Melting ice in Annawadi

Pulitzer Prize winner Katherine Boo eloquently and brilliantly captures what is truly a heartbreaking level of abject poverty in a slum of Mumbai (Annawadi), India in "Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity." Boo weaves intimately detailed narratives of a handful of the residents, respectfully revealing the gritty nuances of their day to day existence. Tragic tales juxtaposed against tremendous resiliency and ability to adapt to destructive forces (particularly in regard to inescapable political corruption).

I finished reading this book several hours ago and I'm still struggling with articulating the words to describe my thoughts and feelings about it, nearly speechless. Ever heard human emotions can be narrowed down to seven basic emotions? This is a rare book that will likely trigger all seven for you as it did me: fear, sadness, anger, joy, surprise, disgust, and contempt.

I give this book five stars (and in my estimation, hands down the best work of narrative non-fiction of 2012 thus far!) based on the following factors: 1. Well-written, both in content and with an excellent balance of objectivity as well as articulating the complexities with a humanistic touch. 2. It's a human interest piece that educates without exploitation or self-righteousness. 3.Truthful accounts validated by reliable sources via the documented experiences of residents with notes, video recordings, audiotapes, and photographs. 4.It challenges one's notions on diverse subjects of morality, politics (corruption at its worst), freedom, and loyalty to community vs. individualism/being true to oneself. 5. Despite the tragic subject matter of the book, Katherine Boo subtly reflects the luminous power of the human spirit to live in survival mode and yet experience beauty, hope, and love amidst the worst imaginable living conditions.

"Behind the Beautiful Forevers" reads so much like a work of fiction, I kept having to remind myself "These are REAL people and these disturbing things REALLY did happen...are still happening." I had immense empathy for the "characters" Katherine Boo chronicles. I wanted to reach through the pages and pull them out, take a stand on their behalf...or at the very least, take a stand against injustice with them....to a more safe and peaceful, joyful place.

If you think you have it bad in life, read this book for a brutal awakening that life could be much, much worse. One such example: It's common in the slums to have "jobs" as garbage scavengers, which comes with dangers you can hardly imagine. The most disturbing sentence in the novel: ‎"Where skin broke, maggots got in. Lice colonized hair, gangrene inched up fingers, calves swelled into tree trunks, and Abdul and his younger brothers kept a running wager about which of the scavengers would be the next to die."

A few other powerful quotes which particularly stood out to me:

"Becoming a success in the great, rigged market of the overcity required less effort and intelligence than getting by, day to day, in the slums. The crucial things were luck and the ability to sustain two convictions: that what you were doing wasn't all that wrong, in the scheme of things, and that you weren't all that likely to get caught."

"What was unfolding in Mumbai was unfolding elsewhere, too. In the age of global market capitalism, hopes and grievances were narrowly conceived, which blunted a sense of common predicament. Poor people didn't unite; they competed ferociously amongst themselves for gains as slender as they were provisional. And this undercity strife created only the faintest ripple in the fabric of the society at large. The gates of the rich, occasionally rattled, remained unbreached. The politicians held forth on the middle class. The poor took down one another, and the world's great, unequal cities soldiered on in relative peace." 

Open your mind. Open your heart. Open this book.

Ponderings of the culturally curious

I'm not sure why, but culture has long fascinated me. My earliest (or at least, most significant) memories related to cultural curiosity: Playing at a friend's house (on several occasions) when I was 9 or 10 years old. My friend Annette and her family were Puerto Rican. Though Annette spoke English, her family members spoke in thick Spanish accents. As I didn't know Spanish, I heard words but had no idea what they were saying to each other. I was curious to know. Were they saying anything they wanted in front of me knowing I wouldn't have a clue what they were saying? Or was it much more mundane conversation than I conjured up in my imagination? All I knew is that I wanted to decipher their foreign language, which in my mind was a barrier to my understanding. Yet it was also fun for me, as I found myself watching their body language for clues on what they might be saying to each other...or at least how they were saying it. I guess you could say this sparked the beginning of my curiosity to learn, to explore, to understand people from different cultural backgrounds. Sometimes I even wish I were of a different race or from a different culture....to wear different clothes, to have different colored skin and hair, to speak another language, to eat different foods, to have different values, rituals, traditions. Even a different daily routine. There's nothing all that fascinating about being a white woman from the US, at least culturally speaking...

This past week I've been thinking alot about culture and how much different one's life could be submerged in one culture versus another. A repressive culture. A liberating and open-minded culture. An oppressive or dangerous culture. A misogynist culture. A culture of violence. A culture of capitalism. A culture off the grid. So many alternate identities we'd have. Are we any less strong, brave, free-spirited, open-minded, or obedient in each different cultural environment?

If I were living in the Middle East amidst 'the morality police' that punishes women for things like revealing their ankles, would I submit to obedience out of fear or would I be bold and subversive no matter the cost? And at the same time, am I making biased negative or positive assumptions about culture due to inaccurate knowledge? I'm thirsty for knowledge. I thought my mind was wide open before, but I'm realizing how little I know even for someone who is probably more educated and well-read than the average American. Truly humbling and oddly refreshing to realize there are mysteries in life which I may never be aware or be able to grasp in understanding. Keeps life always juicy and 'new' in a way.

Iran and Palestine have been at the forefront of my mind as far as a few clients I work with that are from those regions, as this is the first time I have worked with anyone from the culture of the Middle East. Listening to their experiences and the impact of culture on their experiences has been eye opening, as well as inspiring. I find myself having feelings all across the board for them....sadness, anger, compassion, admiration, inspiration, and hopefulness.

 Interestingly, I also watched a movie this week called "Circumstance'  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1684628/) that examines issues of cultural influence. The film takes place in Tehran and centers on the forbidden love of two teenage girls that struggle between being true to themselves amidst an oppressive misogynistic culture. We can say we would do this, that, or the other "If I were in that situation....," but how do we know what we would truly do? If only there were alternate realities/universes to find out. Then again, that would ruin the juicy mystery...

The Hidden Rules of Class

(At right: Taken from the 2010 U.S. Census)

The agency I work for requires my colleagues and I to complete specific online learning courses every 3-4 months this year. I'm guessing they perceive such requirements as a way to promote "professional growth." I say this loosely, as every course I have taken thus far for these agency reqs undermines our intelligence...not to mention our common sense of basic psychology. The course I completed on Thursday ("A Culture Centered Approach to Recovery"), however, amazingly had something semi-thought provoking within it. I got so excited about it that I actually spent the most time on this one aspect of the course, even eager to share it with others. I'm not sure if it's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, disturbing, amusing, or a combination of all three. Whatever the intent, it definitely challenged me to stop and reflect on an issue that tends to get overlooked or at the least, a societal problem that doesn't (yet) encourage open-mindedness and helpful solutions. It's interesting to see the different priorities, values, and/or potential stuck points of each class. Maybe if we shift our perspective, we can leave room for a paradigm shift on the challenges of those struggling in poverty and proceed with a more collaborative approach.

"People who grow up in poverty learn different things from people who grow up wealthy or in middle class. But most schools and businesses operate with middle-class norms, and most teachers and business people grew up learning the hidden rules of middle-class families. It's no surprise, then, that children of poverty often struggle in education and business environments. In her book A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Dr. Ruby K. Payne presents lists of survival skills needed by different societal classes. Test your skills by answering the following questions." (Copyright by www.ahaprocess.com)

Could you survive in poverty? Check each item that applies.
I know how to...

__find the best rummage sales
__locate grocery stores' garbage bins that have throw-away food
__bail someone out of jail
__physically fight and defend myself
__get a gun, even if I have a police record
__keep my clothes from being stolen at the Laundromat
__sniff out problems in a used car
__live without a checking account
__manage without electricity and a phone
__entertain friends with just my personality and stories
__get by when I don't have money to pay the bills
__move in half a day
__get and use food stamps
__find free medical clinics
__get around without a car
__use a knife as scissors

Could you survive in middle class? Check each item that applies.
I know how to...

__get my children into Little League, piano lessons, and soccer
__set a table properly
__find stores that sell the clothing brands my family wears
__order comfortably in a nice restaurant
__use a credit card, checking and/or savings account
__evaluate insurance: life, disability, 20/80 medical, homeowners, and personal-property
__talk to my children about going to college
__get the best interest rate on my car loan
__explain the differences among the principal, interest, and escrow statements on my house payment
__help my children with homework and don't hesitate to make a call if I need more information
__decorate the house for each holiday
__get a library card
__use the different tools in the garage
__repair items in my house almost immediately after they break, or I know a repair service and call it

Could you survive in wealth? Check each item if you...

__can read a menu in French, English, and another language
__have favorite restaurants in different countries around the world
__know how to hire a professional decorator to help decorate my home during the holidays
__can name your preferred financial advisor, lawyer, designer, hairdresser, and domestic-employment service
__have at least two homes that are staffed and maintained
__know how to ensure confidentiality and loyalty with domestic staff
__use two or three "screens" that keep people whom you don't wish to see away from you
__fly in your own plane or the company plane
__know how to enroll your children in the preferred private schools
__are on the boards of at least two charities
__know the hidden rules of the Junior League
__support or buy the work of a particular artist
__know how to read a corporate balance sheet and analyze your own financial statements

Culture of a city

(Photo at left taken by me: Fremont Solstice Parade, June 2009)

I got to thinking about this last night while chatting online with a friend (after telling him about something I've noticed about the city in which I reside). It dawned on me that prevalent cultural interests or trends aren't just specific to countries or even just regions....they can extend to cities as well. I can only speak to the city I am getting to know quite well, but so far it has me wondering how the culture of a city can influence one's personality ( a city as being more liberal vs. conservative, friendly vs. standoffish, earth conscious vs. wasteful/toxic, intelligent vs. dumbed down...and the list goes on and on). How much more (or less) inhibited may we become in regard to self-expression depending on where we are living?

In the time I have lived in Seattle thus far, I have seen, heard, and done things I had not done before while living in Chicago...mainly because Seattle has presented cultural opportunities not offered in Chicago. Before I moved, I perceived Seattle to be a city very much like Chicago...at least in regard to the liberal arts, intelligence, education,etc. But after having lived here two years, I am noticing how very very liberal it is here....so much so that it almost makes Chicago look like a prude city.

Since living here, I have gone to a solstice parade (which includes a feature of naked cyclists). I have observed marijuana to be a staple 'crop,' including in brownies. There's the annual celebration of HempFest. I have been to an erotic arts festival. I have gone dancing at an all lesbian bar/club. I am also starting to learn about a widespread popularity in the alternative lifestyle of "polyamory" (which I really need to learn more about for my work with clients who are into this just to understand its concepts and practices). I recycle because it's expected here. I'm surrounded by people who love, respect and spend oodles of time in nature (national parks, beaches, mountains). I've also noticed a majority of the population here has a better vocabulary than anywhere else I've lived. Even a 12 year old the other day used the word "offensive" while conversing with me (I almost fell out of my chair in proud astonishment)! These are all things I never even remotely came across while living in another major city.

Last weekend when I was dancing with my friend, I told her that I had a feeling Seattle would bring out my confidence/take away my inhibitions. She didn't seem to think it had anything to do with Seattle.....but I do. When you're surrounded by very very liberal people (for someone who is already of a liberal mindset, like myself), what's the likelihood that you're going to become very very conservative? Not likely. You either find yourself drawn to the norm, or you stay away from it.

Who I am won't change completely, but the aspects of myself that are yearning to be expressed? The culture of this city may just make it all the more likely.