His Majesty the Aga Khan and a bit of Wellesley

The school I teach at is one run by the illusive Aga Khan, he is one sect of Islam's (Ismaili) version of the Pope. It is so paradoxical that this man is not only white but lives in France of all places. It is an unwritten rule in this place that there must be a picture of him in every room of the school...and sure enough, he is always there grinning in clothes that do not suit him. The Muslim section of Bombay is so different than other sections in its appearence. It is far mor run-down, and there are more stray dogs in each block than in the whole town of Boston. The women are dressed in burqa and the men in traditional attire. Although this paints an alarming, hyper-conservative image of the community it is one of the places in Bombay that is just that...a community. The people all seem to know each other and walking through the gates of the school families always chat cheerfully. There is one downside to this scenario, the way they react to me. I accept that I will always be met with blank stares in this country but it is the sexual harassment that I am irritated with. Disgusiting, middle-aged men gazing lustfully after me day-after-day, block-after-block is enough to make me barf and turn to lesbianism.

Anna and I are also living with an Indian roommate, her name is Jayanti. She is 23 and works in a bank in Bombay and is originally from Delhi. She is not married (unusual at her age) and seems desperate for her parents to find her a husband. I cannot imagine what she thinks of me... Just last night she said that women cannot be authoritative because men will not think of them as dainty/fem/beautiful anymore, but as more masculine. She then went on to say, "this is a problem because at the end of the day EVERY woman just wants a man to take care of her." I laughed instinctively, but then realized that she wasn't exactly kidding. I told her that that kind of thinking is what led to this crazy, male-dominated culture in this country. The fact that only masculinity can be associated with authority or intelligence just makes me puke, honeslty!

I haven't seen my lizard in a few days and I hope my landlady didn't hurt him, he is quite cute....

I had a new suit made yesterday and get to pick it up on Wednesday! I am very excited!!!

Monsoon and associated ramblings...

Before coming to Mumbai I was not at all made aware of this terrible part of the year Indian people call "monsoon season." It is this awful form of weather that encompasses every type of rain. In the past week since it reared its ugly head we have seen fat rain, skinny rain, angled rain, and perhaps my favorite, rain that comes and goes in five minute intervals. Usually rain is nothing to write home about, but in India it takes all the dirt/pollution/crap in the air (I assure you it is a lot) and brings it right down to your feet so that you can just soak your feet, clothes, etc. in it. It is also brings out all sorts of wildlife you never knew lived in the city. Last week, I was walking through Mazgaon (where work is) and a giant, rain-fearing rat ran out in front of me. I swear that it was about as big as my Grandmother's dauchsand. Also, I have my shower friend that I see most mornings while I am filling up my bucket. He is a fairly small, neon-orange lizard who I have only been able to capture on film once, we have become quite close since the first morning I saw him run across my legs.

The rain has, however, brought significantly cooler weather. If it is not raining it feels amazing to go outside. My favorite thing about this city is definitely the ocean. The ocean is always comforting to see and why I prefer Bombay to Delhi. I also love wearing salwar and kurta, Indian people definitely got office attire right. Wearing these "suits" is like going to work in a brightly colored sweatsuit, except it is abotu 1/8th of the thickness.

My Hindi is getting a lot better and quite handy for everyone that doesn't speak English...so, err everyone basically. Anna (my roommate/work partner/sidekick) and I have been taking the bus to work everyday and are yet to get lost in this city. We are really feeling like locals (although we will never look like them :(... Whoever said women have no sense of direction clearly never saw us in action!

Welcome to the Adventure!

Hey Everyone,

I am fighting my urge to go through another trip without documentation by making this blog. I am spending my whole summer in inner-city Mumbai (Bombay), India. I share a bedroom with two other people, do my laundry in buckets, and shower in that same bucket (we are quite good friends). I have been here for about two weeks and am working at a Muslim school in one of the most conservative places in Bombay and loving every minute of it. My internet situation is not totally reliable, but I am going to do my best to give current updates!

You WILL be hearing from me!