Day Thirty

So at this very moment, I'm sitting at the gate in Mumbai's airport only moments away from boarding my flight to Bangalore and then onto Mysore. I guess I still can't believe how much I had to pay in order to take the extra bag of things I bought with me while i was  traveling around India. 7600 Rupees total. Guess I really had no choice! However, I'm actually glad to be going back for some reason. I think I just miss the familiarity. Although if I had to choose my favorite place in India...It would definitely be Mumbai for all the reasons listed in my entires. There was so much to do and I never felt once, that I was bored or wasting my time. Now I'm just looking forward to unpacking and repacking all of my things, and maybe even having some shipped back to the U.S. in order to avoid the annoying extra baggage fees.

Day Twenty-Nine

Last Day @ SNEHA!

I can't believe this is my last day at SNEHA! Time goes by so fast. I remember the first day walking into the office with Aparna, like it was only yesterday! I really did have an awesome time here. I made lasting friendship and connections and hope to visit again soon. My only regret is not doing as much as I wanted to do given the amount of time I had to complete the internship. Despite the time limit, I think this was a great first experience working with an NGO.  The atmosphere was great for multiple learning experiences. Between the intellectual conversations with the SNEHA staff and the opportunity to sit in on research and advocacy meetings, I was able to dabble into different areas outside of working on my GGG Report.


The last day is always bitter sweet, which is why I bought a box of my favorite donuts from MAD OVER DONUTS to share with everyone. Fortunate enough for me, there was big meeting going on so I was able to say goodbye to everyone, besides Aparna. which was a little sad since she was my first contact with SNEHA! Today I met with Garima for the last time to go over all my paperwork and have my hours signed off and paperwork for SU completed. I gave a her a CD with all the video and pictures I took throughout my stay to share with everyone else, and in return she gave me a SNEHA T-shirt, which was nice to have as memorabilia of SNEHA.

Later on I had 1000 things to do. First I misunderstood which Guru house to go to first so I wasted one full hour at Guru Keka's house when it was actually Guru Subdha that had spoken with me. After finding that out...I made my to turner road to collect my Sari blouses that Mahnaz was making for me. After trying them all on several times to make final adjustments, only one needed more time than other so she agreed to have it delivered to me later on that night. From there I went straight over to Guru Subdhas house for my last lesson, when surprise surprise! Guru Keka was there as well. Then everything made sense! It was already quite late so I did not have much time to practice as much as I wanted. She invited me to have dinner, which was unexpected but really convenient since I didn't actually have anything to eat the whole day besides pieces of donuts. We all ate together and then I had a quick lesson before I was off to meet Nikki, Laila, and Preethi at Cafe Mocha Jomo. I'm glad I got a chance to meet up with them before leaving! I had so much fun with them, even if it was only for a couple weeks! Like the angels they are...Preethi and Nikki came back to Mrs. Gonsalves house to help me pack up my things. I really don't even know what I would have done had they not helped me. I had sooo much stuff. The thought of paying for it all to get to Mysore was making me sick!

Day Twenty-Eight

Lost my phone today! Might have happened when getting out the rickshaw at Guru Subdhas house or getting out the rickshaw back at the house. Either way...I'm sure its long gone. I only noticed it was missing once I got into my room and looked through my bag. Pretty upset right now :(

Day Twenty-Seven

Today I saw my first Bollywood movie in India! One of my must do, must see things before I leave! It was Guzaarish, with Aishawaraya Rai and Hritik Roshan. Half of it was in English and the other half Hindi. Nina and I had the same idea which is how we got the idea to go. We both wanted to see the same movie. We went to Andheri West at Big Fame Cinemas, which was pretty nice! Afterwards I went to my second day of Odissi lessons, and my legs were already in pain from the day before. I stuck it out like a trooper though...theres not much time to relax and take breaks!

Day Twenty-Six

Today was my first field visit. I went with Rajani and two other community facilitators to observe the SNEHA program SHAKTI in action. We took a rickshaw from the Santa Cruz sight into a slum near Juhu Beach. When we stepped out we weaved our way through the cement building through narrow pathways until we reach their community center, in which they already had a key to. Inside it was a room not too big or small with lights, fans, a couple tables and chairs. The two helpers both carried a large bag that had all the supplies for conducting checkups for the elderly. Once the Dr. Arrived, the women began coming one by one to have themselves examined. Many of them were in good spirits and seemed to be enjoying the company of the other women. When getting their examination they seemed generally happy, and I noticed lots of smiles, especially when the Dr. spoke to them in Hindi. In the middle of the examinations the Dr. usually gives a short 5 minute work out sessions where the ladies can do a bit of stretching and cardio. Today happened to be the Dr.'s birthday so one of the ladies presented to her a garland of flowers.

Day Twenty-Five

First thing I did upon waking up this morning was searching walking tours of South Bombay, since I heard this was a must see! So  I googled walking tours and came upon Mumbai Magic, which seemed pretty legit.

This is a fun tour of Mumbai using local transport – our famous black and yellow taxis, red buses, and local trains.

Your guides are a group of enthusiastic youngsters who will show you the city as they see it everyday – alive and vibrant, and constantly on the move. One or possibly two guides will be assigned to your tour.

The tour starts at the Gateway of India and covers all the must-see places in Bombay. It includes the following:

•	A walking exploration of the British Heritage District (30 minutes). Covers Gateway of India, Regal Circle, Prince of Wales Museum, Kala Ghoda, Bombay University, High Court, Oval Maidan and Churchgate
•	A bus ride from Churchgate to Mani Bhavan, Gandhi's home in Mumbai. The bus goes via Marine Drive and Chowpatty, with views of the Arabian Sea.
•	A brief stop for tea and snacks at the award-winning Swati Snacks, to sample Bombay's legendary fast food
•	A walk through a Bhaji Gully to see a bustling local bazaar
•	A train ride to see Dhobi Ghat (the city's unique open air laundry system)

The tour ends with a taxi ride to Victoria Terminus, to see Bombay's landmark Gothic railway station. At VT, the guide will help you find transport to your hotel or to the airport.

The idea behind the tour is for you to experience the city the way locals do, to see Mumbai from an insider’s perspective. However, for safety and convenience, we’ve picked off-peak hours for the train ride, and will travel in the opposite direction of the city’s rush-hour traffic.

When:

Any day of the week, either in the morning at 10:00 or in the afternoon at 2:00. Starts at Gateway of India, and lasts 4 hours.

Costs and Booking:

The tour costs INR 2000 per person. The price includes all transportation, entrances to Mani Bhavan, tea and snacks, as well as illustrated handouts for each participant. Please note that this tour runs only in English. Prior reservation is mandatory. 

After reading the description I decided to go for it, So I told the lady in charge and got a call moments later by my tour operator who turned out to be a young college students about my age who actually was a student of Priya from SNEHA. SMALL WORLD! She did a really good job giving the tour. Actually I wish I knew about this before because they have locations in all the places I toured in India. It was very organized and professional, and I felt totally comfortable since she was a girl and about my age.  

Day Twenty-Four

Today I was on a mission to get as many of my errands done as possible. It began with look for a place to have my Sari choli's made. After finally locating the place I was suggested to go...it turned out to be the same place Preethi took me to only a couple days earlier, except they told me they could not do it and the place next door they told me to try was charing 1000 rupees! So I had to look elsewhere, meantime the area I was in (Pali Naka) had pretty nice places to eat. I was starving so I ate at Papa Pancho...which I originally thought was Mexican cuisine but it was actually North Indian. It was good anyway...I ordered Dal Makhini. The inside was very nostalgic, I guess that is what attracted me to it in the first place. 

Across the street was a huge building I was curious to find out what was inside. So I asked the waiter what it was and it was combination of a gym, spa, and business offices. As soon as I heard spa, I made my way over. The minute I walked in, I was suffocating in aroma fumes of what they called "relaxation." That still does not help to identify exactly what it was. It smelled beautiful! Words can't describe the intensity of whatever oil they were burning. The spa had fair prices and was completely modernized inside. Everything was very clean and neat and the staff were really polite and helpful. Initially I came in not really knowing exactly what I wanted...by the time I left I dropped Rs1100, on a hair-wash and blow dry, facial, and threading. I also got the opportunity to scratch one more thing off my list of things to do before I leave India which is learn how to thread! I casually asked the girl threading my eyebrows if she would teach me how to do it, and with no extra cost at all explained the technique and allowed me to try threading some hair off her arm until I got it  down. I was livid! Super excited, because now I won't have to pay $8 to thread my eyebrows...I can do it on my own...or at least on other friends and family members! 

Once finished, I headed directly across the street to cocoberry (India's first  frozen yogurt place) and had a banana based yogurt with white chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles...delicious. Next stop was turner road...because I was desperate to get these Choli's handed to someone to work on since my time is already limited. And then, I came to the first place I wandered into when I first arrived here, except this time I had sketches of the patterns I wanted for each I had. The women took on my request and approved each design I showed her! Now I can't wait to see what they will look like.

Day Twenty-Three

Today was Delphine's last day with SNEHA so we went to Executive Enclave for dinner and afterwards Bonobo. It was really nice to have everyone that I've met in Bombay be together all at once, we had a really nice time! I ended up spending the night at Preethi place because I left my keys home, which was alright. She welcomed me into her home which was very thoughtful! 

Day Twenty-Two

Odissi Guru Subdha invited me to her performance at Ruia College in Matunga titled "Kanupriya" It was almost 2hrs long...and yes she danced for that long! It was amazing. She did so well and has so much energy. The sound system made the music sound so good, like it was live...Actually the vocals were actually recorded by her, and she brought in musicians to make the music. I taped the whole show! It was fantastic...It got me really excited about my workshop I'll be starting this Monday coming up! 

 









After the show...It was ridiculously hard to find a taxi to take me back to Bandra....I stopped everyone that was empty and they all drove pass or as soon as I said Bandra, took off. Finally by the grace of God...I saw a text message Preethi sent me asking if I wanted to go to this place called Blue Frog.I was completely exhausted from sitting and watching 2 hrs of classical indian dance...but I was up for it!! Want to squeeze in as much as I can while I'm here, and make the most of it! Well I told Preethi I was stuck in Matonga because no taxi's wanted to take me into Bandra, but thankfully she was kind enough to scoop me up for heading to Blue Frog. So while I was waiting for her I ate at the restaurant across the street from the College. I ordered Pav Bhaji and Pani Puri and ate whilst talking with Daniel on skype. I demonstrated how to make pani puri, it was pretty fun but I'm sure I got weird looks...well I know I did. 

So Preethi found me just as I was about to get up and top up my phone and we headed to Blue Frog. She told me it used to be like an old mill house or something. It had a really nice ambience. There was a show going on that night with this group called Dub FX. We made our way to the front just as it was about to begin and the minute time the guy stepped on the stage and made the first sound...I was blown away. This is probably the most refreshing new sound of music I've heard in a long time. It was a clash of reggae/dancehall meets techno/house with a hint of hiphop. Perfect for partying and dancing. What made is literally "jaw-dropping" for me was the way in which he made the music. First of all he's Austrailian, which already gives him a cool accent. Then he beatboxes, so first he starts off with a beat boxing beat and records it and it plays continuously. Then he starts adding it different sounds of instruments like the base guitar and throws in some other sounds and just starts layering them on as he goes til he gets a complete beat. It was wicked cool. I was literally stunned at how the whole thing works. Basically he had peddles on the floor, that are controlled using the feet, and thats how the whole thing is produced. 

Later on in the show he introduced his Fiancee, who sings as well. Her stage name was flower faerie. She sung with him as well and had so much energy and knew all the lyrics to every song he performed (she lip synced every song he was rapping to) They also had a saxophonist named Rhys who was quite amazing at only 22 yrs old. He was clearly a professional. And there was another guy on this really old string instrument, I forget the name of it but it was 100 years old, and lastly a guy on the flute. He was pretty good as well! The entire show was amazing and I'm so glad I had that experience. Everything was perfect.

Day Twenty-One

Today I started my Kathak Workshop with Guru Rekajii. It was pretty intense but really enjoyed it. Everything moves at a much faster pace than Bharatanatym. I really like comparing the differences between the two classical dance forms, its pretty exciting. We went over a lot of steps already and she even said I did very well and had a lot of stamina. In the next 4 days I should have a 5 minutes Kathak performance with music put together! I'm exciting to learn it!

Day Twenty

Today was quite productive. I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by Arundati titled Constrained Choices that was about It was about "understanding help-seeking behavior of young unmarried women for sexual and reproductive health problem in Mumbai." It was quite interesting, especially when I asked the presenter why the mothers of these girls wouldn't allow their daughter to be interviewed. The answer was some what surprising when she told me that the mothers don't believe their daughters need to be learning those kinds of things, that it was only for the "bad girls."

As much as I wanted to stay for the Q&A portion of the presentation I had to begin working on finishing up my report...which I successfully completed the rough draft just before leaving for the day. All that needs to be done now is some editing and polishing, then I can have Garima take quick look at it before I make corrections for the final. 

As soon I was done for the day I headed over to Apsara to have  quick massage since my body was aching me from the horse riding yesterday. As much as I would like to say it was good and relaxing...it wasn't. In fact...I felt like one of my friends with no real massage experience was giving me a massage on my bed. There was no synchronization to her movements whatsoever...and I when asked if I liked it...well I told them the truth...I did not.

Following the 10 minutes massage I caught the rickshaw to Juhu beach where I met up with Nikki, Delphine, and later Preethi, Joanne (and her husband), and a new girl I was introduced to named Laila, and one other guy I forgot him name. We went to this short movie film festival at Prithvi House, which I thought would be a pretty good experience since I never really been to one before. I will say the first movie really need some kind of warning before it was shown. In the U.S. there is usually some kind of graphic label on any time of film that may cause a person to be nauseous or uncomfortable...and this film (Qana) definitely needed one. It really hit hard...and left me with my jaw dropped. So did the film dreadful fate, which followed people in Andra Pradesh who were and still are effected by fluoride in their drinking water. 

QANA (33 min)

Produced by: Mohammadreza Abbasian

This documentary from Iran is a renewed unfolding of files related to the massacre of civilians of a Lebanese village named Qana who had taken refuge in a UN base in 1996.

DREADFUL FATE (22 min)

Produced by: Lavanya Krishnan

Directed by: Dulam Satyanarayana

This film is an insight into the hideous lives of those innocent people who fall prey to the most basic need for survival – water.

A FAMILY DRAMA (20 min)

Produced and Directed by: Tanmayee Deo & Dnyanesh Zoting

This film is an attempt to interpret the traditional Indian family and marriage systems within the context of the modern scenario. In the film, Mugdha, the 21-year-old protagonist, rejects to be a part of the marriage system and rebels in her own way. 

TRISHANKU (17 min)

Produced and Directed by: Dnyanesh Zoting

The protagonist of this film, Vivek, is an elite class engineering student who belongs to the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category. Vivek faces a dilemma between his caste identity and his higher economic status.

The dilemma turns into a mental struggle when two persons come into his life; first is a sophisticated Brahmin girl and the other is a Dalit student activist.

 LAPANDAV (Hide and Seek) (13 min)

Produced & Directed By: Tanmayee Deo

Manu, a 10-year-old girl from a typical Maharashtrian Brahmin family, is entering adolescence. She happens to come across a Kathakali artist. His colourful appearance and gestures fascinate her. But as she moves deeper into this space, unexpected things start to unfold. Just as the game of Hide and Seek where you never know what you will come across.

Afterwards we at at Alfredo's this Italian restaurant right down the street where I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo of course...and it was actually pretty good. We chatted for a while and took lots of pictures, and that pretty much concluded my night!

Day Nineteen

One of the most adventurous days I had in Mumbai was today when I visited Matheran with Delphine. We began way early in the morning and took a cab to Dadar station where we caught a train to Neril. Then we had to take another cab up into the mountains to Matheron. When we reached we paid 25 rupees to get in and then haggled with one of the people there offering horse rides to the different look out points. We finally agreed on Rs500 each for 4 hours. It was beautiful! I was ecstatic to be riding a horse through the wilderness in the mountains. This would be the 3rd animal I got to ride for the first time in India! My horse was cute but Delphine's was cuter! There were lots and lots of hotels around and there was a market area which was busy with people, lots of restaurants and shopping. We really wanted to take the mini train down but, probably should have bought our tickets ahead of time because the line was super long. Instead we followed the train tracks down the hill to the entrance of Matheran. There were people selling fruits and other things along the way. I bought guava and not too long after the monkeys began harassing me. It was actually pretty scary...One monkey started showing me his teeth and then jumped on me and tried to take my guava. So I through a piece down and he still came after me swinging on my arm. It was funny and scary at the same time! It was such a long day. We got back to Mumbai between 7 and 8 in the evening. It was well worth the trip. It really is a lot more fun to travel with someone, rather than alone. The experience seems to be so much richer. 

Day Eighteen

SNEHA DAY!

Today was SNEHA's 11th year! I'm so happy I was able to be here to celebrate...my internship period couldn't have been at a better time during the year. It was an early start...I woke up at 6:30am only have going to sleep at 3:30am, from skyping with the hubby on the other side of the world. It was an awesome day...full of lots of entertainment and food! I glad to be able to meet new people from the other sites and also interact with the community workers and program facilitators. I think my favorite part was the very beginning when the DJ was putting on all the latest Bollywood Hits. I actually knew almost all of them. This was for sure the first time I ever free-danced to Indian music in public...and not to mention wearing a Sari.

Today would have been the 2nd time wearing a sari (the first being at the Taj Mahal) I got a lot of compliments which was really nice...every was suprised to see me wearing one, and I was a bit worried because I totally forgot to buy a petticoat and used a big baggy drawstring pants to hold in. And for the most part it worked out quite well thanks to Nina, who helped me assemble it...pins and all. Everyone seemed to have a really good time and enjoyed themselvs quite a bit. I will say my nap on the hammock was very relaxing, since I could hear the waves crashing on the "Extremely Dangerous" beach behind me. I really fell asleep and was quite out of it...which began my pounding headache. But fortunately enough...it was towards the end of the day and not at the very beginning. We also got a nice surprise when Dr. Fernandez made a quick appearance. So quick I was not able to take a picture with her! But I did manage to get one with most of the staff members throughout the day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today. I was looking forward to the picnic since I heard about it last week. It was a nice opportunity to talk with everyone outside the office and and just be around those people who make SNEHA what is.

Day Seventeen

End of the week already!

Time flies by so fast! Today I finally printed out the chart I made with the NGO's that have similar Life Skills Education Programs and began working on the actual report. I hope to finish this by Monday but we'll see. I would really like to visit the other centers and work on something else that can contribute to SNEHA. I just want to do so much with so little time. I really wish I was here for half of the whole study abroad program... I feel like I can contribute so much more...not to mention I am totally loving Bombay. 

Right after leaving SNEHA, I met up with Preethi to try and get the choli's made for my Sari's but I was a little disappointed in his asking price of 600 rupees so I decided to not have him do it for me...unless of course there is no other option. After that I went to meet with the Kathak Guru, whose name is Keka. We decided to begin classes this Tuesday where I'll be covering some basic steps and she also said she can put together a little routine for me as well. She also put me in touch with the Odissi Guru, Subdha, who I'll contact sometime tomorrow!

Later on that night I met back up with Preethi and Nikki and we went to a lounge and and chatted for a bit and then went next door to Bonobo where there was Reggae Night. It was such a coincidence since I just got finished explaining to Preethi and Nikki my favorite music to dance to is Caribbean music like reggae and dancehall, which is exactly what they were playing. It was totally packed and there were so many different kinds of people. The overall atmosphere was really upbeat and fun!

I can't wait for the picnic tomorrow, I'm really excited to where the Sari I just got the Choli made for!

Day Sixteen

Managed to get much work done today even though Delphine was at the office, and we love to chat it up. I completed the chart of NGO's and printed it out. So now it's just the matter of comparing and contrasting and writing up a report on my observations and recommendations for improvements. Ideally I would like to have this quick project completed by the end of the week, so by Sunday So I can start something new and exciting on Monday. I would really like to visit another office and hopefully get to experience the "slums" in real life...and not just from looking outside or passing on a rickshaw. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity...it's just the matter of time and finding someone who will be willing. 


On a different note, I met up with Preethi and Nikki who accompanied as I checked one of my things to do on my Bombay checklist, which was get my nose pierced! For Rs350 I chose the gold wire and the shop keeper pierced my nose the "Indian way" with a gold wire which he pushed through my nostril...Quite a different experience from the first time which was done with a needle. I'm glad I had their support thought...it was nice since I was planning on finding someone on my own. This way I was actually able to catch the whole process on video and camera. It actually doesn't hurt at all, right now anyway. 


The night didn't end there, when as they invited me to see my first Circus in India. It was Rs150 and very big inside. It was pretty good show, but also had a couple of weird acts thrown in between. The skits were pretty much useless since there wasn't any microphones so it sounded like a bunch of yelling. In any case I had a great time, and was so happy to have yet again another fantastic experience in India...and In Mumbai more specifically. 
 


I have so many things to look forward to this weekend, I can't hardly wait...

• Tomorrow I meet with Reka, the Kathak Guru, taking my Sari's to be stitched and have Choli's made, and then I have plans with girls to finally check out a disco! 
• Saturday is SNEHA's annually picnic which I am extremely excited about, where we will be taken by bus to a beach that is about 2 hrs away from Mumbai with catered food, entertainment, and those Oh So lovely tea breaks. Following that perhaps a movie? or maybe another disco?
• Sunday is Delphine and I's plan to ride horses in Matheron which is this place about 2 hrs away that is supposedly really beautiful with many look out points and one of the few places in the world where motor vehicles are not allowed. 

I'm really looking forward to the next 3 days as you can see! 

Day Fifteen

A quiet workday...by myself! 


There weren't much people today at the Santacruz office...but I think that is because most of the staff were at the Dharavi office today, including all the interns. But it wasn't too bad because I was able to get a lot of work done. I hardly took a break to eat lunch!


I did manage to get a hold on Nandini the coordinator for the dance workshops who put me in touch with Keka (the Kathak guru) and she seems like a really sweet person. Lucky for me she holds her classes literally right down the street from me. I'm going to meet with her on Friday and talk about everything I can accomplish in the short 2 weeks I have left in  Mumbai. 


Today I started a checklist on my phone of everything I would like to accomplish while I'm here including a what is required as apart of my internship...In no particular order of importance I would like to: 

1. Complete my comparative analysis chart and report on the Girls Gaining Ground program 
2. Help pick up where another person left off on the Evaluation Report of the GGG program 
3. Learn to thread
4. One day trip to Matheron- Ride a horse 
5. Take a walking tour of south Bombay 
6. Attend a few dance sessions on Odissi and Kathak classical Indian dance 
7. Get my nose pierced 
8. Visit each SNEHA site 
9. Visit Darhavi with someone from the org. than can show me around 
10. Put together media package of video/pictures for one of the programs 
11. Sit and chat with Dr. Armida again, one-on-one...she's an awesome person!
12. Meet a bollywood star 

and I'm sure I can add to that list but for now that's all I got...and I really only have 15 more days left. Today is the half way marker!!! 

Oh I'm so excited because on my way home I saw the Grand Opening for Mad Over Doughnuts...and I really should have stopped so I can grab some...I remember first tasting it when I was in the mall in Delhi...It was really yummy! 

Day Fourteen

Today was rather interesting 


Priya shared with us her aggravation with a book she was reading about an American women who lived in India for three years that made all these irrational remarks about Indian Women and culture. I thought it was pretty ridiculous myself. It's amazing how some things actually get published these days. It's embarrassing that it was she was American too...makes us (Americans) look bad. 


I also found myself asking a lot of questions today as well...Like where I can go to see Classical Indian Dance Shows, and apparently this is the season for all the concerts, Priya was telling me, because she invited me to her daughter Bharatanatym performance a couple weeks ago and it totally passed me by. She also told me that she knows of a lady who does five day workshops that introduces 3 classical styles: Bharatanatym, Odissi, and Kathak. She gave me her number so I'm going to try and call her tomorrow some time and find out more about it. 


After a full day of work, Delphine and I decided to catch a movie at PVR Cinema at Shopper Stop down by Juhu Beach. We got tickets to see The Social Network at 7:30pm. We grabbed a bite at at the Cafe Coffe Day after looking around the mall. The movie was really good except it left me a little confused. The funniest thing happened when Right in the middle of the movie, the screen turns black and people start walking out. I start getting upset and blaming it on the power until on the screen appears "Intermission" I couldn't stop laughing at myself.

It was a great night! 

Day Thirteen

Just a regular work day :) 


Using Garima's advice and researching other NGO's through their funders. It's working out quite nicely! 


I actually walked home today, which wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm a lot closer than I thought. Well I actually ate dinner first at a restaurant called Bonobo, and then had dessert at the cafe across the street. On the way did a little bargaining and managed to snag a couple "MAC" cosmetics...3 lip sticks and 2 eye shadow pallets.







Lucky me!

Day Twelve

The perfect ending to a fabulous weekend!


Of course the highlight of today was visiting Dr. Fernandez at her flat in Bandstand...Did I mention several Bollywood actors and actresses live here as well...In fact, Rekha who is a well known actress lives in the bungalow right below her! And Shah Rukh Khan across the street. We had a great time with lots of conversation and delicious snacks and chaats. I had amazingly fresh guava juice. Dr. Fernandez is an exceptional individual and I was just so honored to be able to sit down and talk with her and the other girls about not one thing in particular. She's so intelligent and filled with so much knowledge. I found out she loves to travel which is a passion I share as well. This experience in India has definitely made me more adventurous and wanting to visit other continents and countries all over the world. She even shared some of her adventures and advice with us. We also got the opportunity to meet her husband who had just came in from a meeting and he talked with us for a bit. They were very humble and welcoming, and I had an overall great afternoon. 

Afterwards, we met Preethi (whom I heard much about over the past couple days) at a Cafe down on linking road that I passed sometime last weekend, but had no idea how good/beautiful it was inside. They had an extensive menu of all types of food and a drop dead gorgeous dessert selection. As much as I wanted to try their white chocolate brownie...I got dinner, which was more like breakfast. Fried egg whites, hashbrowns & toast, with butter apple french toast...It was delish! A little piece of America...which I was craving for some time now. It was nice to finally meet everyone (well that I've heard about over the last week) and for all of us to be together and getting to know one another. It's nice getting to meet other people and making all sorts of connections. We all had a really great time together...hopefully we'll do another "coffee date" soon! 

Day Eleven

One of the best days I've had in Mumbai so far,
It started off with Coffee and Fugias (these really yummy balls of dough...most likely fried, that you dip or eat with a hot beverage) from Andora. Then I hopped a rickshaw to Linking road and got off at Apsaras which is this small salon that does about every service for the best price I've seen so far in India period. Delphine came only a few minutes later and we both got a mani and pedi. The girl that was doing mines must have been not more than 16 years old and was small and frail looking. Looks are deceiving because this little girl was strong...she did a really nice massage on my hands and feet! After that I decided to try their facial, which I must say was totally worth the Rs.350 I paid. I got a face, neck, shoulder, and partial back massage along with all the other features of detailed facial. She went across my t-zone with the black head remover...which was the part the hurt the most. It was pretty intense...I'm not gonna lie. She applied a scrub and massaged that in, and then had steam applied to my face for some time. After that some more massaging and lathering and then a mask was applied with a really cold "thing" put over my eyes...so cold I felt like it was ice cubes! I kept myself from taking it off though...There was also some really ice cold cream she applied to my face too...it was really freshing but  I wasn't even prepared for that! It shocked me actually. That was the spa in a nutshell. All my services cost a total of less than Rs700....which is amazing...I got just hair cut, deep conditioned, and blow dried for Rs1200 which is ridiculous when I think about it. 
 
After our spa retreat we both caught a rickshaw to the Sun and Sand resort down by Juhu beach where we spent Rs500 lounging poolside (and somewhat beach side) soaking in whatever was left of the sun from all of the clouds and foggyness there was. It was a really nice relaxing time. We swam for a bit in the larger pool and then jumped in the biggest jacuzzi I've ever seen and been in. We both ordered chicken ceaser salads, which were delicious and a brownie sundae for dessert. Instead of hopping the rickshaw back we walked down to linking road from Juhu beach stopping at Cinnabun on the way, since it caught my way on the rickshaw ride over. I requested that we take only from the fresh batch coming out which was the best Idea ever because they were warm and gooey and so yummy! I munched that down with a refreshing peach Ice tea. Also found out that there are two locations in Bandra! So can't wait to find out exactly where they are :) After Cinnabun we walked down to the road Delphine lives on and I caught a rickshaw from there back home, stopping at Birds on the way to pick up a croissant and another delicious looking piece of hazelnut chocolate cake. I think I may be developing an unhealthy habbit of trying a new piece of cake every time I step foot into that store. The night will probably end with me planning out my day for tomorrow (which includes a visit to Dr. Armidas house, which I'm very excited about) and working on project with SNEHA. 

Day Ten

Today was probably one of the best workdays I've had so far at SNEHA. I was invited to sit it on an advocacy presentation which was very informative and refreshing since it was a topic I never really discussed in depth about. There was some discussion as well which makes things more interactive. 


Today I also met another volunteer with SNEHA, Samantha Ritter who Delphine was dying for me to meet since she was from the U.S. as well. So we all sat together (Samantha, Nikki, Delphine, and I) and worked on our individual projects with SNEHA while doing some chatting in between.


I also met with Garima to quickly go over what I worked on for the week and she gave me some suggestions that would help in the research area of what I am working on. And sure enough, after talking with her I was finding more results on NGO's that provide life skills education programs to underprivileged youth in the Slums. Apparently it's better to go straight to the source (the funders of these NGOs) to find what I was looking for. Not to mention, SNEHA can benefit from finding other sources and agencies that fund similar projects! 


Later that night, Delphine, Samantha, and I met up at The Elbo Room to just get out, chat, and have girl time. The place was really popular and actually had a lot of tourist. It was nice way to start the weekend off right.