Alle menneskene

Det er helt villt mange mennesker i dette landet. For meg som liker å være litt i fred, og ikke liker store folkemengder er det i overkant slitsomt til tider. Det er mennesker overalt til enhver tid. På sett og vis er det ganske betryggende, for det skal litt til for at det skal skje noe ille, for det er alltid andre mennesker der. Men at india har et populasjonsproblem er veldig tydelig. 
Det er blitt forøkt å sette igang populasjonskontroll, gjennom undervisning etc. Men det har ikke fungert, for det første er sexualitet tabu, for det andre hevder ulike religiøse grupperinger at populasjonskontroll-programmet er satt igang for at deres gruppe skal få mindre politisk, sosial og økonomisk makt. Og sist men ikke minst så er korrupsjon utbredt så det er ikke sikkert at penger satt av til populasjonskontroll på landsbyda egentlig kommer frem. 

Happy 4th of July

Today we are celebrating the american birthday!! So far there has only been a bit singing of the national anthem, and eating of banana pancakes, but I've been promised a flag-cake (yes, they have ordered one from a local bakery), fire works and they have gotten our kitchen staff to make as american food as they can (it'll probably be freedome fries masala etc). Anyway, it's freedome everything today, so while I'm sort of celebrating the 4th of july with them, I'm also celebrating the fact that homosexuality is no longer illegal in India, in the name of freedome=)

I was actually suposed to go to the ruins of some old Buddhist temple 3-4 hours away, but since I drank a glass of berry-slush (the ice was probably made out of tap water) I need to visit the bathroom a bit to often for it to be comfortable to go on a long bus ride in the indian countryside. I don't feel all that sick though, so I'll be able to join in with their celebrations. The americans claim they are only doing moderate celebrations...

Om Shanti Om

Judging by this picture you might think I've watched indian porn. And the fact that the production company is named EROS does not make it seem any less sketchy. Nontheless this is actually a pretty good movie. It's cheesy, as one might expect from a Bollywood movie. But since I like musicals, I actually really liked it. 

Poverty

I have until now avoided some uncomfortable issues on my blog. But I feel that I have to write something on the incrediable poverty that surounds me here. I have never been in a place were class division is as clear as here. And it makes me feel bad to see how the staff at the student hostel treat us, and how they are treated by their employer. We just discovered that the kithchen staff, which tend to our every need, sleep on the floor in the kitchen, while there are plenty of available rooms in the house. They don't even have mattresses. 

I am also amazed by all the poverty we find on campus. There is a lot of construction work going on, and the workers live in horrible conditions on campus. The University should be ashamed, but nobody really seem to mind. 

about 1/3 of the Indian population live on under 1 dollar a day. This is all to visable, also in High-teck city, maybe even more so here.

Coco's

After we'd been here for almost a whole week we desided it was time to go out for a couple of drinks, so we went to a place called coco's in Benjara Hills (the area is home of the incrediable rich in Hyderabad). When the first of us arived we had been shopping, and were actually wearing the most traditional clothes there, though the indian women did not order quite as large beers as we did.

Hopefully we will do this again soon=) 

in honor of the rickshaws

I never thought I'd love the rickshaws as much as I do. 

The drivers always try to rip you of, they are not really fast (probably has the same motor capasity as a scooter), are always way to crowded (3 seats fit 7 Indian people, or aprox 5 europeans and 7 seats fit about 17 indians, not sure how many europeans though). The rickshaws might be the most unsafething you can drive in this city and they pollute like there was no tomorrow. 

Still, these magnificent vehicles are probably the most fantastic things I've ever traveled with, especially when the drivers play music for us. I'm going to become addicted to these beauties if I'm not careful.

Paying Guest

At last some of us managed to go to a cinema and see a Bollywood movie. It was in hindi, but because of a lot of english slang, and the simple story we actually managed to understand most of the movie.

I think the next time we will go somewhere less fancy though. We want to find a cinema where the crowd dances and sings along and cheers for their heros etc. so maybe this weekend, i hope=)

There is not much to write about the actuall movie, except i might have hoped for a little more music and dancing, but all in all it was entertaining. 

The only complaint I had were about the bath-rooms. But that is an ongoing theeme for this trip, and I'm guessing I'll just have to get used to carrying around toilet paper where ever I go. Still...toilet paper wouldn't have made the bathroom at the cinema seem any less like the bathroom in trainspotting.