On a lighter note...

Today I learned 3 new things...

1.) I will officially be traveling in India on business in Late July! Woebum and I will be going to Ahemdabad, India to visit SEWA's central office and observe their operations. This will be the first time that TWA is visiting an MFI and will be using its experiences with SEWA as a reference when creating its unique MFI model. In preparation for our journey, Woebum and I are are currently surveying women in Dharamsala and asking them what they would want to see implemented in an MFI, this way we can tailor the program to their needs . We are also surveying men and participants in the S.O.T. program to get a better perspective about a woman's role in a refugee society (for research purposes). Perhaps with all this data, TWA can craft an MFI operation that will ease the transition for newly arrived Tibetan women into Dharamsala (because it's quite intimidating here with limited resources), and empower them to become active participants in the struggle for freedom against the Chinese.

Our journey will last for 7 days: 2 in Delhi-- where we will be visiting various Environmental NGOs and campaigning for a famous Tibetan environmentalist to be released from prison in Hong Kong-- 3 days in Ahemdabad and 2 days traveling on bus and train. The day our mission is completed is the day I leave for thee states. Everything always works out perfectly and I'm excited for the adventure.

2.) Update on the illness. A majority of you know that I am in LOVE with the Peace Cafe in San Francisco...well I found one here in Dharamsala!!! Since I can't really eat anything solid, I've been living off of the porridge here at the Peace Cafe and its AMAZZZING. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

3.) Food for thought. I met a musician yesterday named Karma (perfect name for the lesson I'm about to tell), and he shared with me the following: if you want to know your past then look at your present because that is a reflection of how you were in your past. If you would like to know your future than look at your present because this will determine the karma for your future. Got that?

Tashi Dalek. mwah.

Oppression from all sides

This is written in anger towards the racial and gender discrimination that Tibetan women refugees must experience while in areas labeled as "sanctuaries or havens" from political oppression.

As prefaced in my previous blog, Indian men are extremely forward and have no shame towards women. Today, Tenzin Woebum-- the director of the Environmental and Development desk also the young lady that I will be traveling to Azhembadad, India with-- was verbally and physically threatened by her Indian cab driver this morning on her way to work. It's monsoon season here, so it's raining hard and Woebum decided to take a cab--rather than walk-- to work. The cab driver was Indian and was driving 6 Indian men and 1 Indian woman to Lower Dharamasla, the same location Woebum needed to go. When everyone got off the cab the driver charged Woebum Rs. 20 while everyone else only had to pay Rs. 10. Woebum questioned why she was being charged more and the taxi driver responded, "you will just pay and not ask questions". Woebum was silent and paid the cab driver. However, when Woebum began to walk towards work the cab driver got out of the car, walked towards Woebum and began yelling with his fist in the air, "what do you think of yourself? Are you the landlord of these streets? I will knock you flat on this ground if you say one more word!". Woebum did not respond and began to run to the TWA office, because she knew that if she had said something the taxi driver would have surely struck her in the streets. I would also like to note that the shops were not open yet, no one in the cab did/said anything, and Woebum was the only female Tibetan woman in sight.

Its saddening to hear and witness this form of discrimination taking place to peaceful people and in a "peaceful land". Watching the women of TWA react to this incidence is also an great inspiration because they are refusing to remain silent and let this behavior continue. Currently some women at the office are consoling Woebum while she's hysterical while others are busily drafting letters for Chief of Police or making phone calls to the cab service.

Woebum and the cab driver have an appointment to meet with the Chief of Police at 10am tomorrow to discuss the incidence. I must also provide the detail that the Indian police are renown for their corruption and favoritism for Indian people when in instances such as these.

Please send your good thoughts and vibes for Woebum.

Taming the Feminist tounge

Hi Everyone....I'm back! The past couple of days I've been feeling quite under the weather and stuck in bed, but I'm here now and have a funny story to tell.

Today I decided not to be sick. I woke up did yoga and then walked 2 miles to Bagtsu, which is a suburb of Dharamsala. Here you have your elite Indians attempting to separate themselves from the rest of the tourists and commoners of Dharamsala. It's actually entertaining to watch them strut around in aviator sunglasses (mind you it was overcasted), large bellies, and popped collars. I would also like to note that I did this journey alone because it was meant as a form of meditation and self-reflection. Anyways, as you walk deeper into Bagtsu you see the typical shacks with jewlery, spices, herbs, trinkets, and clothes on the side. Then out of no where there is a GIANT pool, the catch is that only Indian men are allowed to swim here. By this time I'm internally hysterical and must have let a smile slip, because a young "Rico Suave" walks next to me and asks for my name. I lied and said Maria (ha). The next question was classic, he asked if I was married. Oh my, you can only imagine all the feminist comments swirling in my mind at this moment. He then proceeded to follow me up the 800 step staircase towards the Bagtsu waterfall, offering me sweets and compliments. I need to digress from the story here to describe the Bagtsu waterfall because it is absolutely brilliant. It was nestled between two green Himalayan mountains and is the main source of water for Dharamsala. On the left side of the mountain is a long outdoor staircase that leads to the source of the waterfall. It kinda reminded me of the Great Wall of China for some reason, dunno why. Back to the story. So my new biggest fan of Bagstu finally left me alone halfway up the staircase BUT then his group of 4 other friends tried to catch up me and we're yelling, "madam, excuse me, madam". I ignored them and heard one rather robust friend say, "omy gosh how is she running this?". Finally they reached me at the top of the waterfall and began to treat me like a celebrity, continuously asking me to take a picture with them and wanting to know every detail about my life. I responded with, "I'm meditating and in need of no male noise. Thank you.", and ran down the 800 step staircase (on the way back down 3 other male Indians asked for my photograph...wtf!).

Lesson? I will now turn these offensive situations into comedic opportunities and say that I'm a Pakistani lesbian who is engaged and practices Atheism. Wish me luck. ha. Now onto a cultural show with thee other interns. A Tibetan elementary school is hosting a performance with traditional dances and music.

Not for the Weak Stomached

Today I slept all day. This is not because I voluntarily wanted to but because I’ve encountered my first—and hopefully last—illness while here in India. You always hear of horror stories about people encountering some rare or odd illness while overseas, but never entertain the thought of it happening to you. Well yesterday before dinner I began to feel a bit funny, as though my insides were doing summersaults and about to purge from my mouth at any moment. Thankfully, Pa-La was feeling ill too and refused to eat, so I just followed his lead and excused myself to bed early. All night I danced between either having the shakes where I needed two heavy wool blankets or being extremely hot and stripping down to my birthday suit. My body was extremely sensitive to touch and I had to lie down in order to keep the room from spinning. On top of all this when I would sit up I felt as though I was about to simultaneously vomit and have a strong case of diaherra. At this point I was cursing life, Dharamsala, and foreign food. I woke up this morning and felt the same. However, now it is 4:22pm and I can somewhat sit up without the world spinning. I also refused to eat lunch and Tenzin-Dolma appeared to be in shock…her face was priceless. Pa-La was so concerned about me that he walked 2 hours to the nearest hospital and bought me some questionable medicine that had high doses of caffeine in it. I took it without hesitation and now feel AMAZZING.

I also want to note about my experiences yesterday before the illness. Tenzin-Dolma’s two older daughters came home from school yesterday and they’ve added so much love to this house. I also had the opportunity to experience a traditional pilgrimage to a grain mill 2 kilometers away. Grain (also known as “supa”) is a staple in the Tibetan diet and requires a 12 hour process of picking, grinding, and cleaning. I volunteered to help but Tenzin-Dolma insisted that I stay at the house because, “Americans aren’t use to hard labor like this”. Just in spite of that comment I grabbed a make-shift backpack Pa-La had created out of rope, 10 kilos of supa, and ran up the mountain with a HUGE smile on my face. I think Tenzin-Dolma has a new found respect for me.

We were also chased by a hungry monkey. Solution? Throw rocks at its head.

Gina has been keeping me company while I’m lying in bed. We even played dress and she wore my BRICK RED lipstick :) Ahh…I just want to pack her in my suitcase when I leave.

Food for Thought

Documenting a memory could be the best idea anyone has ever had. If we don’t transcribe our thoughts and experiences then they have no hopes of surviving the black holes of our beautiful minds. How many instances have you had where you felt as though, “this is the best moment of my life”, but then can't recall that moment when needed because of a bad memory or clouded mind? This is exactly why I’m writing this blog. Not only to keep everyone updated on my experiences in India but also as a physical reminder for myself of all the things I’ve experienced while here—good and bad—because quite frankly there is too much going on for me to remember it all.

Pinch me please.

So today I was apparently appointed as "Advisor" of TWA's microfinance department. Attached with this title comes the responsibility of educating all of the TWA staff on microfinance, assisting with the creation of their MFI model, and a trip to West India in late July to observe SEVA's (http://www.sewa.org/) micofinance operation. Over the years multiple organizations have suggested to TWA that they should initiate a micro-credit service, however there has not been sufficient knowledge or data about the subject. Last month H.H. the Dalai Lama personally requested that TWA begin a micro-credit service, so now TWA has no choice but to respect his wishes and take on this large feat. Ironically, I have some very basic knowledge of the subject (aka I've taken a couple courses at CAL and written a few research papers), but Dhardon-La feels as though I'm qualified to be labeled a specialist and advisor for the task. I'm almost in tears of excitement and fear at the moment.... I've also been given the task of launching their new merchandise line which will include t-shirts, purses, sweatshirts, and pins that have environmental slogans about Tibet (i.e. No Dams for Nomads, Save the Tibetan Plateau, etc). All proceeds will benefit the expansion of SOT and TWA....so everyone get your Visas ready :)

Oh, I also went for a run in the Himalayans again but went a bit further this time. On my way back I met an older monk named Tenzin-SukLan and walked/talked with him for a bit...I LOVE Dharamsala.

Yogis and SOT

Dharamsala is feeling more and more like home everyday....what can I say, I welcome change and adapt quickly. Perhaps it’s also the fact that this place is quite similar to home. Last night after dinner (which only included vegetables and NO starches :), the family and I were watching a televised program about His Holiness when ta-da, the weekly blackout arrived. At that moment I was thankful for the handful of times my mom and I became creative with puppet-shows and candles when the lights went out-- because now Dharamsala blackouts don't phase me. Tenzin-La and Pa-La got in a heated conversation about Tibetan politics in the candlelight, while Ama-La tended to her Buddhist beads. I just sat in the dark and smiled at the moment. It was absolutely beautiful and entertaining to see such passion arise from a typically jolly family. Pa-La had done some activist work when he was younger but now devotes a majority of his time to the Buddhist temple (which is common in the Tibetan culture as one grows older). However, this man could silence Tenzin-La with his knowledge and powerful voice-- which is saying A LOT! I should also note that Tenzin-La's older brother works for the Tibetan Exile Government.

This morning I woke up at 7am and went to my first yoga studio here in Dharamsala, it was called Om yoga. Imagine what a yoga studio in India would look like and Om yoga fulfilled that stereotype plus more. When you walk through an alley that looks quite sketchy and past two coffee shops with early-bird/eccentric tourists, you start to think....umm should I really be here? I continued to follow the signs labeled "Om Yoga" until it led me to a door that was closed. When I opened it there was an Indian yogi at the back of the room in deep thought, sitting Indian-sytle, and fingers pinched together in an "o" shape. His studio was filled with windows EVERYWHERE, overlooking the Himalayans and beautiful sunshine. There was colorful tapestry and rugs, light Hindi music playing in the background, and yoga mats already nicely laid on the floor. The yoga class consisted of four students (including myself) and the Yogi with the heavy Indian accent (I sometimes thought he would butcher English words on purpose to make us laugh). He continuously said, "be the feeling, love the feeling, know the feeling" when asking us to do ridiculous poses such as bringing our toes to our ears while wrapping one leg around our head. WTH? This was certainly different from Yoga to the People in Berkeley, but it was enjoyable..i think. ha. This entire week I think I will yoga studio hop and update everyone on my progress.

Today Dhardon-La gave me my BIG assignment for TWA, which is to help with expanding its microfinance sector and specifically its campaign called Stitches of Tibet (SOT). Microfinance is the new remedy for poverty alleviation around the world and it specifically targets women as its recipients (since women are “the poorest of the poor” in developing nations). Through microfinance women are able to receive small loans to purchase whatever can generate an income (i.e. cows for selling milk or sewing machine for textiles). Women are also taught new skills, given health education courses, and sometimes housing. Since 1995, SOT has provided an 18month intensive Tibetan embroidery program for newly arrived exile Tibetan women. This program gives these women a skill that can generate a livelihood for themselves and their families while also practicing a cultural activity. TWA also includes English, math, and health education courses within SOT. My assignment is to think of ways that SOT can expand and become more sustainable in the future (broad I know). Hopefully in the near future SOT can become an actual job for these women rather than a 18month program, so this is where my experience and current research of microfinance comes into play…