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| Shillong from the Hill top |
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| Traditional Dance -Assam |
I went to North East India to
participate in a workshop. I had to travel by train since there was no cheaper
option. Travelling by train is cheap but it takes longer to reach your
destination. My train ride took 38 hours to get to my destination. It was my
worst train ride ever. With scores of beggars coming into the train asking for
money, followed by Gay Indian men asking for money and if one refuses, they
curse them. It is believed that a gay person is like a fertility god. They can
bless a couple or curse them. Since they don’t have the ability to have
children of their own, people believe they have special powers to impart
blessing to couples. Couples often give them money because of fear of cursing,
while some are desperate for blessing, other just don’t want any public
attention since the gay people can become very verbal and loud when demanding
for money from them. On top of this, many sellers was making their rounds up
and down the passageway selling toys, clothes and other stuff. Oh, and I nearly
forgot to mention that each train has a food pantry and train personals will
come around regularly selling food and water. However, the worst is when passengers
travel without a valid ticket. They will try to sit or even sleep on your seat
when you are away. I have travelled a lot by train but thus so far this was my
worst. Coming back to Lucknow was a bit better but still some part of the
journey was worst.
North East India – Shillong
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| Sumo - Four Wheel Drive - Taxi |
I took the train from Lucknow to
Gawahati [Assam] and then I took a Sumo [Four wheel drive] to Shillong
[Meghalaya]. Shillong is a city on a hill in Meghalaya. The route to Shillong
was very wavy, it went up the hills and down the hills and so on, this made my
mind go crazy. I was completely “mental” after the train ride and the sumo ride
to Shillong, but thank God I arrived safely. Drivers along that route drive
like crazy. Often they drive on the wrong side of the road. I guess you can
drive anywhere in India.
North East is a beautiful place.
The people groups look very different from mainland India. They look more like Nepali
and Chinese. Food is different too and so are their clothing. Since Shillong is
on the hills, I had an amazing time climbing the hill every day and viewing the
city every day. I needed the much needed exercise while I was in Shillong.
I took part in a workshop preparing
local people for cross cultural training. I spoke on “serving as a single cross
cultural worker”, “computer security”, “working in a multicultural teams”, etc.
It was fascinating to see local people getting trained for cross cultural work.
It is about time local people participating for “greater good”. There was like
eleven participants. Each had a unique story about “Grace”. I was deeply moved
by their conviction. This is the first time ever such workshop was designed for
local people. My overall rating was 8/10, two points for improvement. Lol
Lucknow
Now back in Lucknow, with rising
temperatures, I need to get back into my normal timetable. This means language
study. I now intentionally devoting a lot of community time and learning Urdu.
I believe I am doing well but I need to be intentional and deliberate about
learning Urdu. I met some Urdu speakers and I am learning from them too. I have
made some good strategic friends whom I can learn or ask them about Urdu words.
It is a very difficult language, especially reading and writing is concern,
therefore I am using Devanagari Script
[Hindi Script] to read and write in Urdu. Lucknow is known for her Urdu and
many people speak Urdu.
Banbasa
I got a call from my friend from
Banbasa. He informed me that a very close friend of mine is staying with him.
His name is Jeff. He was my roommate while I was studying in Australia. Banbasa
is about 400kms from Lucknow. I was told that he is leaving after two nights.
My heart begun to race. I really wanted to meet Jeff. We not only shared a room
together, but life as well. I haven’t met him since 2001. So I searched the web
for a return train ticket and guess what! I found a return ticket! I was so
stoked. I packed my bags that evening and vaulted into the train. The next day
about 6am I was outside his room. I stayed a night with him and returned back
to Lucknow the very next day. It was so awesome to meet him. We shared how far
we have come since 2001. He graduated in 2001 while I graduated in 2002. It was
just awesome to meet one another. The most fascinating thing was that I managed
to get a train ticket. Usually we have to book train tickets well in advance.
Sometimes even before 2 - 4 months before your journey. It is all grace!
Amazing Grace!
Cricket
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| India Cricket Team 2016 |
India is hosting T20 World Cup
Cricket and New Zealand has made it so far to the Semi-finals. They will be
facing England in the semi-final while host India will face West Indies. It
would be a crack up if India will face New Zealand in the final. New Zealand has
previously beaten India in pool play. I so want New Zealand to win. A loss to
New Zealand will be very painful to the host. Nearly, everyone in India loves
cricket. Like rugby is to Fiji, so is cricket to India. Last year India played
against Australia in cricket 50 overs semi-finals. There was hardly anyone seen
in the streets. Everyone was watching cricket. Sadly for India they lost to
Australia. Australia went to win the final against New Zealand. A win for India
brings lot of joy for Indians. We cannot say anything bad about Indian cricket.
It can cause a riot. It is better to enjoy the win with others and share
goodwill with our neighbours.
Health
Since, I left my old place last
year, I stopped going to the gym. Now slowly I have begun running every morning
and slowly picking up space. My new apartment has some basic gym equipment so
it gives me great opportunity and motivation to make use of it. I need to look after
my health especially during summer. During last winter I found that it wasn’t
cold as previous years. Some local people commented that this summer will be
very hot because winter was warmer than previous years. I hope they are wrong.
I need wisdom how to remain healthy in Lucknow.
What is New in India!
Tax, Tax, Tax! There is a new law that
Foreigners now have to pay tax. This is something new to many foreigners here.
I understand from my research that many countries have Double taxation Agreement
with one another. For example, New Zealand government has a double taxation
agreement with India. When New Zealanders living in foreign land should not be
taxed again on the same income they have received. Now there is a demand that
we produce such evidence to satisfy the tax department here. I do understand
that if we work in India as a foreigner, it is acceptable to be taxed in the
country you are working. However, in my case it is a bit complicated to prove
to the authorities on my income. I know some foreigners has left the country
because of this. We are walking on egg shells at the moment. We need wisdom and
discernment in regards to this issue. The government is trying to curb the rise
in black money in this country. It seems many citizens are trying to defraud
the government.
Ten highlights so far in 2016
1. I was able
to attend a workshop in Turkey
2. I was able
to meet a friend from Fiji during my time in Turkey
3. I was able
to visit Shillong this month
4. I was able
to meet the President of the Islamic student Association and able to speak with
him as his friends in Hindi and little bit of Urdu
5. I was able
to watch “War Room” [Movie] which I highly recommend you guys to see
6. On my way
back from Turkey, I was able to visit Moscow for a day
7. I was able
to read a simple book in Hindi, even it took me a long time to finish
8. I met my
roommate in Banbasa with whom I shared a room with while studying in Tasmania,
Australia, even it was for a day - it was worth it.
9. I managed
to cook chicken curry in a pressure cooker. Yes it turned out well
10. On the flip
side I managed to watch star wars even I haven’t seen a single star wars movie
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