I feel that I’m by far one of the most fortunate people on this planet. I’m entirely not sure which planet that might be, because I feel as if I’m on a different planet than where I’ve been living, but never-the-less. I sit on a train bound for Amritsar, on my way to Dalhousie and Dharamsala for about 11 days, looking out at the Indian countryside, green, thatched huts. Earlier leaving Delhi, I saw lots of garbage, pigs, people squatting, but now farmland and a breath of fresh air.
During the past week I was feeling quite anxious and it was very difficult, but after a talk with my son and a friend, things started falling into place again. (I’m seeing mounds of cow dung, water buffalo, a few buildings, some still being constructed, others that will just sit and become ghosts) I co-facilitated a workshop for VSO India staff with my mate Mary from the UK. It was quite fun and we even put in a basketball exercise. It’s so incredibly enjoyable to be as creative as possible, so much more fun than the usual. (We’re stopping at a station and people are walking all over the tracks, waiting to get onto their train. An Indian man sat down next to me, he had just travelled to Iran for business. Oh the people you will meet and the things that you will see).
I was in Bhopal and Ujaan recently to do my first co-facilitated workshop. Went with my mates Allan and Margaret from the UK. We stayed in a place called the SOS Village which are actually set up around the world. The concept is that abandoned/orphaned children with disability are brought to the Village to live in a family environment. There are groupings of houses with six children and a “mother” and “auntie” living in the homes with the children. Of course, I found a b-ball court and played a bit of b-ball with a number of the boys, as the girls have a separate play area. Given the mix of disability though I ended up doing great circle games, holding hands, with the boys. There was lots of laughing. One boy was in a wheelchair and he participated in everything which was so good for my heart.
I made my first cultural faux-paux at the Village, by putting on my bathing suit and walking through some sprinklers shirtless. (I’m seeing these brick huts and a number of brick making factories). I was told by one of the administrators that the females were quite uncomfortable. I apologized profusely to this administrator and the director and they said don’t worry about it. I need to remember to be a bit more cautious when I’m out in the “countryside”.
Ujaan was magical as we stayed at an ashram, where abandoned people are brought. Upon arriving at Ujaan we went to hospital to visit a client who was pregnant. Apparently she also had a mental disorder. This was at about 7 PM and by 11 AM the next morning the client was back at the Ashram with a baby girl. She wasn’t allowed to stay at the hospital because of her apparent mental condition. The ashram was really in a very rural environment and we ate on a rooftop, a scrumptious meal and slept outside. Absolutely the magic of India at its very best. The next morning we toured the facility and one could see the happiness from having a place to live but also the sadness of living with a mental disorder.
How does one actually put into words the magic that is all around us? We try but there is also something unworldly, at least through my filters, in it all. Something well beyond words, when one’s world is totally turned upside down and what one thought was the “way” of doing things is absolutely not. (I’m also watching the Lakers-Nuggets score on MSN.com, 76-76 after three quarters).
Delhi is a place where one can ride an incredibly modern metro, but when one comes out at the New Delhi stop to go to the train, one sees a mass of people crouched, sitting on the ground, sleeping at the station, not necessarily modern trains. It makes me pause and wonder how did this all get built? Is it really possible given the construction methods? (The metro of course) A house is being built across the street from me and it is just so surprising to see it go up. There is a work crew consisting of both men and women in saris and it is just remarkable, but it is, in fact going up.
I love the fact though that I can see, smell and feel all of this. I don’t really like the heat and the dust, but I share this with so many others. (I’m seeing these large mounds of straw with large mounds of dung next to them and people are actually using tractors, women in saris picking something, the thatched huts where the workers most likely live).
I’m doing my very best to connect with others, trying to start a Men’s Group, and yes there are commonalities, we’re all human, but we are also so very different. The diversity that I’m finding is in some ways similar to what I’ve experienced with others in the US, but here I am the foreigner, a lot of the time not understanding what is being said to me, especially by the young girls who live downstairs from me. They know my name now, call me Mike, but then I don’t necessarily know what they are saying, although they do make themselves clear about what they want to eat out of my refrigerator.
I feel that India is really just whetting my appetite for seeing more of the world, but not just seeing, truly experiencing. I think that India will open up so many more opportunities for me. In a way it’s too bad that I didn’t start this when I was younger, but I was doing other things that seemed very important. I have no regrets about what I’ve done in my past, although I know that I’ve hurt others, which was never my intention. But now I have this entirely new world opening up. (Lakers won and I’m seeing fields and fields of sunflowers-the unexpected).
What will this new world bring? So hard to say and know, but everyday seems to create a new opportunity, a new way of seeing things , of just being. (The sunflowers are just spectacular). Nothing is done by rote, it’s all about creativity, shedding the past and making the future, but truly being right in the moment.
India, sweet India.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Some rantings
May 10, 2009
It’s Mother’s Day in India, I guess, at least I saw some commercials on the television indicating that this was the case. Maybe it is, maybe not.
There is a lot of action in the house that I’m living in. A baby naming will take place today, so lot’s of commotion, people in my apartment who I don’t really know. Privacy seems to have very different meanings in India, than what I’m used to. Not that I shut my door and that is it for the rest of the world, because I have left my door open and my neighbors walk in and out, especially the children who grab my basketball and dribble. But this seems to be a bit much.
There is a great deal of curiosity about foreigners, no doubt about this. I still get my fair share of stares when I’m out in public. The tut-tut, three wheel drivers, some at least, laugh at me when I tell them that it is illegal not to use their meters. But, I’ll keep trying and threatening. There are those who laugh when I say, “stop pushing and let me out of the metro”. On some level, I’m becoming part of the fabric, but on another level I keep my very western ways to myself and try to tell others about them, through, what I consider to be my “polite” way of dealing with others. But as I know not everyone shares this and why should they?
Privacy is another matter in India. With extended families living with one another, there appears to be little of the western privacy. It’s not unusual at this point, for people just to come into my apartment. On some level, I’m just part of the family, but on another level, I want people to respect my privacy.
My music, loaded on my laptop, has kept me sane. I’m so glad that I can hear these sounds that remind me of the United States. Yes, I suppose that I’m coming to appreciate the comfort of my home country. But that is what part of this exploration is about. Of course, I’ve met some wonderful people in India and have found a great b-ball game, and am making a life for myself, but it still seems quite foreign. I don’t really understand Hindi and certainly don’t speak it well enough to communicate with many people. The heat is definitely exhausting and I am a stranger.
I see the same moon that we all see, but somehow it’s different. I realize that all of this takes time to become used to. When I think about how we all share the same planet, it is certainly quite mind boggling. I can still listen to a Lakers-Rockets game, but it is the morning instead of the evening and I have a gas stove to cook on and people just don’t look like me.
But then I think about the tremendous opportunity that I have in my work life, something, I don’t necessarily feel that I would have received in the U.S. Yes, I’ve made impacts throughout my life, but nothing like I feel that I can make here and that feels pretty good. I’ll be travelling a lot in my job, starting with one week in Bhopal on Monday. I’ll be going with some colleagues and we’ll be giving a capacity building, fundraising workshop.
Of course, it all remains a challenge especially the heat. At times, I’m not gravely impacted by it, but at other times I can really feel it. I also know that I’ve lost a bit of weight, but am hungry quite a bit, so am confident that I’ll gain this back, most likely during the winter, which I’m looking forward to. Of course I don’t want to wish away any of the time that I’m here, want to enjoy it all no matter how challenging it may be.
I do like the surprise of it all though, because I never do quite know what I’ll be seeing. Walking home from the bus, I’ll see some weddings with great celebration, lots of noise, live music, fireworks, just walking down the side of the road. I really can’t ever walk home without there being lots of people, noise, animals, dust. Yes, the surprise of it all truly keeps one alive and that is what India is about, staying alive.
I’m wondering if this is also possibly the case in other “developing” countries. Life and death for that matter are so prevalent that one can’t help but live a full life with many celebrations no matter what socio-economic level one is at. Something to ponder and find out more about.
Life is just a gigantic classroom and there are teachers everywhere one looks and even if one doesn’t look. It’s a matter of keeping one’s mind open and to always be aware of the doors that keep turning up. It is something like Alice in Wonderland, with things appearing, but why not slide down the rabbit hole? Why not walk through the fences that we put up around us? It’s all there. So why not?
It’s Mother’s Day in India, I guess, at least I saw some commercials on the television indicating that this was the case. Maybe it is, maybe not.
There is a lot of action in the house that I’m living in. A baby naming will take place today, so lot’s of commotion, people in my apartment who I don’t really know. Privacy seems to have very different meanings in India, than what I’m used to. Not that I shut my door and that is it for the rest of the world, because I have left my door open and my neighbors walk in and out, especially the children who grab my basketball and dribble. But this seems to be a bit much.
There is a great deal of curiosity about foreigners, no doubt about this. I still get my fair share of stares when I’m out in public. The tut-tut, three wheel drivers, some at least, laugh at me when I tell them that it is illegal not to use their meters. But, I’ll keep trying and threatening. There are those who laugh when I say, “stop pushing and let me out of the metro”. On some level, I’m becoming part of the fabric, but on another level I keep my very western ways to myself and try to tell others about them, through, what I consider to be my “polite” way of dealing with others. But as I know not everyone shares this and why should they?
Privacy is another matter in India. With extended families living with one another, there appears to be little of the western privacy. It’s not unusual at this point, for people just to come into my apartment. On some level, I’m just part of the family, but on another level, I want people to respect my privacy.
My music, loaded on my laptop, has kept me sane. I’m so glad that I can hear these sounds that remind me of the United States. Yes, I suppose that I’m coming to appreciate the comfort of my home country. But that is what part of this exploration is about. Of course, I’ve met some wonderful people in India and have found a great b-ball game, and am making a life for myself, but it still seems quite foreign. I don’t really understand Hindi and certainly don’t speak it well enough to communicate with many people. The heat is definitely exhausting and I am a stranger.
I see the same moon that we all see, but somehow it’s different. I realize that all of this takes time to become used to. When I think about how we all share the same planet, it is certainly quite mind boggling. I can still listen to a Lakers-Rockets game, but it is the morning instead of the evening and I have a gas stove to cook on and people just don’t look like me.
But then I think about the tremendous opportunity that I have in my work life, something, I don’t necessarily feel that I would have received in the U.S. Yes, I’ve made impacts throughout my life, but nothing like I feel that I can make here and that feels pretty good. I’ll be travelling a lot in my job, starting with one week in Bhopal on Monday. I’ll be going with some colleagues and we’ll be giving a capacity building, fundraising workshop.
Of course, it all remains a challenge especially the heat. At times, I’m not gravely impacted by it, but at other times I can really feel it. I also know that I’ve lost a bit of weight, but am hungry quite a bit, so am confident that I’ll gain this back, most likely during the winter, which I’m looking forward to. Of course I don’t want to wish away any of the time that I’m here, want to enjoy it all no matter how challenging it may be.
I do like the surprise of it all though, because I never do quite know what I’ll be seeing. Walking home from the bus, I’ll see some weddings with great celebration, lots of noise, live music, fireworks, just walking down the side of the road. I really can’t ever walk home without there being lots of people, noise, animals, dust. Yes, the surprise of it all truly keeps one alive and that is what India is about, staying alive.
I’m wondering if this is also possibly the case in other “developing” countries. Life and death for that matter are so prevalent that one can’t help but live a full life with many celebrations no matter what socio-economic level one is at. Something to ponder and find out more about.
Life is just a gigantic classroom and there are teachers everywhere one looks and even if one doesn’t look. It’s a matter of keeping one’s mind open and to always be aware of the doors that keep turning up. It is something like Alice in Wonderland, with things appearing, but why not slide down the rabbit hole? Why not walk through the fences that we put up around us? It’s all there. So why not?
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Some notes about Democrats and Basketball
On Friday night I went to a foreign democrats meeting held at a beautiful hotel in New Delhi. The occasion was an analysis of the first 100 days of the big “O” conducted by a panel consisting of a UK NPR reporter, a BBC correspondent, a Time magazine writer and a reporter from the Hindustani Times. The food was quite good, top quality, 5 star hotel kind of stuff.
It was a very stimulating evening. I met a number of Americans, including one young lady from New York. Clara is here doing an internship with dalits/women’s rights and will be returning to the States in June in order to attend law school at Fordham, University of Michigan or Columbia.
I started talking about my love of markets and Clara smiled and asked me if I knew of a farm called Cato Corners in southeastern CT. Of course given my work in southeastern CT I did know of Cato Corners. Clara had been working summers at one of their farm stands in Brooklyn and was hoping to go back this summer and do the same.
This points up the smallness of the world. How I can be literally half way around the world from my home state of California, or Connecticut for that matter, and talk about someone that we both know, even though I had never met Clara before.
Would I have ever met Clara in the States, most likely not, but I met her in New Delhi. Will I ever see Clara again in my life, most likely not, although given the magic of the universe, maybe. But, that is not the point. The rather strangeness of it all, but yet naturalness, is something that certainly warrants some thinking about.
Another person at the democratic affair told me about how he recently read an article in a local newspaper describing how a three year old in India insisted on going to a village and talking to his “wife”. He then proceeded to talk all about his life with her. The individual that I was talking to told me that he now believed in this kind of stuff, i.e. I assume some type of reincarnation.
Are we meant to connect with specific people on our life journey, and have we seen these “souls” before? It brings up an interesting question, whether life is somehow “programmed” or whether we are all just free spirits making things happen as they will.
I’m not really sure about this, as I would hope to have a lot of free will, to determine what happens, but of course, we all have certain doors that we can choose to see and knock on, enter or keep closed. We can place ourselves in situations that seem far beyond any fences that we’ve posted for ourselves. We can seek to go well beyond our fears and truly live extraordinary lives and meet someone like “Clara”, who we may not meet in our home countries, although she is from our home country.
Here’s the entirely other piece as basketball, and my passion for this sport, continues to be prevalent no matter where I go. (And why wouldn't there be a connection given the big "O's" playing of b-ball) It turns out that the Delhi Democrats Chair is the Boys Basketball Coach at the American Embassy School (AES). Once we got onto this he told me that he might possibly have an opening for an Assistant Coach. Sam introduced me to JD Walsh http://jdbasketball.com/, a 6’8”, former University of Maryland basketball player, who now runs coaching camps for children all over the world, including Palestinian and Israeli children.
On Saturday I went to the AES for my noon basketball game. Upon arriving there was JD doing a basketball camp. He actually ended up playing with us for a few minutes and I was able to try to guard him on once occasion. After leaving the AES, I went to the YMCA, where I was able to swim and then coach.
This was the third Saturday that I’ve been able to coach around 40 children in basketball. The head coach is a wonderful man and is allowing me to really help the children. Typically I run a few drills and then get to spend some focused time with the girls and younger boys.
Being aware of gender issues I was able to divide the children up into five groups in order to do some stretching. I left it to each group to decide who to put in the middle to lead the stretching. I noticed that there were only boys leading. I then asked the groups to change leaders and stated clearly that they must be led by girls. After some hesitation all girls were leading the stretching. A small thing, but nonetheless a way to start breaking down gender barriers. I’m very sensitive to this entire issue, thanks to my life experience and a VSO focus, but I feel that I can subtlety, though very concretely, do something about this through basketball.
It was a very stimulating evening. I met a number of Americans, including one young lady from New York. Clara is here doing an internship with dalits/women’s rights and will be returning to the States in June in order to attend law school at Fordham, University of Michigan or Columbia.
I started talking about my love of markets and Clara smiled and asked me if I knew of a farm called Cato Corners in southeastern CT. Of course given my work in southeastern CT I did know of Cato Corners. Clara had been working summers at one of their farm stands in Brooklyn and was hoping to go back this summer and do the same.
This points up the smallness of the world. How I can be literally half way around the world from my home state of California, or Connecticut for that matter, and talk about someone that we both know, even though I had never met Clara before.
Would I have ever met Clara in the States, most likely not, but I met her in New Delhi. Will I ever see Clara again in my life, most likely not, although given the magic of the universe, maybe. But, that is not the point. The rather strangeness of it all, but yet naturalness, is something that certainly warrants some thinking about.
Another person at the democratic affair told me about how he recently read an article in a local newspaper describing how a three year old in India insisted on going to a village and talking to his “wife”. He then proceeded to talk all about his life with her. The individual that I was talking to told me that he now believed in this kind of stuff, i.e. I assume some type of reincarnation.
Are we meant to connect with specific people on our life journey, and have we seen these “souls” before? It brings up an interesting question, whether life is somehow “programmed” or whether we are all just free spirits making things happen as they will.
I’m not really sure about this, as I would hope to have a lot of free will, to determine what happens, but of course, we all have certain doors that we can choose to see and knock on, enter or keep closed. We can place ourselves in situations that seem far beyond any fences that we’ve posted for ourselves. We can seek to go well beyond our fears and truly live extraordinary lives and meet someone like “Clara”, who we may not meet in our home countries, although she is from our home country.
Here’s the entirely other piece as basketball, and my passion for this sport, continues to be prevalent no matter where I go. (And why wouldn't there be a connection given the big "O's" playing of b-ball) It turns out that the Delhi Democrats Chair is the Boys Basketball Coach at the American Embassy School (AES). Once we got onto this he told me that he might possibly have an opening for an Assistant Coach. Sam introduced me to JD Walsh http://jdbasketball.com/, a 6’8”, former University of Maryland basketball player, who now runs coaching camps for children all over the world, including Palestinian and Israeli children.
On Saturday I went to the AES for my noon basketball game. Upon arriving there was JD doing a basketball camp. He actually ended up playing with us for a few minutes and I was able to try to guard him on once occasion. After leaving the AES, I went to the YMCA, where I was able to swim and then coach.
This was the third Saturday that I’ve been able to coach around 40 children in basketball. The head coach is a wonderful man and is allowing me to really help the children. Typically I run a few drills and then get to spend some focused time with the girls and younger boys.
Being aware of gender issues I was able to divide the children up into five groups in order to do some stretching. I left it to each group to decide who to put in the middle to lead the stretching. I noticed that there were only boys leading. I then asked the groups to change leaders and stated clearly that they must be led by girls. After some hesitation all girls were leading the stretching. A small thing, but nonetheless a way to start breaking down gender barriers. I’m very sensitive to this entire issue, thanks to my life experience and a VSO focus, but I feel that I can subtlety, though very concretely, do something about this through basketball.
There is also the guy on the Delhi list-serve Yuni-net, who recently sent out an e-mail about wanting to watch some of the playoff games with others! He is a Boston Celtics fan, no matter, it would be fun to connect with other NBA types.
I’m intent on making basketball more a part of how I live my life, a team approach, a teaching and learning experience, a dance that brings people together to not only like one another, but to also respect and love one another. It is all amazing stuff and can happen by walking through doors at posh hotels in New Delhi in order to realize how great the big “O” really is.
Some notes about Democrats and Basketball
On Friday night I went to a foreign democrats meeting held at a beautiful hotel in New Delhi. The occasion was an analysis of the first 100 days of the big “O” conducted by a panel consisting of a UK NPR reporter, a BBC correspondent, a Time magazine writer and a reporter from the Hindustani Times. The food was quite good, top quality, 5 star hotel kind of stuff.
It was a very stimulating evening. I met a number of Americans, including one young lady from New York. Clara is here doing an internship with dalits/women’s rights and will be returning to the States in June in order to attend law school at Fordham, University of Michigan or Columbia.
I started talking about my love of markets and Clara smiled and asked me if I knew of a farm called Cato Corners in southeastern CT. Of course given my work in southeastern CT I did know of Cato Corners. Clara had been working summers at one of their farm stands in Brooklyn and was hoping to go back this summer and do the same.
This points up the smallness of the world. How I can be literally half way around the world from my home state of California, or Connecticut for that matter, and talk about someone that we both know, even though I had never met Clara before.
Would I have ever met Clara in the States, most likely not, but I met her in New Delhi. Will I ever see Clara again in my life, most likely not, although given the magic of the universe, maybe. But, that is not the point. The rather strangeness of it all, but yet naturalness, is something that certainly warrants some thinking about.
Another person at the democratic affair told me about how he recently read an article in a local newspaper describing how a three year old in India insisted on going to a village and talking to his “wife”. He then proceeded to talk all about his life with her. The individual that I was talking to told me that he now believed in this kind of stuff, i.e. I assume some type of reincarnation.
Are we meant to connect with specific people on our life journey, and have we seen these “souls” before? It brings up an interesting question, whether life is somehow “programmed” or whether we are all just free spirits making things happen as they will.
I’m not really sure about this, as I would hope to have a lot of free will, to determine what happens, but of course, we all have certain doors that we can choose to see and knock on, enter or keep closed. We can place ourselves in situations that seem far beyond any fences that we’ve posted for ourselves. We can seek to go well beyond our fears and truly live extraordinary lives and meet someone like “Clara”, who we may not meet in our home countries, although she is from our home country.
Here’s the entirely other piece as basketball, and my passion for this sport, continues to be prevalent no matter where I go. (And why wouldn't there be a connection given the big "O's" playing of b-ball) It turns out that the Delhi Democrats Chair is the Boys Basketball Coach at the American Embassy School (AES). Once we got onto this he told me that he might possibly have an opening for an Assistant Coach. Sam introduced me to JD Walsh http://jdbasketball.com/, a 6’8”, former University of Maryland basketball player, who now runs coaching camps for children all over the world, including Palestinian and Israeli children.
On Saturday I went to the AES for my noon basketball game. Upon arriving there was JD doing a basketball camp. He actually ended up playing with us for a few minutes and I was able to try to guard him on once occasion. After leaving the AES, I went to the YMCA, where I was able to swim and then coach.
This was the third Saturday that I’ve been able to coach around 40 children in basketball. The head coach is a wonderful man and is allowing me to really help the children. Typically I run a few drills and then get to spend some focused time with the girls and younger boys.
Being aware of gender issues I was able to divide the children up into five groups in order to do some stretching. I left it to each group to decide who to put in the middle to lead the stretching. I noticed that there were only boys leading. I then asked the groups to change leaders and stated clearly that they must be led by girls. After some hesitation all girls were leading the stretching. A small thing, but nonetheless a way to start breaking down gender barriers. I’m very sensitive to this entire issue, thanks to my life experience and a VSO focus, but I feel that I can subtlety, though very concretely, do something about this through basketball.
There is also the guy on the Delhi list-serve Yuni-net, who recently sent out an e-mail about wanting to watch some of the playoff games with others! He is a Boston Celtics fan, no matter, it would be fun to connect with other NBA types.
I’m intent on making basketball more a part of how I live my life, a team approach, a teaching and learning experience, a dance that brings people together to not only like one another, but to also respect and love one another. It is all amazing stuff and can happen by walking through doors at posh hotels in New Delhi in order to realize how great the big “O” really is.
It was a very stimulating evening. I met a number of Americans, including one young lady from New York. Clara is here doing an internship with dalits/women’s rights and will be returning to the States in June in order to attend law school at Fordham, University of Michigan or Columbia.
I started talking about my love of markets and Clara smiled and asked me if I knew of a farm called Cato Corners in southeastern CT. Of course given my work in southeastern CT I did know of Cato Corners. Clara had been working summers at one of their farm stands in Brooklyn and was hoping to go back this summer and do the same.
This points up the smallness of the world. How I can be literally half way around the world from my home state of California, or Connecticut for that matter, and talk about someone that we both know, even though I had never met Clara before.
Would I have ever met Clara in the States, most likely not, but I met her in New Delhi. Will I ever see Clara again in my life, most likely not, although given the magic of the universe, maybe. But, that is not the point. The rather strangeness of it all, but yet naturalness, is something that certainly warrants some thinking about.
Another person at the democratic affair told me about how he recently read an article in a local newspaper describing how a three year old in India insisted on going to a village and talking to his “wife”. He then proceeded to talk all about his life with her. The individual that I was talking to told me that he now believed in this kind of stuff, i.e. I assume some type of reincarnation.
Are we meant to connect with specific people on our life journey, and have we seen these “souls” before? It brings up an interesting question, whether life is somehow “programmed” or whether we are all just free spirits making things happen as they will.
I’m not really sure about this, as I would hope to have a lot of free will, to determine what happens, but of course, we all have certain doors that we can choose to see and knock on, enter or keep closed. We can place ourselves in situations that seem far beyond any fences that we’ve posted for ourselves. We can seek to go well beyond our fears and truly live extraordinary lives and meet someone like “Clara”, who we may not meet in our home countries, although she is from our home country.
Here’s the entirely other piece as basketball, and my passion for this sport, continues to be prevalent no matter where I go. (And why wouldn't there be a connection given the big "O's" playing of b-ball) It turns out that the Delhi Democrats Chair is the Boys Basketball Coach at the American Embassy School (AES). Once we got onto this he told me that he might possibly have an opening for an Assistant Coach. Sam introduced me to JD Walsh http://jdbasketball.com/, a 6’8”, former University of Maryland basketball player, who now runs coaching camps for children all over the world, including Palestinian and Israeli children.
On Saturday I went to the AES for my noon basketball game. Upon arriving there was JD doing a basketball camp. He actually ended up playing with us for a few minutes and I was able to try to guard him on once occasion. After leaving the AES, I went to the YMCA, where I was able to swim and then coach.
This was the third Saturday that I’ve been able to coach around 40 children in basketball. The head coach is a wonderful man and is allowing me to really help the children. Typically I run a few drills and then get to spend some focused time with the girls and younger boys.
Being aware of gender issues I was able to divide the children up into five groups in order to do some stretching. I left it to each group to decide who to put in the middle to lead the stretching. I noticed that there were only boys leading. I then asked the groups to change leaders and stated clearly that they must be led by girls. After some hesitation all girls were leading the stretching. A small thing, but nonetheless a way to start breaking down gender barriers. I’m very sensitive to this entire issue, thanks to my life experience and a VSO focus, but I feel that I can subtlety, though very concretely, do something about this through basketball.
There is also the guy on the Delhi list-serve Yuni-net, who recently sent out an e-mail about wanting to watch some of the playoff games with others! He is a Boston Celtics fan, no matter, it would be fun to connect with other NBA types.
I’m intent on making basketball more a part of how I live my life, a team approach, a teaching and learning experience, a dance that brings people together to not only like one another, but to also respect and love one another. It is all amazing stuff and can happen by walking through doors at posh hotels in New Delhi in order to realize how great the big “O” really is.
Some notes about Democrats and Basketball
5/3/09
Some notes about Democrats and basketball
On Friday night I went to a foreign democrats meeting held at a beautiful hotel in New Delhi. The occasion was an analysis of the first 100 days of the big “O” conducted by a panel consisting of a UK NPR reporter, a BBC correspondent, a Time magazine writer and a reporter from the Hindustani Times. The food was quite good, top quality, 5 star hotel kind of stuff.
It was a very stimulating evening. I met a number of Americans, including one young lady from New York. Clara is here doing an internship with dalits/women’s rights and will be returning to the States in June in order to attend law school at Fordham, University of Michigan or Columbia.
I started talking about my love of markets and Clara smiled and asked me if I knew of a farm called Cato Corners in southeastern CT. Of course given my work in southeastern CT I did know of Cato Corners. Clara had been working summers at one of their farm stands in Brooklyn and was hoping to go back this summer and do the same.
This points up the smallness of the world. How I can be literally half way around the world from my home state of California, or Connecticut for that matter, and talk about someone that we both know, even though I had never met Clara before.
Would I have ever met Clara in the States, most likely not, but I met her in New Delhi. Will I ever see Clara again in my life, most likely not, although given the magic of the universe, maybe. But, that is not the point. The rather strangeness of it all, but yet naturalness, is something that certainly warrants some thinking about.
Another person at the democratic affair told me about how he recently read an article in a local newspaper describing how a three year old in India insisted on going to a village and talking to his “wife”. He then proceeded to talk all about his life with her. The individual that I was talking to told me that he now believed in this kind of stuff, i.e. I assume some type of reincarnation.
Are we meant to connect with specific people on our life journey, and have we seen these “souls” before? It brings up an interesting question, whether life is somehow “programmed” or whether we are all just free spirits making things happen as they will.
I’m not really sure about this, as I would hope to have a lot of free will, to determine what happens, but of course, we all have certain doors that we can choose to see and knock on, enter or keep closed. We can place ourselves in situations that seem far beyond any fences that we’ve posted for ourselves. We can seek to go well beyond our fears and truly live extraordinary lives and meet someone like “Clara”, who we may not meet in our home countries, although she is from our home country.
Here’s the entirely other piece as basketball, and my passion for this sport, continues to be prevalent no matter where I go. (And why wouldn't there be a connection given the big "O's" playing of b-ball) It turns out that the Delhi Democrats Chair is the Boys Basketball Coach at the American Embassy School (AES). Once we got onto this he told me that he might possibly have an opening for an Assistant Coach. Sam introduced me to JD Walsh http://jdbasketball.com/, a 6’8”, former University of Maryland basketball player, who now runs coaching camps for children all over the world, including Palestinian and Israeli children.
On Saturday I went to the AES for my noon basketball game. Upon arriving there was JD doing a basketball camp. He actually ended up playing with us for a few minutes and I was able to try to guard him on once occasion. After leaving the AES, I went to the YMCA, where I was able to swim and then coach.
This was the third Saturday that I’ve been able to coach around 40 children in basketball. The head coach is a wonderful man and is allowing me to really help the children. Typically I run a few drills and then get to spend some focused time with the girls and younger boys.
Being aware of gender issues I was able to divide the children up into five groups in order to do some stretching. I left it to each group to decide who to put in the middle to lead the stretching. I noticed that there were only boys leading. I then asked the groups to change leaders and stated clearly that they must be led by girls. After some hesitation all girls were leading the stretching. A small thing, but nonetheless a way to start breaking down gender barriers. I’m very sensitive to this entire issue, thanks to my life experience and a VSO focus, but I feel that I can subtlety, though very concretely, do something about this through basketball.
I’m intent on making basketball more a part of how I live my life, a team approach, a teaching and learning experience, a dance that brings people together to not only like one another, but to also respect and love one another. It is all amazing stuff and can happen by walking through doors at posh hotels in New Delhi in order to realize how great the big “O” really is.
Some notes about Democrats and basketball
On Friday night I went to a foreign democrats meeting held at a beautiful hotel in New Delhi. The occasion was an analysis of the first 100 days of the big “O” conducted by a panel consisting of a UK NPR reporter, a BBC correspondent, a Time magazine writer and a reporter from the Hindustani Times. The food was quite good, top quality, 5 star hotel kind of stuff.
It was a very stimulating evening. I met a number of Americans, including one young lady from New York. Clara is here doing an internship with dalits/women’s rights and will be returning to the States in June in order to attend law school at Fordham, University of Michigan or Columbia.
I started talking about my love of markets and Clara smiled and asked me if I knew of a farm called Cato Corners in southeastern CT. Of course given my work in southeastern CT I did know of Cato Corners. Clara had been working summers at one of their farm stands in Brooklyn and was hoping to go back this summer and do the same.
This points up the smallness of the world. How I can be literally half way around the world from my home state of California, or Connecticut for that matter, and talk about someone that we both know, even though I had never met Clara before.
Would I have ever met Clara in the States, most likely not, but I met her in New Delhi. Will I ever see Clara again in my life, most likely not, although given the magic of the universe, maybe. But, that is not the point. The rather strangeness of it all, but yet naturalness, is something that certainly warrants some thinking about.
Another person at the democratic affair told me about how he recently read an article in a local newspaper describing how a three year old in India insisted on going to a village and talking to his “wife”. He then proceeded to talk all about his life with her. The individual that I was talking to told me that he now believed in this kind of stuff, i.e. I assume some type of reincarnation.
Are we meant to connect with specific people on our life journey, and have we seen these “souls” before? It brings up an interesting question, whether life is somehow “programmed” or whether we are all just free spirits making things happen as they will.
I’m not really sure about this, as I would hope to have a lot of free will, to determine what happens, but of course, we all have certain doors that we can choose to see and knock on, enter or keep closed. We can place ourselves in situations that seem far beyond any fences that we’ve posted for ourselves. We can seek to go well beyond our fears and truly live extraordinary lives and meet someone like “Clara”, who we may not meet in our home countries, although she is from our home country.
Here’s the entirely other piece as basketball, and my passion for this sport, continues to be prevalent no matter where I go. (And why wouldn't there be a connection given the big "O's" playing of b-ball) It turns out that the Delhi Democrats Chair is the Boys Basketball Coach at the American Embassy School (AES). Once we got onto this he told me that he might possibly have an opening for an Assistant Coach. Sam introduced me to JD Walsh http://jdbasketball.com/, a 6’8”, former University of Maryland basketball player, who now runs coaching camps for children all over the world, including Palestinian and Israeli children.
On Saturday I went to the AES for my noon basketball game. Upon arriving there was JD doing a basketball camp. He actually ended up playing with us for a few minutes and I was able to try to guard him on once occasion. After leaving the AES, I went to the YMCA, where I was able to swim and then coach.
This was the third Saturday that I’ve been able to coach around 40 children in basketball. The head coach is a wonderful man and is allowing me to really help the children. Typically I run a few drills and then get to spend some focused time with the girls and younger boys.
Being aware of gender issues I was able to divide the children up into five groups in order to do some stretching. I left it to each group to decide who to put in the middle to lead the stretching. I noticed that there were only boys leading. I then asked the groups to change leaders and stated clearly that they must be led by girls. After some hesitation all girls were leading the stretching. A small thing, but nonetheless a way to start breaking down gender barriers. I’m very sensitive to this entire issue, thanks to my life experience and a VSO focus, but I feel that I can subtlety, though very concretely, do something about this through basketball.
I’m intent on making basketball more a part of how I live my life, a team approach, a teaching and learning experience, a dance that brings people together to not only like one another, but to also respect and love one another. It is all amazing stuff and can happen by walking through doors at posh hotels in New Delhi in order to realize how great the big “O” really is.
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