Some things never change... Others...

Some things never change...

(although I believe I can change the ones I really decide I should - not without some effort though: try to guess which ones I'm refering to...)

• I listen to Kizombas practically everyday
• When I talk to my closest of friends (just like yesterday ;) ), it seems like no time has passed and no distance is there - some things are simply eternal and overcome any judgement, wording or traceable limits
• I still have trouble going up in the morning and tend to stay in bed a little bit too long
• I still don't know how but always find myself entertained until too late in the night (I wonder: could this have anything to do with the waking up part of it? :P Trust me, I tuck in a little bit longer even if I've slept for 12 hours - owl style? What can I do? That's just me ever since I remember: at night, that's when I'm creative, energetic, with time for myself :) ...
• Lately, lacking dancing - DANCING HAS BEEN FORBIDEN IN BANGALORE CLUBS FOR THE PAST 3 WEEKS!!: can you imagine me living in such a city if this wasn't about to change in a matter of weeks?... - at night (among other things, namely domestic tasks), I dance and sing to both my years and sometimes the girls sleeping upstairs' - ups! have been trying to control, I swear! :P
• Have my yoghurt with cereal almost every day
• Have been being asked to write texts and to revise scripts

... On others I am fortunate to get confirmation checks...

• Love colour! Love travelling! Love nature! Love smiles! Love international friends! Love speaking other laguages! Love dancing! Love people! Love cucumber! Love scarfs! :)
• Ages flatten down when souls - the true Beings - and not bodies connect

... The rest changes in you for good and is simply destined to make you grow within!

• Started liking to eat with my hands (the most unconceivable thing in my culture of origin: the first times, you feel like you're doing something wrong as this is what would be told if you did the same while you were being brought up)
• No bugs or ants or dirt or smell around me disgust me to any level of real disturbance at this point
• Love indian food with all its exquisitness, SPICES (!), never-ending colous, textures and tastes
• I am now carefull with night time, don't take transportation alone at those hours either, walk with my eyes down as I don't want to cross the eyes of men, and whenever posible hold my brother-friends' arms or simply stand behind them as some kind of psichological shield (specially when travelling) - Gabiru, Deepak, you guys are the best protectors ever - luv'u!
• I cherish now what before I had never thought of because I took it for granted: the possibility of allowing yourself to feel (most of the girls and boys here will see their spouses only once to thrice before the day of their marriage...)

Also to be continued...

Olive oil: gods' nectar

To tell you the 'lightest' of my examples, but maybe the most obvious at least for tendencially pragmatic minds:

Olive oil is a very rare and hence very expensive thing in India (being imported namely from Spain). To give you a comparison, a 1 liter bottle may cost me an amount corresponding to 13 travels home-work.

Another fact that most of you know: olive oil is essencial in european cooking, namely portuguese, and me personally I use it for practically everything.

So of course I bought a bottle, but obviously kept it saved for a controled use.

Last week, while bringing the bottle back to my room after cooking, it was slippery so it fell off my hands to become an oil lake and dozens of glass pieces in my room floor.

For a minute, I was pissed off and thought only that 300 ruppees (3/4 of the content) were there lying on the floor - not to speak of the inconvenience and the mess. I commented this with my friends, the fact that what had gotten broken was exactly the ingredient that I cherished the most and had spent money on because "I couldn't live without olive oil".

But then, as lately with everything, I decided to accept what had happened and believe, also as always, that it had happened for a reason (one of them being clearly that I should have been more carefull and next time, I will). The hidden reason, there'll always be some, was yet to be discovered.

Well, what I am wanting to tell you is that, as always, life got back to me with the greatest of answers to such a simple thing. Acquaintances have been calling me "lucky". :)

The following day, I was in the supermarket and had almost forgotten that I had already decided that, irrespective of money, of course I'd buy a new bottle. But Rumzie was taking longer with her shopping and I ran into the olive oil shelf.

The truth is that, not only they were selling olive oil in a plastic bottle.... :), as a 1 liter cooking olive oil bottle (worth 400 rupees) was in offer if you bought an extra-virgin one. I loved the again non-coincidence and put both in my basket regardless of price. Still in the supermarket I commented with Rumela that answer life was giving to me. And it was happening unintentionally and in the day right after an event that I had considered a sad waste.

This was enough to again leave me with a feeling of thankfulness. But when I got home for some reason I noticed the price on the extra-virgin oil bottle. Then I noticed that there was no 720 Rs. registered in my receipt. For mistake, the cashiers at 'Spencer's' had registered 400 Rs., the price of the bottle that was in offer, and not the correct one. They made me pay the cheapest one and ended up offering the most expensive, saving me 320 Rs., precisely the money that I had let slip out of my hands the day before.

......

'Course my good-will made me feel like I should go back and tell them, but who would? And anyway, we're always being overcharged for everything here. So - ethical or not - here I had my little excuse.

.......

Coincidence? Most surely not. It's just life communicating clearly with me, as every day here in the most unexplainable of details.

Plus, my friends are starting to know me so well here that Deepak actually intended to offer me a bottle of olive oil yesterday, as he had seen me sad over that waste the week before (thank you dear!*). So life had already such a nice alternative reserved for me if Rumz hadn't taken longer that day at our grocery shop... :))

Magic days

- picture at 9.40 pm - local time = 5.10 pm in Portugal, my birth time.

One special day happened 2 weeks ago: I was 25 on the 25th.

It's once in a life time, as well as today's day: 08.08.08.

The day was filled with joy from 23.55 pm on the 24th.

My already big indian family spoiled me so much I felt like a little girl! My heart felt big, and pampered, and privileged, as so many remembered me, and such good surprises happened.

My portuguese FAMILY... the whole day enlightening me too. I feel [healthy] SAUDADES of you all...!

The night came and - 'lucky me'! - I went to do what I like the best, and among my companions - guess who? - my nuclear family in Bangalore: Andre, Camilla, Deepak and Rumela. Have I told you I love you? It's Youll and TRAVELLING... :)

So there we went to a 2 days extension of my birthday celebration in Tusker Valley, in Kalhatti Park, on the Nilgiri Mountains.

We went for relatively challenging trekking journeys twice, reached waterfalls and moutain peaks, saw plantations, and stood in the middle of some bear cages and the all-mighty white clouds. Almost tripped once or twice, climbed many many rocks and listened to the sound of silence and to the wisper of echo. My mates spoted foot-prints of bears, bisonts and other sorts of wild life that didn't dare to come near us.

The nights were coronated with music, bath with hot water served in buckets, eating around bonfire, playing Uno, teeling mind-cracking riddles, finding mouse poop all over your bed sheets and... Night Safari!!, where the most thrilling experiences were the raining outside the open jeep, the bang of the head on the ceiling, and the expectation to see more then one rabbit, one bisont and a couple of dears that in the end were the only ones who let themselves be spoted. (explanation: the rain makes elephants have easy access to water which makes them not need to come close to the road as they were expected to in the TUSKER valley).

Sunday brought us to a hillarious happy jeep journey, dancing our brains off towards a pleasurable chinese dinner in Ooti.

On our way to Bangalore, 1h30 hours after departure, a land-slide: sand and a tree blocking the road. Only six hours later - morning already - did a caterpiller come to remove it. Close to Bangalore, again a truck riot to delay us... Summary: 16 hour bus trip!! (was suppose to be 8 tops) HEHE! With my friends just laughing at me afterwards as I just woke up to check on the overall situation maybe 3 times during all that time. :)) God bless the sleep in these circumstances! (jealous, uh?) :P

Everyone has been telling me about me having experienced the weirdest most uncommon things in Bangalore since I got here. Uncomfortable as they may have been sometimes, again I look at them as life experience.

THANK YOU ALL FOR (close and from afar) MAKING ME FEEL HOME.

An insight of Life and the Potential of Humankind

I have been visiting the Slums where the foundation I work for offers a daily meal, to supervise on the justice of the distribution of the food and ensure that it reaches our target.

I come out of there with the ultimate confirmation of the blessing in my life, and again more grateful for it.

I feel bigger as I feel smaller. I feel more conscient: of what I am/ have, about what there is that is effectively essencial to life...

My bear-feet on their floor, the contrasts hit me, I suffer in comparison, but I manage to come out of there peaceful as I see at least there there's something being done. And wherever else it is feazable.

Somehow I feel serene also (is that posible? serene as in confident of human potential! = capacity for adaptation, reaction, relation, kind giving, humble acceptance, survival, community strength - does it make any sense?)...

... Confident as in the middle of the greatest lack of everything, SMILES and HUMANITY aren't missing in any of their faces. Also for this I feel deep respect for these people that I greet back with Nasmaskar and wholehearted smiles.

CHILDREN IN THE SLUMS ARE HAPPY, they're more alive in their eyes and smiles than any I have ever seen in my mostly european/ touristic aproach to travels... They play with me and they compliment the beauty of my name.

People respond to smiles, greetings and eye connection.

Humanity works. No need to speak the same language. We already speak the same language.

You see, if we take the right look the world couldn't be simpler.

Again, I don't know how to put into words how thankfull I am for the fact that LIFE is giving me never-ending oportunities of appreciating its ESSENCE and simplicity.

A Fresh-View: Ashvasan welcomes a new trainee

At the moment I am preparing a Newsletter to be issued by one of the Associations that I work for (first one mentioned below). Today I'm sharing the article I was requested to write as an introduction of myself, to be included in that publication.

For those of you who are wondering where I am working, I send the links below, promising to give some details on the work I am developing soon:

• Ashvasan - Reaching out to the aged and the lonely - www.ashvasan.org (hasn't been updated for 3 years now - that'll be one of my tasks)
• Smriti-Nandan Cultural Centre - www.smritinandan.org
• 22nd Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav - http://utsav.smritinandan.org

"Greetings to all Ashvasan members and friends!
My name is Raquel Lemos, I am 25 years-old and I come from Lisbon in Portugal.
I arrived in India in June 17th 2008 and joined Lalita Ubhayaker Foundation for the Arts on the 1st of July, for a 6 months internship from which I expect great results.
Back in Portugal, I finished my 1st university degree in Communication & Culture in 2006 and since then I’ve been working as an Event and Communication Manager at the biggest private bank in the country.
Having initiated my career path, I still didn’t want to give up studying, so for one year I was studying Image, Protocol and Event Management, and just before coming to Bangalore I finished an Executive Masters in Business Administration.
Parallel to this, my lifetime passions remain being Arts, Cultural Diversity and Traveling. Actually, since the age of 16, the scope of my work has been Dance and Fitness as a teacher, performer and producer, with my most favorite hobby being summer traveling and making Friends a little bit all over the world.
Also, for many years now, I’ve been wanting to volunteer and for the first time in my life really understand the meaning of learning by giving (and not solely by absorbing).
Thus, based also in my past experience, but wanting to learn every day more, it is with all my heart, will and commitment that I hope to be able to give a contribution worthy of the wholehearted commendable work developed by Ashvasan, Smriti Nandan Cultural Centre and Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav.
It was with great pleasure that I met and just started working with part of the Ashvasan Family. I feel part of It myself already and I am thankful for that.
I am looking forward to meeting you all."

How my life has changed

My life has changed in many ways, but there are some few logistical details that I'd like to share with you:

• I eat with my hands (right hand!) every day;


• I have had cold showers for 2 weeks;


• I sleep with ear tampons and the fan on;


• I am constantly being bitten by mosquitos, irrespective of prevention;


• The washing machine (for clothes) works with cold water only;


• My room (as I wanted a single one) was stolen out of the living-room space - having pre-fabricated plastic walls, the insonorization from house, front-door and street sounds is none; the front-door of the house doesn't open or close unless I have my room's door closed;


• Although this house is much much better than the previous one, you'll find them anywhere, it's unavoidable... in the past two days I've had 1 lizzard and 2 cochroaches in my room and bathroom;


• I've been being transported in motorbikes in India for the first time, sitting normally or with my legs to the side, holding hardly anything and carrying no helmet - but hey! that's how everyone does it! 4 times I've done it by now;


• I carry my backpack with my laptop everyday to and from office. I like the ritual, but maybe this'll be changing soon as a new computer just arrived;


• I usually don't walk alone in the streets after 7 pm, and most definitelly don't after 9 pm. Two girls together walking in the street at 11 pm proved to be challenging enough;


• I have to bargain for prices practically everyday;


• I got back to my old times: am eating mostly vegetarian;


• I tried driving an indian car, with the wheel on the right, the gears on the left, and driving on the left side of the road - but, don't get scared!, it was just for a few yards in a quiet alley. Liked it though!;


• I am working at my Mentor's house (only one other person works for the Foundation: the secretary, on the lower floor, Manjula is her name) and I am invited to have lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Ubhayaker every day;


• I am given tea with milk (!!) and sugar every day at 11.30 am and 4.30 pm - now I like it;


• I live with 7 other girls and I never know who's been in my house, and who'll be coming by as the Paying Guesthouse (PG) male managers are always running around for some reason, some fixing, something - summary: privacy: reduced;


• I've been having what everyone told me I shouldn't: when you're in some place for a long time, and specially when you share habits, meals and rituals with locals... you can't avoid it, and of course your system adapts to it, which also makes your daily life much more mingled and easier. So, I'm having: filtered water (not only bottled), fresh vegetables, fruit with skin, yoghurt, and I'm brushing my teeth with tap water - only once did I feel sick, and after that everything is fine. Actually, I feel like my body likes the habits I have here, it has been happy :) ;


• Going out here means starting at 8.30 pm (if you can, but you never...) and finishing dancing precisely at 11.30 pm - everything closes at this hour, there's no way!;


• I work alone, bear-feet, in a peaceful environment and in almost total silence (picture: the entrance to the Ubhayaker's residence, my workplace - how amazing is that?);
• It's Monsoon season, so everyday it rains cats and dogs for about one hour, and then it stops. Meaning: you should always be carrying an umbrella.

Recording Difference

FACTS that my eyes capture everyday:

* Although my frame is unavoidably that of a European, with these statements I mean nothing but to record differences (after all that’s what I came here for). I hereby honestly declare no intention of conveying criticism or prejudice in none of the following (anyway, the order in which the facts are placed is by the way totally arbitrary):

· Children are carried in motorbikes holding to the wheel or squeezed between 2 or 3 other bodies – and this is while other vehicles pass speeding 2cm from them, each vehicle issuing tons of gazes right at their nose level
· You can see single shoes spread all over in roads – and not all are in bad shape. I wonder…? : )
· Horses carry goods on their own in the roads
· Many policemen cover their mouth and nose because of pollution, and they whistle (as others horn) all the time, for no reason
· The traffic lights are rare and not always respected
· 16.07.08, 18h35 – Saw a man grab a mobile out of another man’s car as this had the window open in the middle of a traffic jam
· Many children and adults walk in the streets bear-feet
· There are no bins for the litter in the streets. And still people don’t think twice before throwing garbage away…. It is hard to find bins in the houses too
· The malls and movie theatres are the more luxurious I’ve ever been to. E.g., they sell a variety of food and beverages inside, and the seats are always “convertible”
· You see cows all over: in the traffic – standing or moving with it (being just avoided, but sent away or pushed by no one!), lying down, eating out of trash in bus station, just about anywhere!
· Have seen camels being rid in the road once in a while. And of course, many many bikes
· Vehicles are more important than pedestrians – absolute priority, they don’t even break if they see that you want to cross the road, not even if you’re already in the middle of a thousand of moving vehicles and animals, right in the middle of the road, spinning and dancing in the hurdle of trying not to get hit by a car’s side-miror or any bike
· The rules for driving: honk, squeeze and occupy any free space you may find
· Men urinate anywhere in the street, without even caring to hide, although they do give their back to the crowd
· Men spit on the floor and out of moving vehicles quite often
· In some movie theatres, the Indian Himn plays before the show starts. Everyone stands, sellers stop selling, incoming people stop their march, some place their hand in their heart, some get emotional, but no one dares to talk or look anyway other than the screen – although no one seems to sing along with the Gurus that interpret the song
· This is the most colourful country I’ve ever been to: religion is colourful, dressing is colourful, state announcements are colourful, buildings are colourful, cars and trucks are colourful, food is colourful….
· It rains almost everyday by dust (when it’s serious the streets look like authentic river flows), and power goes off one or several times for anything ranging from 10 minutes to 4 hours. From today on I’m expected not to have water in the house for 4 days
· Bangalore seems to be all and always under contruction


LESSONS that I’ve learned mostly from my Mentor and her Husband, Mr. and Mrs. Ubhayaker*:

* everyday at least one new teaching by the table, during a blessed lunch (this is just one of the few reasons I feel blessed around here)

* actually today I spoke of starting to bring my beloved notebook to the table as I forget such important notions I learn just because hindi, kannada or sanscrit don’t sound like anything familiar – I have to write down in order to memorize, as I do with anything already anyway even in Portugal!)

* all of the below mentioned lessons are Their responsibility - except for one: the most materialistic maybe, the last one - you have to learn how to deal with auto-rickshaws by yourself!):

· Give things to others with your right hand
· Eat with your right hand only
· Don’t wet your hand beyond 2/3 of your fingers when you’re eating
· Go straight home and don’t leave if a religious ofense took place in town
· Always bargain (insistently) if the price isn’t fixed

Promise to keep on with this exercise.
**********