing with 14 pots balanced her head.

Then off to yet another rooftop restaurant for dinner.

Lake Palace at night.

The next day we took an Auto-rickshaw all the way up the mountain to the Monsoon Palace built on a cliff overlooking the city.

We watched the sunset from the Monsoon Palace before catching our overnight bus to Jodhpur "the Blue city."

Thanks to Liz and Laura for the photo contributions.

Delhi Christmas

2009-01-20T16:53:00.005+05:30

After spending some time in the state of Bihar I took the train to Delhi to spend Christmas with some friends from Landour Language School.

The party was hosted by Kate who was house sitting for a friend who lives in the in the Residency of the Bulgarian Embassy. Needless to say it was quite posh in the Diplomatic section.

In fact it was so different from the rest of India it was hard to remember what was outside those walls.

Kate created a wonderful (if not a bit ad hoc) Christmas atmosphere with all her perfectionistic tendencies. (including chrstmas cookies and buckeyes)

If you haven't noticed, the cat, Pancake (either a reference to it's strangly flattened face, or a tragic forshadowing of it's demise) was a centerpice of the celebrations.

The celebrations started on Christmas Eve and didn't end until the day after Christmas. Many of the guests were Fulbright scholors or working on their PhD's so conversation stayed lively.

We even got down a little bit to Davids selection of music once Kate got her fill of Christmas music.

One of the highlights for me was playing football (soccer) on Christmas afternoon, which was warm and sunny, just like Christmas day is supposed to be.

Photos complements of David "#1" J. (Too bad he couldn't be in the pictures)

Bihar

2009-01-13T14:26:00.021+05:30

After a Christmas party with the MCC staff in Kolkata I started off on some holiday traveling. My first stop was in Bihar to visit the EHA Flood Relief Project and my friend Esther.

The hospital compound specifically and Bihar in general were oddly reminiscent of my childhood, and strangely felt like home. I really fell in love with Bihar.

The first day we went out to a rural clinic EHA is starting.

That evening we had a fish barbecue and chatted late into the night. I was even able to follow some jokes told in Hindi.

The next day the EHA team set off to the villages that were most affected by the flood.

The flood washed most of the bridges in the area away. This one was reconstructed using sand bags. Another was reconstructed by the Indian Army in 24 hours.

One of the major bridges, however, has still not been reconstructed so we took a boat across the engorged river.

This land was under water for months and has still has not completely dried out. When the EHA team first arrived they traveled by boat to the villages.

Farmers are starting to replant the drier fields but many are still submerged.

Pensive

No need to teach this young man to fish.

The flood waters reached the height of the white line across the house and remained for months. North India is also very cold during the winter... even the cattle have to wear blankets.

In each ward relief cards were handed out to the most needy according to a survey that was conducted earlier. However, there were some issues when some people found out they were not on the list and thought they should have been.

In each ward, names were read off the list, people came forward, details were checked, the cards were signed and handed over and they were checked off the list...

... and the team moved on to the next ward.

The next day all of the 1624 people who received relief cards (and quite a few others who wanted to see the spectacle) gathered to receive the relief packets.

Cards were brought forward one at a time, signed with a thumb print and checked off the list...

They then went to the truck, showed their card...

And received a gunnysack full of food containing:

Rice 17 kg
Dal 5 kg,
Sattu (gram flour mix) 3 kg
Sugar 3 kg
Salt 950 gm
Biscuits 1 kg
Mustard Oil 1 L

Relieved after the strenuous process...

They carried off this months food rations.
The cards are good for two more distributions in the next two months.

Coming, as I did, at this stage in the process it is hard to see the trauma these people went through now that they are beginning to put their lives back together again. That is until you are walking through the rice patties with a woman who starts to sob, and through her tears points out a partially buried skull in the patty and explains that this is where they found her daughter's body as the flood waters receded. The team hopes that the relief they give is ultimately helpful and doesn't just add more stress to the already traumatic situation.

Christmas traveling

2008-12-16T23:28:00.002+05:30

Between office closings, and timings of permits I'm going to be on mainland India for some time and I'll be doing a bit of traveling. I will still be working wherever I can find an internet connection, since almost all my work is online. So don't worry about me slacking off. I hope to post pictures along the way but we will see how that goes. To allow you to visualize my journey I've made a GoogleMap of my Christmas travels. So click on the link and follow along.

Street food

2008-11-22T14:00:00.001+05:30

Well actually there is no night life on the Andaman Islands because everyone goes home and the streets are deserted by 9:30pm. But up until then there is some wonderful street food available.

Dilanipur at night, Port Blair.

My favorite row of food stalls, Delanipur, Port Blair.

Pani Puri also known as Puchka is a Bengali specialty where golf ball sized, crispy puffed flat bread is stuffed with potatoes and dipped in spiced water. The Puchka Walla makes one bite sized Puchka as you stuff one in your mouth. This isn't just fast food it's fast feeding.

Jelabi is a dessert that is made by drizzling batter into hot oil. When it is finished frying it is dunked into orange colored syrup which it soaks up. When you take a bite there is so much sugary syrup that it gushes into your mouth.

This is the mainstay of this row of shops, which serves up eggroles, chow mein, cutlets and samosas.

These vendors know me so well that I usually can't walk by without getting stuffed with free food... even if I've just eaten a full meal.

Havelock Island

2008-11-19T13:53:00.007+05:30

A few weeks ago Able (who is shooting the video documentary for us) and I took a trip to Havelock island. We were planing to scuba dive but all the slots were booked full. However, the snorkeling, amazing clear blue-green water, great beaches and peaceful atmosphere made the trip worthwhile.

Sunrise from Phoenix Bay Jetty waiting for the ferry to Havelock Island.

Boatman getting supplies ready, Phoenix Bay, Port Blair.

Colors of a Phoenix Bay sunrise, Port Blair.

Radha Nagar beach which some claim is the best in Asia, Havelock Island.

Able shooting at Radha Nagar Beach, Havelock Island

Sometimes elephants pass by, Radha Nagar Beach, Havelock Island

Clear Blue-green water at Elephant Beach, Havelock Island

We took a Dungi to snorkel at Elephant beach

Dungi Wallas unloading their supplies, Havelock Island.

Our beach hut at Pristine Resort, Havelock Island.

The bamboo finished outdoor lobby of Pristine Resort, Havelock Island.

Barack Obama is Prezident Elect!

2008-11-05T16:53:00.009+05:30

Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States of America! I got up at 5:30AM to watch the votes come in even though it wasn't decided for another 5 hours.

The beautiful new First Family (BBC.com)

Living in India, it will now be a bit easier to hold my head up when I tell people I am from the USA. Obama's acceptance speech was absolutely incredible. For the last 8 years when the leader of the US and the most powerful person in the world opened his mouth it was all about fear, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and us vs. them (not to mention being grammatically incorrect). But when Obama speaks it is inspiring, hopeful and uniting, not to mention intelligent and articulate. He is exactly what we need now.

McCain's concession speech was also amazing and and showed, real integrity.

Obama delivering his acceptance speach (BBC.com)

Maybe the US can now start regaining the respect of the world .

Ross Island

2008-10-24T16:31:00.010+05:30

Ross Island is a beautiful little island just off the coast of Port Blair. It was used the British as an administrative headquarters, the ruins of which have been retaken by the forest to give it quite a jungle book feel.

Ruins of the Church

Church

Church bell tower

Fig trees have reclaimed these British buildings

Fig tree on brick

Ruins

The British used a desalinization plant to make fresh water out of seawater.

We were on Ross Island to shoot Video Documentary on the water situation of the Andaman Islands, but there was also another film being shot with a dance troupe and all.

Dungi's

Crashing waves caught in the the sunlight

A shaant (peaceful) beach

Golden sunset

More picture from the trip to the Inner Islands

2008-10-12T14:00:00.002+05:30

Anand is reallllly excited about purchasing construction materials, Diglipur

Temple, Diglipur

Chai Stand, Mayabunder

Florescent green of the rice patties, Mayabunder

Bus on Ferry, Andaman Trunk Road
(They can actually fit two buses and a few cars on at once)

India Dances Together

2008-10-11T14:00:00.000+05:30

Dance competitions bring Indians together like nothing else can. These events are usually held on temporary stages set up in public places with lots of flashing lights and big sound systems. They usually accompany a Puja or festival and last long into the night. Local groups of young men... and sometimes women perform choreographed dances to Bollywood hits, and popular songs. These dance competitions bridge religious divides; Hindu, Muslim and Christian, ethnic devides; Hindi, Bangali, Tamil, Ranchi, Malayalam, etc. and cast devides. India has a painful history of communal violence... maybe the answer is one big dance party?

Islands and beaches

2008-10-10T14:00:00.001+05:30

We worked hard on this trip to the Inner Islands, but we did get a chance to go to the beach, snorkel and shanti out.

Avis Island

Light house on Avis Island

Dundi, Mayabunder

Mayabunder

Monsoon

2008-10-09T14:15:00.000+05:30

When the monsoon comes you just have to take of your sandals and wait it out.

Diglipur

Anand and a bore well survey informant waiting out the rain, Diglipur

Sudheer, EHA Field Staff, Diglipur

Enjoying the sound of the rain on the tin roof, Diglipur.

Even more pics

2008-10-03T18:06:00.000+05:30

Beach and fishing dunghies on the way to Wandoor

Rice paddies (no cauliflower here!), Wandoor

I'm a bit skeptical of this architectural design, South Andaman

This isn't an uncommon sight, but no one I asked could tell me what these guys were up to, my guesses, Puja (worship), wedding, funeral, political rally or other celebration.
Delanipur (from my bedroom window)

Sometimes it rains... a lot... monsoon,
Delanipur (also from my bedroom window)

Inner Islands for bore Well Mapping

2008-09-16T16:44:00.003+05:30

I'm off tomorrow morning to the inner islands for more bore well mapping for an undetermined amount of time. I'll be out of email contact for the most part.

Ganesh Puja

2008-09-09T11:46:00.009+05:30

These last few days have been Ganesh Puja (Worship of Ganesh). Many of the temples have been decked out for the occasion. The temple out side my window as been strung with bright lights, loud worship music blares from speakers most hours of the day and cows and calves wander around accepting food from temple goers.

Temple out side my window, Delanipur

Trucks complete with flashing lights, decorations and massive speakers strapped to the front roam around town. Large crowds dance in the streets in front of the trucks. In the back of each truck is a large statue of Ganesh (Depicted as a pink elephant) sitting amongst piles of sweets and flowers. Priests sit on the tailgates handing out prasad (food and sweets that have been blessed by the Ganesh). At one time I saw 8 of these trucks slowly make their way up the road in a row each stopping at the temple and each playing different music.

Dancers in front of a truck, blaring worship music and transporting Ganesh.

Video of Dancers in front of a Ganesh puja truck.

A little story,

So I finished dinner early and as I was walking home I decided to take the rout that would take me by the Ganesh Puja (Festival were Ganesh is worshiped) that was going on. As I was getting closer someone recognized me and told me to join him. I started asking questions about Ganesh Puja so he said, "Chalo (come lets go)". We walked around the side of a tent that had been set up in the middle of the road which housed a stage. This was the Cultural Event portion of the 4 day Puja or so said the glittery banner. This night was a dance competition complete with strobe light, and groups of young men doing choreographed dance moves to the latest Bollywood hits. From the other side of the crowd a bunch of young guys who I had talked to before were motioning me to sit on the wall with them. I didn't really want to make a huge scene of the only white guy climbing onto a wall in full view of everyone, (and a fantastic view of the stage). But they insisted and so in the end I obliged. In the process of climbing up I'm sure all eyes were on me, but I got a sense that my presence was accepted if not appreciated. But as soon as the next group was on stage everyones undivided attention was off me and onto the dancers again. I stayed for about an hour and left as they were planning (I think) to get me on stage. As I was leaving I passed the temple that has been erected to house the large Ganesh statue.

Even more random pics

2008-09-05T17:00:00.000+05:30

A house I found esthetically pleasing, South Andaman

Marina Park from the jetty at dusk, Port Blair

Dan and Mr. Jamal at Wandoor Beach

Dab (Green coconut), Wandoor Beach

Sacred tree, Wandoor

Some more pics

2008-09-03T14:21:00.003+05:30

The Bazar with lots of people out for the Independence Day sales,
Port Blair, Aberdeen Bazar, Independence Day-Aug 15

Nuzo, the newest staff member,
Port Blair, Marina Park

A ship's forecastle,
Port Blair, Marina Park

Marina Park Jetty, Port Blair

Temple, South Andaman

Picknic

2008-09-02T15:38:00.002+05:30

The other day the instead of eating at the mess we ate out, but first we headed to Gandhi Park and roamed about, which included having some chi-vi (tea and snacks) and renting paddle boats.

The guys from the mess in the paddle boat, Prabu, Ashish Raja, and myself.

The Ladies from the mess, Divya, Grace, Bhakya.

Dinner out on the town, Prabu, Ashish, Raja, Dan, Bhakya and Divya.

Crowding into an Auto rickshaw on the way back, Ashish, Raja, Dan, Prabu.

Borewell Survey

2008-09-01T15:00:00.004+05:30

Here are a few pics I've taken while traveling all over over South Andaman to collect GPS points and data on borewells. (Read the last post if you want to know why)

Mr.Jamal showing me a borewell.

There is the potential that there might be a pressure head and the watter will continually pour out of the ground like this borewell, but usually you have to pump it out.

Anand, his clipboard and the bikes.

At least we have a good driver.

Collecting data

But sometimes you just have to have a cup of tea on the beach.

Or a cup of tea at a dukan (shop)

Back in the Andamans

2008-08-22T16:57:00.002+05:30

Well I've been back in the Andamans for over a week now. It's nice to be back, see my friends again and start working. Right now Anand and I are conducting a survey of the bore wells on the islands. So we drive a motercycle all over the place. We are taking Mr. Jamal along with us. He has personally been involved in digging a significant number of the 2000 borewells here and has a great memory. We get a GPS point on each well and take down relevant data that includes the depth of the bore well, the depth of the water table, soil composition, how much water is there and so on. Hopefully with enough points we will be able to map the groundwater table of the Andamans (something that hasn't been done before). If it all works out this data will be published and could potentially tell one where a good place to dig a bore well would be and where one would probably not find water.

Back home in India

2008-08-12T10:41:00.005+05:30

I made is safely back to India, for all of you who were worried. I'm currently in Kolkata and will be flying to the Andamans tomorrow to start work again. It was lovely being back in the States to see family, friends and of course my brothers wedding. But it is also nice to be back here and I'm looking forward to getting to work and reconnecting with friends on the Andamans.

Earthquakes: You may have heard news about 4 earthquakes off the coast of the Andaman islands two days ago (one up to 6.2 which was 7o miles from Port Blair) and the subsequent tsunami warning. Although it made people on the island nervous, little damage was caused. There seems to be more seismic activity in the area then usual (there have been 25 tremors in the last 3 months).

*I'll also make an effort to update my blog more often so you will be rewarded for your effort and we can rebuild that Pavlovian response to check my blog:)

Sat Tal

2008-06-04T20:45:00.004+05:30

Wolf's Burn, Landour

2008-05-30T21:35:00.004+05:30

I am now at home in Wolf's Burn, a guest house which is an easy 10 minute walk from the Language School. Classes are going well and my Hindi is coming along slowly but surely. Everything else is a hike down the mountain besides four little shops called Char Dukan (which aptly means four shops in Hindi).

The house in the Himalayan mist, Wolf's Burn.

The most amazing lightning storm I've seen. It even rained inside!

Landour Bazar

The Mall, Mussoorie

Fruit and vegitable dukan perched on on the cliff, Landour Bazar.

Landour Bazar

Delhi

2008-05-05T19:42:00.003+05:30

Sights around Delhi.

The Lotus Temple

"The Picture" in front of Qutub Minar for Charlee B.

Ruins of the Mosjid at Qutub Minar

Adrienne and Esther in front of the Red Fort

Marble inlay work inside the Red Fort.

This Post is Dedicated to Charlee B.

Santiniketan

2008-05-05T19:22:00.003+05:30

While I was in Kolkata I took a train to visit Fern who is studying in Santiniketan. She is studying classical Indian vocal music at Visva-Bharati University. This university was started by Rabindranath Tagore an incredibly influential and prolific poet, philosopher, musician and humanist. Fern was a wonderful host. She introduced me to her friends some of whom showed me through the Art Department Khala Bhavana, we biked all over, drank lots of Lasse, listend to Baul Musicians at Hat Bazar and she and a friend played and sang late into the night.

The Train to Santiniketan, where I finally fell in love with India.

Tegore's Glass House,

where people of all faiths are invited to pray.

The house of Amartya Sen, the famous Indian economist

who showed that famine was not a issue of production but one of distribution.

Baul musician playing at Hat Bazaar

Fern and Deo playing and singing traditional Indian music.

This post is dedicated to Fern for being such a good host, and getting away with it!

I'm still alive blog

2008-05-02T19:54:00.002+05:30

I am safe and sound in my Himalayan Hideaway. I had a wonderful time in Kolkata and Delhi and will hopefully be posting blogs about them shortly.

Out of the Office

2008-04-11T17:13:00.003+05:30

On Monday I'm headed out with the team to Diglipur on North Andaman Island. I will be gone until April 23. We will be meeting with communities, drilling a bore well, digging a ring well and installing a pipe system.

April 25th --- Fly to Kolkata
April 29th ---Train to Delhi
May 2nd --- Train to Mussoorie
May 5th--- Start Hindi Language Lessons

Shout Out to Phoenix and Other Random Pics

2008-04-11T16:47:00.014+05:30

Phoenix Bay
(I told you I would be coming back to Phoenix)

Conducting a pond survey with Anand

Playing with Papa Rao.

Or is it play?:)

नमस्ते, Namaste, Hello.

This post is dedicated to all my friends from Phoenix.

Getting Around

2008-04-11T16:05:00.002+05:30

To get from Port Blair (where I am living) which is on South Andaman Island all the way up to Diglipur on North Andaman Island the preferred method is via bus. But, you may ask, "how does a bus get from island to island." By taking two ferries (the bus comes along for the ride) and a handful of bridges. The major cluster of Islands are not actually far away from each other, maybe a few hundred meters. It is not recommended, or comfortable, to stay on the bus while it's on the ferry do to the heat, and it is nicer to get out and enjoy the ride anyway.

Another complication is that you must join a convoy in two places to get through the Jarawa Reserve. The Jarawa are an Aboriginal people group who's ancestry can be traced to Africa. Although once very aggressive towards anyone passing through their territory the convoy now is more for their protection. Sadly because of the contact with newcomers to the island, and the logging of their forests, their population size has plummeted to dangerously low numbers.

I didn't exactly feel safe on this ferry with 300 some propane tanks onboard...

But at least we had a good captain.

Ferry about to dock at Chatham Jetty.

Even the ferrys have to take a break.

Another method of getting from one island to another
(not recommended for vehicles)

This post is dedicated to Rachel E. who wants to know how to get around on the islands.

The EHA Water Project Staff

2008-03-31T11:29:00.001+05:30

Apam, Justin, Yado, Anand, Suman, Papa Rao, Dan, Esther, Dennyson, Rajesh

Trying to read the newspaper, EHA office.

EHA Staff Singing, EHA office.

Holi - The Festival of Colours

2008-03-25T18:12:00.001+05:30

Holi - The Festival of Colours, was this Saturday. Basically people go about throwing colored powder or paint on each other. It gives this less then mundane little town even more of a festive vibe then it normally has. Anand (a coworker) was going to take me to the beach, where so much color is thrown that it turns the ocean water colors. But he got sick so I had to be content with walking around my neighborhood. I am told that in comparison to North India the Holi celebrations are quite tame.

Feeling a little green?

Neighborhood boys playing Holi.
See the empty bag of green powder and the green hands.
I think we found the culprits.

Happy Holi

Water fight...except with paint! Whats not to love!
The powdered dye come out of clothes and off of skin relatively easily,
but the liquid form is another matter.

This post is dedicated to Sarah T. Ask her how she used to (and maybe still does) describe brilliant colors.

Well Boreing in Badur Tikrey

2008-03-25T10:09:00.001+05:30

Anand and I took the bus all the way to Diglipur, North Andaman, which involves an 11 or so hour bus ride, two ferries and a few convoys through Jarawa reserve (one of the aboriginal people groups on the island). The next morning we got up early to bore a well in Badur Tikrey (one of the villages we work with).

Drilling Rig

Drilling rig up close and personal.

Making the cuts in the PVC pipe to let water in.

PVC pipe meets bore well.

However, around 3:00pm when we had drilled nearly 100ft and still didn't hit water we called it quits.

Out of the Office

2008-03-17T17:02:00.001+05:30

I'm leaving early tomorrow morning (March 18) and don't expect to be back until March 20. We are going to drill a bore well in North Andaman... hopefully.

Work

2008-03-15T23:26:00.000+05:30

I have been seconded to EHA's Andaman Water Project. Right now the project is in its pilot phase. We are working with 10 villages to try and increase the quality, quantity and proximity of clean water. In conjunction with community based groups we are looking at options of rainwater harvesting tanks, bore wells with hand pumps, piped systems, filtration systems and cleaning existing sources, among others.

The rainwater tank system we are using consists of sheets of corrugated iron with a liner to make it water tight. Although we are still working on the design.

Rainwater Harvesting Tank, North Andaman.

We are doing both mechanical drilling and hand drilling of bore wells. In sites that are near a road we can use a drilling rig, but many of the villages con not be reached by road and so the wells need to be bored by hand. A hand pump is then installed to extract the water. We are also testing the water to insure its quality.

One method of testing the water from a hand pump,
Apam, Rajesh and Anand, North Andaman.

Another method of testing the water,
Rajesh, Apam and Anand, North Andaman.

Only a few days after I arrived in Port Blair I was whisked away on a two week trip to North, Middle and South Andaman. The objective of this trip was to have three Stakeholders Meetings and then have a regional seminar in Port Blair to bringing together what we had leaned. The stakeholders included members of the communities, Government officials, Forest Department, Public Works Department, other NGOs and anyone else who had something to say about the water situation. This was a good way for me to not only see much of the island and get to know the team but also get a crash course on what EHA and my work for the next few years will be about.

One of the Stakeholders Meetings, Baratang.

This post is dedicated to my Aunt Bonnie who thinks I am just vacationing and not actually doing any work.

Port Blair

2008-03-12T19:51:00.006+05:30

Port Blair is a very hilly little town and quite busting, but in a laid back island kind of way. Because of all the hills I’m not quite sure, as of yet, how much of the town I’ve actually seen. While zooming around on the back of a motorcycle each summit gifts you with yet another pocket of the city tucked down in a valley. The same goes for the ocean, every time you think you are quiet a ways inland another bend in the road revels a another glimpse of the deep blue, with the obligatory palm trees, and possibly a boat or two.

There must be 50 small shops within a few hundred meters of my room but the contents of each shop varies only slightly from the shop beside it. So if you can’t find what you want, the shop owner always points very confidently across the street and adamantly tells you that they have what you are looking for… even if you just came from that very shop on the suggestion of the previous proprietor.

During the Asian equivalent of the siesta hours all but a very few shops close their garage doors which shut in the open-air dukan. This completely changes the landscape and can be quite disorienting if you have been using the shops as landmarks. However, the evening is a completely different scene when the temperature drops below 90 degrees. Not only do the shops all open but the street venders with there carts equipped with gas, burners, deep fryers, skillets, and all the accoutrements required for making quite an array of fried food.

Then there are always the tea stands which give you a show along with your tea for only 10 cents. The show involves throwing/pouring the tea out of one mug and catching it in another mug before in splashes to the ground. This makes the tea quite frothy and wonderful. The better the tea wala the farther the tea is “pulled.” I would not recommend trying this at home.

On to my living situation:
When I first took up residence on the Andaman islands I was staying in the EHA's (remember that who I am working with) Guest House. It was quite a nice place, very breezy, had a balcony and conveniently the food "mess" that I am a part of was served in the same apartment.

Pretty in pink, EHA Guest house, Port Blair

The balcony of the EHA Guest House, Port Blair.

I then moved to a semi more permanent location...The "Hollyday Inn." However it isn't only the spelling that makes me suspect it isn't part of the chain. But it quite adequate, has a pilar in the center of the room (interesting architectural design, I'm sure placed there for it's aesthetic qualities) and it is right across the street from the office.

My second residence, The Hollyday Inn, Port Blair

b
View out my window, Hollyday Inn, Port Blair.

This posting is dedicated to Joe S. who reads my blog.

First Pics from the Andamans

2008-03-09T20:49:00.004+05:30

Here is what you've all been waiting for... the first pictures from the Andamans. First to make you all jealous I'll give you a picture of and island we traveled to to relax for a bit. Next I have a few pictures of my co-workers so you can get to know them as well. I'll write descriptions and have more pictures soon so just hold your horses.

Sand bar connecting Ross and Smith Islands.

My colleague Apam

My colleague Suman

Anan, Apum and myself showing off our shades.

More pictures of Tamil Nadu

2008-03-09T20:15:00.005+05:30

Julie, MCC India Staff

Place of worship

Children playing in park build by SUCHI, one of MCC's Partners

Composting Toilet, Also built by SUCHI

This post is dedicated to Adrienne and her love for South India.

Pictures from Tamil Nadu, South India

2008-03-07T14:07:00.002+05:30

Temple elephant, Pondicherry

Tamil Nadu

Sarah, MCC Rep

Sarah with SUCHI staff

Trip

2008-02-27T09:52:00.000+05:30

I will be on a field trip to visit the villages we will be working with and won't be back until March 7th or so. We will be traveling to North, Middle and South Andaman and will be having meetings with the stakeholders. This will be a great crash course into the work I'll be doing.

Arrival on the Andaman Islands

2008-02-25T03:39:00.000+05:30

I arrived early this morning on the Andaman Islands. It is wonderful to be here after so much anticipation. Apam, one of the Project Officers for EHA, toured me about Port Blair on a motorcycle. One of the places we stopped was a beautiful sandy beach with cool blue water, backed by palm trees and lush forest. Not a bad spot for the next 3 years.

More pictures around Kolkata

2008-02-20T14:06:00.001+05:30

Lentil vendor, Entally Market

Flower vendor, Entally Market

Vegetable Vendor, Entally Market

Kolkata Traffic, Park Circus

A Few More Days in Kolkata

2008-02-19T18:17:00.009+05:30

India is still wonderful and crazy. Sights, smells and sounds are all very intense. Women of all socio-economic levels can be seen wearing brilliantly colored sarees. Boldly colored buildings, rickshaws, temples and signs contrast against graying colonial architecture. Streets overflowing with buckets of marigolds and garlands of flowers contrast against the hardworking hands of those selling them. The sharp smells of spices, incense and Bengali sweets overpower others that are not as savory. Car horns blare and street hawkers yell above the continual hum of a city of 13 million people.

The MCC India staff are wonderful and have been extremely hospitable. Many are out of the office this week but it has been great to get to know those who are around. Along with getting oriented to MCC India I am also getting oriented to Kolkata. Sarah, Julia and the SALTers, Mary and Liz have been walking the streets of Kolkata with me and showing me around. Among many other things I have seen people worshiping in the Hoogly River, walked in the flower market, visited Mother Teresa's mission, multiple churches and Kali Temple, experienced an interactive Museum, eaten wonderful food and the most informative...walked a lot on the streets.

Entrance to MCC India Office

Courtyard and guest house at the MCC Office

Streets of Kolkata

Streets of Kolkata

Interesting architecture

I will have one more day of orientation here in Kolkata. Then on Thursday Sarah, Julia and I will fly down to Chennai, and then drive to Pondicherry (which are on the east coast of south India). We will be visiting a Partner which is having a celebration on the completion of a tsunami project. I will then fly from there to the Andaman Islands.

Arrival in India

2008-02-16T20:49:00.001+05:30

I am finally here safe and sound in India! I have been waiting so long for this that it seems a bit surreal that I'm actually here. But from my brief introduction it seems even more crazy and more wonderful then I imagined. We'll have to see if that holds up after I've been in the country for more then 2 hours:)

Leaving Tanzania

2008-02-15T23:33:00.001+05:30

My time here in Tanzania is coming to a close. It has been a wonderful time to see my parents, reconnect with childhood friends (who now attend the University of Dar es Salaam), get to know the SST students a little better and enjoy Tanzania before I start my time in India. This rest stop has also allowed me to catch up on some of the time change and adjust to the heat and humidity after coming from a cold Goshen winter.

I leave Tanzania as Presedent Bush arrives with a $300 Million Aid-Package for Tanzania to work at issues of HIV/AIDS and Malaria. While this is an incredible boost to these causes and the infrustucture will barly be able to handle this amound of money, it still pales in comparison to the $30 Billion Millitary Aid-Package that was recently given to Isreal and other similar Military Aid-Packages given to other Middle Eastern countries.
Tanzania is receiving this support in response to it complying with structural adjustment policies including Presedent Kikweti resently accepting the resignation of the Prime Minister and dissolving his cabinet to combat corruption. It will be interesting to see how much of this Aid-Package gets to where it is intended.

Chatting with Emily (an SST student) and Jan (my Mother)

at the University of Dar es Salaam

Reconnecting with Msuke (A childhood friend)

and meeting his friends who attend the University of Dar es Salaam.

I fly out of Dar this afternoon, spend the night in the Dubai airport and arrive in India the next day.

Safe Arrival in Tanzania

2008-02-08T12:47:00.000+05:30

I left Chicago in a snowstorm two days ago (give or take some time zones) and I am now with my parents in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in humid, 82 degrees F weather. Personaly I like the change. The flights went well and I even got to take the tube into London to see Buckingham Palace and walk around a bit during my layover.

Buckingham Palace

With my parents in Dar es Salaam

After having tea and walking around the neighborhood, here in Dar, we went up to the University to meet the SST students for lunch and a lecture. I am now back with my parents catching up, exchanging stories and fighting jet lag with lots of caffine. It's wonderful to be home again and see my parents before setting off on this three year adventure.

Another Drastic Change

2008-02-05T23:38:00.001+05:30

After sitting in the Indian Consulate for 3 hours I got my visa! Not only that, but I now have a plane ticket to leave tomorrow evening (Feb 6th). First I'm traveling to Tanzania for a week where I will get to visit with my parents. Then I fly to India on Feb 15th. It's quite a change from expecting to be in Goshen for the next few weeks to leaving tomorrow. However it's a pleasant and welcomed change.

note: With my layovers in London and Dubai I will be in North America, Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Asia in the next week and a half.

Finished Orientation, Back to Goshen

2008-02-02T00:38:00.000+05:30

नमस्ते
Well, Orientation is over, but I still don't have my visa. So I will be making my way back to Goshen, stopping in Chicago to see if my presence at the Indian Consulate will move the process along. I don't know when my day of departure will be since it depends on factors that are out of my control. However, we are looking at later in February as a possibility.

New MCCers playing Scum after two weeks of Orientation

Those of us going overseas

Orientation Week 2

2008-01-28T00:14:00.000+05:30

The first week of orientation is over with many discussions that included the more logistical ends of working for MCC along with the theology of peacemaking, racism, sexual harassment, etc. All of those serving in the US and Canada are now on their way to their service assignments leaving those of us serving overseas for another week of orientation.

This weekend, for a break from lectures, many of us went on a trip to Washington DC. It is an interesting paradox to be in the epicenter of western society this weekend and then for many of us to be going out into the 3ed world next weekend. It was a good reminder that we truly live in a global society and policies that are made in Washington DC have a huge effect on the places we will be living for the next three years.

The Capital Building in Washington DC

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where
Martin Luther King gave his, "I Have a Dream" speech.

I still do not have my visa, but we are hopeful that by next weekend it will be sent to me and I will be able to fly to India in early February.

MCC Orientation

2008-01-23T23:58:00.000+05:30

I am at MCC orientation in Akron Pennsylvania so this journey must have officially begun. Last Wednesday I drove to Chicago to see if I could move my visa process along by actually going to the Indian Consulate. Although I got to talk to the head Consular and was able to fine out what documentation was still needed we are still waiting for the visa.

After spending a wonderful time with friends in Chicago I flew to Pennsylvania this Monday. I got in very late due to major flight delays. Despite being a little tired from getting in late and waking up early for breakfast I soon started to get to know the other people being oriented, who have turned out to be an amazing group of people. Four hours of playing Rook late into the night might have also helped in the getting to know each other process.

MCC Orientation

Job Description:
As far as I know now I will be working on the Andaman Islands, which are part of India, for the next three years. I will be working with EHA (Emanuel Hospital Association) doing tsunami relief. We will be working to restore clean water to parts of the islands that were affected by the 2004 tsunami.

Map of the Trip West

2007-11-26T11:22:00.000+05:30

View Larger Map

Phoenix and Beyond

2007-11-24T02:56:00.000+05:30

We were warmly welcomed in Phoenix with a grill-out, crepes, a hike, church and lots of good conversation.

After Phoenix we made a quick dash back to Denver via Albuquerque. Rachel stayed in Denver to start her new life while I made the trip back to Goshen alone, staying over night in Kansas city with Christy at the MVS house. In Kansas City we were joined by Kyle and Liz. In the morning I got a tour of Christy's work (a community Garden).

Christy in her natural habitat.

I did make it back to Goshen safe and sound, if not a little tired.

Grand Canyon

2007-11-16T21:50:00.000+05:30

The next stop was the Grand Canyon. We spent one night camping on the south rim and then got back country permits to backpack in the canyon for two nights. We hiked down the Bright Angel Trail and set up camp at Indian Gardens campground. The next day we day-hiked, relaxed, read and were awed by the incredible vistas. After the second night, we faced the 3,000 ft 4.6 mile hike out of the canyon and were very impressed with ourselves.

Triumphant and victorious!

Look, Mom, I can fly!

Petrified Forest National Park

2007-11-12T20:35:00.000+05:30

After Albuquerque Rachel and I headed west stopping at Petrified Forest National Park for a short backpacking trip into the back country for the night.

Albuquerque part two

2007-11-11T21:00:00.000+05:30

The next day we went for another more extended hiking trip, which included a lukewarm springs (which we didn't partake of) and a hot springs (which we most definitively did).

It was a little cold.
A biologist at heart.

Albuquerque

2007-11-11T12:39:00.000+05:30

After bidding farewell to the G-rents (with Glenn still kidnapped) we headed off to Albuquerque. We met Katie at work and then when to a great little place in old town for Navajo Tacos and the like. The next event was a Gaelic Storm concert where we danced the night away.

The next morning we awoke to a breakfast party for one of Katie's housemates. Over pancakes, we met some new friends, caught up with some old friends and made Menno connections like it was our job. After the party a few of us went for a hike in the Sandia mountains. We had lunch along the trail and then sat on the rim admiring the view for quite a while before coming back home to make sushi for dinner.

South Western Colorado

2007-11-08T11:48:00.000+05:30

Rachel and I drove from Denver to the Mesa Verde where we kidnapped Glenn and took him to my G-rents where we were greeted with a many course dinner. The next day Glenn got us "back stage passes" to Mesa Verde where an archaeologist gave us a tour of Spruce Tree House, and we got to go behind the barriers into the ruins.
Rachel, Glenn and I then went to Dove Creek, ate at the Lunchbox, and explored my old home out on Bug Point. After exploring more ruins, bushwhacking, and watching the sun set over the canyon, we returned for another wonderful meal at the G-rents.

Eric's Play (video)

2007-11-07T01:56:00.000+05:30

Denver

2007-11-07T01:21:00.000+05:30

Rachel and I spend a wonderful afternoon with Terry and Bonnie hiking up at their place. We then had dinner with Marcos, Brian, Jess, Anna, Jeff, Dan and Sondra. Later on we got together with Jake, Aaron and Eric for tea, games and a play reading.

Madison

2007-11-07T01:18:00.000+05:30

I had a wonderful evening in Madison with a lovely meal and great company. In the morning Rachel I stuffed the car full and made it the 14 hours to Denver with no major setbacks, great conversation and very few stops.

Chicago

2007-11-03T10:44:00.000+05:30

I made it to Chicago safely. After eating Thai we are settled in for some wii.

Starting the Road Trip

2007-11-03T01:06:00.001+05:30

The car is packed, I'm printing google maps and I'll soon be off to start this adventure. I'll be traveling with Rachel E out to Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

p.s. This is mostly just to see how this blog thing works.