traffic sign of development

- hawaii, stop on the road to greet and talk with each other: they're being friendly
- rural vietnam, cycle or walk in the middle of the road, they are being lawless, or at best oblivious to the notion of traffic roads

- new york, pedestrians jaywalk and disregard traffic lights, they're being New Yorker
- hanoi, pedestrians jaywalk and disregard traffic lights, well, it's just typical in a developing country.

extremely negative:
tired of and from work
impatient to hear back from Daina and to move in the new place
dreadful to spend the whole evening (Sat.) at J's house
and to avoid that tomorrow, will have to go somewhere
though don't really have any place, or anyone to see
lonely

democracy

1.

when i give instructions, there are always some thoughts behind. So either you ask, or you follow.

2.

since we're of different opinions, let me prevail, ok?

Just Read: The Hungry Tide

I don't like the two foreground protagonists (if such a notion exists), but the book offers a beautiful, rich, and humane depiction (or documentation?) of Sunderban, where the relationship between human and nature reaches both extremes: symbiosis and enemy. Meticulously researched like a comprehensive anthropological work that covers everything related to the locale: environment, folk tradition, history.

teamwork

Boss: Ok, let's come up with some ideas... Let's give each of the student a topic, and they will have to talk about it in one minute... Any other suggestions?

Me: Well, i'd go for a conversation, something more interactive, since this is an oral test...
...

...

...
Boss: ok, what i suggested is not perfect, but since we couldn't come up with anything better, and we don't have time left for more discussion, we'll move ahead with it.

Comment: No comment. Because i was embedded in it, i wouldn't be able to judge. Both of us knew that our ideas were not without fault, but we had different criteria, and from our own point of view, our proposal outdid the other.

being a girl means

people tend to be on the look out for you, to go out of their way to help you

you're unlikely to get into a fight with a stranger

you can see married women who never show their faces to any men not directly related to them (father, brothers, children), except the husband.

It also means:
feticide
infanticide

In India, a conservative estimate claims 0.5 million missing girls a year.

In China, the sex ratio is 119.6 male : 100 female (CIA world factbook reports an 111:100), compared to the global 105:100. In the two southern provinces of Hainan and Guangdong, it's 135.6 and 130.3, respectively. This skewed ratio has lead to a constant threat of cross-border kipnapping for Vietnamese women.

It doesn't spare the "developed" South Korea and Taiwan either. No wonder about the overseas bride demand.

outsourcing

I was first introduced to India's home helper industry in Kolkata. After the dinner at Tora's, i offered to help and was told not to worry, someone would come in in the morning to take care of it. As it turned out, there were three of them. They'd come in twice every day, each time for about 2, 3 hours: wash, clean, cook. Since Kolkata is an expensive city, a maid earns about Rs. 6 per month per family. Working for 8 families, that'd earn her Rs. 4800.

My boss also has a "maid" cum "office girl." From a conversation i had with this super sweet girl (actually, it was in broken english through another employee) i learned that she's 25, has two kids who live with her parents (in-law?) in Surat, about 200 kms away. She comes back there the first day of each month to see them. She's been working here for more than a year. Now she earns Rs. 1947 for her 8-6 work schedule.

I found my apartment yesterday (finally!). The rent costs Rs. 2000, with electricity and other expenses, it comes up to Rs. 3000. My roommate (Daina) and I are splitting the Rs. 400/month pay to our maid. The thought of cleaning our own house and washing our own clothes seems very alien here.

Anyway, the apartment is spacious. It's on the 4th floor, and Daina's room has a beautiful view of the river. It's 2 minutes walk from the Darpana school, next door to which is a little cafe, seems like an artsy neighborhood to me.

Can't say how grateful i am to Daina. She didn't want to sublet it to my at first, but then she got my text and couldn't say no. She said she understands how hard it is to find a place here. She herself spent 7, 8 months to land this one.
Not only that, this place is a real luxury to me, after having seen the girl hostel: 20 girls on one floor, 3-4 people in one tiny room, shared bath and toilet. And it costs Rs. 1350. The other place that i asked was a flat with 2 other girls, but the room is tiny, and it costs Rs. 4000, just rent, nothing else included. Ridiculous!