HRLN begins

23 May 2011

Mumbai library and townhall

Shira: Yesterday was highly productive.  Both Jordan and I arrived, ready to work, at 9am sharp and about half an hour later someone else arrived to let us in.  We met with Kranti, our boss, and he de-briefed us on our summer project which is about fighting against the implementation of a nuclear power park (6 plants?) in a biologically diverse / ecological “hot zone” where they apparently found a new species of frog that looks like a black blob with legs.  This is all very exciting.  He also reprimanded Jordan for wearing a tie to work because he was setting a too-formal example for the other new interns.

Oh!  We were also served morning chai and “biscuits.”  We learned that because we are white people they unwrap the biscuits for us. 

We met some really helpful people at the HRLN (that’s, Human Rights Law Network) who are going to help us find and set up an apartment.  They’ve already helped us to get wireless internet although it is not, as of yet, working.  Wireless internet here is attained via USB port!  Ingenious! 

Our view from the office

Now that we both have something concrete to do I already feel more comfortable here.  We have done a fair bit of exploring the southern area of Mumbai and I’m looking forward to seeing the northern “suburbs” as well.  In particular, Mumbai is home to the biggest slums in India and there are tours of it that Jordan and I would like to take.  Jordan was reading in our book guide that despite the apparent poverty and squalor of the slums, the people who live there are not necessarily poor and choose to live there for the community?  I’m not really certain, but it seems interesting.

We’re still definitely getting the hang of things.  Because we’re as of yet residing in a hotel and we have been warned against eating street food – even fruit! Which, unfortunately, means no mangos yet – we have to eat our meals at restaurants.  The first morning we accidentally ordered dinner for breakfast (whoops!) but we’re catching on, if a little slowly.

I know we will both feel relief once we’re settled into a real apartment.  I am looking forward to having a kitchen (…and a bed that I don’t suspect of bed bugs…) and feeling a little more settled in general.