Recently we visited "SECON" in Whitefield, which gave me a COMPLETELY different perspective on India and its culture. For the first time we visited an IT firm which outsources work from the US to digitalize satelite imagery. We ended up being able to sit down with the founder/owner/CEO and ask questions. He started the company by himself in the late '80s and has since built it into a multi-million dollar coperation on the cutting edge of satelite imagery. We toured the entire complex consisting of multiple buildings.
We hear all the time of India's IT sector and how it will surpass the US in the next decade, but to actually see it was VERY cool. This was the same place where Michael Friedman got the idea for the title of his book "The World is Flat," which we all had to read in preparation for this trip.
SECON also has invented "LIDAR" (Light Detection and Radar) which is like SONAR. Planes fly over an area and then use LIDAR to "map" it, and then this company can digitalize it. This is very important for engineering and construction. An example of its use would be to survey land to see where a highway or mall could be built (much more efficient than sending a crew of land surveyors out).
Other than this things have been very relaxed. Today we took a day trip to MG Road (the MAIN shopping district) to do some shopping and see the sights. We ended up taking about an hour rickshaw ride back... Let me explain, a rickshaw is a tiny little taxi, able to sit about two of me comfortably. However, on this ride, Sam and Jensen were with me and Hayley had to sit on my lap for an hour haha. Needless to say, I only needed to have this "cultural expierence" once.
Next weekend we are taking an excursion to Mysor (I have no idea where it is or what we are seeing there). I am still loving the Indian food, and finding less spicy as time goes on... I'm not excited for bland rice in China, but perhaps by stereotypes are incorrect.
We are once again beginning to work on our scrapbooks, papers, and studying for the final (shoot me). On top of this I'm writing my "Academic Letter" home to the St. Olaf Community on the seventh of November, so stay tuned for that.
Still crossing my fingers to hook up with my cousins in New Delhi, and now it looks as if I might actually meet up with Phil Zeller (close friend from high school) in Bejing which would be sweet!
As always, good thoughts and lots of love in your multiple directions!
- CM
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Failing on Pictures (again)
Hayley and me on the Great Pyramid (literally).
Jensen and me on camels in front of the Pyramids.
Great quote (kudos to K Bu):
"For a time here in this place, a comparatively brief intermission between leaving your father's home and starting on your own, you will be free to discover who you are, and what way you are going and who's going with you...and it is, I think, better to paddle around and explore than to just drift, for if the privileged generation of young Americans do not learn to influence the revolutions of our time at home and abroad, the world is going to be in even worse trouble than it is."
- James Reston
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Unbearable Poverty
My time at the ECC has been very rewarding. I love the idea of an "ecumenical dialouge" which allows people of different faiths and backgrounds to come together and discuss them openly with tolerance and without being derogatory towards others. It is beautiful here and I was very excited to return "home" after a weekend in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry - two towns about eight hours away from Whitefield on the east coast of India. The hotels were nasty - bed stains, bugs, and air conditioners that shot out ice cubes and dripped on you.
Walking along the streets in those two cities was truly heartbreaking. It was not uncommon to see children and grown men alike deficating in the streets, or urinating on the sides of the road. The streets were rampant with raw sewage, and the smell of feces was everywhere. I really do not know what to do with these images and am sure I will be processing them for a long time to come...
I continue struggling with this notion that how can I have so much when so many others have so little; and why me? Why have I been so blessed? I don't understand… I have struggled a lot with my faith these past few weeks but am content to say right now I just consider myself a Follower of Jesus and am excited to see where this path leads me.
Walking along the streets in those two cities was truly heartbreaking. It was not uncommon to see children and grown men alike deficating in the streets, or urinating on the sides of the road. The streets were rampant with raw sewage, and the smell of feces was everywhere. I really do not know what to do with these images and am sure I will be processing them for a long time to come...
I continue struggling with this notion that how can I have so much when so many others have so little; and why me? Why have I been so blessed? I don't understand… I have struggled a lot with my faith these past few weeks but am content to say right now I just consider myself a Follower of Jesus and am excited to see where this path leads me.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Indians drive on the wrong side of the road.
We left Cairo at 3:40 in the morning on October 8th...that was fun. After that we were in Mumbai (Bombay) for five days and now have arrived at the Ecumenical Christian Center in Bangaluru (Bangalore) where we will be until November 11. Mumbai was very cool. We saw where Ghandi had lived and also a number of museums and temples. My first impressions of India were that of vibrant colors and even more traffic than Cairo - it is ridiculous. I don't think I'll ever complain about traffic again back home. There are usually five or six lanes of traffic on a three lane street - I would not want to drive here. Our facilities at the ECC are fabulous. There's no A/C but it's been relatively cool and low (80%) humidity. The rooms have fans and mosquito nets. It rains off and on all day. We have singles which are very nice but the doors lock from the outside so pranks have been numerous and I don't see them coming to a close anytime soon haha. The people are just as friendly as in Cairo and possibly even more so. The bus doesn't have A/C either so we just open up the windows - it's manageable. I've learned to carry around a hanky everywhere I go.
I don't have many profound things to say yet, but I am excited to explore this new country. We are staying in a suberb of Bangalore called Whitefield, and the ECC is about a five minute bike ride outside of that. Everything is ridiculously inexpensive, and they eat with their hands in the nicest of restaurant. Did I mention they have a morning and afternoon and evening scheduled tea and snack time? How can I not love a country with set times for snack! I feel quite at home...
Internet unfortunately is quite sketchy and very sporadic so that will be frustrating. I miss all of you so much and I know I'm going to hit the wall in India and want to come home, but I also know as soon as I come home I'm going to want to be back here so I'm trying to keep it in perspective.
Well it's getting dark and i have to bike home - sketch! haha. I'll write more soon.
- CM
I don't have many profound things to say yet, but I am excited to explore this new country. We are staying in a suberb of Bangalore called Whitefield, and the ECC is about a five minute bike ride outside of that. Everything is ridiculously inexpensive, and they eat with their hands in the nicest of restaurant. Did I mention they have a morning and afternoon and evening scheduled tea and snack time? How can I not love a country with set times for snack! I feel quite at home...
Internet unfortunately is quite sketchy and very sporadic so that will be frustrating. I miss all of you so much and I know I'm going to hit the wall in India and want to come home, but I also know as soon as I come home I'm going to want to be back here so I'm trying to keep it in perspective.
Well it's getting dark and i have to bike home - sketch! haha. I'll write more soon.
- CM
Monday, October 6, 2008
Clarification.
Came across this today and couldn't resist posting it...
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight:
* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight:
* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
How the Other Half Lives.
I am going to keep this kind of short because I'm paying for the internet right now and I can post again tomorrow at the AUC for free. But anyways, we just returned from Alexandria today. Last week we were in Luxor and Aswan and saw numerous (and by numerous I mean way too many) temples, tombs, catacombs, underground passageways, sand, desert, and sun. The first 93 hieroglyphic paintings were really pretty cool, the next 813 (true number) started to blend together. The heat was unbearable (about 120) but made Cairo feel very comfortable when we returned home. Yes, home. Cairo is finally starting to feel like home and carry that sense of familiarity. Too bad we are leaving in two days for India...
But seriously, it all was very amazing to see. The train ride there and back was to say the least quite unpleasant. I learned that train food makes me sick (no more detail necessary) and I do not sleep comfortable on a bed that is 5 1/2 feet long. It did suck that I had to be sick for the entire week, but at least the hotel had a pool. While in Aswan I bought prayer beads which I am very excited. I paid way to much for them but am telling myself they "really are made out of Alabaster" and thus worth the arm and leg (and maybe other leg) I paid for them.
Alamein and Alexandria was very nice as well. We stayed at a 5 star resort in Alamein, and a hotel right on the beach in Alexandria - I mean, right on the beach. Gorgeous views of the Mediterranean. In the States these rooms would EASILY have cost a $1,000 (US) per night. I have no idea how we afforded them except to say, it's Egypt, and (even though it's 90 degrees) not summer and not the peak season. It was interesting seeing how the other half lived compared to three weeks in Cairo. At breakfast we heard a cell phone ringing and thought nothing of it until we turned around and realized it belonged to a 10-year-old boy - I think we know what demographic our hotel was serving.
Our first test/final is in two days and I have a presentation tomorrow so that's what I should be working out - but let's be serious. Class isn't until 10:30 tomorrow morning so I'll probably go watch a movie and then get up at seven tomorrow - you know that's how I do.
Hope everyone is doing well, I promise I will post more pictures ASAP and try to get an album up on Facebook. Keep the complaints coming for lack of pictures and perhaps I'll feel an increased sense of motivation, but most likely not. Take care; as always much love and good thoughts in your directions.
CM
But seriously, it all was very amazing to see. The train ride there and back was to say the least quite unpleasant. I learned that train food makes me sick (no more detail necessary) and I do not sleep comfortable on a bed that is 5 1/2 feet long. It did suck that I had to be sick for the entire week, but at least the hotel had a pool. While in Aswan I bought prayer beads which I am very excited. I paid way to much for them but am telling myself they "really are made out of Alabaster" and thus worth the arm and leg (and maybe other leg) I paid for them.
Alamein and Alexandria was very nice as well. We stayed at a 5 star resort in Alamein, and a hotel right on the beach in Alexandria - I mean, right on the beach. Gorgeous views of the Mediterranean. In the States these rooms would EASILY have cost a $1,000 (US) per night. I have no idea how we afforded them except to say, it's Egypt, and (even though it's 90 degrees) not summer and not the peak season. It was interesting seeing how the other half lived compared to three weeks in Cairo. At breakfast we heard a cell phone ringing and thought nothing of it until we turned around and realized it belonged to a 10-year-old boy - I think we know what demographic our hotel was serving.
Our first test/final is in two days and I have a presentation tomorrow so that's what I should be working out - but let's be serious. Class isn't until 10:30 tomorrow morning so I'll probably go watch a movie and then get up at seven tomorrow - you know that's how I do.
Hope everyone is doing well, I promise I will post more pictures ASAP and try to get an album up on Facebook. Keep the complaints coming for lack of pictures and perhaps I'll feel an increased sense of motivation, but most likely not. Take care; as always much love and good thoughts in your directions.
CM
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