India... tired

So, I will be in India for six months next week. This has been quite the journey so far. Learning many things about India and myself, but lately have become exhausted by the data I have been collecting. This exhaustion stems not from the actual collection of data but from the type of data being collected.

I have been studying this local farming family here in Banaras for going on two weeks. The live in a home that is about 20ftx25th. This open space is one room and only half covered by the tin and bamboo they have acquired. The rest is open to the sky and the elements. They share their one small twin-sized bed between the 6 family members. They also share this small space they call home with 7 buffalo and two cows. The shit is everywhere and so is the urine.  The family milks the buffalo to see that in the market. They milk the cows to feed themselves. They barely make enough to feed themselves. I have so far spent every day for nearly two weeks working among them, learning their habits, wants, and needs. This is hard on me, emotionally and spiritually, but last weekend there was an event that really hurt me. It hurt me because there is almost nothing I can do about it. Here is my journal post for that evening. This is what living in India is like for them. This is why I do not know how it is changing me. Maybe you can make sense of it...

~ Craig Leon Koller

    Over the last few days, I have really seen into the hearts of each and every family member. Saturday night I witnessed my first form of domestic abuse. The father of the family had snapped. The cow mother of Rose, the young calf that the family keeps, acts up constantly and causes much destruction, and I’ve noticed that this has been a large source of tension among the family.
     Early Saturday morning the cow destroyed the families door. She had broken through it in an attempt to reach her baby calf. When I first met the family I had noticed that the there was only three-fourths of the door still intact, but when I returned on Saturday the door, being a swinging door with two separate sections which swing independently, now only had one-fourth remaining. The left door was barely attached to the crumbling brick wall, while this door only had a small beam protruding from it, all panels having been torn from it. The right-hand door had the top most section still intact but was missing it’s bottom two panels.
    This door is usually left open so the cows a buffalo can pass through on their way into the house. At night the family shuts the door get at least a semblance of privacy, from their neighbors and the foreigners staying at the guest house. This is no longer possible, as their home is now open for the world to view and to come and go as it pleases. Imagine not having a door on your own home. The semblance of privacy for your home is shattered, only to be returned when the door is replaced, but you do not have the money to replace the door, so it remains broken, lying in pieces around your small home.
    This cow comes and goes as she pleases. Coming into the home trying to eat the families piles of grain. There sound of Hut! Hut! Hut! can be heard around the neighborhood, as the family uses a stick of bamboo to hit the cow, forcing her out of the house, only for her to come back inside five minutes later, creating the same problem and being forced around the support pole back outside, or to be tied up. While she is tied up however she is constantly restless, yanking on her rope leash.
    Even the other animals have problems with her. Every time she gets close to one of the buffalo they buck their heads toward her, in an attempt to hit her. I think they know the problems she causes.
    The father, having told me how he was in pain earlier, had taken some medicine to alleviate some it. However, the mother had not given him any money to buy pan that day, so this only added to his irritation. The mother is in control of all the families money, and she gives it out very frugally to the members. This, I feel, is a sore point with the father, and it may have been the cause of some of his anger as well.
    That evening, Shatan1 was being particularly restless and the father finally had enough.  He hit her constantly, yanking her leash,  trying to get her to submit and calm down. His language was very bad during this time, using every cuss-word I know, and even more than I have knowledge of. His temperament appeared to be going into a type of rage, and the women did not appreciate how dirty his language became, so they began yelling at him, trying to silence him.
    He worked himself up so much, that he started yelling at the son how he doesn’t do any work for the family, and doesn’t make any money for the family. The conversation at this time took a turn for the worse, and I could not understand a lot of what was said. Annil, the oldest daughter in the house, somehow got involved yelling and moving closer to the father in a threatening manner. The other young daughter had also stood by her sister yelling. The mother, throughout the entire ordeal stood in between the father and the daughters, holding the daughters back from doing anything that would invoke more from the father. This however only cause the father to yell louder and the daughters to do the same. The father finally in a fit of rage struck the mother across the face with a backhand blow. The mother staggered away stunned at the strike, almost falling. The daughters caught her before she would fall. The room suddenly falling silent, the father returned to milk one of the buffalo, cursing the entire time.
    When Anni knew the mother would be able to stand on her own, the fight continued verbally, between her and the father. The mother still trying to stand, staggered her way in between the father and daughter again, holding her face where she had been struck. The youngest daughter joined her in holding back the sister. The daughter and father lunging at each other screaming at the top of their lungs about he had hit the mother.
    During this entire time I sat over on the other side of the room. I was unsure of what I could or should do. How could I help? Was it even my place to step? When does ‘participant observation’ go too far? I sat there blank faced as the father backhanded the mother. What could I do? It was not even my country, my home, or my family.
    Finally, I was so moved by what was being said and the actions of each of the family members that I decided to step in. I could only see that this was going to lead to more violence and more abuse. I ran forward, shoving the father back toward the buffalo, holding the mother and daughters back with my other arm. I yelled at the top of my lungs in hindi, “KEEP SILENT! While I remain here, things in this manner will not happen!”
    My hindi may have been broken but my point had been proven. The father went back to his work quietly mumbling and swearing, the daughters quietly told me to sit down and that everything will be okay. Anni went back to cooking and the mother sat down on the bed holding her face in pain. The father finished his work and left the house. The oldest son through the entire ordeal, sat quietly on a sack of grain, elbows on his knees watching but intervening in no way. Did I do the right thing? I do not know, but I did what I thought was right, and that stopped more violence.
    I sat back down, stunned over the events that occurred. Not knowing what to do, what to think, I just sat there. Slowly the mood in the house changed, everyone trying to cheer everyone else up. The son, after being scolded by his sisters that he did not do anything, finally got up and left. The mother told me that this was the first time he had ever hit her, and she made threats of moving into Ashram or doing this or that. I couldn’t understand much of what was said, but I knew things in the house would not be ‘normal’ from here on out. The night finished out over a quiet supper. The father returned after a while, walked me back to my guest house.
    Anni, the older daughter called my phone later that night, after I had returned home,  asking if there was any way for me to take her to America with me, asking me if she needed to marry me to make it happen. I told I would think on it, and that we could discuss it later. In all seriousness, I did think on this matter. I thought on it for three days, seeing how if it would be possible if is so, could I financially make it happen. Looking online to see what types of visas would be necessary, if marrying here would be the best option or what else would need to be done to make it happen,  all to try and make her life better. Would bringing her to America make her life better? I do not know the answer to that question, because I do not know what it really means to have a good life. Yes, having a house with a car and a job are all symbols of the American dream, but I know that if she were to return to America with me she would be very lonely and quite sad.
    She has no formal education, and the only skill that I see she has are cooking over a dung fire and washing her family’s clothes. She can barely leave the house due to cultural restraints, and I see that on a daily basis, she only interacts with the members of her family. If she were to return to America with me, she would be a 19 year old women, living in what ever place I would call my home. I would be working a full-time job as well has attempting to educate her formally as well as trying to teach her about American culture. This, I feel, would be the biggest burden of all. She has never experienced the outside world in anyway, and to give that to her on a whim, might prove to be devastating.
    In the field, I am sure, people are forced with decisions like this all time. Whether you are a field researcher, a journalist, or just an independent traveler, the question will always remain; Do we help, or do we just stand by and report our findings? ... Of this, I am certain.

My letter to Grandpa Victor...

Here is the letter I requested to be read at the services for Grandpa and Grandma, may the both rest in peace after over 30 years of marriage. Their life together is a love story that none can match, but we sure as hell can try. (A link to the obituary is provided below)

Dear Grandpa Victor,

I write to you literally as far away from home as I possibly could be, India. Yet, at this time, I feel as if I have never known you better. When I was a young boy growing up on the farm, I feel as if I rarely had the opportunity understand who you were. You would pull up in your shiny Buick and I would know that it was you, and get excited, but I felt that we lacked any connection other than you be my father’s father.

This fact was made clear to me when you bought me a brand new bicycle. I laugh to this day when I remember what you told me then, “This bike will be really good for when you go to church on Sunday. It has this thing that will stop mud from getting your Sunday nickers dirty.” When you said this, I was a little more excited that I had a new bike then I was about keeping my Sunday nickers clean. I didn’t even know what nickers were.

Now that I look back on that, I see how different we were. You coming from the far off city of Milwaukee, and me sloshing around on the farm getting dirty and not even knowing what a big city truly was. You thought I would be riding my bicycle to church, I thought it would be cool to ride that bike around the farm getting it dirty and not having a care in the world. Sunday Nickers? Ha! I see now that you were more worried about me going to Sunday mass, then if I got my pants dirty. Grandpa, your life was grounded in your faith. This simple fact at times made me uncomfortable around you. Your faith was so strong, and my own so weak, that at times you were probably uncomfortable around me. 

After leaving the farm and moving to a new town and new perspective, I had the opportunity to understand you a little better. We had the opportunity to enjoy a little more company together, but I still lacked some understanding of who you were as my grandfather. Then, when I was 17, I had the opportunity to spend the summer with you, while working for my godfather, your son Greg. I would go to work and come back to you and grandma’s house and enjoy evenings and dinners together. That summer we truly got the chance to come to a sort of mutual understanding regarding our difference in faith. I would go to mass with you when I had time, and you wouldn’t ask me too much about it otherwise. 

That summer, I also had the opportunity to help you get things done around the house which I know was a great relief to you and Grammy. I know it never ceased to amaze you that whenever I mowed your I would ruin that same piece of grass by the garage, or that time when you set me to weeding the garden, only to find out later I had pulled out Grammy’s favorite flowers. I hope she didn’t give you to rough of a time for that one. 

That next year, you saw three of your grandchildren going to the same University, about an hour away. We would visit you when we could and you often would try to visit us as well. I had the opportunity to come and visit with you and Grammy over the next few years multiple times. Those weekends when I would come up from Whitewater and we chat politics, play card games, or discuss just the right manner for me to mow your lawn. This time in my life I knew it was important to be with my family, because after my own bout with cancer, I understood that families don’t last forever. 

With our time together you had the opportunity to pass on many things to me, like to pursue my dreams and to do so with passion, but I feel that the most important thing you taught me was how vitally important family is. With your help, and having spent this extended time away from my own family, I can now see how without family we lack a certain moral grounding we will not receive elsewhere. Without family, we have very few if any people to turn to in our times of need. 

Grandpa, before I left for India I understood that there was a chance I would never get an opportunity to say my final goodbye you or Grammy. Little did I know I would never get the chance to say goodbye to either of you. I won’t say goodbye grandpa, but what I want to say is, “Thank you!” Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your wisdom has helped shape me into the man that I am becoming. A man strong in his faith, in his morals, and just proud enough not to be seen by his peers as arrogant. For these things and many more, thank you Grandpa Victor Leon Koller.

I am proud to be your loving grandson, always and forever,

~Craig Leon Koller

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

~Confucius



Obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jsonline/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=147902692 

India-Nepal-India

Sunday, January 9, 2011

India-Nepal-India

Forgive me family for I have sinned. It has been four weeks since my last confession...I mean post.

It has been a very busy four weeks as well. After leaving Darjeeling with my friend Ava, we made our way to the Eastern Indian-Nepali border. Having crossed over we took an overnight bus to Kathmandu, the polluted capital city of Nepal. We reached Kathmandu early in the morning, and we made our way to our hotel, in the tourist hub of Thamel district.

This area has everything a tourist in Nepal needs, except true Nepali culture. Throughout the next few days Ava and I procured new items that we would need on our trek. Sleeping bags, water bottles, water tablets, socks, long underwear, etc... This 'stuff' is all really good knock-off name-brand goods. I bought a new North Face gore-tex jacket for $40usd. Great buy (it kept me perfectly comfortable and warm on the entire trek).

We moved on from Kathmandu with a flight to literally the most dangerous airport in the world, ask a pilot, they should know about it, Lukla. This airport is situated on the side of a cliff, and is most likely slopped above 30degrees. When we were landing, all you can see out of the cockpit of your twin engine aircraft is cliff face! Then your back wheels touch down and you swing into the tiny airport, about the size of a high school basketball court, okay, maybe two...

We met our guide that morning in Kathmandu. Santosh is a 25 year old Nepali who has done the Everest trek over twenty times. This trek would take us about 11-13 days to complete, and it would be quite difficult. {I will go through the details of my trek on a later date, or I may wait until I get photos from my friends camera, or I may wait until I return to the states to tell all of you in person...Muwahaha, I hold the power of information... So this is what being the government feels like} I made the trek safe arrived in the Everest region on Christmas Eve, did an evening trek to a beautiful lookout where I saw the sunset. This sunset was gorgeous and it lit Everest up in beautiful Oranges Reds and Purples. Nope no pictures. My camera was not with me. This was a spiritual journey, where I didn't really want to focus on taking pictures. 

I met many people on the way. From an Indian lawyer who works in Singapore, to an American Geographer who does her work in the Arctic Circle, out of Barrow, Alaska. The people you meet traveling, give you new perspectives and new concepts regarding life. The conversations you have, the things you see while travelling together, give you a bond that you can not replicate anywhere else.

We arrived back in Kathmandu with the news that my Grandparents health has been ailing. This was some of the most difficult news I could hear while abroad. My grandmother, the doctors had found a brain tumor of some kind in October/November, has been struggling with that for a while. My Grandfather's gout has kicked in 'double-time' and he has been having difficulty walking and getting around their home. The decision was finally made that they should be 'put in a home.' This is a difficult decision for any family to make regarding their parents, and is never made lightly. I see 'nursing homes' as death homes. They are places where people go to live out their remaining days with the care that is necessary for them. This is a new phenomena that is taking place, as nursing homes used to be our homes. The comfort of family near by. The lives they lived, in the homes they lived them in, are close at hand. With pictures and things that they can see and touch, it would allow more closure. This new concept of a sterile 'passing' scares me. In some ways, I find that it takes the love out of death.

I celebrated my new years in Kathmandu with style. Meeting up with friends from the mountain and new friends from the streets, we partied till the bars closed then partied in our hotel room to bring in 2011. My bus happened to be early the morning of the 1st. Needless to say, I was pretty tired and hungover for my bus ride back to Varanasi. After quite an adventure on the bus (once again, more to come later), I arrived in Varanasi on the 2nd afternoon, and made my way to my new apartment. This larger place with a full (by Indian standards) kitchen and a small bathroom was much more of a home than my previous place. I can now cook meals regularly and have a nice bed. My room even has a porch to sit and read on. needless to say, my new place feels more like home than India ever has.

Last week Monday was my 22nd birthday. I celebrated by sitting at home alone reading a book (if you know me, I wouldn't have it any other way). I spent last week organizing and moving in. Getting classes started and working on my field research project.

I came in this morningn to begin my new tutorial class: Indian Martial Arts, Lathi. I will use this to help keep my mind focused and as an outlet for some of the stress I commonly acquire here.

This morning I received this email from my sister:

 Craig,

Grandma helen has recently become a lot sicker. They thought she had a stroke yesterday, but they found out her tumors grew. She is now unable to walk, speak, or swallow. Grandpa made the decision to bring her back to the nursing home for hospice care. I believe the plan is to move her today and stop all life supporting functions. So, I believe she only has a few days left. I know getting all of this over email in a foreign country is bot ideal, but I wanted to make sure you were in the loop because we all know how good dad is about informing people about things. I will be sure to update you with any news I get

I hope you are settle in your new place

I love you

Liz

This is what coping is, I now see it. Having to deal with emotions that come from the otherside of the world. What will I do? Do I go home? Do I stay here and tough it out? These are questions that people who travel have to ask themselves, all the time. We will see, but for now, my thoughts go to my family for this tough time.

All my love, always,

Craig

India-Nepal-India

Forgive me family for I have sinned. It has been four weeks since my last confession...I mean post.

It has been a very busy four weeks as well. After leaving Darjeeling with my friend Ava, we made our way to the Eastern Indian-Nepali border. Having crossed over we took an overnight bus to Kathmandu, the polluted capital city of Nepal. We reached Kathmandu early in the morning, and we made our way to our hotel, in the tourist hub of Thamel district.

This area has everything a tourist in Nepal needs, except true Nepali culture. Throughout the next few days Ava and I procured new items that we would need on our trek. Sleeping bags, water bottles, water tablets, socks, long underwear, etc... This 'stuff' is all really good knock-off name-brand goods. I bought a new North Face gore-tex jacket for $40usd. Great buy (it kept me perfectly comfortable and warm on the entire trek).

We moved on from Kathmandu with a flight to literally the most dangerous airport in the world, ask a pilot, they should know about it, Lukla. This airport is situated on the side of a cliff, and is most likely slopped above 30degrees. When we were landing, all you can see out of the cockpit of your twin engine aircraft is cliff face! Then your back wheels touch down and you swing into the tiny airport, about the size of a high school basketball court, okay, maybe two...

We met our guide that morning in Kathmandu. Santosh is a 25 year old Nepali who has done the Everest trek over twenty times. This trek would take us about 11-13 days to complete, and it would be quite difficult. {I will go through the details of my trek on a later date, or I may wait until I get photos from my friends camera, or I may wait until I return to the states to tell all of you in person...Muwahaha, I hold the power of information... So this is what being the government feels like} I made the trek safe arrived in the Everest region on Christmas Eve, did an evening trek to a beautiful lookout where I saw the sunset. This sunset was gorgeous and it lit Everest up in beautiful Oranges Reds and Purples. Nope no pictures. My camera was not with me. This was a spiritual journey, where I didn't really want to focus on taking pictures. 

I met many people on the way. From an Indian lawyer who works in Singapore, to an American Geographer who does her work in the Arctic Circle, out of Barrow, Alaska. The people you meet traveling, give you new perspectives and new concepts regarding life. The conversations you have, the things you see while travelling together, give you a bond that you can not replicate anywhere else.

We arrived back in Kathmandu with the news that my Grandparents health has been ailing. This was some of the most difficult news I could hear while abroad. My grandmother, the doctors had found a brain tumor of some kind in October/November, has been struggling with that for a while. My Grandfather's gout has kicked in 'double-time' and he has been having difficulty walking and getting around their home. The decision was finally made that they should be 'put in a home.' This is a difficult decision for any family to make regarding their parents, and is never made lightly. I see 'nursing homes' as death homes. They are places where people go to live out their remaining days with the care that is necessary for them. This is a new phenomena that is taking place, as nursing homes used to be our homes. The comfort of family near by. The lives they lived, in the homes they lived them in, are close at hand. With pictures and things that they can see and touch, it would allow more closure. This new concept of a sterile 'passing' scares me. In some ways, I find that it takes the love out of death.

I celebrated my new years in Kathmandu with style. Meeting up with friends from the mountain and new friends from the streets, we partied till the bars closed then partied in our hotel room to bring in 2011. My bus happened to be early the morning of the 1st. Needless to say, I was pretty tired and hungover for my bus ride back to Varanasi. After quite an adventure on the bus (once again, more to come later), I arrived in Varanasi on the 2nd afternoon, and made my way to my new apartment. This larger place with a full (by Indian standards) kitchen and a small bathroom was much more of a home than my previous place. I can now cook meals regularly and have a nice bed. My room even has a porch to sit and read on. needless to say, my new place feels more like home than India ever has.

Last week Monday was my 22nd birthday. I celebrated by sitting at home alone reading a book (if you know me, I wouldn't have it any other way). I spent last week organizing and moving in. Getting classes started and working on my field research project.

I came in this morningn to begin my new tutorial class: Indian Martial Arts, Lathi. I will use this to help keep my mind focused and as an outlet for some of the stress I commonly acquire here.

This morning I received this email from my sister:

 Craig,

Grandma helen has recently become a lot sicker. They thought she had a stroke yesterday, but they found out her tumors grew. She is now unable to walk, speak, or swallow. Grandpa made the decision to bring her back to the nursing home for hospice care. I believe the plan is to move her today and stop all life supporting functions. So, I believe she only has a few days left. I know getting all of this over email in a foreign country is bot ideal, but I wanted to make sure you were in the loop because we all know how good dad is about informing people about things. I will be sure to update you with any news I get

I hope you are settle in your new place

I love you

Liz

This is what coping is, I now see it. Having to deal with emotions that come from the otherside of the world. What will I do? Do I go home? Do I stay here and tough it out? These are questions that people who travel have to ask themselves, all the time. We will see, but for now, my thoughts go to my family for this tough time.

All my love, always,

Craig

Darjeeling and Travels

12-5-2010 Day 1, Varanasi - New Jalpaiguri (NJP)


I like sleeper class on the trains more than the upper AC Classes. The people here are more of my style. Down to earth middle class citizens, who after striking up conversations appear to actually work for a living... novel idea. I met two girls on the train from Vancouver, and I seem to question why I only meet female travelers here... weird... I will be spending the next few days in Darjeeling enjoying some tea with great mountain views. Without my camera I am unable to share this experience, (I have tried talking some of the other travelers I have met here to share my pictures, maybe they will oblige.)

I plan on taking it easy for the next few days. Doing a little shopping, reading, drinking, and overall relaxation. I am really saving my energy for the Everest trek next week. Currently reading Edmund Hillary's Autobiography, and reading this makes me really want to explore the less traveled parts of the world with a backpack on a shoestring budget. When Nick gets here in March or so, we will have to discuss some of our options, as I feel this trip is really going to show me the opportunities of travel that I have yet to see. Little list of possible adventures to save for:
Mongolia
More Nepal
New Zealand
Switzerland
India
Canada
Alaska
Antarctica
How to accomplish this: Live Cheaply, work two jobs, saving up a tidy sum of money in a few years. However, focus on enjoying the next few weeks of travel and challenges, who knows maybe someday you'll summit Everest.

2-6-2010 Day 2, Siliguri-Darjeeling
Arrived into Siliguri at 2:30am and we found a reasonable accommodation for 210rps a piece (between the two girls from Vancouver) Took my first hot shower in a month and a half. Couldn't get a hold of Uma and Ava (girls I will be traveling Nepal and Everest with) this morning after getting up at 8:30. Found a really cheap shared jeep for rp50 (found out later that this price is more than half of what everybody else paid...SCORE) The toy train was not running due to political tensions in the area. (Search Gorkhaland info online) I got a little motion sickness on the way up, but nothing too serious. This place is absolutely beautiful. Staring at those snow capped peaks, the third highest mountain on the planet, is quite amazing. I will climb one of these peaks someday, maybe all of them!!!
Sitting here in with my first cup of Darjeeling tea. The mountains are my home. I can feel them calling me all the time. Finally found my part of India to love.

Day 3,
Last night was fun. After meeting the girls from Vancouver in the street we decided to go for tea. I also finally reached Uma and Ava, and we sat and chatted as well. Long walk to a pub, but the atmosphere was good. Met these french fellows who have been traveling through India taping a profession french skateboarder named Sebastien? (Ring any bells Shawn?) Got a bit 'tossed' with these guys. Still think that I don't need to drink all the time, binge drinking in college really is hard to get over... working hard not to let it control me. Pretty chilly here throughout night, now heaters in our hotel room, only heavy blankets. Everest is going to be miserably cold,and I can't wait. -20"Celsius, 0''F...

Today I visited the Himalayan mountain Institute (HMI) founded by Tenzing Norgay himself. They offer a two month mountaineering course for $1300. Can I talk Nick into doing this with me? We'll have to wait and see. For nearly 60 days of training with everything included, with an attempt at a peak over 6000m, the cost is less than $25 a day.
In the same compound as the Institute is a Zoo. This Zoo holds many different endangered animals. From the Himalayan wolf to the Bengali Tiger, to the famous Snow Leopard. These animals have been hunted to near extinction, and the only thing that keeps them alive is to put them in a 20mx20m cage. Sad story. Maybe we should put those caught hunting these majestic animals in the cage with them. Give them a taste of their own medicine.

Day 4,
 Today
Spent today hanging out around Darjeeling with some new friends. Revisited the zoo, totally worth the return trip. Mmmm... Momos are now a new favorite food. I heard this morning that a bomb blast went off in Varanasi, and I just want to let everyone know I am just fine and so are my friends. The only casualty at this point was an 18 month old child, and 32 people injured. It is such a shame that people find violence to be there answer things. Really sad and disappointing.

Head off tomorrow for a jungle safari by elephant and an overnight stay in a treehouse.Pretty sweet deal for $40, plus they throw in three meals as well. Grrreat! Friday we will begin our 2 day journey to Kathmandu. That will most likely be my next update for you folks. Hope your Thanksgivings went well! Say hello to everyone in the families for me!

Yours always,
Craig L. Koller

A rather eventful day, around the world...

Diarrhea AGAIN!!!! Oh well. Someone used to tell me that shit happens, but I never though I would take them literally with that statement.

I began my day working at the YOUth LEADing India Congress. This program is designed to bring kids together, discussing major environmental issues. There are a total of 18 of these congresses happening all over the world. From India to Australia to South America, students are gathering in a hope to broaden their understanding
We focused today on the problems that these kids think should be on the top of our list to fix. With only the minds of young children, they came up with the number #1 problem that should be on the top of any list that is in regard to any problem: Lack of Responsibility and Awareness. If this issue were to be solved tomorrow, it would make solving all the other issues that much easier. Education is the fundamental element to our human existence, and these kids nailed it!
After a small lunch break where the kids were able to hangout and mingle, they calculated something called an Eco-footprint. This footprint shows how many planet Earths it would require to live sustainably if each other person on the used the same amount of resources. Calculate yours here.
Tomorrow we will begin discussion of how we can make changes to our lifestyles and what else we can do within our communities to make advancements in solving these problems. Our earth is a living creature, and we are slowly killing it. How slow is that though? Our children's lifetimes, grandchildrens? Look at where we have come in your lifetime. In you parents and their parents lifetimes.
Our world is moving faster and faster towards something, but what this is we don't know? Why not advance in a responsible state of awareness where we know where we have come from and where we know where we want to go? Do we really want to continue in the direction we have? Where some cities don't see the sun for weeks due to pollution? Or where billions of people do not receive adequate drinking water? We are smart enough to figure these problems out, yet why do they persist? Money. Plain and simple, it is greed. Enough of this though, on to other pressing events of the day.
Today news reached me that South Korea and North Korea have exchanged attacks. This is a signal to the rest of us that our world is still a dangerous place to live. America currently has troops on every continent in the northern hemisphere. These troops are a deterrent to what? Are they truly a deterrent or a fuel to fire? This will be seen.

These days, I find that if we connect through our common routes as human beings we will see past our useless national fervor and racist pride. Everyone is flesh and blood. Everyone lives and dies. Living in the City of Benares, a city where people come to die, has been a great learning lesson. I know we are flesh and blood. When living in Wisconsin, my father and I would cook up some meat on the grill. Oh how did I love the smell of that grill. I think a bit differently on that now. Last weekend I spent a night walking along the river. At around 1AM I approached one of the infamous burning ghats. This is where they bring dead bodies from all over the city to be burned and cast into Ganga Ji. Ganga ji will then take their soul off to heaven. Well, back on this plane of reality, the smoke and smell of burning human bodies is not so different from that of those steaks on the grill. Our flesh burns and gives off a similar smell of grilled meat. Wafting that in, I sat there for a minute perplexed at the similarity I was experiencing. This startled me, but not to the effect I had once thought it would. Seeing a dead body. Seeing a dead body floating in the river decomposing. Seeing a dead body being burned. This is not something poetic. Here, it is just another fact of life. This goes along with children laying in the streets covered in feces. Whether it is their feces or that of one of the numerous animals that lives in the same vicinity as them is undetermined. This goes along with the improper sanitation that is common and the lack of regular drinking water that the entire city experiences.
The water in the Ganga is so polluted, that it does not even meet the recommended water quality levels for agricultural use. Yet daily people bath, drink, and wash their belongings in this sacred yet sullied river. These are all just common facts of life here in the worlds largest democracy. Remember these things when you get in your car and drive to your families homes. So remember that as you sit down to your Thanksgiving Dinner, in your warm house, with your hot showers and baths. Remember that you are just 1:7,200,000,000 on this planet.

Eat, Enjoy, and God Bless us all. That is if God takes our prayer into consideration with the other 7.2 billion prayers being asked.
~Craig

December Plans, how do we know where to go?

Today I awoke to find about 50,000+ people out my window at 4AM. Today, the women of this region break the 3 day fast they have been holding for their husbands (Personally I don’t think men are worth that). Thousands upon thousands of people lined the Ghats performing many different rituals that would take a scholar quite some time to understand, and of which I humbly lack the patience for.

In the coming month I will be completing the proposal for my field research project. This project will mostly take place in the Spring Semester, and will focus on Waste Management in Benares. I have included my proposal for those of you who are interested: 

This project will focus on Varanasi’s public cultural perceptions of local solid waste practices. Although the local waste practices will be introduced to the reader, this research is meant to focus less on the waste management and more upon how the citizens of Varanasi understand their active role in the environment. Thru numerous interviews with local citizens in Varanasi’s haphazard modernization, I will search for any developing themes within my data to develop a formal thesis. By focusing on the cultural aspect of waste in Varanasi it will be my attempt disabuse international misinterpretations of a “dirty Indian society” and to show that India’s (specifically in Varanasi) practices of waste management are an implication of the Caste System’s inefficiency in a globalizing context.

This project will consume my spring semester which ends in the middle of April, and will prevent me from doing too much travel. 

So I plan on taking a vacation in the month of December. This vacation scares some, thrills others, and will give me the needed exploration my soul desires. I leave for Kathmandu, Nepal on the 4th of December (if all goes as planned, this is India). When I arrive in Kathmandu two days later, by bus, I will find a hotel and some warm clothes. Picking up the necessary supplies over the following days, I will be preparing an adventure. After collecting all of the necessities, I will leave Kathmandu, hopefully by a shared jeep for the town of Jiri. This town was the starting location for a very famous expedition 50 some odd years ago. This expedition was led by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, his guide. Their goal was summit of the highest place on the planet, the Peak of Mount Everest. My goal is not quite so lofty (at this time...). Over the following few weeks I will climb through passes and up valleys with the goal of reaching Everest Base Camp on Christmas Eve. I will spend my Christmas this year on top of the world! After spending a few days on the top, I will hike down, fly out and spend my remaining holiday in Kathmandu. Celebrating New Years in Kathmandu.

While I know this trip is not exactly everyone’s idea of a vacation, and I will most likely arrive back in Benares more exhausted then when I left, I think I will be rejuvenated. Having received my dose of nature for the semester, I can then focus on my work. I have rediscovered my disdain for city living in my time here. Cities are dirty, busy, and filled with much too many people for my taste. This is the future for our Modern World? God am I disappointed! I need my commune with my God, Nature. Nature is the one thing that connects us to the roots of existence, and we will not find her in the concrete Jungles we build around ourselves (Human Ecology). Humans truly need to understand where they came from before we can decide where we will go in the future (History). This is key to our understanding of the relationship we have with the global environment, and the understanding that this relationship is not a one way street (Human Geography). We cannot continue to take from our environment in the manner we have done so, this is a closed ecosystem, and if we consume the entirety of one product we will not simply be able to find more, because there won’t be any more. We need to start developing new processes now that will lead to a sustainable future (Environmentalism and Sustainability). 

All of these things, human ecology, history, human geography, and environmentalism coupled with sustainability studies, drive my thinking. I always catch myself talking about politics and human to human interaction in regular conversation, but human-human interaction will always be a struggle. However, human-nature environment need not be forever. We are intelligent enough creatures to work within a global context of the human-nature relationship to preserve this relationship. I guess this is something I can strive for. Something I can put myself into with the hope of making some advancement. Humans, I fear, will continue to hate, continue to take advantage, and continue to fight even kill one another. How can we change human nature? 

Enough of my philosophical touting. I leave you with this quote I recently found: 

     Traveler, there is no path 

     paths are made by walking.  

                 - Antonio Machado, Cantores

I am walking...

~ Craig