sunburned cheeks (finally!).

A post I wrote a few days back:

This morning I woke up to nudges from my boss asking me to take a shower. I have been resisting since I have no towel and have not yet made friends with the bucket, but her insistance forced me into the "bathroom" for a brisk and brief rinse off.  I was still full from the bottle of beer I drank last night (thats right- one beer) so I traded breakfast for gmail and anxiously awaited Akshay's arrival. 

When the team was together, we made our way back to the old city. I was there yesterday playing tourist but today I darted past the other foreigners and made my way to the neighborhoods (slums) where our Jaipur team lives.  The crew is currently shooting a film that addresses the need for water reform in the slum areas, so I tagged along to help with the filming process. As soon as the camera was assembled, the tiny street filled with curious onlookers- men, women, children, cows, goats, pigs, and piglets!   Their neighbors are curious, intriqued, and suspicious but generally support the team's desire to expose the problems of the community. 

Before each segment was filmed the team tapped their hearts and repeated, "all is well" which is a popular saying  from a recent Bollywood release, 3 Idiots.  For your viewing pleasure, the music video:

booze

I just drank 2 tall Kingfishers with a friend over a fine meal of garlic, cheese nan. The beer alone was a bit over 10 dollars.  Thats just not affordable when you arent getting a salary!

wide awake and filming

I boarded the Ashram Express at 5:45 pm on Sunday evening and plopped by the window to catch glimpses of the Indian countryside. Peacocks, chai stands, samosa walas, moss filled rivers, cow herds, abandoned lots, and the cricket games which fill them, passed me by. These sights have become the landscape of my life, and even though they are still awe inspiring, I am no longer surprised by them.

(<-- a friend I made on the train!)

I found it hard to fall asleep not because the scent of reheated Indian food soaked into my pillow, it wasnt even the snoring men inches away from my bunk, nor was it the light directly above my eyes. The fear of missing my stop at 4 am kept me flipping between podcasts of This American Life and The Moth Story Hour until we halted to a stop in Jaipur. Our trainer working with the evolving CVU swooped me up and left me at the Pravah Jaipur Initiative office for a nap. I curled up on the cold floor of a pitch black room and began to count sheep, but 9:30 came too quick and the buzz of the office forced me back on my feet.

Finally, after nearly four months of being glued to a desk and chair, I am in Jaipur and have joined our emerging community video unit for a week of training. The 8 community producers have completed their first magazine (film) and now have to endure the feedback of a professional film maker.  Their break from criticism is me :)

I have constructed a long list of big questions (ex: what are your dreams) and asked them to jot down answers.  I need to encourage the Community Producers to talk about themselves without giving me the bare basics of a matrimonial ad (caste, skin color, religion, age, occupation).  My work plan demands a bound book of community producer stories and since my Hindi (or any Indian dialect for that matter) is extremely bare I have to get creative!  They have written down their answers in Hindi, which I will translate and piece into a story once i am back in the office.  Additonally, I am scheduling times for them to turn the camera on one another in hopes of hearing more.  This footage is coming back to Ahmedabad for editing (and for subtitling!). Hopefully you will see it some day.

Off to shoot some interviews, hopefully there will be footage worth sharing.

Vote Report India

so many wonderful things going on!

Vote Report India

oh Dubai...

Since the Tallest Building In The World (Aka the Burj) is not open to visitors (Here is the proof), I thought an aerial shot of Dubai was good enough! After a long  15 hour flight from NY to Dubai and a 3 hour layover I was finally on my way back to Ahmedabad! 

Now lets discuss.  The article i posted above had the following quote from a Solvenian writer who is arranging a trip to Dubai and was heartbroken to hear the Burj was closed because..."It was the one thing I really wanted to see," he said. "The tower was projected as a metaphor for Dubai. So the metaphor should work. There are no excuses."

1. the ONE thing you REALLY wanted to see!?! are you kidding me? have you heard of all the cranes creating attractions for rich people? (ex: man made island)

2. So the metaphor should work? It does!

Having said that, I will admit I wouldnt mind spending a day or two there