Good communication is the key to building strong and meaningful relationships, whether between a husband and wife or two business partners. The lack thereof can cause great strife and misunderstanding. Communication can be difficult between two close friends who share the same language, so…
The bags are ready! The tailoring assessment period is over… contracts are signed! The six months tailoring project begins!!! AND… We already know 70 more words in Malayalam including: Budhimutt joli= hard work; thunni= fabric; and (my favorite!) uhchabashanam… oru mani!= (lunch time!) I’ve…
I am dedicating this blog to the wondrous fruit that is the chakka, jackfruit. The large oval fruit hangs from the trees with its green spiky covering protecting it from hungry critters. One never knows quite how to proceed when it is placed before…
The children were giggling and screaming out the names of vegetables, fruits and flowers. It was an intense review game for our weekend English class in the rural community of Wayanad. Jessi, a community member and one of the Spoken English teachers had already…
People say I make strange choices, but they’re not strange for me. My sickness is that I’m fascinated by human behavior, by what’s underneath the surface, by the worlds inside people. – Johnny Depp. This is one of my favorite quotes. For the past…
I am in my second week here in India. I am learning a lot about India’s political, economic, cultural, and historical background as I adapt to my new environment. My favorite aspect of India currently is the colors popping out at me everywhere I…
Negotiation has become an important practice in these last few weeks. I have learned that anything and everything is negotiable in India. Meeting times, prices, partnerships with other organizations, crossing an intersection, everything requires a bit of negotiation. And more importantly, all things require…
This past Monday evening, Victoria and I met with a couple of young activists linked to the organizations Wiser Bangalore and Heal the Soil, a local organization that provides seeds and permaculture training to their community. They talked about their experience with local non-…
Open hands to open eyes. The title of my blog as well as my first photo album documenting my journey in India this summer. With just two weeks of experience to draw from, I can tell you that I thought of this title because…
These first two weeks in Bangalore have been very exciting and incredibly hectic. For now, our team consists of our director, Jenny Koleth; her two little daughters who are 5 and 6 years old; Aunty, her mother in law; Victoria, the other volunteer, and me….
