May 2013
1 post
April 2013
3 posts
Photo update - part 3
This should be the last post for today. But I will try to update more as I travel for another month and a half. I’ll be leaving for Mumbai this Friday!
More Kerala pics! These birds were huuuuungry. They risked drowning to keep pulling fish guts out of the water. It’s a pretty place, but fish gut fighting was unavoidable.
For the fishermen (and fishing goddess = Hayley) of my...
Photo update - part 2
More pics!
Part of the Daulatabad Fort complex. Incredible design - secret passageways (that are full of bats now!), moats, and complex winding staircases.
That’s my friend Nay! He’s standing in front of the minar for the complex. Note the hills behind Nay - the fort keeps climbing up so that sentries could look down on those hills with an unobstructed view.
My students...
Photo update...
Hey team! I need to apologize for falling behind in my duty to update this blog with interesting pictures of my adventures in India.
Sometimes I forget that the streets of Hyderabad and backwaters of Kerala are a bit more exotic than the alleys of Lincoln (Sorry, Mayor Snyder!) and Kickapoo Creek. Please accept the delay and my offer to meet you for coffee or cheesecake.
Below is a picture...
March 2013
4 posts
"Disrupt" the "Scalability" of "Innovation" in...
(Side note - the phrases listed above drive me a little nuts) This is the last of the blogs from Khemka Forum. Browse the previous posts for a link to the entire report. Silliness will resume tomorrow…
In the social enterprise culture of buzzwords like “scalability” and “innovation” and “sustainability” one phrase is finally being picked apart – “impact investing.”
“In India most...
Some tips from lawyers before you have to call in...
(This is the second of my blog posts from the Khemka Forum on Social Enterprise. You can find the full report here.)
Why would a start-up work with their board of directors? A group of old guys with some money and more opinions is not nearly as sexy and cool as software development, business expansion, or social media marketing. The stereotypes of the board of directors fall into two groups – 1....
Improving Ag Inputs -> Dinner for over 1 Billion?
(As a break from my goofy posts, I am sharing a few blog entries I wrote for a social enterprise forum in November. You can see the full Khemka Forum report which includes the work of other IDEX bloggers here)
For millions of farmers throughout India, agricultural inputs are an essential part of their day-to-day existence. But what happens when these expensive inputs – from seeds to fertilizers to...
February 2013
1 post
January 2013
1 post
Let's see how far we've come...
This short series of videos are my attempt at GIFs given limited technical resources (and even more limited amounts of patience).
1. I had this reaction when I first arrived in India and was wedged onto a bus of 70 sweaty bodies. Many of these bodies belonged to potbellied ladies with very limited spacial awareness (aka elbows to the neck and kidneys).
Now when I get on the bus…
Ok,...
December 2012
7 posts
Watchreblogged from my pal Jin at edubhangra.
She says (and I agree):
from krakatoa. hilariously accurate down to the ganesh stickers on the meter.
Rubies and gold and spices...
…are why the British claimed India for a while and stole its riches (at least that’s how I explained it to a teacherless VII Class that I visited). I know salt and mercantilism and whatever, but rubies and gold sounded more exciting!
India’s independence didn’t end the continued “borrowing” of India’s wealth by the West. Indian fabrics, jewelry, and...
Signing Science →
This is awesome! I’ve noticed differences in sign languages around the world, but certain technical words (internet, megabytes, inertia, etc.) have been adopted worldwide. Perhaps science terms will connect us to a universal language which is constantly changing and expanding. Enjoy!
Interpreter Lydia Callis explains how sign language is being developed in ways that may enhance scientific...
Crowdmapping for an Improved Chennai →
This is an excellent example of combining data collection with storytelling. Often the people behind the numbers get lost (or in the worst cases aggregated into groups with “meaning), and have little input on the final project. Excited to see where this work will lead for city - especially those in India!
Home of the Free...and Emotionless?
At a training today for women’s health and hygiene, I was reminded of one of the interesting American stereotypes that continues to shock me - emotional emptiness. I had joined volunteers and workers from wonderful organizations like VOICE, YouSee, Nirmaan and Sakala, then decided to stay behind to chat with these new acquaintances. When I mentioned that I needed to get back to my apartment...
November 2012
4 posts
Final Trip Update.
I think this is the end of the trip updates, but hopefully there will be more random adventures to add to this slightly disheveled blog.
Photo I forgot to add to the last update: The Water Palace in Jaipur (you can see, but can’t touch)
Ok…on to Jodhpur - the Blue City!! Jodhpur is an incredible maze of narrow streets, blue buildings, and cute little spice shops…fun times.
...
The Great North Trip - Part 2
I think it’s about time for another update on the trip north.
In my last post, I covered most of Delhi and mentioned Agra (aka home of the Taj Mahal). Agra is a great place to delve into the not-so-distant history of ruling royalty in India’s northern provinces. If you want to rule you need forts, impressive monuments, and lots of stuff named after you.
Agra Fort
That white...
October 2012
5 posts
The Great Trip North!
Recently returned from a trip to Delhi, Agra (the city surrounding the Taj Mahal), Jaipur, and Jodhpur. As with most travel experiences it was amazing and enlightening! Living in Hyderabad affords me two (maybe three?) historical sites to give me a sense of how this city rose out of the Deccan Plateau. But in the north…
Delhi
Very cool city. Super sprawled, but the wonderful metro line...
"In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my...
This last line from the Indian national pledge always strikes me as bizarre. India is one of the most diverse and segmented countries in the world. Caste, gender, mother tongue, economic class, education level, and occupation all come together to form the identity of the average Indian. I get upset filling out forms that ask for my age - Indians frequently fill out forms with their caste AND...
September 2012
3 posts
Life and Death in Hyderabad
A couple days ago, I accidentally walked into a memorial lunch. My school owner’s father died on September 25 in 1997, and his death is marked each year by a meal in his honor. A plate is offered to his memory, and the family (which due to my undocumented adoption, includes me) eats a variety of special foods. Chapathi, aloo curry, veg curry, seviyan kheer, wada-esque pastry, and milk cake...
All eyes on...
As my blog title suggests, I’m used to standing out in a crowd. In Argentina my lack of style and boyishly short hair separated me from the habitually glamorous porteños. Residents in Koidu, Sierra Leone greeted our primarily female work group with “White man! White man!” Even as an oblivious high school student, I was aware of my short-lived minority status during a couple short visits to the...
August 2012
1 post
Little Talk
I’ve neglected this blog for a week or so but I have a good reason! I am in the process of ramping up my work at the APS (Affordable Private School) where I will be looking at everything from overdue fees to playground equipment in an attempt to improve the education system sustainably. As an IDEX Fellow, I am not expected to be an education expert, but rather a business-minded individual...
July 2012
6 posts
Running in Style
Yesterday, I went on my first run in Secunderabad. Recreational running in the States entails the requisite iPod, flashy running clothes, and an experience-appropriate pair of running shoes. I’ve traded the running tank tops and shorts for long leggings, baggy shorts and a big t-shirt. No iPod for this runner – gotta have a head on a swivel! Between autos, cars, bikes, scooters, and the occasional...
Festivals and Forts
Looking back on my first week in India, I can say I’ve seen and smelled quite a bit. I could watching traffic from the back of an auto rickshaw for hours, and the smell of hot chai will stop me in my tracks. I hussle past street beggars and cover my nose at the smell of popular bus stops. I think it is the interaction of the beautiful and tragic that makes India such a mystical place for...
“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”
– T.S. Eliot
"Hello. I love you."
So…I’ve moved to Hyderabad (actually Secunderabad), India for ten months without any previous experiences in this insanely diverse/colorful/delicious/traditional/modern/fascinating/confusing/exciting country. I’m excited to see where this journey will take me and how much it will alter my personality, opinions, and general view of the way the world works. As an international...
