Hello again. This video introduces the Garbada Community Facility Center and my excitement while working on the Sahaj Fair Trade Yoga line. This is the very beginning of product development- more photos to come. Working directly with the artisans and being in the scenic Indian countryside is an amazing feeling. Communicating across language barriers is sometimes tricky for getting the products specs right, but I am finding that once you come across as an enthusiastic person who appreciates the work they are doing, everything gets easier from there.
Your CV,
Lauren
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Stitches!
So last night I went to the hospital for the second time while I've been here in India. This time I got stitches from a little accident on my commute home from work. I'm fine, and in this video I recount the events. It is obvious the adrenaline of the situation is still running through me! Haha
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Indian Lingo
Wow, where to begin? It's been awhile since I've last written and so much has happened. From going to the hospital because of food contamination to visiting my friend Dharmishta's house and village to learning how to roll a round chipatti at my co-worker's Shilpa's house, I've done so much and had a lot to think about. So much so, that I couldn't bring myself to finalize any thoughts and document them in the blog.
One thing I can note is a couple of phrases that Indians use in English that I find very interesting.
1. Expire- no, when they talk about expiration they aren't talking about cheese or other food products, they are talking about people. For instance, "dada has been expired for seven years now." When I heard that, I was definitely taken aback.
2. The "S" Word- used by small children and adults alike, the "s" word is used very casually in conversation. Because I consider it profanity, I'm always surprised when the five year old next to me says it while we are playing a board game. They use it like I would use "shucks, darn, rats, or shoot".
3. Britishers- when refering to the people that occupied and ruled their land, they call them Britishers, not the British, as I know them to be. Very interesting.
Ok, this is just the beginning of the list. More will come in the future.
One thing I can note is a couple of phrases that Indians use in English that I find very interesting.
1. Expire- no, when they talk about expiration they aren't talking about cheese or other food products, they are talking about people. For instance, "dada has been expired for seven years now." When I heard that, I was definitely taken aback.
2. The "S" Word- used by small children and adults alike, the "s" word is used very casually in conversation. Because I consider it profanity, I'm always surprised when the five year old next to me says it while we are playing a board game. They use it like I would use "shucks, darn, rats, or shoot".
3. Britishers- when refering to the people that occupied and ruled their land, they call them Britishers, not the British, as I know them to be. Very interesting.
Ok, this is just the beginning of the list. More will come in the future.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Mouse Attack!
So ever since I was little, I had a fear of mice. I always thought it was a pretty irrational fear until today, when I was attacked by a mouse! The little guy ran up on me when I was very unassumingly doing my work. It clawed its little feet in me and pressed its nasty fur against my skin. Not ok! My body had an instinctive reaction that has caused much laughter here in the office; I squealed, my foot started shaking uncontrollably, and then when I finally got it off my body decided it best to let tears flow...hmm. Well, I'm a little shaken, but ok. I'm trying to keep my mind of it, because otherwise the sensation of him being on my foot keeps coming back. From here on out, my feet are staying elevated onto the table legs. Why do Indians have to have it customary that you don't wear shoes indoors????
-Your CV (aka resident afraidy cat)
Lauren
-Your CV (aka resident afraidy cat)
Lauren
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Milking of the Cow!
Wow. What to say about this one? My technique is horrible- feel free to comment. Regardless, it was a great time, and something I will always remember. Thanks to all the kids from Navram Society for a great Sunday, and teaching me how to play sattodiya and cricket! It was a great weekend, and reminded me a lot of the block games we used to play as "The Noyes Street Kids!" Small world.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Indians are Locavores
I am a big proponent for organic food. It's the best way to do good to our planet and health. That being said, I'm MORE of a proponent of locally sourced food. Having a relationship between farmer and eater is one of the most powerful relationships mankind can have, and it is important to retain those relationships where it exists, and form them where they do not.
In my time here in the little city of Dahod, an old-fashioned town that has many villages (which are filled with farmers) surrounding it, I have found that the Indians here don't realize how good they have it. Every morning, they go out and buy the vegetables, fruits, and grain that they need to use for the day, and they go back and prepare the food from scratch. They only buy what they need, and their food is without a doubt fresh- picked within 24 hours. The transportation of the food is within 25 miles, and may have been done by ox and wagon. The farmer sells directly to the eater, and everyone in Dahod is aware of the environmental effects of development because they see it in their food. Whether or not they link it to the ever-so desirable western lifestyle they are picking up is another question.
When I talk about the way food is treated in America, it is impossible to feel proud about it. No biodiversity, crazy portion sizes, lack of community in eating, processed production, grown in a different hemisphere, marketed to my mind not my body...the list goes on. Some times simpler is better, and this is a perfect example.
The one complaints my co-workers have of their food is that it is increasingly grown with chemical fertilizers, which they know is bad. The pressures of higher yields have seeped into this water deprived region, and without education on the dangers, will likely escalate. What they fail to realize, probably because they take it for granted, is that keeping the farmers within proximity is more important. Once they move to the cities the fresh food and culture will be lost.
This comes back to why the work at SAHAJ is so important. It finds a way for the traditions of the past to be bridge with market opportunities and to have value in the world. For now, local food is here to stay in Dahod, and when I visit in 50 years, I really hope it's the same story.
-Your CV
Lauren
In my time here in the little city of Dahod, an old-fashioned town that has many villages (which are filled with farmers) surrounding it, I have found that the Indians here don't realize how good they have it. Every morning, they go out and buy the vegetables, fruits, and grain that they need to use for the day, and they go back and prepare the food from scratch. They only buy what they need, and their food is without a doubt fresh- picked within 24 hours. The transportation of the food is within 25 miles, and may have been done by ox and wagon. The farmer sells directly to the eater, and everyone in Dahod is aware of the environmental effects of development because they see it in their food. Whether or not they link it to the ever-so desirable western lifestyle they are picking up is another question.
When I talk about the way food is treated in America, it is impossible to feel proud about it. No biodiversity, crazy portion sizes, lack of community in eating, processed production, grown in a different hemisphere, marketed to my mind not my body...the list goes on. Some times simpler is better, and this is a perfect example.
The one complaints my co-workers have of their food is that it is increasingly grown with chemical fertilizers, which they know is bad. The pressures of higher yields have seeped into this water deprived region, and without education on the dangers, will likely escalate. What they fail to realize, probably because they take it for granted, is that keeping the farmers within proximity is more important. Once they move to the cities the fresh food and culture will be lost.
This comes back to why the work at SAHAJ is so important. It finds a way for the traditions of the past to be bridge with market opportunities and to have value in the world. For now, local food is here to stay in Dahod, and when I visit in 50 years, I really hope it's the same story.
-Your CV
Lauren
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