David Climbs Mount Onchocerciasis

cut short!

2009-07-11T09:37:00.005-04:00

I am now in the expensive city of london, heading home earlier than expected. My grandpa (some call him bob) died on july 9th. Here is his obituary. He is one of my favorite people, and I will hold him and my time in India fondly in my memory. That's a wrap.

"Givings"

Why not let the name go with the body
since things will be
as they appear

a shambles of change with now and then an absolute
loss and most changes, re-directions not
the kind you can bend back into shape

and not even in the midridge of the overspill
an island to stop on and consider in stillness time
passing

but only in the interweavings, flows back and
forth, under and over, around and through
does reality hold

to a single face its name and that can
on a stormy spring morning seem so underbuilt
with dream, reality and appearance flow together away

-AR Ammons

the last leg!

2009-06-28T01:17:00.002-04:00

I have arrived at my final section of this trip: Onchocerciasis. Kate and Shane and I just trekked around Kodaikanal and Wadaikanal for a little while to beat the heat. On my overnight bus to Chennai last night, the driver stopped at ever roadside temple to leave some incense. There were many temples in this 12 hour bus ride. Now I am off to find formal Indian wear appropriate for working in a hospital setting, and figure out the Chennai bus system.

I have also put a slideshow of other photos from my Himalaya time on the left of the page, and I'll add more as I get the time. You can click on it and browse the photos at your leisure. Hope everything is going well!

love,
MJ

last day at sadhana forest

2009-06-21T04:19:00.001-04:00

sadhana forest

2009-06-19T05:07:00.004-04:00

Greetings! Here are a few updates:

I have had some great interactions with Indian healthcare. My pal Hannah got a parasite, and her trip to the emergency room cost us under Rs. 250 (USD $5), including her 3 prescriptions. Shoes are not allowed inside the hospital. I stepped on a rusty nail and got a tetanus shot for Rs. 13 (USD $0.26). Lastly, I got food poisoning and puked in the banana pits.

I am ready to leave Auroville. I will do this shortly.
This is my friend Shane in my bed in our hut at Sadhana forest. I just started using that mosquito net because there are rats scurrying over my body.

Repo beach with Pondicherry in the background.

KATE RAY. And Marcel Sielmann of Bangalore doing a dance for me.

This is a sober dance party at 11am in the main hut at Sadhana forest.

Sunset in Pondicherry.

I am bewildered after entering the Matrimandir, the golden structure behind me which is the center of Auroville. This interior of the building came to the Mother in a vision, and contains a giant crystal lit up by sunlight. I meditated in that chamber, and now I want to leave Auroville asap.

Biking through Pondy.

Speaking of biking in this town, my friend Ryan got his bike stolen. He paid Rs.8000 for it, then flew back to the U.S. Today, the police notified us that they found it. This is because the Pondicherry police were the ones who stole it! WhoA! After bribing them Rs. 4000 for the return of the bike, there was another Rs. 4000 which was donated to Sadhana Forest. Policemen also tried to arrest me for swinging on a playground too late in Pondicherry. They tried to hit me with a very large stick, but Kate Ray sweet talked them out of it. Thank you for your service and protection.

love,

daver

sat on ya

2009-06-07T02:45:00.002-04:00

Apparently (to use the words of a cherished Chemist) to comment on my posts "one has to belong to a covert organizational system to be allowed access." If this is the case, do as George did, and send me an e-mail. I would like to hear from you, and you, and you.

In other news, I am settling down outside of Auroville at the Sadhana Forest, and have developed some sort of routine thing. The place is very wonderful and fairly strange. It is the first time I've ever lived in "a commune." Though my parents like to think otherwise, despite the centrality of Sri Aurobindo's philosophies, it is not a cult. Let me describe in brief. There are about 10 huts made of bamboo in the middle of a very arid red place, where 30 volunteers help to plant, expand, and maintain 70 acres of tropical dry evergreen forest. It was started 5 years ago, and the water table in the area has risen considerably since then. The volunteers are a scattered group, from India, US, France, Germany, Sweden, Macedonia, and Australia. We do yoga at 5am, first work from 6-8, second work from 9-noon, lunch, freetime, then afternoon chores when the heat has subsided. unfortunately, the heat never subsides. I have never felt heat like this in my life! Other things of note about this place is the lack of meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, drugs, and "aggravating spices," replaced by a high presence of jaggery, fresh produce, and spirulina. My high carb mountain diet has been turned on its head. Also, no competitive games (such as cards and chess) are allowed. !!!

To escape this insulated forest and the heat, my friends and I have rented motorbikes and take frequent trips to the beach and to Pondicherry in the afternoons. Driving in India is like biking in New York, only on the left hand side. Instead of dodging cars and pedestrians, you must dodge cars, pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, trucks, buses, cows, funeral processions, and goats. Magnificent! The bay of bengal has great waves, and I've learned how to build an earth home. Kate Ray arrives at Sadhana Forest TOMORROW. What's news with you?

love,
The Mother

bbbbbay

2009-06-03T01:06:00.002-04:00

the bay of bengal is a large bath with great waves. in the case of Chennai beaches, it is a trash-filled bath with creepy indian men who line up to shake hands and linger.

Pondicherry, on the other hand, is a gem. There is real fish and good wine here, as well as tricked out rickshaws that play Michael Jackson really loudly upon request. Two Christians have tried to save my soul in Southern India. Here is my place of employment and rest for the next 2 or 3 weeks. Talk soon, real soon.

photographic evidence

2009-05-30T02:15:00.009-04:00

hello again. I haven't forgotten about this thing. Theses photos serve as proof that I have been inhabitting places unsuitable for the internet (or roads for that matter).

Nanda Devi temple in Martoli.

Reena and I at the Burphu glacier. Sorry for the tilt.

I kissed this sheep's head while it was alive, then watched it die. I got to help "clean" it, then I ate it. After 2 1/2 months of indian food and carb-heavy hiking rations, this meat was not good.

Ralam Gad! This was a weird place. There were a few yaks.

Obligatory Indian photo.

this is the highest (elevation) i've ever been in my life. We climbed a pass at 15,600 feet in the air. that was very cool. Coming down the other side, however, we missed the trail (due to snow) and ended up being lost for 10 more hours. That was a hard day. I think i was singing Les Mis songs while this was taken.

good morning, amanda.

May 10th, 2009 in a pasture outside of Ralam. The sign reads: "Hapy Mother's Day! I love you!"

This man makes wooden items using a water mill and metal tools. He is going to be displaced because of the 8 hydroelectric dams currently being built on the Gori Ganga. Kate: the mortar and pestle that I bought from our kitchen was made by this man. He also taught me how to fish on the aforementioned river:

I caught nothing.

Gandhi's funeral pyre.

Atop Khalia, at 12,200 feet. You can see Martoli's peak in the background.

This is a temple at DhakuriKhal from our first hike in the Pindari valley. We camped just below the pass and then did a hike at sunrise. VERY NICE!

Here I am at my "house" in Munsiari. I stayed in this home with a woman named Anusuiya Tolia, and she cooked delicious meals. We took classes on Environmental studies, and learned about environmentalism's relationship to social justice and local politics. It was quite nice to live in a self-sustainable community for a very brief time. They know where all of their electricity, water, and food come from! Do you know where your electricity, water, and food come from? The sunrises here were more than acceptable.

The best lunch break I ever had while hiking was this one. It was the hottest day and there was a very cold glacial spring.

I worked at an organization called Clean Himalaya in Rishikesh one afternoon. After picking up garbage, I met a bunch of school girls at a chai shop. I taught them how to play slide, then kicked their butts at other hand clapping smacking games.

The confluence of the Ganga! We rafted right by this one.

After getting lost on a very long thunderstormy day and sleeping in a cave, this is about how I felt.

Sunrise from Khatikal.

Hope y'all are well, though. Any news? I am heading down to Auroville tomorrow to being my work on a reforestation project and meet Kate Ray. I'll start this up regularly again now, though.

love, dece.

2009-04-13T08:45:00.002-04:00

It's been a little while. Here's my deal:

I finished 2 weeks of rafting down the Ganga. I had 2 days of explosive diarrhea on rafts and beach camps. I was blessed at the confluence of the river, then flipped a raft in the biggest rapid on the Ganga. Our camp got decimated by winds upward of 70mph one evening, and it was one of the scariest moments of my young adult life.

I have also adventured the town of Rishikesh, which is less than ideal. I am learning lots about ayurvedic medicine as well. Also! I am going to go farming in Auroville with 5 new friends of mine in June. That'll be hot and probably fairly pretentious.

SO now i am gonig to live in munsiari for 2 weeks, then go hiking in the milam valley for a month. what's news? Harry, Izzy, let me know what's going on. Will M.S. 15 be graced with your presence next fall, Iz? How is the pokemon collection coming? Y'all should e-mail me some news if you can. corner@nyu.edu will suffice. That is a message to everyone. My replies are not guaranteed, unfortunately. This town has sparse electricity.

LOVE LOVE LOVE,
David E.

2009-03-26T11:03:00.003-04:00

hi folks.

I have finished an 11 day trek to the pindari glacier and am now back in Ranikhet for a 5 day course in wilderness advanced first aid. in four days, i am going on a 14 day rafting expedition in the garwhal region of uttarakhand. then i'll be spending two weeks living with a family in munsiari (during elections!), then over a month trekking in the milam valley. COOL.

here's what I'm thinking about my time so far:

I turned 21 on a plane, which flew right through my birthday (12 hour time change, 14 hour flight). the flight attendants gave me a complimentary first class bottle of wine, which i shared with some new friends about 30,000 feet above greenland. speaking of which, i've met a lot of great people who i'll be spending quite a bit of time with.

during my hike in the pindari glacier, i spent a lot of time talking with one of my instructors named Reena. She is from darjeeling, has two sets of twins (aged 2 and 4), and her husband is currently climbing everest for the third time. we had a lot of great conversations about religion and natural history, and she's helped me with my hindi quite a bit.

the story of the himalayas is a sad one. in summary, the brits planted a lot of foreign pine trees which grew quickly and straightly, expediting the building of India's profitable railway. the pine needles are too acidic for the region, making the growth of any other plants nearly impossible, resulting in no undergrowth, erosion, landslides, floods, etc. the mixed forests that once comprised all of the indian himalaya now exists only in 4% of india. That 4% is the portion that I hike in. bo-gus.

during the trek i performed a 21st birthday rap for a new friend of mine atop Khati khal, got cloistered with another friend who sprained her ankle for three days with very little food, have mastered the indian left-hand-poop-wipe (which is superior to toilet paper), and met a dog friend named Kalu who slept in the vestibule of my tents, and followed our hiking groups for over a week.

the outdoors have been very good for my temperament. however, i am now faced with 4 more days of 8 hour class inside. That's going to be rough.

I hope yins are well! Let me know of releavant news in your lives either publically (comments) or privately at corner@nyu.edu. I'll be able to check this in a few days once more.

love,
dc

G'bye

2009-03-09T11:13:00.001-04:00

And now, I am off to the mountains. Do not expect to hear from me until late May. Also, Harry and Izzy: I've selected a school schedule for the fall, and it looks like I'll be able to keep my afternoons free, which means my return is secure. Huzzah!

If someone wants to post or e-mail major news developments that I miss (like who wins the Indian elections while I'm in their mountains) so I don't have to sift through months of newspaper articles when I get back, that'd be really nice too.

Yins take care of yourselves.

Ort Land, PourAgain

2009-03-08T13:18:00.006-04:00

Portland, as I said, is a fine city.

Mt. Hood is pretty ominous, at 11,249 feet. I will be climbing mountains several thousand feet taller quite soon, which is really quite terrifying.

Within Portland are some wonderful things like Japanese Gardens:

Which inspires people to make their own Japanese gardens in front of their homes:

Portland also offered me a fantastic hootenanny potluck, smallest national park in the country (built for snail races. The plaque was larger than the park), Ben Malbin, and a pinball parlor at an arcade called Ground Kontrol which is unsurpassed in my pinball experience.

I am in Seattle now, with Leo the Kitten. Last night he welcomed me by expelling some urine on my bed, but really it was just his sneaky way of allowing me to wash my underwear and socks. Thanks, Leo. I'm going to go explore Seattle by bicycle now.

Until next time.

train travel

2009-03-04T16:04:00.007-05:00

Four days of training, and I have arrived in portland, oregon. A fine city. I've passed through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.

A conversation I had in Union Station, Chicago:
Old Southern Man: Where you from?
David: I'm from Rhode Island.
Old Southern Man: Shoot, why the hell you talk so normal?

Milwaukee is one of the more depressing cities I've ever traveled through.

Dinner involves sitting with three strangers at a table in the dining car. Me and a middle-aged pharmaceutical sales man were chatting amiably when two women were shown to the table (mother in her 80s and daughter in her 40s). The older woman looked at me with disgust, horrified at the prospect of being seated with me.
"We're sitting here? I don't want to sit with them. I bite."

The salesman laughed nervously, like a salesman would: "Ha! Let's get some drinks in these ladies."

The mother replied, stonefaced, "I'm not joking. I'm really crabby."

Arlene (the biter) and I eventually hit it off. She was concerned about my dad becoming a Deacon: "I'm looking out for you, really. What if your inheritance goes straight to the church when he kicks the bucket?" We chatted about the middle east and anthropology and art. She wanted me to make sure that I understood that "the brain breathes mind as our lungs breathe air." She taught and showed me what a coulee is. And finally, because of her foul mood, we got a free cup of coffee.

Chicago:

North Dakota:

Montana:

Columbia River, Oregon

trains > planes

Doc Roque

2009-02-13T00:37:00.005-05:00

Rhode Island
February 8, 2009

My grandfather is in his nineties. He is one of the seemingly happier people I know, is a big fan of religious jokes and red wine, and recently voted for Barack Obama, despite having been a marine in world war II. When asked why he didn't vote for the "military man," he responded, "we've had enough military."

Our dinner conversation was hovering on mouse glue traps. I said, predictably, "it's just not very nice. They end up starving to death." My concern didn't register with Grandpa Bob.

"Well, that's the point, Dave. The point is to kill the damn things." Brightening up, "You know what I used to do? When the mouse was finally stuck I would take it outside and finish the job with a shovel, then throw the whole business into the woods." He motioned towards the door, behind which were the woods and the whole business.

statecraft.

2009-01-29T22:01:00.009-05:00

Brooklyn, New York

January, 2009

harry the 8 year old talks about his past:

but harry is still hopeful for the future:

apologia

2009-01-11T19:51:00.012-05:00

firstly, to ward off complaints: this isn't going to be a real blog, in the sense that i'm not going (to be able to) update it regularly. so! for those of you who are interested in my general well-being, my sporadic thoughts about india, and photos of my adventure (if i find a computer on which to upload them), this is where you can satiate yourself. if you have a dull job and read a lot of blogs, you can add this to your blog-routine list. (i'm looking at you, marisa p.t.)

i have lived in new york for 2 1/2 years now, and am very sick of it for a number of reasons (i promise i'm not ungrateful. i just tend to focus on the negative). there are thousands of people living on the same block ignoring each other. people flock here because everyone wants to be here, yet most people don't quite know why. i want to be in a place with so few people that you can't ignore a stranger; camping at bear mountain isn't cutting it anymore. i need some time to step outside of my life completely while i'm still afforded such an opportunity. secondly, i've become very fascinated with ophthalmology, and would be very interested in specializing in it should i end up in medical school some day.

this is my trip:

1/09-3/09 i am living in a living room in washington heights with some dear friends of mine, babysitting for two dear children, and being experimented on by some dear experimental social scientists.
3/1/09 i embark on a 65 hour train ride from new york to portland, OR. hopefully i'll meet someone (think before sunrise) worth running away with.
3/4/09-3/7/09 portland will be explored, and kristine stolakis' NC friend will be met.
3/7/09-3/10/09 seattle and (possibly) tacoma will be explored.
3/11/09-5/28/09 i will fly to delhi (straight through my twenty-first birthday), and then take a 12 hour bus up windy roads to ranikhet. then i'll go hiking and rafting for a long time in the land where gautama buddha once roamed. do not expect any updates between march 9th and june.
5/29/09-6/29/09 my friend kate ray will meet me after her semester in shanghai, and we will travel about india, ride camels, push our hot-food-envelope, and hopefully avoid any potential indian-pakistani fighting.
7/1/09-7/31/09 i will work at the uma eye clinic in chennai with unite for sight, forgetting all my hindi and rapidly learning tamil. if you haven't given me money for that endeavor yet, and you have a spare dollar, please do! i generally do not like health care NGOs because of their neo-colonial nature, cultural insensitivity, and haphazard volunteer programs, but UFS is one of the better organizations i've come across. for reasons that i'll explain later. just trust me on this one for now.

if anyone has advice or suggestions of things i should do or see in the northwest of the united states, or in india, do let me know!

love,
harish-harry