I have to apologize again for my lack of blog posting, the internet is not yet fixed, and while I've been able to borrow it from other places, I am still working on getting everything sorted out.

Let me give a little example, that I now find to be rather comic, as I've stopped caring so much:

I am trying to see if the data card I use (plugs into the usb) to get internet is broken. So we go to the repair shop Monday. Unfortunately, we go during lunch hours, which are 2:45-4:00. The store is only open 10-6 (which according to my friends means it opens at 11). Tuesday, we don't go because everything is closed. Wednesday it is a holiday. Thursday, my phone's sim card died and I had to deal with that. Today I gave up and decided to deal with it when I get back from vacation. Welcome to India.

In other news, I'm going to Rishikesh again. I am so excited to wake up at four in the morning and go on exploring adventures. I'm going for five days with my friend, friend's boyfriend, and friend's boyfriend's dad. So its going to be a lot of fun. And I am looking forward to it.

Men have small bladders.

I meant to count before I wrote this post, but I didn't go out today. I meant to count how many men I saw in a five to ten minute trip to a market urinating on the sidewalk, else in a bush, their backs in clear view to all passing traffic and pedestrians walking nearby.

On any given day, I'd say the number ranges between one and three on a 10 minute auto ride, though if  you go on longer rides you can get up to five. Its not that I mean to notice these events, but its rather difficult when I'm in an auto, which is entirely open on all sides, and I'm trying to learn my way around a bit, and want to look at more than the back of the auto driver's head.

The phenomena of people stopping mid-walk to unzip their pants and turn their backs to the street, in broad daylight, is just one that is entirely alien to me. In fact, if they were to try that in the US, they would be arrested for public indecency. Yet this practice seems very prevalent.

I have seen a number of public urinals available to those in need, but as this phenomena continues despite the facilities, I must conclude one of two things: either these men are exhibitionists, or, more likely, they have exceedingly small bladders, which forces them to stop along heavily trafficked roads to relieve themselves right on the sidewalk.

In other news, it was pleasant outside this evening, so that we had our first singing practice outside, as it was cooler than in the room with fans. And it made me so happy. Especially when a lovable stray dog came to visit. 

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches are so American.

I'm gonna make a peanut butter and banana sandwich, do you want one?

This question I posed to my french friend, to which she responded:

Peanut Butter! Banana! in a sandwich! Oh my God you are so American!

I did convince her to take one bite of my delicious toasted wheat bread, crunchy peanut butter, and banana sandwich, (after exclamations that she was being a traitor to her culture) to which she finally replied that it wasn't good, but wasn't as bad as she was expecting.

Yes, this post is going to be entirely about food.

We slept a lot today. We only went out of the apartment to buy ingredients for dinner: Cucumber and tomato salad, Pasta with eggplant, and yet another apple crumble.

If I could convey our joy in these foods, you would not believe me. Its just so relieving.

I go back to live in the dorm tomorrow, back to the mess food, but I'll go back well fed with homey food and having had the opportunity to cook and rest all day long (I did sleep about ten hours last night). 

I have nothing too new to say, other than I had a wonderful day even though it included class on a Saturday. So, here are some pictures!

The pink thing is a police lookout in M Block market, five mins away

Karan and Michri!

MOMOS

I LOVE MOMOS.

not eating momos, but sweet potatoes with masala and whatnot in a rickshaw with Michri

A quiet road, compare to the busy road

Random things seen on the way to the market

For anyone who was confused what a rickshaw is

A busy street, unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures of the epic potholes

A random person with a bag of bags of chips. 

On another note, I'm making apple crisp, and totally winging the recipe, but I think I got the major parts down. Instead of lemon juice I used some cross between a lemon and an orange and it was green. I forget the name. Its looking like that will be dinner. :)

This weekend I am at Margaux's apartment! She's moved in with the student from Brown this weekend, and so me and my friends are taking full advantage of her, her facilities, and her wireless internet (as still, I'm having problems with mine). 

I'm mostly better now, over my cold. We heard that the water was not working for the night, and so carried about ten bottles of water with us, and our backpacks, and bags of clothes, in two little riskshaws. It was rather funny, with people and bags piled on these little bicycles. It turns out the apartment does have water, and so the weight we carried was unnecessary. After much debate, we passed up the opportunity to cook and ordered mughal food. Its really yummy, especially with Bob Marley, Cat Stevens, and Mumford and Sons in the background. The plates and packages and glasses and bottles are still piled on the table, the remnants of our two months in India/Margaux's new apartment celebratory feast. 

And thats about it, just happy to have space, and a table, and friends to hang out with. 

Sickness and Feminism

So I have to apologize for not posting for so long, my internet has not been working for the past week, and I'm still negotiating with the company to fix it, so I'm hoping to have it fixed by the weekend.

Today I went to the UN Conference center in Delhi for a round table on women and disarmament, sponsored by WISCOMP, an organization I may want to get an internship with next semester. There was a very interesting presentation on the trafficking of small arms, which did amaze me, but I had to leave half way through because I could tell I had a pretty bad fever. So I spent most of the rest of the day in bed, blowing my nose and sleeping off my fever. (Hopefully me getting sick means the weather is changing...getting cooler...)

While I was there I was having a conversation with one of the girls from my college. Lady Shri Ram College is basically known for being radically feminist, and for producing realist-hating (US given responsibility for realism) feminists. I have a hard time considering myself a feminist. I'm all for equality, but my kind of equality is about all being human. Whenever I engage with feminist ideas, I always feel myself made to feel a woman, not a human, as if being a woman was somehow a distinct category separate of greater humanity. I appreciate feminist concerns in conflict studies, where rape as an instrument of war and the economic aftermaths of conflict as pertains to women are areas that merit study and action. But I don't like being told that I'm a woman, therefore I nurture peace. I am a woman, therefore I have a different perspective on international relations.

I am a human, and I expect to be treated like a human. And despite this so-called feminist institution, I have never felt so repressed for being a woman as I have at LSR. The warden of the hostel frowns upon any going out of the hostel for the weekend or a late night, because obviously girls are putting themselves in danger and degrading themselves by hanging out with boys. The men who work on campus won't make eye contact with you in the hallways. All forms ask for permission from your parents (father) or legal guardian, even if you are a legal adult. This is the first place I have been told I could not do something because I'm a woman, and I'm being  told this by supposed feminists. I understand this is India, and there are legitimate safety concerns, but the point I wanted to raise (perhaps confused by my ranting) is how my friend explained so well today:

The UN MDG is to promote gender equality BY empowering women.
Feminist literature often seems to focus on empowering women, not gender equality.

I'm a human, then a woman. A lot of feminism makes me feel pinned into a role of a peaceful, nurturing, life-giving woman. I would prefer if someone didn't hold a door for me but treated me like a human, than hold a door for me and make me feel like I am something distinct from them. 

Singing at bars

Singing at bars is not something I've ever done before, and yet I can say that my first ever gig took place at an Indian bar/restaurant place.

The College's Western Music Society got a gig, and so in addition to a few group pieces, we all got to prepare and sing solos/duets/trios. I sang Don't Know Why by Norah Jones. As most of the crowd were people from the College, I've a few times gotten to experience the amusing and slightly awkward situation in which someone I don't know or recognize calls me by name and says I did a nice job singing.

Of course the college dorm won't let you come back after nine-thirty, so I stayed at a friend's house for the night. For all their preoccupation with our safety, the strictness of their rules often defeats the purpose. For example, we drove all night and got back from Rishikesh, 30 girls who live in the dorm, at four in the morning. Unfortunately, they would not let us into the dorm as the gate doesn't open until six. Its lucky we were able to crash for two hours at the travel agent's house, because apparently last year, the girls arrived early in the morning and simply waited until the gate was opened, but that freaked the administration out and so they all got suspended for 15 days. I don't really understand, but I think the idea is that its better to wander the streets of Delhi after a night of no sleep from 4-6 in the morning instead of sit by the college gate. Thats at least how I'm interpreting things.

As I'm the kind of person who is usually in bed by 10, and awake at 6, I haven't run into too many problems with the system, especially as its easy to get around, with a little help from friends in Delhi and a both real and pretend lack of comprehension of the system. St. A's is seeming like an abode of freedom.

So that was my rant...but, in any case, I had my first gig in India.