Conversions

I am still struggling with conversions in many ways. One is with the money and its weight here in India. Every time I use the rupee I instantly think about its worth in dollars which distorts my judgment. For example, when I left for a weekend trip I gave my driver 500 rupees and told him to do something nice with his family. My friend said to me: you gave him 8% of his monthly salary, imagine if you boss gave you 8% of your monthly pay as a tip...

In addition when I run my experiences in India though my filter of life in the US I fall into a similar trap, as there is no comparison. This fuels the fire of expectations that are not extinguishable and does considerable damage in my environment. Like someone who is learning to dance and keeps looking at their feet, I find myself lost in translation rather then embracing the present experience.

Mumbai and Pune

I spent the last four days working and exploring Mumbai (aka Bombay,India has slowly renamed most of their major cities slowly after the partition in 1947) and Pune. Jack and Judy who are family friends have lived in Mumbai for the last 21 years. I stayed with them and had a interesting time discussing the similarities and differences (mostly differences) of Indian and American culture and their life in this intense city. Mumbai is a city of over 18 million people and bursting at its seams. It is home to the largest slum in the world, Bollywood and the setting for one of my favorite books Shantaram (http://www.shantaram.com/). After 2 days in Mumbai I took the train to Pune which is proclaimed "The oxford of the east" for its educational institutions. The city was going bananas because Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are there filming a movie. Pune is also home to the Gandhi memorial and OSHO Ashram.

Pondicherry

This past weekend, a co-worker of mine Marcelo and I decided to explore the french colonized coastal town of Pondicherry. My objectives were simple: eat some fresh seafood, drink some french wine, learn about the history of the town and let the ocean wash away a long stressful week. Mission accomplished. It was very interesting to explore how the french and tamil cultures have blended together. People in India our the most socially tolerant I have met and the two dance effortlessly in this small town. Marcelo, a man of many talents speaks numerous languages and that came in handy many times. One time in particular, speaking french to the owner of a restaurant where the waiter assertively told us they were out of wine. Magically a bottle of Bordeaux appeared on our table.

One of the highlights of the weekend was exploring the community of Auroville :http://www.auroville.org/av_brief.htm