Short Slam Poem Slam about Delhi:
Oh Delhi. How your smells have sounds and your sights have smells. Too ugly to reject and too beautiful to consume. Full of empty children with hands cupped to the faces of strangers as if they were waiting for communion from hollowed stares of twice removed memories that were never meant to be holy in the first place. The entanglement of your logic sows chaos into my hair fibers as the shock of it all sends messages of momentous discoveries cascading across the smiles of 11 million citizens. They say that One third of your population is in poverty. It's no wonder hope sinks to the bottom of the concrete wells instead of floating to the eyes of children her. One third. One third never gets mentioned by the media, but always gets studied by academics. One third of your population bares whiteness to murders and rapes, but the 7 walls of your 7 original cities have climbed too far backwards to let out the cries. Tell me, will you ever really let your memories vanquish your nightmares? Will the millions of Indian slaves that built the infrastructure of your own demise ever see the light of the kingdom they were promised?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Delhi, an uncommon journey
I would love to say that New Delhi is all good, but I fear that would be giving false hope. We have seen many things in and outside of Delhi. We have stood in the center of city ruins from the 13th century to the present. We have hovered under the shadows of The Taj Mahal and century old Mosques. The smells of Delhi have filtered into our noses and took residence inside of our clothes. The sounds of packed street and hungry cries have curled up into my memory and found the record and replay button.
While i cannot say I would live in Delhi, it was a truly eye opening experience to live in and explore that city. One of the ways in which I was able to explore the city was through getting to know the people itself. We often forget that it really is the citizens that give cities their character. One of our assignments was to get to know the city through one of its citizens and then to write a paper on that experience. While meeting new people is something I love to do, I came to the realization that "making a friend" is hard in that city. The difficulty stems from many factors, but the central is safety. Normally, I am not that concerned with my own safety, but when it comes to other people, that easy going mentality changes. One of the first things we were told when we arrived in Delhi was that girls were never to walk alone. We actually had to divide into groups, with each group containing a male for some of our assignments and field trips throughout the city. While I eagerly did this task, I found myself walking around with clinched fists a lot of the time. This was particularly difficult for me as I am a person that very much believes in non violence, but when your friends start getting groped in public places by people who's only image of American Women is what they see in movies and music videos, what can you do? Who can you really blame for that one? While human beings must take some responsibility for their actions, it really makes one think of how much we don't address and how much privilege I have living in the states alone. While it was difficult to make a friend while I was the chaperon for a lot of the time, I ended up meeting a very nice Coffee shop worker.
What is interesting is looking at all these issues while keeping in mind that my culture and background contribute a great deal to how I perceive and react to the different things in Delhi. I have to wonder if my life, while not luxurious in the least bit, has shielded me from seeing the world with an unfiltered eye. It is also interesting to see how we, as a group, react to these things. It reminds me of how we are in a constant state of privilege just by being able to walk around and not be dismissed because of color, or women being able to speak their mind and be forceful in their opinions. While I do not condone the way they treat women and children here, it really reminds me of how far we as a human race still have to go. It reminds me how the whole world doesn't work the way we work in the US. Some things o which we have become accustomed, just don't fly over here. Looking back, I am so grateful that I went through what I did in Delhi. Even after the racism, sexism, and insanity it really is an interesting town. The "Delhi friend" that I met said it best, "I love Delhi. The people are so friendly, but I want to visit some place where the people are not so rude."
That being noted, all of India, fortunately, is not as harsh and overwhelming as Delhi. I had to opportunity to take a trip with a few students to a hill town to visit a school up there in hopes of meeting with some interested students. Before we answered their questions about Lewis & Clark college, we had the opportunity to walk about. While it was misty outside, the scenery was absolutely stunning. The drop in temperature fell upon our shoulder the minute we stepped out the car. We were in paradise! When they said "hill town", I assumed it was like hills back at home, but it was far from it. We really were in the foot hills of the mountains.
While i cannot say I would live in Delhi, it was a truly eye opening experience to live in and explore that city. One of the ways in which I was able to explore the city was through getting to know the people itself. We often forget that it really is the citizens that give cities their character. One of our assignments was to get to know the city through one of its citizens and then to write a paper on that experience. While meeting new people is something I love to do, I came to the realization that "making a friend" is hard in that city. The difficulty stems from many factors, but the central is safety. Normally, I am not that concerned with my own safety, but when it comes to other people, that easy going mentality changes. One of the first things we were told when we arrived in Delhi was that girls were never to walk alone. We actually had to divide into groups, with each group containing a male for some of our assignments and field trips throughout the city. While I eagerly did this task, I found myself walking around with clinched fists a lot of the time. This was particularly difficult for me as I am a person that very much believes in non violence, but when your friends start getting groped in public places by people who's only image of American Women is what they see in movies and music videos, what can you do? Who can you really blame for that one? While human beings must take some responsibility for their actions, it really makes one think of how much we don't address and how much privilege I have living in the states alone. While it was difficult to make a friend while I was the chaperon for a lot of the time, I ended up meeting a very nice Coffee shop worker.
What is interesting is looking at all these issues while keeping in mind that my culture and background contribute a great deal to how I perceive and react to the different things in Delhi. I have to wonder if my life, while not luxurious in the least bit, has shielded me from seeing the world with an unfiltered eye. It is also interesting to see how we, as a group, react to these things. It reminds me of how we are in a constant state of privilege just by being able to walk around and not be dismissed because of color, or women being able to speak their mind and be forceful in their opinions. While I do not condone the way they treat women and children here, it really reminds me of how far we as a human race still have to go. It reminds me how the whole world doesn't work the way we work in the US. Some things o which we have become accustomed, just don't fly over here. Looking back, I am so grateful that I went through what I did in Delhi. Even after the racism, sexism, and insanity it really is an interesting town. The "Delhi friend" that I met said it best, "I love Delhi. The people are so friendly, but I want to visit some place where the people are not so rude."
That being noted, all of India, fortunately, is not as harsh and overwhelming as Delhi. I had to opportunity to take a trip with a few students to a hill town to visit a school up there in hopes of meeting with some interested students. Before we answered their questions about Lewis & Clark college, we had the opportunity to walk about. While it was misty outside, the scenery was absolutely stunning. The drop in temperature fell upon our shoulder the minute we stepped out the car. We were in paradise! When they said "hill town", I assumed it was like hills back at home, but it was far from it. We really were in the foot hills of the mountains.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Dr. Seuss at a Mosque in Delhi
Dear Friends,
I apologize for this late postings. I meant to post this before my reflection on New Delhi...
We have seen ALOT. We have visited ancient ruins form the 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Although we have seen many different ruins from different rulers, one thing is clear. Delhi has a deep history with so much that is often not realized at first glance. What is perhaps more interesting than the structures themselves, are the stories they tell and the stories about them that are never told. Along with learning about these structures, we have had the opportunity to gain insight into their connection to the present. After all of this, I really do believe that there is no substitute for standing in the middle of the court of a 14th century ruler.
One of these ancient structures that I had the privilege of seeing is the Taj Mahal. The story and mystery behind this mammoth of a structure is remarkable. To stand in the middle of a structure that was built entirely out of Marble for the sole purpose of a 17th century tomb was incredible. As the subtle color changes of marble sparked through my eyes, I realized why people had spoke so highly of this structure. If the look of it alone is not enough to catch interests, the history behind it is some what of a mystery, but intriguing just the same. It is perhaps the single most symmetrical building in which I have ever had the honor of walking. Now, being at such a structure that has so much detail to it, one has a lot to look at. Logic would follow that the others visiting this structure too would spend their time looking at the remarkable beauty set before them. While I wish this were true, the people that were there would prove other wise. Every room Keletso ( fellow LC Student from Botswana) and I walked into, there was someone wanting to snap a photo of us. More than a few times, people actually asked if they could be in a photo with us. There was no hope of money in return, just the sheer joy of being in the photo with such strange beings, I guess. As we tried to ignore it all, which you could imagine is pretty difficult to do, we walked through these beautiful structures and tried to articulate what attention to detail Shah Jahan (the architect and ruler of the time) must have had. Sadly, our time of amazement had come to a necessary end as we proceeded out of the Taj and towards a bench to put our shoes on. It was here, that I really felt as though some of the people in the group were celebrities, or perhaps attractions depending on the way one views it. As we put on our shoes on in the hot Indian weather, a family came up and asked to take a picture with Keletso. While this had become some what usual, we weren't expecting the family to proceed to move out of the picture and set their infant child on Keletso's lap and take the picture. All I could think was, "oh the Places You'll Go!"
Another story comes at a holy time for Muslims in the city of Delhi. As we gathered on the steps of what is believed to be the oldest and most visited Mosque in Delhi (Jama Masjid), we listened to our Professor and waited for two other students to arrive as the usual crowd of 10 or 15 gathered around to watch and stare at us. After about ten minutes of our professor talking, we took another look around and the crowd had grown to about 60 or 70. I decided to take a picture with one of the students on the trip (Rosie), and my book, Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss. Since we we're already waiting and I had an audience, Ava Wagner (former 3CE employee) asked if I could read it out loud...So i Did!!! I showed the pictures to all the kids and people gathered around us as they stood there the entire time! I'm sure they didn't understand me, but they were grateful and clapped just the same. During the story, you could see some of their faces open up with smiles a mile wide, and it seemed as though parents knew it was a "children's" book. Reflecting back upon it, I would argue that for once, it seemed as though the crowd of Indians actually were smiling and laughing with us, instead of standing at a distance, watching our every move. The barriers that we as human beings have set up for ourselves seemed to have been made into bridges of curiosity and wonder, even if only for a short ten minutes. As for the rest of the group, it seemed to be a point of necessity. We all felt like we were going through something together. The fact that some of the pictures and frases hit spot on with some of our current experiences was uncanny. One that I will not forget is a phrase that talks about going down unmarked streets and not being able to find your way at first. If you ever visit India, you'll know what we're talking about as none of the streets are clearly marked, and if one is, you're in the wrong place :)
I apologize for this late postings. I meant to post this before my reflection on New Delhi...
We have seen ALOT. We have visited ancient ruins form the 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Although we have seen many different ruins from different rulers, one thing is clear. Delhi has a deep history with so much that is often not realized at first glance. What is perhaps more interesting than the structures themselves, are the stories they tell and the stories about them that are never told. Along with learning about these structures, we have had the opportunity to gain insight into their connection to the present. After all of this, I really do believe that there is no substitute for standing in the middle of the court of a 14th century ruler.
One of these ancient structures that I had the privilege of seeing is the Taj Mahal. The story and mystery behind this mammoth of a structure is remarkable. To stand in the middle of a structure that was built entirely out of Marble for the sole purpose of a 17th century tomb was incredible. As the subtle color changes of marble sparked through my eyes, I realized why people had spoke so highly of this structure. If the look of it alone is not enough to catch interests, the history behind it is some what of a mystery, but intriguing just the same. It is perhaps the single most symmetrical building in which I have ever had the honor of walking. Now, being at such a structure that has so much detail to it, one has a lot to look at. Logic would follow that the others visiting this structure too would spend their time looking at the remarkable beauty set before them. While I wish this were true, the people that were there would prove other wise. Every room Keletso ( fellow LC Student from Botswana) and I walked into, there was someone wanting to snap a photo of us. More than a few times, people actually asked if they could be in a photo with us. There was no hope of money in return, just the sheer joy of being in the photo with such strange beings, I guess. As we tried to ignore it all, which you could imagine is pretty difficult to do, we walked through these beautiful structures and tried to articulate what attention to detail Shah Jahan (the architect and ruler of the time) must have had. Sadly, our time of amazement had come to a necessary end as we proceeded out of the Taj and towards a bench to put our shoes on. It was here, that I really felt as though some of the people in the group were celebrities, or perhaps attractions depending on the way one views it. As we put on our shoes on in the hot Indian weather, a family came up and asked to take a picture with Keletso. While this had become some what usual, we weren't expecting the family to proceed to move out of the picture and set their infant child on Keletso's lap and take the picture. All I could think was, "oh the Places You'll Go!"
Another story comes at a holy time for Muslims in the city of Delhi. As we gathered on the steps of what is believed to be the oldest and most visited Mosque in Delhi (Jama Masjid), we listened to our Professor and waited for two other students to arrive as the usual crowd of 10 or 15 gathered around to watch and stare at us. After about ten minutes of our professor talking, we took another look around and the crowd had grown to about 60 or 70. I decided to take a picture with one of the students on the trip (Rosie), and my book, Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss. Since we we're already waiting and I had an audience, Ava Wagner (former 3CE employee) asked if I could read it out loud...So i Did!!! I showed the pictures to all the kids and people gathered around us as they stood there the entire time! I'm sure they didn't understand me, but they were grateful and clapped just the same. During the story, you could see some of their faces open up with smiles a mile wide, and it seemed as though parents knew it was a "children's" book. Reflecting back upon it, I would argue that for once, it seemed as though the crowd of Indians actually were smiling and laughing with us, instead of standing at a distance, watching our every move. The barriers that we as human beings have set up for ourselves seemed to have been made into bridges of curiosity and wonder, even if only for a short ten minutes. As for the rest of the group, it seemed to be a point of necessity. We all felt like we were going through something together. The fact that some of the pictures and frases hit spot on with some of our current experiences was uncanny. One that I will not forget is a phrase that talks about going down unmarked streets and not being able to find your way at first. If you ever visit India, you'll know what we're talking about as none of the streets are clearly marked, and if one is, you're in the wrong place :)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
New Delhi
Oh the Places...
We reached New Delhi about a week ago. The humidity washed over me like the screams of thousands of Beatles fans, just waiting for a response of some kind. The arrival was interesting for me. While it was not the first time for me to be out of the country, it was the first time for me to be off the continent. I had contracted a really bad cold, and was sick the entire plane ride and for the first week here really. That occupied a lot of my free time, which is why it has taken me so long to get started on this blog.
We have a wonderful teacher (Professor Sunil Kumar) who has been very beneficial in our acquiring of knowledge of India, and more specifically Delhi. We have come to realize that the history of this country is deep. Knowing the history helps to better understand some of the things we have seen as well as the people with which we have come into contact. One prime example of this is the staring, or lack there of sometimes...
As you may have guessed, a group of 24 students that are clearly foreigners and mostly white, walking through the streets of Delhi gets a lot of looks. We learned in class that the people here, on the whole, tend to be very into getting their skin to be lighter. If you contrast this with the amount of people that try to get tan in the US, it makes for a very intersting case study. However, when it comes down to the other end (darker skin) it is usually seen as a sign of low class here.
This notion that was learned in class came to a reality as me and 5 or 6 others from the group walked to a market a few days ago. I started out behind the group because I had to talk to Sunil, and I noticed people staring at the rest of the group. As the people on the streets would pass me, however, they would look right past me as if I were another face in the crowd. I thought this was interesting, because when I was walking with the group, we all got stares, but alone and behind the group they looked right passed me, right after they literally almost turned their entire head in a full 180 just to catch a glimpse at the group of European looking students in front of me. After we walked a little further, we stopped at a street corner to wait to cross. There was a boy that stepped up to the group. His clothes were tattered but his smile was not. As he went up to the members of the group he cupped his hands as if he were receiving communion and asked for food or money. Most had nothing to offer. A couple people gave candy. As I reached into my pocket to pull out candy, I awaited the arrival of his cupped hands. While I was in the middle of the group, the boy took a quick look at me and quickly diverted his attention to the other members of the group who happened to be white. I later asked Professor Sunil (who lives in Delhi) about this incident. As he let out a gentle chuckle he said, "poor little boy. He missed out on the candy. To him, Aukeem, you were probably just another poor fellow like himself."
I inquired about this matter further and found ut it's just the way they are raised. To most Indians, a darker skin signifies a lesser class. I am still not sure how this sits with me, but it is clear that human beings have a necessity to compartmentalize even other human beings so that there is indeed the "other". While it is obvious that classism and racism and discrimination still exist, this experience has proven to me that education is absolutely essential. If there were ever a doubt that the solution to many of our problems as a human race is indeed education and critical thought, that doubt is now blown to pieces. Oh New Delhi, how we have yet to meet... I look forward to th places you will take me!
We reached New Delhi about a week ago. The humidity washed over me like the screams of thousands of Beatles fans, just waiting for a response of some kind. The arrival was interesting for me. While it was not the first time for me to be out of the country, it was the first time for me to be off the continent. I had contracted a really bad cold, and was sick the entire plane ride and for the first week here really. That occupied a lot of my free time, which is why it has taken me so long to get started on this blog.
We have a wonderful teacher (Professor Sunil Kumar) who has been very beneficial in our acquiring of knowledge of India, and more specifically Delhi. We have come to realize that the history of this country is deep. Knowing the history helps to better understand some of the things we have seen as well as the people with which we have come into contact. One prime example of this is the staring, or lack there of sometimes...
As you may have guessed, a group of 24 students that are clearly foreigners and mostly white, walking through the streets of Delhi gets a lot of looks. We learned in class that the people here, on the whole, tend to be very into getting their skin to be lighter. If you contrast this with the amount of people that try to get tan in the US, it makes for a very intersting case study. However, when it comes down to the other end (darker skin) it is usually seen as a sign of low class here.
This notion that was learned in class came to a reality as me and 5 or 6 others from the group walked to a market a few days ago. I started out behind the group because I had to talk to Sunil, and I noticed people staring at the rest of the group. As the people on the streets would pass me, however, they would look right past me as if I were another face in the crowd. I thought this was interesting, because when I was walking with the group, we all got stares, but alone and behind the group they looked right passed me, right after they literally almost turned their entire head in a full 180 just to catch a glimpse at the group of European looking students in front of me. After we walked a little further, we stopped at a street corner to wait to cross. There was a boy that stepped up to the group. His clothes were tattered but his smile was not. As he went up to the members of the group he cupped his hands as if he were receiving communion and asked for food or money. Most had nothing to offer. A couple people gave candy. As I reached into my pocket to pull out candy, I awaited the arrival of his cupped hands. While I was in the middle of the group, the boy took a quick look at me and quickly diverted his attention to the other members of the group who happened to be white. I later asked Professor Sunil (who lives in Delhi) about this incident. As he let out a gentle chuckle he said, "poor little boy. He missed out on the candy. To him, Aukeem, you were probably just another poor fellow like himself."
I inquired about this matter further and found ut it's just the way they are raised. To most Indians, a darker skin signifies a lesser class. I am still not sure how this sits with me, but it is clear that human beings have a necessity to compartmentalize even other human beings so that there is indeed the "other". While it is obvious that classism and racism and discrimination still exist, this experience has proven to me that education is absolutely essential. If there were ever a doubt that the solution to many of our problems as a human race is indeed education and critical thought, that doubt is now blown to pieces. Oh New Delhi, how we have yet to meet... I look forward to th places you will take me!
TIme to start
Dear Friends,
I hope this post finds you well as September falls upon the shores of our journeys wherever that may be.
Throughout the summer, I would tell people of my future travels and the insisted that I keep some sort of documentation to let everyone know how I'm doing. At first I felt as though it wouldn't be worth it, but because I will be going on two study abroad programs this year, if nothing else, it will allow for me to track my journey. Thus, I this is the first entry of "Oh The Places".
The title comes from the the book, Oh The Places You Will Go, by Dr. Seuss. I chose this, because I plan on taking a photo with that book in hand at everyone main stop in India, Australia, and eventually the world. While this may be a blog about my adventures, I hope you use it to reflect upon your own life and adventures. Remember, life itself is perhaps the most amazing journey. It's your job to make it into the novel of the century!
So I hope you come along and hold on as the roller coaster throws me into crazy cities, intense wild life, great waters, aboriginal camps, moral dilemmas, and much more.
I hope this post finds you well as September falls upon the shores of our journeys wherever that may be.
Throughout the summer, I would tell people of my future travels and the insisted that I keep some sort of documentation to let everyone know how I'm doing. At first I felt as though it wouldn't be worth it, but because I will be going on two study abroad programs this year, if nothing else, it will allow for me to track my journey. Thus, I this is the first entry of "Oh The Places".
The title comes from the the book, Oh The Places You Will Go, by Dr. Seuss. I chose this, because I plan on taking a photo with that book in hand at everyone main stop in India, Australia, and eventually the world. While this may be a blog about my adventures, I hope you use it to reflect upon your own life and adventures. Remember, life itself is perhaps the most amazing journey. It's your job to make it into the novel of the century!
So I hope you come along and hold on as the roller coaster throws me into crazy cities, intense wild life, great waters, aboriginal camps, moral dilemmas, and much more.
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