So, I've finally found a place to live and I'm all moved in. I've forgotten about all the little things you need when you move into a place. And here, in B'lore, no place has a stove and fridge. So, those are a couple of things I'm going to need. Pretty annoying. I'm not going to lie, if I knew I'd have to do all this and how much of a hassle this all was (and the fact my company didn't help me find a place to live), I wouldn't have done this. I was so comfortable in the U.S. and things were so easy. I feel that I'm just throwing money away on stuff I can't take back with me. I will be renting a fridge. It sucks so bad. It's kind of pricey, but it's cheaper than buying one. And I won't have to deal with selling it when I leave.
So I'm living in a area called Frazetown. It's a neat area. Lots of places to eat, a pizza hut only a 5 mins walk away, awesome bakeries all over, and only a 15 min bus ride to work. So easy! I'll take some pics when I get a chance so you can have a better idea of the place.
That's it for now.....
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
HOME!!!
SO, I went home last weekend for about 5 days. Well it turned out to be more like 4 1/2 because of the bus ride. Which should have taken 7 hours (an overnight trip) took us 13! It was horrible. I woke up at 3am and noticed we were stopped; we stayed like that until about 7am. We'd move an inch here and there, but that's about it. So I got to see my mom's side of the family and it was amazing. I ate so much delicious food, my tummy was so happy. They kept feeding me and feeding me, i had to take a breather one night. My uncle asked me I wasn't eating anymore. I told him that my belly couldn't fit anymore in it.
But it was a wonderful trip. I stayed with my mom's younger sister who has a daughter (who rocks). She's 19 and totally awesome. She wants to get into cinematography and is interning at a radio station. She has some role there and has spoken on the radio several times. She's so cute! Then 2 of my other cousins stayed over, brought their kids and my oldest aunt came. It was a nice little family reunion. The only thing is they kept making fun of my hairstyle. Since its angled and cut funny, they kept making comments. When one asked me if I had gotten it cut in India, I said NO WAY. I ain't trying to have your style. That got 'em good :) I love 'em though.
Couple of funny stories:
1.) n my way to the bus stop in Bangalore the night I left, I saw a store called "Kentacky Chicken" which served chicken and dosas. sound familiar?
2.) While at the bus stop, in Bangalore, I saw an auto rickshaw driver cleaning his rickshaw with a Detroit Lions coat on. I was close to running up to him, throwing dirt in his face, and running away screaming "GO BEARS!" I decided against it, since I really had no where to run.
3.) I saw a Tamil movie with my family. It's called Polladhavan and it was HORRIBLE. I don't know why I watch Tamil movies, the plots usually suck. Anyways, here's a song from the movie...enjoy
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4fxFrIvQp-A&feature=related
But it was a wonderful trip. I stayed with my mom's younger sister who has a daughter (who rocks). She's 19 and totally awesome. She wants to get into cinematography and is interning at a radio station. She has some role there and has spoken on the radio several times. She's so cute! Then 2 of my other cousins stayed over, brought their kids and my oldest aunt came. It was a nice little family reunion. The only thing is they kept making fun of my hairstyle. Since its angled and cut funny, they kept making comments. When one asked me if I had gotten it cut in India, I said NO WAY. I ain't trying to have your style. That got 'em good :) I love 'em though.
Couple of funny stories:
1.) n my way to the bus stop in Bangalore the night I left, I saw a store called "Kentacky Chicken" which served chicken and dosas. sound familiar?
2.) While at the bus stop, in Bangalore, I saw an auto rickshaw driver cleaning his rickshaw with a Detroit Lions coat on. I was close to running up to him, throwing dirt in his face, and running away screaming "GO BEARS!" I decided against it, since I really had no where to run.
3.) I saw a Tamil movie with my family. It's called Polladhavan and it was HORRIBLE. I don't know why I watch Tamil movies, the plots usually suck. Anyways, here's a song from the movie...enjoy
http://youtube.com/watch?v
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Settled? Not yet :(
Yay! I'm going home this weekend, to Coimbatore. This is the city my mom is from in Tamil Nadu. Ahhh, home cooked food, being papered, taken care of, feed, lots. I can't wait. I was able to get a couple of days off and then we have Xmas and Bakrid off, so yay India.
Went to check out a place to live today....totally sucked. I didn't like it at all. I know the standards will not be similar as in the U.S., but I'll be living here, in a massive city, for 8-9 months, i'm gonna need something decent. I'm checking out a place tomorrow as well, of which a broker helped me find. Brokers here in invaluable, they know everything and everyplace available. SO this may be my best bet and I'll only have to pay him the amount of rent I pay. Wish me luck.
Fun story, ok, at least for me it is. I came to an internet cafe this evening, and I had to wait a bit for an available computer. This older man, maybe in his 40's, kept staring at me, and I could just feel him staring. I started to get annoyed, so I stared back. And he kept looking for a few seconds and then finally turned away. SO I turned away. Well, jerk proceeds to stare AGAIN. SOOOO, I whipped my head around and stare forcefully back at him, giving him the "Suja" glare. It's not a very nice glare, let me tell you. He immediately looked away. From then on, I turned my body to face him and make him feel uncomfortable. Mission Accomplished. I like having staring contests with people here. Indians love to stare, especially when you look "different." I'll make sure to master this art and bring it back to the states, along with the "Suja" glare.
Went to check out a place to live today....totally sucked. I didn't like it at all. I know the standards will not be similar as in the U.S., but I'll be living here, in a massive city, for 8-9 months, i'm gonna need something decent. I'm checking out a place tomorrow as well, of which a broker helped me find. Brokers here in invaluable, they know everything and everyplace available. SO this may be my best bet and I'll only have to pay him the amount of rent I pay. Wish me luck.
Fun story, ok, at least for me it is. I came to an internet cafe this evening, and I had to wait a bit for an available computer. This older man, maybe in his 40's, kept staring at me, and I could just feel him staring. I started to get annoyed, so I stared back. And he kept looking for a few seconds and then finally turned away. SO I turned away. Well, jerk proceeds to stare AGAIN. SOOOO, I whipped my head around and stare forcefully back at him, giving him the "Suja" glare. It's not a very nice glare, let me tell you. He immediately looked away. From then on, I turned my body to face him and make him feel uncomfortable. Mission Accomplished. I like having staring contests with people here. Indians love to stare, especially when you look "different." I'll make sure to master this art and bring it back to the states, along with the "Suja" glare.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
My First Entry
Sorry I haven't written much. I haven't had much time on the net. The internet here is pretty horrible in the cafes and the keyboards are worse. They're sticky and gross. Oh India.
Anyways, I've been here for about 10 days and am starting to feel more comfortable with my surroundings. I also have coworkers who have been extremely helpful, so if I'm lost or confused, if I call one ask for help and I'm set. English is spoken by many people here and knowing Tamil helps as well. Most people know Tamil, English and Kannada (which i know none). Hopefully I'll pick up on some Kannada. I've noticed that if I speak Tamil and the other person only knows Kannada, we've managed to work around it. The words, in both languages, are fairly similar so I can understand general idea of a sentence or conversation. My brain is getting pretty saturated with information though, from thew languages, to my job and the area, I've just been trying to sink it all in. Some of it is sticking though...YAY!
So, I'm working for the Samata Health Study. It's an NIH funded study, and was a part of UCSF, but now if transferring to RTI. It's pretty amazing. In the last two years, they have done research to understand relationships between married couples in 2 slum areas here in Bangalore. The focus has been on women aged 15-26, married. They've interviewed about 750 women, total, and have found that 50% have experienced physical violence in their relationship. It's depressing and disgusting to know that women are suffering from this.
Now that we've got the data, we are working on a dissemination plan. This is where I come in. We want to include the community in the dissemination and we're trying to figure out the best way possible. This information is extremely sensitive and we don't want to offend any of our participants. It looks as if we'll be presenting the data to the participants/those in the community, though more action based. The women will be involved in the dissemination process. Basically, we'll present the information, explain to them what we think of it and then ask this what they think. It's such a great idea, giving back to the community in which you studied. Unfortunately, we're not finding many studies that have done this. The community has been included in the research gathering, but not the dissemination. This should be interesting and I'm excited to to be a part of it.
Other than work, I've been moving around the city. I finally ventured off on my own and I'm getting to understand the mess of this place. Unfortunately, during traffic hours, it can take 1 hour to travel 6 miles. Gross, huh? So I try and stay in during those times.
Currently, where I'm living is pretty far from the central city. It's annoying to get to the downtown area, but I've done it a couple of times. There is not much going around in my neighborhood, actually it's pretty damn boring, but it's shelter so I can't complain too much. Hopefully in the next week or so, I'll have a home. I can't wait. I still feel pretty unsettled, but better that a week ago. Man, when I first arrived, I for sure though I'm not going to make it through this period. From the pollution, to the crazy drivers, to being homesick, to the pollution...did i mention the crazy drivers? it's such an adjustment. I miss the smooth roads of the U.S., the clean water from the tap in Chicago, the fresh air.....the air here is about 100times worse than L.A. It's funny, the other day I saw, at the gas station, a emission testing site. Ha! I wonder how people pass? The black crap coming out of the exhaust can't be good. But bribery here, in India, can get you ANYthing.
I've also noticed the lack of work ethics for some. The taxi drivers are idiots and since there is such a huge market for them, they take complete advantage of you. It's frustrating to see people so damn lazy..though most Indians are not.
The men here are disgusting. Stare at women, make you feel completely uncomfortable..it sucks. I"m not comfortable ye to stare back at them or say anything, since I don't know how they'll react. Once I get this city some more, 'm sure I'll say something. I think it's completely disgusting and unfair that we (as women) have to deal with this crap. I'll need to do something about this problem. Don't worry, in time I will. I'll be talking back and yelling, I'm sure of it. I know by the time I get back to the U.S., I'll have a greater hatred for men. Sad, huh?
Now, the good things....Indians are amazing. There are so many people that I've met that are so concerned for me. One of my friends, who I just met 10 days ago, has taken me shopping for food, for shoes, had me over for dinner, I mean, INCREDIBLE. You only get this hospitality here in India. Another friend, who is a sister of my parents close friend, has made me feel at home. I went there for lunch and they said to come 'home' every Sunday. So freaking sweet. It's nice to have a few people, already, that I can count on. Feels really good.
Also, my family is an overnight train or bus ride away, so if I need to go home, i can and be taken care of. My aunt has told me time and time again that she will come and stay with me to help me settle. I love my family. I should be getting a few days off soon, so I'm going to see if I can head home.
That's it for now....I'll try and write soon. Once I settle into a home and have internet, I'll start taking some photos of my surrounds.
Anyways, I've been here for about 10 days and am starting to feel more comfortable with my surroundings. I also have coworkers who have been extremely helpful, so if I'm lost or confused, if I call one ask for help and I'm set. English is spoken by many people here and knowing Tamil helps as well. Most people know Tamil, English and Kannada (which i know none). Hopefully I'll pick up on some Kannada. I've noticed that if I speak Tamil and the other person only knows Kannada, we've managed to work around it. The words, in both languages, are fairly similar so I can understand general idea of a sentence or conversation. My brain is getting pretty saturated with information though, from thew languages, to my job and the area, I've just been trying to sink it all in. Some of it is sticking though...YAY!
So, I'm working for the Samata Health Study. It's an NIH funded study, and was a part of UCSF, but now if transferring to RTI. It's pretty amazing. In the last two years, they have done research to understand relationships between married couples in 2 slum areas here in Bangalore. The focus has been on women aged 15-26, married. They've interviewed about 750 women, total, and have found that 50% have experienced physical violence in their relationship. It's depressing and disgusting to know that women are suffering from this.
Now that we've got the data, we are working on a dissemination plan. This is where I come in. We want to include the community in the dissemination and we're trying to figure out the best way possible. This information is extremely sensitive and we don't want to offend any of our participants. It looks as if we'll be presenting the data to the participants/those in the community, though more action based. The women will be involved in the dissemination process. Basically, we'll present the information, explain to them what we think of it and then ask this what they think. It's such a great idea, giving back to the community in which you studied. Unfortunately, we're not finding many studies that have done this. The community has been included in the research gathering, but not the dissemination. This should be interesting and I'm excited to to be a part of it.
Other than work, I've been moving around the city. I finally ventured off on my own and I'm getting to understand the mess of this place. Unfortunately, during traffic hours, it can take 1 hour to travel 6 miles. Gross, huh? So I try and stay in during those times.
Currently, where I'm living is pretty far from the central city. It's annoying to get to the downtown area, but I've done it a couple of times. There is not much going around in my neighborhood, actually it's pretty damn boring, but it's shelter so I can't complain too much. Hopefully in the next week or so, I'll have a home. I can't wait. I still feel pretty unsettled, but better that a week ago. Man, when I first arrived, I for sure though I'm not going to make it through this period. From the pollution, to the crazy drivers, to being homesick, to the pollution...did i mention the crazy drivers? it's such an adjustment. I miss the smooth roads of the U.S., the clean water from the tap in Chicago, the fresh air.....the air here is about 100times worse than L.A. It's funny, the other day I saw, at the gas station, a emission testing site. Ha! I wonder how people pass? The black crap coming out of the exhaust can't be good. But bribery here, in India, can get you ANYthing.
I've also noticed the lack of work ethics for some. The taxi drivers are idiots and since there is such a huge market for them, they take complete advantage of you. It's frustrating to see people so damn lazy..though most Indians are not.
The men here are disgusting. Stare at women, make you feel completely uncomfortable..it sucks. I"m not comfortable ye to stare back at them or say anything, since I don't know how they'll react. Once I get this city some more, 'm sure I'll say something. I think it's completely disgusting and unfair that we (as women) have to deal with this crap. I'll need to do something about this problem. Don't worry, in time I will. I'll be talking back and yelling, I'm sure of it. I know by the time I get back to the U.S., I'll have a greater hatred for men. Sad, huh?
Now, the good things....Indians are amazing. There are so many people that I've met that are so concerned for me. One of my friends, who I just met 10 days ago, has taken me shopping for food, for shoes, had me over for dinner, I mean, INCREDIBLE. You only get this hospitality here in India. Another friend, who is a sister of my parents close friend, has made me feel at home. I went there for lunch and they said to come 'home' every Sunday. So freaking sweet. It's nice to have a few people, already, that I can count on. Feels really good.
Also, my family is an overnight train or bus ride away, so if I need to go home, i can and be taken care of. My aunt has told me time and time again that she will come and stay with me to help me settle. I love my family. I should be getting a few days off soon, so I'm going to see if I can head home.
That's it for now....I'll try and write soon. Once I settle into a home and have internet, I'll start taking some photos of my surrounds.
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