Mumbai!

About two and half years ago, it seemed as if life was only interested in giving me lemons. But as I went on collecting them, little did I know that one day I'd be able to make a mean lemon cocktail!

It was around the time when I had just returned from Beirut, unwillingly. The stagnation in both professional and personal life was killing me. Everything had reached a dead-end, with no gateway in view.  I wanted to leave and go far far away, preferably abroad. Obviously, the thought of shifting to Mumbai - the so-called dream city of millions - had never even crossed my mind. It was the last place where I wanted to live. But I think destiny's list of places where I should have lived differed slightly and I landed in Mumbai in March 2014. 

Since I never really had any affection towards Mumbai, I had not an iota of interest in finding out what it had to offer me. My idea of Mumbai was only limited to its international airport from where I could fly to my real dream destinations, without ever taking into account the potential of Mumbai of becoming my dream destination one day. Naturally, when I got here, I wasn't the happiest person in the city and had plans to leave at the drop of a hat. I had cast a shield charm between Mumbai with all its glitter, liveliness and awesomeness and whatnot and myself. I was determined in never letting Mumbai cajole me.

As it turned out, I was only interested in finding the flaws of the city and well, in my defense, Mumbai did not let me down! I hated the humidity, how it royally messed up my hair, the overcrowded streets, the omnipresent noises, the smelly streets, the pollution, the roads, and everything that Mumbai was doing to me and offering me. I hated that my usual routine of going to a brand new place to discover new cultures, new languages, and new cuisines was disturbed. The challenges that Mumbai promised were not as inspiring. Arrogantly, I felt trapped in a place that offered me the luxury of being close to home, without any linguistic hurdles. I thought that once the language barrier was removed, making friends here would be super easy. Sadly, it wasn't. Despite the most familiar territory, I felt the most lonely ever, in the most crowded streets ever. This quote from 'Stag' by Tim Relf perfectly describes what I was going through: 

“I had nothing to contribute. I played no part. I was on the edge.

Different. Alone.

Everything around me, gray.

It was the same old feeling, back again.

I was in the middle of the group but I might as well have been a million miles away from these people.”

But as the days went by, (thankfully) I got frustrated with my own lack of motivation to discover the maximum city. Being an optimist, I couldn't tolerate my own cynicism towards my Mumbai life. I thought, how long can you 'choose' to be unhappy?  How long can you yearn for the things out of your reach? Clichédly, I convinced myself to live in the present and to at least give myself and Mumbai a chance to like each other. And believe me, it was one of the sanest decisions ever!

I slowly opened up to the city. It was indeed a pleasant revelation that things were not so bad after all. The reality was definitely better and different from my imagination. I was happy to slowly discover a city where contrasts happily (ahem) co-existed while experiencing the famous "Mumbai spirit" by interacting with its creators - the people.

Everyone here, irrespective of their gender, caste, and religion shares a common thread: dreams. Nobody really has time to poke a nose into your life. Coming from a quaint and laid-back city of Pune, the hustle-bustle of Mumbai was intimidating in the beginning and a major source of annoyance. But now that I am part of it, I enjoy its energy. Traveling on relatively empty local trains on weekends and leaning out of the door by literally throwing caution to the wind has become one  of my favorite weekend activities. I love how the city gives you a wide range of options when it comes to your leisure time. You have the sea, (overcrowded) beaches, street shopping, window shopping, road-side eateries and high-end restaurants, millions of dance studios, yoga classes, gyms and much more. Choose whatever you like! If you can keep yourself busy, there's no place like Mumbai.

I have found my little Beirut, little Paris and a little paradise of best South Indian food in Mumbai. So all in all its a full package!

But, contrasts make Mumbai what it is. You have high-end nightclubs, outside which you'll find the best street food joints. The most amazing part is they both are equally crowded! You can get lost in lanes of roadside shops, enjoying (or not) bargaining and the resultant happiness of finding an haute couture item at a dirt cheap price of  Rs 200-500. The skyscrapers and slums at their feet is a common site. Highways run parallel to the 'local' tracks. A Porsche and a BEST both (usually) have to stop when the light turns red! A 15 Rs. Vada-Pav is equally valuable as a 200 Rs. sandwich when you are hungry. Children begging in the scorching heat to the people in air-conditioned cars is such a common mise-en-scène that, in the end, you stop thinking about how unfair the economic divide is. I know it's sad, but it's true. Unfortunately, your sensitive mind is of no use in the city, as, if you start mulling over a plethora of inequalities around you, you won't be able to take even a step in the city.

Another interesting characteristic of Mumbai is undoubtedly the traffic. Though insane, it is an organized chaos. Once you are stuck in it, you can be sure that those one or two hours are lost forever. At the peak hours, the traffic is so slow moving that you start envying the speed at which a snail crawls. But believe it or not, these traffic jams, which are to be seen even at midnight, somehow funnily assure me of my safety. It is just the honking that I still fail to get over. Other than adding a few decibels to the noise pollution, it doesn't really do much.

But let's face it: Mumbai is not the most friendly and romantic city ever. The ruthless city life makes you wonder at times why the hell did you even come here? What did you achieve? Was it really worth all the trouble? The answers can be both, affirmative and negative and predictably depend on your perspective. Everything here is literally in your face - the poverty, the wealth, the inequality. Such openness and frankness have taught me not to judge anyone blindly. Everyone is fighting a battle unknown to you. Mumbai has a knack of giving you a clear backgrounder on everyone's situation and hence compels you to think twice before you comment on someone's appearance, their hurry to catch that bus, their grim faces and also their beautiful smile. You can be of any religion, caste, profession and may speak any language, but once you are pacing in that sea of people at CST/Dadar to catch that 6:30 pm Borivali local, all those aspects of your identity are immaterial.

The city has many personalities and you need to find out which one suits you the best. At times it resembles an old-time grandfather, who would frown upon your misdoings, scold you for your mistakes and even give you one tight slap if required. But when the time comes, would stand up for you like it's nobody's business. On some days Mumbai looks like that irritated girlfriend who is not happy at anything you do to please her. The best solution in these times is to a take a book and sit in a nearby café and let the day go by. Sometimes you'd be amazed at the indifference that the city feigns. But I kind of like this indifference as it is refreshing and non-judgemental. It teaches me to lift myself up from my deepest, shittiest moods and march on. It reiterates the fact that if you don't help yourself, no one else can.

So far Mumbai has taught me a lot of things - it has taught me to love the rains, to count my blessings, to work hard, to be myself, to believe in myself and most importantly to not lose my cool. The city hasn't been successful in cajoling me completely, but I must confess that I cannot ignore its charm anymore. I am definitely a different (and hopefully a better) person than I was when I got here for the first time. It has given me a strength to deal with the reverse cultural shocks - something that I'll always be grateful for. 

But I know that my love-hate relationship with Mumbai will end eventually. And though I hate to admit it, I am sure that I will not be happy about it...

Midnight in Mumbai on cycle!

Mumbai has the most amazing quirky things to offer.  All you need is the willingness to embrace their quirkiness.

Last week, I had an opportunity to do one of such things, which until that moment seemed impossible to me: a moonlight Mumbai cycle ride! Now you will say, why on Earth would anyone want to cycle the streets of Mumbai at midnight? Well, first of all, just for the kick of it! Secondly to check whether honking-free and traffic free roads were something known to Mumbai and lastly to breathe a somewhat pure air. I mean, come on! 

Out of sheer curiosity, my friend and I, we went half an hour before the registration time. We were greeted by a group of young girls and boys, who happened to be the organizers of the ride! I was pleasantly surprised to see that such young people were working towards making the Maximum City even more interesting. 

The idea of Mumbai Riders came to its founder, Rishi Shah, after his extensive traveling in Europe last summer. He thought it would be amazing to replicate the concept of 'cycle the city' in Mumbai to give its busy dwellers a chance to rediscover and admire the city's beauty. His idea was supported by two of his friends - Falak Parikh and Saurabh Punamiya and many more. Since December, they had successfully organized 10 rides and the one in which I participated was the 11th one.

Once all the 60 registered participants turned up and were equipped with snacks, we headed to collect our cycles. Most of us had not even thought about cycles after we left school a decade ago. So once we got the cycles, the first thing everyone did was to paddle a few meters in the adjoining lane just to confirm that they were still able to cycle! After checking the tire pressure, other technicalities of the cycle, some group photos, and a lot of selfies, we started our mission-on-wheels to enjoy the midnight ride in the city! 

The route of the ride - 22 km!

It was a perfect night to cycle. The cool breeze from the sea was shooing away the mid-March Mumbai heat. The contagious enthusiasm and the new-found passion for this eco-friendly way of discovering the city was quite something. A few stars had joined us in the sky and the car-free roads were an icing on the cake! 

After passing by the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Gateway of India, we took our first stop at the Asiatic. I had never been on this side of the town and it felt Bollywoodish to be sitting on the steps of the Asiatic Society Library. It was a moment to say: 'Eating samosa at 12:30 am on the steps of Asiatic - check!'. 

The next pause was at the historic CST, but it was a technical halt to try to reduce the gap between the group. Well, to be frank, it didn't help, as a few of us were quite fast than the rest of the group. So, it was decided that we all meet at Haji Ali directly. 

I had never thought that the ruthless city of dreams, which is constantly bustling and throwing challenges at you every now and then can look so serene and peaceful. I almost couldn't resist loving this mad city! The moment we crossed Marine Lines flyover, the stunning beauty of the 'Queen's necklace' rendered us speechless. We didn't even want to stop and take photos (though now I think we should have). Maybe we were just so mesmerized to be on the Marin drive getting the feel of the city that stopping and taking photos would have interrupted our conversation with the city. We were engrossed in listening to what Mumbai had to tell us. I think this ride gave me the unique opportunity to see a different side of the city that I will never forget. As we were riding and bagging in small achievements of climbing up the Pedder road without getting off the cycle, it felt as if the city was smiling at us and clapping for us!

We reached Haji Ali triumphant! What an experience we had just lived! The place was filled with laughter, smiles, streetlights and a few stars! Once settled on the sidewalks, people got busy enjoying their samosas and with renewed rounds of selfies.  

I must say that our young, enthusiastic and down-to-earth, college going organizers are doing a great job. Their meticulous planning and sincerity are making the rides popular. A few glitches are there, but can be easily amended with more experience. So if you planning to visit Mumbai sometime soon or are already here, keep a lookout for the rides. They are one for the most à la mode activities these days and are sold out within a few hours!

I am definitely going for the next one to discover a new area of Mumbai and to get some more memories!

Yellow Fever Vaccine

Before I share my first ever African memories, I thought I'll write a bit about the first and foremost important thing on the travel preparations list: to take the yellow fever vaccine. As the certificate stating that you have taken the vaccine is a prerequisite for entering a number of African and South American countries, I began to find out where I could get the vaccine in Mumbai. Surprisingly I came across a number of good-bad articles about the same.


So to sum up what all I read: Apparently there are only two government centers for the whole Maharashtra and Gujarat where you can take the yellow fever vaccine and both are in Mumbai. (Obviously!)


The center located in town (South Bombay for the non-mumbaiets) was off the mark due to the notorious descriptions mentioned on those blogs and hence the obvious choice was the one and only remaining center located at the Mumbai international airport.


I was urged to go and stand in the queue at the earliest possible hour. The reason was clear: only one reliable center to get the vaccine all over Maharashtra and Gujarat, which provides only 70 dosages per day on the first-come-first-served basis.

I aimed to reach at 5:30 but lost about 45 mins to locate the center. Weirdly nobody in the vicinity knew where exactly this facility (!?) was located. So here's a small yet important trick to save your time: when you come from the old airport road, keep going towards the departures or towards JW Marriott. On your way, you will see a naive board stating the existence of the "Yellow Fever Hospital". Well, it is not so much of a hospital, but okay, moving on! It's basically located in the compound of the Airport Health Organization. This building is quite big but easily missable due to the giant flyover that shadows it.



Once I reached the gate, I saw that there were about 25-30 people already sitting on the footpath waiting to get their yellow fever vaccine. Apparently, that was the queue! The usual practice is: you go to the watchman at the gate and put yourself on the list. The watchman notes down your passport number and writes your roll number on the ticket copy you need to show along with your passport. Yes, you need a confirmed air ticket for your travel in order to get the yellow fever vaccine from this center.

However, once you have put yourself on the list, starts the eternal waiting period... Such a colossal waste of time! I'd suggest going with a nice book, music, water, and some munchies. I waited for good two and half hours before entering a pretty sophisticated waiting room. The room opens at 8, it's air-conditioned with quite comfortable seating. One thing I must mention is that once they open the doors of the waiting room, everything works quite systematically. Sharp at 10 am, the officers do the roll call for payment and give you the receipt. The fee is Rs 300 for one dose of vaccination. Once you have made the payment, you need to wait for another hour to actually go and get the shot. The center gives only 70 doses per day, so it helps to go earlier. The last person put on the list came in at 8.30ish and someone who showed up at 9 am was asked to come the next day. So you can go late if you are willing to take a risk of not being able to get the vaccine on the same day!

Eventually, as the whole waiting business starts to get on your nerves, a small canteen opens at about 10.30. (I know, so late!) The owner is a kind man but doesn't have many options to offer and whatever items are there on the menu are considerably overpriced. But oh well, like they say, at times it's better to have something than nothing at all!

Once all 70 people have paid the fees, first 25 people are asked to make a line in order to go and get the shot on the first floor. Here's where they give you the famous yellow certificate for the yellow fever vaccine. This is what you need to carry every time you travel to the following countries:


I was expecting that the taking the vaccine would be like taking any other injection. However, it turned out to be quite painful and it was smarting for about good two-three hours! Also one more thing: if you are allergic to eggs, please tell the doctor beforehand. They give you a mild dosage in that case. Though it hurt, I was happy that at least it was over and I didn't have to think about this yellow fever vaccine for next ten years and that the last hurdle of my travel was taken care of.


However, now that I am back from my trip, I can share one secret: nobody, on no airports, checked my yellow fever vaccine certificate, not in India, nor in Senegal, not on departure nor on arrival!! There was absolutely no mention of the vaccine throughout the journey. To my surprise, nobody seemed really bothered about it. I was expecting a very strict checking of the vaccine certificate along with the passports, but nada! I really want to believe in the awesome Indian immigration services, which in my imagination were informed about me taking the vaccine. But I am skeptical and little annoyed at the fuss made about taking the vaccine. If taking the vaccine is as important as the visa to enter that particular country, shouldn't there be some sort of checking? But I guess I should just be happy about having done with it and saving myself from ever contracting yellow fever!


More about the journey in next post!

200 Rupees!

It was like any other Friday evenings in Mumbai. Busy and noisy, roads packed with buses, cars, rickshaws, a few two-wheelers, and cycles rushing to their desired destinations. I got out from the office building and tried in vain to find a rickshaw to take me to the nearest metro station. Eventually, I gave up the hope of finding one and decided to enjoy the rare cold breeze and started walking towards the station. I popped on my earphones and my usual favorite songs started playing in my ears.

Walking on Mumbai roads can be quite taxing - both physically and mentally. The dearth of footpaths, crossings, pedestrian signal lights, pollution, relentless honking and to top on that the unfortunate beggars pleading for money... These walks provoke as you observe so many contrasts of the society: the rich and the poor, the educated and uneducated, the employed and unemployed, people with chauffeur-driven BMWs getting angry at the cyclists trying to find their way - all jam-packed in one, constantly moving towards something unknown. You cannot stop wondering and getting frustrated by all that noise, that sheer lack of a lot of basic amenities in this so called one of the biggest metros in the world and the constant hustle-bustle around you. Very easily you can get lost in your thoughts and start feeling lonely in that crowd. 

That's what exactly happened to me. As soon as I realized it, I tried to shrug off all the negative thoughts and frustration pouring in and tried to enjoy the song that was playing. Suddenly I thought I heard someone shouting 'excuse me, excuse me.' As per my 'acquired' natural reaction, I obviously didn't pay attention to it thinking who would call me now on this crowded road and continued walking. After five minutes, I heard the same voice again. And before I could look back and see, a rickshaw almost stopped me in my tracks abruptly on a small little thing that could be called footpath...

"Hi Mam, How are you? My name is Rajeev", the guy in rickshaw started talking cheerfully. Me, naturally being extremely weary of such unknown encounters did not respond more than a mere hello with a half smile.

"Hi, I am so sorry, but I need some money. My wallet got stolen and I don't have enough money on me. A billion thanks to you if you could please give me Rs 200."

"Umm?"

Apparently that guy wanted to go to the other end of the city for a dance practice for which he was already running late. I asked him why he wouldn't take the train which would have been faster and a lot cheaper. But he didn't have an answer and kept insisting that I gave him 200 rupees.

As usual, my mind had already broken into two: the evil and the good. The evil totally doubting every single word that man uttered and the good one trying to rationalize and justifying by trying to consider the remote possibility of 'what if whatever he is telling me is true'?

After a lot of hesitation in my head, I eventually gave that man 200 rupees and got out of that situation.

It was only then that it dawned on to me the randomness of the situation!! I mean imagine - You are walking down the road enjoying the music, someone follows you throughout, all of a sudden stops you and asks you to give him 200 rupees! How random! I think that was by far the most random things ever happened to me. 

Maybe I shouldn't have, but I got into analyzing what had happened. Why did that person follow me for so long for asking me for money? Did he just randomly pick me as a target and thought I could be easy to fool for money? Did I look that gullible? Was it a part of some "truth-dare" game he was playing with his friends? Why couldn't he ask any other person on the road? Surely I wasn't the alone walking on that road! There were hundreds of others too! Or was he really genuine and had asked others and no one entertained him, so had to ask me for help? So many possibilities crossed my mind!

I guess I will never find an answer to all those questions. I am not sad or surprised at the fact that my pocket is lighter by 200 rupees. It could have been much worse! I am just overwhelmed by the supreme randomness of the situation and the fact that such things actually happen in real life! That whole incident totally shook me and got me back to the reality - of I don't know what. 

Well, but, in the end, the possible scenarios of why and what could have happened are endless with no answers! For the time being all I am going to do is just add this feather of experience in my Mumbaikar hat and enjoy! 

The Bharat-India reality

It was high time that I discovered India. However, I wasn't really sure what it meant precisely! All I knew was that I wanted to discover India but had no clue whatsoever about what exactly to discover: people, culture, landscape, languages, food or what? So, on the spur of a moment, I decided to explore something unconventional, something that fascinated me... the remotest parts of Maharashtra and its tribal culture, their lifestyle, and their problems. Never did I think that it would be a life-changing discovery; an experience -

far more interesting than the streets of Paris,
far more frustrating than Lebanese power cuts,
far more exasperating than Pune traffic,
and far more calming than the beaches in San Francisco... 

I was skeptical about traveling alone in my own country, though it felt like a true adventure in all senses, much more adventurous than getting lost in a Cedar forest in Lebanon or missing the last train from Berkeley to SF city. I was quite irritated that I had apprehensions when, for once I didn't have to worry about the language, the road signs or food. Finally, I made up my mind and decided to take it up as a challenge and a chance to test my own limits. I don't regret that decision, even for a second, for it showed me to a completely different and unknown side of my own country.

The challenge began with the longest and the most grueling bus journey of my life: Pune - Akola - Paratwada - Simedoh - Chunkhadi - Hatru - the distance of about 700 km that we covered in 26 hours through various buses and bus stands.

The last leg of the journey was the most thrilling, beautiful and relaxing. The untouched beauty of Melghat, its remoteness, lush green landscapes, the mountains clad in emerald green shawl, roads with sharp turns (at one point there were about 52 sharp hair-pin turns in just one km!!), the rare serenity and to top on that the informal chats with the fellow travelers and their simplicity made us forget the distance we had covered. Maybe this was something I was looking for - the openness of human interactions, connectivity free days, and simplicity. It's like at times you don't know what exactly you are missing unless you come across it and that's exactly what happened with me!

Melghat, basically a Tiger Reserve situated in the north-eastern Maharashtra, in the district of Amaravati, was a perfect destination to forget all the tensions and uncertainties of the busy city life. Leaving Beirut and returning to Pune to the same unpredictability wasn't something I had asked for. I needed to go away from all that and Melghat offered me that solace. I went to Melghat with Maitri, a Pune-based NGO that has contributed phenomenally to lowering of maternal and child mortality rates in this region thanks to its "Dhadak Mohim" or an awareness campaign organized every year during the monsoons (July to September). The main idea behind this campaign is to create awareness about the primary health care, nutrition and try to bridge the gaps between medical services provided by the Government and the actual needs of the villagers with the help of volunteers.

Though a boon to agriculture, monsoon season isn't exactly the best friend of tribes living in jungles, especially in the jungles of Melghat. The overflowing rivers completely cut off the villages from each other, making the already tough life even more difficult.

This year the heavy rains took away all the crops and left the poor farmers with nothing in hands, neither to sell in the markets nor to feed their families. All possible infections, water-borne and communicable diseases, though usually easily treatable, are at their peak during these three months of monsoon and take the highest toll on children between the age of 0 to 6 months old. As a result, the main objective of the "Dhadak Mohim" to these villages was to provide primary medication to the children in need, treat the disease at the very beginning and report the critical cases to the district hospital when required, talk to people about their problems and give simple yet sustainable solutions for primary health care, breastfeeding practices, hygiene etc. Our job as volunteers was rewarding in itself and satisfactory too, however, I did not know how to deal with the constant nagging feeling at the back of my mind to have much more solid and long-term solutions...

The stay in Melghat made me realize that I was taking so many things for granted - Good schools, good roads (oh well, it's a different story that after the monsoon, even the city roads can compete with the village roads!), drinking water, regular income, private or public transport etc. But just ten days in these villages, with these wonderful people I am convinced (yet again) that, no, life is unfair and equality is a myth. After the first two days at our base camp, I learned that the villages that came under the Tiger Reserve were not provided with electricity and proper roads because that land was under the Tiger Reserve. For a second, I thought, who is more important - tiger or man? Should all these people living on this land for generations be kept away from today's basic necessities just because some tigers might want to roam around the jungles of Melghat? Who is the intruder here? Survival of the fittest?
The opinion remains divided even my own mind.

Melghat explained the notorious difference between 'India' and 'Bharat'... It was heartbreaking to actually see that even today, in 2013, a considerable number of people still live without proper housing, electricity, roads and schools. Yes, I was aware of such harsh realities yet, actually witnessing the grim truth was not easy. After having lived in the developed cities of the world, working and living in the small villages of Melghat with poverty struck Korku people was a real eye-opener.

The experience was frustrating on many levels. I felt helpless that the children of this part of the world are being deprived of their rights to education and food. Reading about poverty and actually seeing, experience it from so close are two different things altogether. Before this camp, living without my phone, the internet, electricity, drinking water was something unimaginable. The world outside my comfort zone seemed too far-fetched. Wanting to help people and actually helping them was as different as day and night. But I am glad I took the first step outside my comfort zone. I tested my own limits thanks to this camp and now I can say that I can live in any situation, anytime! This was a true field experience per-say where we were in constant touch with the beneficiaries (or not) of the various government policies and seeing its (disastrous) results.

Those ten days are over and now I am back in my comfortable house. Nothing has really changed here. But I can say that I am a different person now. I saw and lived things like never before. It has taught me a lot and has made me a lot more sensitive, aware of the problems of my country and grateful for my luck. The simplicity of Korku people opened my eyes to the fact that you can be happy with what you have. It's good to have finally made that connection with the people of Melghat and I hope to do something really concrete for them and somehow contribute to the tough yet possible task of uniting the India and Bharat...

Souvenirs...

"Bring some souvenirs!"
"So did you buy some souvenirs to take home?"
"This is a better souvenir than that one!"

...

Since my departure date has been decided, I have been facing such questions and demands and suggestions! And I can tell you that I am only lost regarding all of it! Though it's a great idea to bring home something that represents that particular place where you were staying, "which souvenir to buy" is one of the most difficult questions that you may have to answer. Because, how can one small statue of a famous palais where you went with your friends and had awesome time represent it? How can a keychain of a typical tree or animal of that country can translate the good-bad moments you had in that country? How can a fridge magnet of the typical delicacy of the region translate how delicious that dish was? How can a photo postcard depict the true beauty of a place? Or, even worse: there are certain things that are not "typical", so there's no miniature representation of it and you don't know what to replace it with! For example, how can my memories of walking down the streets of Gemayze or Jeitawi can be turned into "souvenirs"? I wish there was a poster

or something that compiled all the "service" (taxi) experiences that could be brought as "souvenir"! 

I don't know why, but yesterday while trying to find some such souvenirs to take home all these thoughts came to my mind! The shop was excellent, it had all the perfect things that represented Lebanon! But while checking out the different articles each time all the good-bad memories related to them came running to my mind and then I just felt that it was useless to buy these things! Buying souvenirs was a very painful task as it brought back all the memories of numerous dinners, outings, parties with my friends and broke my heart a little that now I won't get to do so anymore... Souvenirs proved the "Past can hurt" theory correct.

But nonetheless on a positive note, I think I'll be able to relive those fun moments and share my wonderful experiences with my family and friends through souvenirs and their limitations would no longer be a problem! 

It's time...

Such a long break between two posts could only mean that the past three (?!! wow!!) months were happily busy! I cannot believe that it's already time to bid the final goodbye to this wonderfully complicated and enthralling land of falafels and baklavas, Beirut! 

I had never imagined that I would stay for such a long time (well, 8 months is quite a considerable amount of time!) in Lebanon. Things worked out (or not) in such a way that my stay got extended by four months. (No regrets at all!) The extraordinary experiences I got here are incomparable to anything else and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Be it living in the extremely hardcore, conservative Muslim or in equally liberal Christian neighbourhoods, be it witnessing a social awakening event where I actually saw two girls getting almost killed by a crazy rash driver, be it living right above the 'parking' of the army tanks, be it laying on the pebble beach with the cleanest water (yani cleanest!) whilst enjoying the cool Mediterranean breeze or be it just walking on a road amongst the buildings adorning the destructive memories of the war...  Each day here has been a different one, with new challenges and with even newer hopes. 

Every time I meet a new Lebanese person, I am asked if I like their motherland. Very frankly, in the beginning, I was not a big fan and rather quite fed up with its racist and stereotyped ideas about people from the South. But, now it has changed. I have learned to ignore the obviously racist remarks and instead have fallen in love with Beirut. It has its own charm and I can't get enough of it!

The city is full of contradictions. But I love this contradictory character of the city, irrespective of the fact that, at times you can't stop wondering about how on earth does a city with so many inconsistencies still survive! It has everything: happening bars, (very few) parks, sea, and the beach, calming streets of Achrafieh or Gemmayze, the madness of Hamra, churches, mosques, the best falafels, the best orange juice, antique boutiques, roadside shops, and also heartbreakingly expensive Beirut Souks.

The city has the amenities of a capital city, yet it lacks in a hell lot of other basic things! The very 'regular' power-cuts, the 'mini-buses' (which by the way are much more reliable and safer than the taxis), their honking, the roaring show-offs of Porches and similar high end cars, the frustrating traffic jams in spite of the big, multi-lane roads and flyovers and half-broken, slimy two wheelers zigzagging and roaming the streets in all possible directions add to Beirut's charm.

Yet another interesting fact about Beirut is that here you can be sure of your cultural enrichment. Every road has a story to tell you. Every graffiti comples you to think about the social divide. The past and the present co-exist in the most beautiful manner here. I had never been to so many exhibitions, art films, concerts in any other city before.

Its people are its core strength. Very open (at times a bit too much), welcoming, driven by the politics and everything, in general, the Beirutis are very special people. Though not always consistent, people are quite interested in the different form of arts and I can say this thanks to the success of my Bollywood dance classes. Their multilingual-ness is mind-blowing! It's quite refreshing to start a day with "Hi, kifik, ça va?" or "Bonjour - Bonjour-ein". Here, the conversations don't stop at a mere 'hi-hello'. They go on forever where people use all the possible 'formules de politesse' in one go. I find it very fascinating as it shows that people are genuinely interested in knowing how you are doing and that it's not just a formality!

The city, which, in the beginning, kind of made me want to leave immediately is now surprisingly making the departure equally difficult. With time, I have grown fond of it, its people and everything it offers. The thrills of living in a war-torn city, which is again on the brinks of breaking into yet another bloody war are inexpressible. It breaks my heart to see such an amazing country getting forced into violent bombings and killings due to some headstrong and blind politicians or 'activists'. I sympathize with the city and its people and I am in awe of its spirit where 'life continues'. Beirut has given me a lot... some life-long friendships, a very important tool of patience, a chance to understand what 'humanitarian action' is and how it can change the life of certain groups of the society for better or worse, a hardcore professional experience, one of the most delicious cuisines and much more. I feel I have become a part of this madness where now I also eat, party, crib, dress, and talk like its people with a few 'Akeeds, yanis and anjaads' in every sentence!

It's a shame that I won't be staying here any longer and my love affair with the city will be ending soon. Yet, I can say for sure that no other city can ever take the place of Beirut in my heart.

Inshallah I'll return soon... Inshallah, a true inshallah.

Relativity Part 2

Unlike any other city I have lived in, Beirut has taught me the most about life in general. Yes, I am compelled to say 'life et al.' because that's how intense the experience is... This is the only city where I am part of two extreme worlds; one which flaunts its wealth in subtle yet quite obvious manners and the other which tries to mask its misery with a simple broad smile. Howsoever exhilarating such experience is, at times it leaves me numb and I find myself struggling to decide where exactly I belong to: to the rich or to the poor? to the mediocre ultra-sophisticated society or to the simplest yet harsh one? This constant change of social lieu is quite disturbing when you are foreign to the culture and trying your best to overcome the petty adjustment issues to get assimilated with your new surroundings. You don't know what to relate to and you are just lost! 

Beirut presents staggering cultural contrasts. I think this would be the only place in the world where you can experience the cultural and reverse cultural shocks at the same time! You can easily spot a girl in summer clothes i.e. skinny shorts and a singlet walking alone on the opposite side of the road where a woman clad in her niqab, barely even showing her eyes awaits her husband! This happens only in Lebanon. Recently I shifted to an apartment in a very chic, Christian international-French area of Beirut. I could never imagine that two areas of the same city could be so drastically different! Earlier I used to live in an area which was predominantly Muslim; where I wasn't even allowed to invite any guy friends at home and here I have to share my apartment with two guys! Before I hardly ever saw any woman without hijab contrary to here where I hardly see any woman with it. These small cities within the big city confuse me at times and I don't know what kind of behavior would be appropriate!

This was about the city that throws at you a big jigsaw puzzle of relativity and you are exhausted by putting the pieces in their right place.

On the other hand, when you are a young-poorly-paid-professional just about to kick-start your international career in such a city, the relativity takes a whole new level. Once you work at International ladder, you get to know how best life can get but at the same time, you have also witnessed the bleak side of the same life through various field visits. The guilt of not being content with what you have eats your mind up and you get fed up of the fight between your own 'good and bad minds' justifying your thoughts and aspirations. On one side you know that you made a choice and you have to stick to it, but on the other side you actually start questioning everything because there is nothing around you that assures you that you took a good (or bad) decision. You have come too far away from your relativity standards and lack thereof, you feel lost. The new is too new and the old is too old!

This happens when you look back and realize that your paths drifted apart so much from your own folks that now you are alone in your endeavors. No one is in view. You don't know whether you are on a right track or no. You just know that you are not part of the larger, comfortable group. You feel sad, alone. At low moments, you even fail to acknowledge that you might actually be on a correct and a rather better path. You feel sandwiched between two completely different cultures, contrast sets of ambitions and two pole-apart worlds. This lack of relatable stuff is very frustrating. You unnecessarily start judging your choices. You know it very well that you asked for this offbeat set of battles and fights which are way different from those that your friends go through. But sometimes you secretly wish that you hadn't had to calculate your weekly budget for grocery or that you hadn't had to think extremely practically about your emotional life...

But maybe at times, it is better not to have anything to relate to. You create your own standards and you set your own goals. This way you know the pros and cons of your actions. Nobody can really judge you about your choices. You just need to hang in there and not lose faith in what you have decided to do.

All you have to do is to relate to yourself and then everything seems to be falling in place!

Power of Recycling!

You buy one bottle of water because you can't drink the tap water. You buy another one because you can't use the tap water for cooking. You buy one more because you are thirsty. You keep on buying more and more water bottles because you can't do without them. And in the end a heap of water bottles gets created in your room and smirks at you while you are thinking that why do you have to spend a criminal amount of money on water bottles in country which has the best ever natural resources for water.

You write a word on a paper, you don't like it so you tear it off and throw it away. You print something that you didn't want by mistake and now that paper has to go to the dustbin. You receive legnthy (boring) letters and you don't know what to do with them so you send to them the world of dustbin! You prefer paper but still have to do all the editing on computer, so eventually you throw away the 'hard copy'. You have stored tons of data in files and there's no space any more for even a single sheet of paper in your office. Hence to make more space you digitalize the office and yallah all the paper in dustbin!

So eventually at the end of the day, week, month you have created a monster of water bottles and paper and you don't know what to do with it! You get frustrated with all the messy room and the amount of money you have spent on all these once-lovely papers and life-saving water bottles. 

But now I have found a way to get over this frustration - recycling! It's fun and satisfactory! Yesterday I got to know about how they recycle all these 'waste' to raise funds to buy custom-made wheelchairs for kids with special needs. I had never imagined that bringing the sacs of used water bottle and paper in the office for recycling would result into something so beautiful! It was on the occasion of the 'Earth Day' when UNRWA-Lebanon Field Office put together a wonderful event to celebrate the contribution of its employees towards raising funds to bring smile on five lovely Palestinian kids with special needs. 

This 'Recycling' initiative, launched in April 2012, aims at improving the quality of life of people with special needs while working in line with the 'Green the UN' project and also to fulfill the CSR. The project began at the Lebaon field office in order to engage the Palestinian community in eco-friendly acts.  So far 70 tons of paper and 1 ton of plastic were recycled. This initiative conducted in partnership with Arc en Ciel raised funds to buy these custom made wheel-chairs, and brought a broad smile on five Palestinian families!

Before these chairs, Umar, Fatme, Hadi, Nazih and Mohammad who suffer from cerebral parsley, epilepsy and related problems, had a great difficulty in sitting without any support. This also resulted in problems of breating, eating and required a constant attention from their families. But now thanks to these magic-chairs these kids can now sit properly in their custom-made wheel chairs and enjoy their freedom of eating and movment. The thick cloth support given to their chest also makes their breathing easier!

When I entered the hall and saw these kids smiling and cheering it gave me some sense of satisfaction! I was happy that my small contribution helped the initiative to raise sufficient funds! It was just wondeful to see how a well-planned initiative can change people's life for good. It is these events and initiatves that inspire me to continue the journey and keep working for the betterment of people's life! This sense of satisfaction is the best thing and makes you forget about all the hardships of living away from family!

I am very impressed that even the city of Beirut has taken up these initiative of recycling and you can now these things almost allover the city!

If a country a like Lebanon can do it, even we can do it!
My dear friends, lets get inspired and enjoy the power of recycling! 

Global citizenship!

Though there isn't any official document that says that you are a 'global citizen', you know it when you are one. This citizenship, unlike the other official ones, can be acquired whenever you desire and gives you only one advantage: a chance to get an enormous amount of varied life changing experiences. Rather than going into too controversial details of whether this citizenship comes for free or no, I'd prefer discussing its interesting aspects!

Globe-trotting through different non-touristic, unconventional parts of the world can bring you exceptional experiences. The moment is priceless: when you are alone, completely lost and trying to find a way back to your new home, you tearfully and reluctantly take a turn to find your destination right in front of you! (Google maps are helpful only if the 3G network is working!) Such small achievements boost your confidence and make you forget how fed up you were with such new beginnings a moment ago. I have had numerous such occasions where I have wandered along the unknown streets of cities thinking about how fairy-tellish is this to see the ruins of ancient Greek temples or luxurious seaside resorts or a hidden museum. The realization of how certain undreamed dreams actually come true is wonderful. Every new city talks to you through many channels and if you open your eyes and ears you will be surprised by the fascinating stories it has to tell you! Here in Beirut every time I step on the street I discover a new thing, I hear a new sound, I see a new aspect. Now I am used to seeing the Army tanks right in the middle of the street, the gun shots, the inquisitive looks etc. etc. What I love the most about Beirut is its starry nights. You can clearly see the stars at night despite the eye-blinding hoardings that adorn almost each street of the city. When I look up and see these stars I feel a certain calm and I think about all my friends and family who are scattered worldwide because at the back of mind I feel that only these stars are the connecting points of our worlds.  I know it's too Bollywoodishly-romantic, but that's how I feel!

Then you meet people from different parts of the world who have lived in many other diverse places and have had their share of experiences. Every time you meet these people, who usually themselves are global citizens, you can feel that despite the fact that you come from different countries you all share one common global fear: whether integrating into the new city, new culture would be easier. This holds true every time you move to a new place irrespective of  the number of years you have been on the move. Everybody talks about their homeland, their friends and family traditions and those unspoken sighs indicate that we all miss our homes pretty badly. You are torn between the new tempting horizons and your home-sweet-home that you have left behind. Everyone fears the possibility of becoming an outsider...to your own people and home. Because while you are playing your Columbus, you miss out on an awful number of birthdays, weddings, family dinners back home. Life goes on without you and you realize that so much has changed that now you  have to try to fit in in something of which previously you were an inseparable part. At no fault of theirs, people learn to live without you and you just have to deal with it!

Of course, this continent-hopping teaches you a great deal about yourself. I have surprised myself at times by reacting in completely different (and better) manners to certain situations. This self-discovery is the best part of this global citizenship. It makes you extra alert and teaches you not to take things for granted! You learn to have dinners, walks alone. You enjoy building your new life from scratch through a new language, new culture, and new people. The joys of visiting a local market, bargaining with the vendors and not getting ripped out, learning to cook a local dish and succeed in it, taking a decision of which bank to choose to invest your money etc. are not to be found in your own protected homeland. It makes you extremely strong when you deal with your long distance relation and its realistic yet unpredictable end. You see your heart shattered all over but like my dad says when you are so far away from home, only you can help yourself and this, my dear friends, is true! Such coming-overs are extremely hurtful but relatively shorter and you are surprised at how quickly you can move on; something that would never happen at home where you are surrounded by your best friends and family and are pampered with all the pep-talks! But though hurtful, it is a very important experience and usually a life-altering one! This independence and self-reliance are too precious to lose, yet at times, it makes you wonder that the price at which it comes, is it really worth it.

Once you settle in and the initial adventures of discovering a new place are faded away, you start forming unbreakable bonds with this new-but-now-not-so-new place. Eventually, you do get integrated with its people and culture and you start feeling at home. The best part is you can be whatever you want to be and nobody really objects. You get the satisfaction of the fact that you did get a chance to evolve and that you succeeded in this self-imposed challenge of adjusting to new, uncomfortable environments. Nonetheless, at the back of your mind, you always long to back to where you came from. You do want not to feel 'ex-pat' for some time because being exotic can be exhausting! Living in a new place is quite exciting and thrilling and you learn about your own strengths. But this learning is not free. You need to accept the fact that you can't be in two places at the same time. So you will find yourself awake at odd hours thinking about what you must be missing out on in that other time zone. The opportunity costs of making certain choices can be really expensive...

Therefore, if you are thinking of taking up this citizenship, my only advice would be to think twice.
But, only twice!

Hijabs and skirts...

For me, it is just unfortunate that the reason for which the 'International Women's Day' was introduced still holds true, even today, after a century. It's just detrimental that we have to celebrate 'International Women's Day' like we celebrate 'International Labor day' or 'World AIDS day', to spread awareness! Have we really become so insensitive towards women; half of the world's living population, that we need a day to tell the world to be aware of our existence and respect us? Why can't this happen naturally? We don't have any 'International Men's Day', do we? So in short it looks like that with the so called (materialistic) progress the problems that women faced have now just altered their form and are on all time high! 

However I must confess that being in the Middle-East has helped me to understand the dire need for such special day for women and though reluctantly, I am glad that there is one of its kinds. Let me give you one of the many examples which make me think this way. An international organization had arranged a marathon to be held next month in Gaza. But it has been canceled because... any guesses... no? Well because the Gaza authorities have declared that no women can participate in this event. I mean, come on! Why can't a woman run in the marathon that was supposed to raise the money for children? Of course, the decision to cancel the whole event is, in its own way, a protest against such an unreasonable decision which has not only insulted the women all over the world but has also deprived those children who, now, might not be able to go to school or get the required medical treatments...

Well for Beirut, it has a very curious mix of women. Most of them wear a hijab and full-length body covering clothes and are usually very traditional and religious. These are working women but with many social restrictions. However, a large number of women do not brandish this religious sign. These are generally the women of high-class families and are busy getting their physical appearances fixed so that they are all dolled up for we all know what. They are dressed in animal print short tight skirts, high heels, over blown-up hair, the fake China made branded handbags with all botoxed physical features. (of course, there are exceptions!!) But such dumbing down makes me wonder if it is really worth the men for whom it's done. Because unfortunately most of them they don't really care! Most of the men here can marry up to 4 times, by law! I had never imagined that such things were real, but now I can say that, yes, they are and I actually know a few of them!  But this also implicates that there are far too many broken hearts...

Even sadder part is that just being a woman doesn't really mean anything here. That's not sufficient! You need to be associated with a certain religion, ethnicity, profession and what not to be worth of receiving better or worse treatment. Racism exacerbates the situation. While teaching French at a local NGO I get to interact with different migrant female workers who have come here from remote parts of Africa, leaving their families behind. Each of them has a unique story which eventually reiterates the fact that they go through all this discrimination shit just because they are women and that too of a different race. Notwithstanding the deplorability of needing a special day for women, it's a really good idea to have one to make everyone aware of their existence and problems. 

It's definitely shameful that a woman who is a mother, daughter, sister, wife, girlfriend, niece, aunt etc. has to face all the said discrimination and put up with it. She is hardly ever spared of the snide comments, lustful looks, unwelcome touching, the dumbing down etc., regardless of whatever she might be wearing; a hijab, a skirt or a sari. All this boils down to the fact that she is a woman and hence she should face the consequences! (??)

An 'International Women's day' certainly gives a hope that soon the other living half of the world will wake up and give us, the women, our rights to live a fearless and tranquil life! Withal it is high time that this idea gets into concerned people's head and that they treat women with care and respect. And I really hope  that there won't be any more need for objectifying women as if they are some cause which needs awareness. It might sound euphoric in current circumstances, still I do hope that any special day dedicated to women only won't be required in future and the acceptance of their being will just be as natural as breathing!

I can't wait for the 'International Women's day' to be removed from the calendar!