Should I bring my own chains?

‘Should I bring my own chains?’

‘We always do.’

- I ♥ Huckabees

Definitions, thoughts, and addendums to the entry ‘Making Headlines:’

1. Definitions:

a. GG4L = Goode Glaciers for Life! My (absolutely benzoes) unit at Camp Orkila, where I worked, lived, laughed, and sang with a cabin full of nine-year-olds for four summers. So much of what I learned and became at camp informs every random corner of my life… the Moose song (about a Moose who likes to drink a lot of juice) is only the beginning.

b. Idly = a small patty made from rice flour and a certain type of ground lentils (idly dal)… you mix the powder with water, it ferments and thickens… you pour the dough into round moulds (idly makers consist of a few levels of these) and steam for 10-14 minutes… the flavor is slightly sour, and reminds me of sourdough or that delicious Ethiopian bread…

c. WPF card = A snazzy AJWS business card printed for the World Partner Fellows… they’re not personalized, and just contain the contact information for the NY office… but in a land of business cards, they’re useful as social bartering material.

2. Thoughts:

a. My mother asked a very reasonable question: if I try not to make eye contact with men, how do I work with them all day, let along travel with one? To amend any previous statements: I try not to make eye contact with men I don’t know, unless I need something from them (aka auto drivers, shop owners, etc.). In the office, I try to treat everyone in more or less the same way… and kindly but firmly reprimand anyone who calls me ‘dear,’ or a ‘good girl.’

b. In answer to an AJWS questionnaire about settling in: I'm really lucky in terms of my work situation -- I have my own desk and a column on the team's monthly work plan. My office has a crazy work ethic, which has fired up my own drive and gotten me integrated into office life faster than I expected. Of course, things are far from perfect, and after some seriously strange media coverage on my first set of field visits (see blog for details), my next project is to put together some ethical guidelines for media + children + AIDS (and in my case, + white people) to distribute to our offices and partners.

c. Indian English is its own language. Some examples of common words used at work which I’m certain are not ‘proper’ English: updation, learnings, abusements. Some words that are recognized by spell-check, but are used much more frequently here: felicitated, cadre, miTigaTe.

3. Addendums:

‘We will start a unit which will be helpful for death ceremonies for HIV+’s’

‘We should feel that we are all suffering: Lily’