(no subject)
Hey everyone!!!
Aw how I miss you all. Anyways India is going well, apart from the earthquake which I was no where near. In fact it occured mostly in Pakistan. It is a tragedy though especially because there is fear that there will be an increase in the number of earthquakes the next couple of years at the Indian and Asian plates are moving. This weekend we went for a home visit, not my favorite part of the program and I stayed with a young couple and their baby girl. She was named Emma and I couldn't help thinking "is that because of friends?" even though I doubt thtat's the answer. Anyway there were some good times and some awkward times but all in all it was fine. Now I am off for a week to a small city called Kollar to work with an NGO that handles women abuse issues. It really should be a big issue here because abuse against women happens everyday and things like marital rape aren't illegal. Domestic abuse is illegal but the police just sit the couple down together, if the woman complains, gives them "counselling" and sends them off home together. I still can't believe that is what happens :(. If nothing else this week will be very mind-opening I'm sure to hear stories and perceptions that women have. This past week we talked about globalization and it was scary. Thinking about Multinational corporations starting to run the world and the policies of the world. Somehow money profiteers don't seem like the best canidates for deciding our social programs even if they are doing it indirectly. By the way if you are interested in poverty in America, which you probably should be because it is there in a big way, read Nickle and Dimed. It's a real quick read and is very interesting, showing how hard or impossible it is to make a living on minimum wage. Even up to $10-12 an hour. The other book I just finished reading was A Fine Balance and it was one of the most amazing books of my life. It takes place in India and while not all of it may be accurate there is a lot of historical facts in it and there are people here like all of the characters. IF you are looking for a good book this is definitely a good choice. Anyways now off to go pack. Later all :)
Aw how I miss you all. Anyways India is going well, apart from the earthquake which I was no where near. In fact it occured mostly in Pakistan. It is a tragedy though especially because there is fear that there will be an increase in the number of earthquakes the next couple of years at the Indian and Asian plates are moving. This weekend we went for a home visit, not my favorite part of the program and I stayed with a young couple and their baby girl. She was named Emma and I couldn't help thinking "is that because of friends?" even though I doubt thtat's the answer. Anyway there were some good times and some awkward times but all in all it was fine. Now I am off for a week to a small city called Kollar to work with an NGO that handles women abuse issues. It really should be a big issue here because abuse against women happens everyday and things like marital rape aren't illegal. Domestic abuse is illegal but the police just sit the couple down together, if the woman complains, gives them "counselling" and sends them off home together. I still can't believe that is what happens :(. If nothing else this week will be very mind-opening I'm sure to hear stories and perceptions that women have. This past week we talked about globalization and it was scary. Thinking about Multinational corporations starting to run the world and the policies of the world. Somehow money profiteers don't seem like the best canidates for deciding our social programs even if they are doing it indirectly. By the way if you are interested in poverty in America, which you probably should be because it is there in a big way, read Nickle and Dimed. It's a real quick read and is very interesting, showing how hard or impossible it is to make a living on minimum wage. Even up to $10-12 an hour. The other book I just finished reading was A Fine Balance and it was one of the most amazing books of my life. It takes place in India and while not all of it may be accurate there is a lot of historical facts in it and there are people here like all of the characters. IF you are looking for a good book this is definitely a good choice. Anyways now off to go pack. Later all :)