I know I've been hard on this country, I think perhaps even harder than people who are completely foreign to it. I tend to be less forgiving, more embarassed by the lack of progress, quick to criticise, mortified by the lack of manners, the lack of civic duty and quick to point out all the in equities and injusticies. I do it very often, I know. Too often, I know this too. So often that it's likely that people think that I dislike my entire experience of India and that's not true. I am growing to love this country, (country of my birth), even this city. This very difficult to navigate and love city.
Much of the credit for this love goes to this great group of ladies from Powai that I've managed to find through another OIS mother. The Powai Explorers they're called, started by another intrepid lady who said to me the other day, "I needed more than a once in a month book club and a coffee morning", and so she started this, and in doing so changed my experience of Mumbai dramatically in a matter of a few months. Through this group I met a whole group of women and you know what, I found out? That most of my initial, "ohmygod what was i thinking moving here? This was an awful decision! the worst decision ever!" Was not really an India thing at all, it was more of an adjustment thing. Just knowing that, assuaged so much of my anxiety. I think it freed me up to just let go man...to quote Mel Brooks, "you got to let the coolness into your vertebrae" Except hey, we don't do that, I'm a mom. Right?! Right! So this post has really become so stream of consciousness, I began it with the best of intentions...it was going to be a well thought out and rehearsed post and now look at it..it's gone to hell in a handbasket...
My friend...She said to me, on a car ride home from our most recent jaunt into Goldeval Market and Chor Bazaar, that the most important thing for her right now was to have helped, even if it was just to have helped one girl stay in school, be educated and become something, instead of having to go the leave school in the 10th grade, get married, have children route that seems to be the only bleak option for the majority of girls in the slums, that will have been something...
I marvel at her spirit. International Women's Day was last week and the women of Mumbai celebrated by getting spa treatments and pedicures and drinking champagne and going shopping. I would have done the same really, well ok, only the champagne part, a whole lot of the champagne part! So with my champagne in hand, and shakily standing up (you kow because of all that champagne) I think of women like her quietly fighting the good fight.
Peace out.
Much of the credit for this love goes to this great group of ladies from Powai that I've managed to find through another OIS mother. The Powai Explorers they're called, started by another intrepid lady who said to me the other day, "I needed more than a once in a month book club and a coffee morning", and so she started this, and in doing so changed my experience of Mumbai dramatically in a matter of a few months. Through this group I met a whole group of women and you know what, I found out? That most of my initial, "ohmygod what was i thinking moving here? This was an awful decision! the worst decision ever!" Was not really an India thing at all, it was more of an adjustment thing. Just knowing that, assuaged so much of my anxiety. I think it freed me up to just let go man...to quote Mel Brooks, "you got to let the coolness into your vertebrae" Except hey, we don't do that, I'm a mom. Right?! Right! So this post has really become so stream of consciousness, I began it with the best of intentions...it was going to be a well thought out and rehearsed post and now look at it..it's gone to hell in a handbasket...
My friend...She said to me, on a car ride home from our most recent jaunt into Goldeval Market and Chor Bazaar, that the most important thing for her right now was to have helped, even if it was just to have helped one girl stay in school, be educated and become something, instead of having to go the leave school in the 10th grade, get married, have children route that seems to be the only bleak option for the majority of girls in the slums, that will have been something...
I marvel at her spirit. International Women's Day was last week and the women of Mumbai celebrated by getting spa treatments and pedicures and drinking champagne and going shopping. I would have done the same really, well ok, only the champagne part, a whole lot of the champagne part! So with my champagne in hand, and shakily standing up (you kow because of all that champagne) I think of women like her quietly fighting the good fight.
Peace out.
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