New Journal

Wednesday, August 31, 2006

This is an entry from my Journal for my "Women in Media class." In it I talk about my experiences in India, so I thought it would be interesting for some to read also, so for those who care...here ya go :)

Dear Journal,

One of my favorite quotes goes: “Feminism is the radical idea that women are people.”
I think this quote is interesting, because not only is it sarcastically hinting at the fact that yes, OBVIOUSLY women are people, but it is also undermining the radical characteristic, which is often associated with feminism. Many people however, do not realize that there have been many different theories, movements and moral philosophies associated with the term “feminism.”

I guess I have never really considered myself a “feminist” even though I am concerned with the issues that most feminists are often concerned with. I think that because I was raised in a very liberal environment (in Europe) and I was always taught to have an open-mind and be accepting of differences, I have always assumed that addressing these issues cannot be that difficult. After all, in my mind there was no doubt that I as a woman could do anything I want and that my political, social and economic rights and opportunities were equal to those of men. And maybe they were, but for a long time I did not fully understand that this is not the case for so many other women in the world.
I first fully comprehended the gravity of this issue when I went to India this summer and saw the inequalities first hand. I met many women that have no means and not enough strength to fight the oppression but I also met the few strong women who can call themselves “feminists” and I have to say, I was truly inspired by them and their strength.

If I had to identify myself with a certain “branch” of feminism, I would probably describe myself as a “liberal feminist.” I do believe that it is important to achieve equality through legal means (which I understand can be very problematic) and by changing the current political system. However, I would focus more on the people themselves. Simply enforcing laws cannot change people, because if the traditions and values of the specific culture do not correspond with the laws, they will not be successful. If one wants to truly change a society one has to start at the bottom and not with the laws. This is one more thing I learnt from my trip to India.

India has a huge population control problem, in fact, it was the second country after China to reach the one billion mark, and for India this is an alarming number, considering that the country is only a third of the size of the United States. According to Wikipedia.com India “is the seventh-largest country by geographical area [and] the second most populous country.” So which factors have caused India’s previous efforts in trying to find a solution to the problem of overpopulation to fail? Like I said, I believe that this has to do with the social and cultural factor. Implementing laws that will lower the birth rate cannot be successful, when social factors, like the importance for a woman to get pregnant within the first year of marriage to prove her fertility, do not change. The problem is that many of the goals and assumptions of their national population control programs do not correspond exactly with local attitudes toward birth control. In my opinion, policies will only prove effective if they are just and aimed at improving the well being of all people. Laws and policies implemented by the government can only prove successful if they are understood and accepted by the people. In other words, when trying to change the habits of a people, it is important to start at the lowest level possible, with the people, not the laws. I believe that changes in attitudes and traditional ways of thinking can only be achieved if they come from within. By saying this I mean that it is important to give people the information and education they need to understand the issue and then let them form their own opinions and give them the chance to come up with possible resolutions.


Change also requires strong and independent people, and if these people happen to be women, most likely they would be labeled negatively, or in other words, they would be labeled “feminists.” There is another quote by Rebecca West that goes: “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute.” In my opinion this negative connotation should differentiate between the different branches of feminism. For example, I find that the “radical feminist” just like the religious extremist would be more likely to go too far and use the wrong means to achieve their goal, while the “liberal feminist” would try to work within the system and the laws. Just like with anything else, religion, politics, sexual orientation, family values, I think it is SO IMPORTANT to keep an open mind. I think it is good and important to support and fight for what you believe in, but too many people cannot accept differences, especially when it comes to personal issues like the ones mentioned above, and that’s when things become problematic. I think suicide bombers probably have some good causes, they believe in their god and want only the best for themselves and their families, however, they cannot accept that some people are different, and do not believe in their god. Too many wars and conflicts arise, because people do not understand that being different should not be something negative but should simply be accepted for being different, not better or worse. People are often afraid of change and things that are “different” and as a result they often cling to outdated traditions and value systems, even though the world around them, which is changing so quickly, does not match those value systems anymore.

As far as the Media effects Theory goes, I definitely believe in the Smart Public Theory. I believe that if one stays informed and uses his or her own judgment, one cannot be manipulated (or at least not as easily) and make logical decisions. I don’t think that people in general are stupid and can be manipulated (dumb public theory) but I believe one has to make an effort and stay informed in order to recognize that people are trying to manipulate us (advertising for example). I definitely believe that humans are critical and radical and absolutely capable of critiquing and criticizing. I guess this is what is defined as “media literacy;” the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and use media. Again, one has to understand that media teaches us, but we have to be smart and be aware of how it works and that there can be biases and misunderstandings. After all, media constructs reality and that is exactly how we have to understand it – a constructed reality.

Final Journal entry from India

Friday, July 21st, 2006
Saturday, July 22nd, 2006
Sunday, July 23rd, 2006
Monday, July 24th, 2006

Dear Journal,

Well even though I didn’t have to write any more Journals for my class, I decided to enter my entry for my last days in India to document the experience.
Well Thursday was our last day of classes and our last day together as a group. I would be the first one to leave on Friday morning at 5:30 am to go to Delhi with Satya, Kirthi would leave Friday to go South to Chennai and see his family while the rest of the Pitt group would leave Saturday for their 10 day excursion through Northern India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur…). Thursday was a sad day…I hate saying good-bye!!! So on Thursday night our group went out to eat at “Fusion 9” a very classy restaurant in Hyderabad (they actually have meat J) to spend our last night together as a group. It was great just hanging out and talking, but all of us were soo tired and exhausted from staying up late to finish our school projects on time. I had been running around all day trying to find some last souvenirs and all that on about 4 hours of sleep for the past 5 or 6 nights. After we finished our meal we headed back to the guesthouse to hang out there, have a few drinks and just enjoy the time we have with each other. On the way back I decided it would be fun to try and give the passing by rickshaw drivers “high 5’s”…That is easier said then done, because even if they were close enough to the car (which happens fairly often…in India!) most of them had no idea what the heck this white girl wanted, stretching out her hand at them, yelling: “High five, high five…” One of the rickshaw drivers thought it ment something like “Hello” because he just started yelling “High five” right back at me and started following us…. first it was funny, but then her kept following us for about 15 to 20 minutes until Thunder-shaker told him to go away and that we were just joking…. Some of the people on Motorbikes would yell at us, even if we did not direct our “High fives” at them “Hey are you American? Do you want to be my friend?” It was very odd, but funny!

When we got back to the hostel some of the group went to sit on the roof and have some beers, while I went to my room to try and finish up some packing and ended up falling asleep around 12:30am…I luckily had set my alarm earlier that day because we had to leave at 4 am to go to the airport. So I woke up at 3 am and went outside to see who was still up and sat on the roof with Kirthi, Evan and Ole for a while until I had to go and get my stuff. Thunder showed up on time, as always (he is like the only Indian I know that is punctual J) and Satya and I headed to the airport. We were both very exhausted and tired but still excited to get to Delhi.
It wasn’t until we were boarding the plane that I found out that this was the first time flying for Satya and that he was a little nervous. I had no idea, but was excited and told him that it is really fun and offered him my window seat so he could see while we are flying…Right away, he was a little worried, but after I told him that the chances of getting struck by lightening are much higher than dying in an airplane, Satya decided he liked flying (of course…how can you not).
We arrived in Delhi and tried to find a pre-paid taxi to take us to the University in Delhi at which we would be staying. Satya has a good friend at the University, who said we could stay in the men and ladies hostel on campus rather than having to get a hotel room. I though that was very nice, but was also aware that this would not be as comfortable as the guest house in Hyderabad, no air-conditioning, no hot water (well actually no running water after 9pm at all), pretty dirty, cheap food, etc. But I figured, hey, I am in India and that even though everyone obviously would like to have the comforts and luxuries they are used to from home, they are not necessary. If millions and millions of people on this earth have to live in conditions soooo much worse than that than why shouldn’t I be able to?
Finding a Pre-paid taxi was a little more complicated than I was hoping but not more than I had expected (after all, I was still in India J).I also realized how much hotter and how much more humid it was in Delhi compared to Hyderabad and I realized how spoiled we had been with the comparatively mild climate there.
When we arrived at the hostel, Satya kind of dropped me of in front of the Ladies hostel (Men are not allowed past the front gate) and told me to find Alamelu in room 14 and set my 3 huge and heavy suitcases down next to me….I was tired, hot, dirty, exhausted and confused and was now wandering through the dirty halls of the hostel trying to find room number 14. After I found it and briefly introduced myself to Alamelu’s roommate, I had to make 3 more trips down the stairs and back up to get all my luggage into the tiny room, which I was now sharing with two blind girls. Both of the girls were super sweet and soo unbelievably friendly and welcoming. After me being there for about 10 minutes I knot only knew Alamelu and her roommate, but the whole floor and all their girlfriends. That’s what I love about Indian girlfriends, once you know one, you know all of her friends and their friends and they are all the coolest, sweetest, nicest girls in the world.
I laid down on my bed for a little power nap and after about 45 minutes I went to freshen up and meet with Satya to try and find something to eat. Even though as soon as I stepped into the restroom I missed the western toilets and the clean floor and the fan in the restroom in the guesthouse, I was not shocked or anything because I think I had just been in India long enough that I was used to the little hole in the floor functioning as a toilet, the shower with buckets and cold water and the floor with big black bugs everywhere.
Satya and I called a Rickshaw to the nearby shopping complex where we would try and meet up with Satya’s friend Kari, who had studied in Hyderabad a year before and was now back to India to visit. We walked around for a while trying to find them without luck, but after a few phone calls we found them and got into a car with Kari and her other two Indian friends. One of them was from Delhi, but lived and studied in the States. It was nice to have him drive though because he knew his way around and it was much easier and faster than taking buses and rickshaws. We went to Qutb Minar, which is a beautiful historic site right in Delhi and spend probably about an hour or two walking around there. After admiring the beautiful monuments and constantly sweating we were exhausted and very hungry, so he took us to a very good traditional Indian restaurant. The food was great and the conversation good. We then headed to “Mocha” a hip chain Coffee shop and met up with some more of his friends to have coffee and tea. It was actually nice to just sit down on the couch, drink tea and relax after the hectic week we had had. That night Satya and I decided to head back to the University, because we had to leave at 6am to go to Agra and see the Taj Mahal. I was so excited to go and see it.
When we got up I was hoping we could find a tourist bus that would take us there and back without having to worry about public buses and rickshaws, but that did not happen, because Satya is cheap and unorganized J.
So after trying to find any tourist buses, unsuccessfully, we got into a rickshaw and headed to the main bus stop where we got onto a public bus. Man, people were staring at me like crazy, which I know I should be used to by then, but I guess I was just surprised, because I wasn’t expecting it to be that extreme once I wasn’t with a big group of “white” people anymore. It almost seemed as if me being with Satya, an Indian guy almost attracted more attention than me being with the group or alone. The bus was hot, dirty, uncomfortable and full of staring men…. but I didn’t even care, I just wanted to see the Taj Mahal. Like always the ride took much longer than I had been told (3 hours quickly turned into 5 long hours on the bus). What I still think is so funny, is the fact that public buses (well even the tourist bus when we went to Hampi did that) they will pull over at some little street restaurant to stop and get lunch or dinner depending on what time it is. This in itself is a great idea, except for the fact that I can’t eat at those places, because I would probably get terribly sick. Anyway, when we finally arrived in Agra we had to find a rickshaw to take us to the Taj Mahal, because the public bus didn’t go right to the Taj Mahal. I think the Rickshaw drivers in Delhi and Agra are even worse than in Hyderabad and since I had Satya with me there was always a lot of bargaining going on (it is funny, cause sometimes they would argue over 10 or 20 rupees, which is like a quarter, for over 10 minutes, and I think it was just because both Satya and the driver wanted to win….OOOH INDIA!!) Well, we eventually made it and I think I almost died at the Taj Mahal...Satya and I were walking in front of the Taj Mahal after a long ride on the bus and rickshaws and of course we were chased down by people trying to sell us stuff or asking to be our guide right away, which is fine...BUT there was this one dude, and we were kind of on a smaller side street with not many people around, and first he tried to offer us to be our tour guide (of course "for free" ;) yeah right...) and then all of the sudden he starts yelling : "Who are you, who is she and why is she with you Who is she working for...?" Apparently he thought I was a prostitute or something, I don’t know, but he starts grabbing Satya by the arm and yelling at him...So Satya is trying to pull his Student ID out of his pocket to show it to the guy and he just like takes it out of his hand and keeps yelling, so I was like "Shit, I am going to die at the Taj Mahal" So instinctively I walked over, grabbed Satya by the arm and told the guy "I don’t work for anyone!" and started walking away...it was frickin scary!!! I guess its just another way to die in India, getting kidnapped by an Indian Pimp (?) in front of the Taj Mahal ;)
After making it past all the begging children and street vendors we had to stand in line forever and then we went through the Security check, and I was basically grabbed and pushed around by a short, skinny Indian lady. The Taj Mahal is breath taking and without a doubt an amazing monument of love (I don’t say world wonder, because I heard that it isn’t really officially one of the seven world wonders, but I am not sure which is true, so I will have to research that further first.)
BUT, as beautiful as it is, I HATE tourist attractions, there are just too many people, things are soo hectic, people are staring at me, and trying to sell me stuff and I just want to enjoy whatever I came to see.
When we went inside, someone stole Satya’s shoes (I had luckily put mine in my purse before we went inside) so it was kind of funny to watch him jumping around on the super hot marble outside and realize that his shoes had just been stolen J.
After the Taj Mahal we went to the Agra Fort, which was also very pretty and a little less touristy, so I really liked it, especially the view at the Taj Mahal, which you had from it. I bought some more Souvenirs and then fought our way back through the crowds trying to find a bus stop. The bus ride back was just as grueling as the one there, if not worse. By now I was covered in dust, dirt and sweat and I was also starving, because I hadn’t eaten anything except one pack of 50/50 crackers. Apparently Satya doesn’t ever eat and kind of forgot that I cant eat the food from the vendors like he can, so when we finally got back to Delhi at about 10:30 pm I made him stop at Pizza Hut so I could get some dinner. After realizing there was no running water I took a cat bath and fell into my bed. That night I was so exhausted that I fell asleep even thought there again was no power and therefore NO FAN…I fell asleep after about 5 minutes with about a 1 inch layer of sweat on my body.
On Sunday Satya and I decided to get up and try to meet the Pitt group, who were also in Delhi for a few days. We caught them at the hotel when they were eating breakfast and it was great that we got to see them again and say good-bye. The group had to leave after about an hour to go sightseeing and Satya and I went to eat at a nearby southern Indian restaurant, which was really good. That day Satya had to be at an Orientation for students coming from California at 3pm, but since it was still early we decided to go to the Red Fort and do some more sightseeing. The Red Fort was also very pretty, but again, too many people everywhere and it was too hot outside to stay too long, so around 2:30pm we decided to try and find our way to the place where Satya had the Orientation. I decided to come with him and hang out until he was finished. Everyone involved in the California Program was really nice and I sat through the orientation, got some free, really good food and met some awesome people. It was also kind of interesting to hear what they had to say at the Orientation, since I never really had an orientation of that sort. Satya and I stayed for dinner and chatted with the students, which was really nice. When we got home we stayed up for awhile and talked about life in general and then I headed to my room where I talked to Alamelu and her friends for a while and then fell asleep.
The next day Satya and I went to eat breakfast at a really nice place and just to kill some time before we had to leave for the airport and the train station we decided to watch a movie at the Movie theater right net to the restaurant where we were. This worked out great, because “Pirates of the Caribbean 2” had just started and finished at 1:30pm. After the movie we went back to the hostel and decided to meet outside at about 3 or 3:30 pm to leave for the airport. Satya’s train left at 4:30pm and even though my plane didn’t leave that night until about midnight, I decided to go with him and get to the airport safely and hang out there, instead of having to hang out at the hostel and then going by myself at night.
I gave Alamelu and her friend a goodbye present and thanked them for their hospitality and left to fly back home to the States. I was kind of excited to see my family and friends, but I was also getting very sad to leave and end this great adventure. I again realized that 2 months just isn’t enough time, at least not for me, and that I would have loved to stay longer if I could have.
When I got to the airport I had to sit in the waiters lounge until 4hours before the flight and then I could go into the airport and wait there. In the lounge I met a girl from Rhode Island, who had also visited India for the first time and talked to her for a long time. She was very nice and it was great to hear her stories and see how her experience was.
When I made it to my gate in the airport I realized that this was it and that I was actually going to leave India…I really was sad to leave especially cause I didn’t know how long it would be before I would be able to come back.
I definitely think that this trip changed my life, it changed my outlook on life, it changed how I see the world and of course it taught me soo much about one culture, which previously was completely foreign to me. India to me is still full of mysteries and unknown places, but it has definitely opened my eyes to a world so different than mine.
When I embarked on this adventure, part of me thought that I would like the experience but that I wouldn’t like it enough to have to come back and I think the other part of me knew that this experience would make India a land of many future visits for me.
This trip not only made me fall in love with India, but it has also awaken my desire to travel to other places in Asia, the Middle East and the Far East…Even though I was very careful on this trip because it felt so much more insecure than traveling in the States or in Europe, I can honestly say that my desire to see places like Kashmir, which is definitely not a safe place right now could rise above my fear of danger. I am not stupid and know what I can do and what I cant, but I also know that I need to travel and see places as foreign and interesting as India in order to be completely happy. So many people have told me that Kashmir is “Paradise on Earth” yet it is a place of fear and war.
Even though my visit to Kashmir might not be until many years from now, there are many other places on this earth just waiting to be explored…
I cannot wait for my next adventure but until then I need to try to figure out how my dream of traveling the world and adventures will fit into my “normal” life here…