Dubai

About:

Dubai is located on the Arabian Peninsula off the Persian Golf, and lies within the Arabian Dessert. It is part of the United Arab Emirates. It is a modern city. While it does have oil reserves, this is fairly moderate by Arabian standards. Still, the country is more prosperous then what its oil production would suggest. 

According to the "About Dubai Screen" which was a publication about Dubai on-board my Flight on Emirates Airlines, Dubai's wealth stems from something bigger then just oil wealth. Their wealth stems from their openness to the west and the ease at which foreigners to do business within this Country. According to my husband Arvind Jujare, when those in the Middle East want to do business with the West they go to Dubai, and when those in the West want to do business with the Middle East, they go to Dubai.

My Expediences:

To be clear: I have never actually visited Dubai. I have, however, been through their airports numerous times going between the U.S. and India. 

The last time that I went through the airport was on December 30, 2014 on my way back from India. We left India on time, but due to fog in Dubai we were not able to land on time and ended circling the city for a good hour and a half. During that time I got to see the landscape of the Arabian Desert that surrounds the city. As we came in, I was able to get a pretty good view of the city, including the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world. If you look very closely in the first picture I posted you can see it rising out of the fog that had earlier prevented us from landing.

Normally when I go through the Dubai airport it is at night, and so not only to I not get a good view of the city and the area that surrounds it, I also do not get a feel for what the airport is really like during the main portion of the day. 

The first time second time I had come through here I was really surprised at how many men tried to enter the women's restroom. While I was taking a bathroom break, a man tried to escort several women he was with. He had a brief argument with a security guard before being chased out. I sat across from this restroom while waiting for my flight and saw at least three other men try to enter, some of them had clearly just been confused as to which restroom they were entering, but at least one other also tried to escort their harem of women in.

This last time was much busier. I had not had time to check out what was going on with the restrooms, but I did not notice any men trying to enter.

Food:
I did not eat anything while I was at the airport, but there are a variety of places to eat that fit a Westerners pallet. There are cafes that sell coffee and sandwiches, and bars that serve pizza and beer. It would not be Dubai without some air of decedents: there are upscale restaurants here, including a caviar bar. 

New Year's Eve 2014:
On new Year's eve most of us go out to a party, or stay at home and watch the ball drop on on t.v. that takes place at New York's time square. This year, my friends and I watched the New Year's eve event taking place in Dubai. 

We started watching the ball drop in New York time square before changing the channel; when we changed the channel we were amazed. The show started with a dazzling water fountain display that dwarfed anything you might  see  in Las Vegas. When watching it I turned to my friend and said: "You know, they are in the middle of the desert and look what they are using their water for". 

After the water show was over attention turned to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the word. It was lit up with what must have been hundreds of thousands of LED lights. These were synchronized to music and 500,000 fireworks that exploded from the side of the sky scraper (Johanson). I kept hearing my Indian friends say, "I know someone who is there". 

One of my friends turned to me and said, "I half expect the building to launch from the ground" (Pai).

"It probably would have been less expensive if it had." I replied.

The first time the show  was put on, in December of 2013, it cost $6,000,000 U.S.D. While it is a fraction of the cost India used to send a craft into Mars ($74 million). They really could have sent the building into space with the $6 million price tag. 

Work Cited:
Emirates Airlines. "About Dubai". Retrieved: December 30, 2014.

DowntownDubai. "Downtown Dubai New Year's Eve 2015" Streamed: 31 December 2014. Retrieved: January 17, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aJPgGXRaFE

"Dubai". Wikipedia. Retrieved: January 17, 2015. Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

Johanson, Mark. "Dubai Fireworks 2014: The Record-Breaking Display By The Numbers". Published: 01 January 2015. Website: http://www.ibtimes.com/dubai-fireworks-2014-record-breaking-display-numbers-1524204 Retrieved: 17 January 2015.

Jujare, Arvind. Personal Conversation. January 2015.

Pai, Siddharth. Personal Conversation. 01 January 2015.

Park, Madison. "India's spacecraft reaches Mars orbit... and history", CNN. 24 September 2014. Retrieved: 17 December 2015. Website: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/23/world/asia/mars-india-orbiter/

Bangalore, India

Bangalore:

Motorcyclist with a small baby
strapped to his chest.
By: Leah Harrison

This past Christmas holiday, I visited my in-laws in Bangalore, India. In general, I usually feel pretty safe here. In the past, I have always been hesitant to go out on my own. When I walk or take an auto (or cab) someone in the past has always come with me. This time was slightly different. 

This time I had a little shopping to do early in the morning before many people got up. On my own I was able to walk down the street to buy things like milk and soft drinks. I also took a walk around the block and took walks in the park. Of course, this was early in the morning before too many people were out. If it had been later in the day I probably would have been more hesitant; by mid-day traffic gets so bad that I fear crossing the street by myself.

Coffee:

By: Anand Jujare

By: Anand Jujare

There are many great places to get a good cup of coffee in Bangalore. Many restaurants and cafes serve it. There is a place called Cafe Coffee Day. This would be equivalent of our Starbucks. They are on every corner, they serve pastries along with a wide variety of tasty coffees. They are at airports and malls; we even came across a coffee day in the middle of nowhere when on a road trip the first time I came to India.

On this last trip, my husband, brother-in-law and I had decided to go out and get coffee at a nice hotel, but we instead ended up in the first Starbucks in Bangalore right before closing time. It was the biggest one I had ever seen. It was two stories tall, and the dining area upstairs was spacious, and empty. 

Tables on the 2nd floor of the
 Starbucks in Bangalore.
By: Anand Jujare

My brother-in-law, Anand Jujare, told me that in order to open this, Starbucks had to team up with an Indian company. This company is Tata, you know the company that makes cars and has taken over Jaguar. 

Benches on the 2nd floor
of the Starbucks in Bangalore.
By: Anand Jujare

When this first opened, my Brother-in-law told me, the line for Starbucks ran around the building. That's a lot of waiting just for a cup of coffee. Starbucks here is not just coffee though, coming here instead of going to Cafe Coffee Day is also a status symbol.

The Bombing:
Why did we decide to go to a Starbucks as opposed to checking out the hotel, an experience that would have been more unique for me, and reminiscent for my husband, Arvind. The answer, we were somewhat afraid to venture too far from home that night.

Earlier, My in-laws and I went to a Mall to have some amazing Chinese food. We did a small amount of shopping afterwords and then drove home. I took my daily (while there) afternoon nap. When I awoke around 8:30 pm there was breaking news. A bomb had just exploded in Coconut Grove. If we had been a few hours later going home we would have passed right by it on our way home.

One person was killed and another had been injured in the low intensity blast. It was on crowded stretch of road, and no one took responsibility for it. 

It was suspected that the culprit was an ISIS sympathizer, since their had been threats before after an arrest was made linked to ISIS.

Police barricades on the road the night of the bombing.

One of my husband's friends, who owns a bar in Bangalore texted my husband, basically telling him that they had kicked someone out of the bar earlier that week for suspicious behavior. Basically, a man was in the bar, not buying anything and looking under tables. They escorted the man out and alerted other bars in the area to look out for this suspicious person. Another bar in the area responded that they too had seen the same person doing the same thing. They too had escorted this person out. None of the bars informed the police.


Police Vehicles outside of
 Starbucks in Bangalore,
 letting people know to get off
the street

The roads to Starbucks were blocked by police barricades. Police were telling people to get off the streets. We stood outside of Starbucks and saw four police vehicles go by. Each one letting people know that it was unsafe to be on the streets. 

This was not the first bombing Bangalore has seen, and by contrast the damage was quite unsubstantial. The first time I visited Bangalore I visited a mall within walking distance of my in-law's. A month later I heard that a bomb blasted through that building. The target: a political figure who was shopping there. The political figure was fine.

These bombings however are a stark reminder that the world is unstable. So much for feeling safe in Bangalore.

Work Cited:
Jujare, Anand. "Picture of Starbucks", "Polices Vehicles", and "Road Blocks". 28 December 2014.

Jujare, Anand. Personal Conversation. 28 December 2014

Jujare, Arvind. Personal Conversation. 28 December 2014

Wake Up. "Bangalore Bomb Blast on 28 dec 2014". Posted on: 28 December 2014. Retrieved: January 19, 2015.Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHWfl9L2sKU

Tibet

Introduction:

I have always found Tibetan culture interesting. I first found out about there culture as a child while in a museum. The exhibits lead into a gift shop, where tourists could buy things that were related. There was incense, and prayer wheels and chimes. I asked my mom if I could buy something, but she told me it was all over priced. She however, purchased a book for herself: The World of Tibetan Buddhism, by the 14th Dalai Lama. 

Tibetan Prayer Wheel.

Later, I found myself in a small town's antique shop just North of San Antonio. The place was quaint, and surrounded by a small garden that seemed like one from a British Novel which was filled with crape myrtle trees with lilac colored flowers. In one corner of this small shop were small crafts from different countries. Again there was a small gong, and a prayer wheel and incense. The shop keeper came over and showed me the gong, which was bowl shaped and came with a wooden mallet. She showed me that it was actually a singing bowl. As one rolled the mallet around it would actually make a high pitch ringing sound. 

I begged my mom for this. She looked at the price, and shook her head. I continued playing with the singing bowl, before moving on to the prayer wheel. After I was done playing with the prayer wheel my mom moved in and picked it up and looked at the price. She then looked at the price of the incense that I had been sniffing earlier. She picked both of these up and brought them to the cash register. She told me she would give me these much appreciated gifts after I finished that weekend's chores. I still have the prayer wheel, which has a prayer inside that spins. When you spin it, it is supposed to be like saying the prayer that it is written on it. 

About Tibet: 

Most of Tibet is technically part of China, though it used to be its own autonomous country which had bordered China and India in the Himalayas. A majority of its people practice a unique form of Buddhism which is specific to the region, and is lead by the Dhalai Lama, who is thought to be a sort of devine king. Each Dhali Lama is thought to be the reincarnation of the previous Dhali Lama (Anantharaman).

Art:

Amitayus Buddha Thangka.
San Antonio Museum of Art.

The region has a rich culture of art. Ranging from flags, to sand mandalas, to statues, to ink on cloth.

Last November I was lucky enough to go to the San Antonio Museum of Art. This museum has art from around the world, including Tibet.

One of the pieces was the Amitayus Buddha Thangka.This one was pigments on cotton from the late 18th century. 

The Tibetans are also famous for there sand Mandalas. These are "cosmic diagrams" that are made up of "concentric circles and squares representing the symbolic home of a deity. Mandala[s] are used as a tool for meditation and aid in spiritual development" (San Antonio Museum of Art). 

Tibetan Medicine Buddha Mandala,
 by: Drepung Loseling Monks  of South India,
San Antonio Museum of Art, 2001

The one here was actually made at the San Antonio Museum of Art in 2001 by Tibetan monks. It is made of pigmented marble sand.  The sand mandala is not supposed to be permanent. The colored sands are not glued down. In fact "its ultimate function is to represent impermanence". "Permission to preserve this mandala was granted by His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama" (San Antonio Museum of Art). 

This particular piece is one of only four to be preserved in the U.S. and is only one that is a Tibetan Medicine Buddha Mandala.

Food:

Late last month, I found myself sitting in a small cafe/ shop in India, called Ants. I had a British breakfast, complete with scrambled eggs, chicken sausage toast, baked beans, and a coffee. This might not seem like a typical start to a post. This breakfast in no way is similar to a traditional breakfast you might eat in Tibet.

The food I had was great food that made the meal about Tibet, it was the conversation I had while eating it. 

The Person:

Aravinda Anantharaman is an Indian Writer and Editor. When we were on our way to Ants I asked her what she had been up to recently. She told me that she had been helping to work on a project to help bring books to Tibetan Children. When I had not been talking with the intention of posting about her in my blog, but what she was talking about fascinated me. To be clear, I did not take notes on the conversation, but I can convey the general jest of what we spoke about.

Basically, the group that Aravinda had been working with had been trying to write, publish, and distribute books for Tibetan children. There were many challenges with this, she tells me. For one thing, there are two languages that the Tibetans speak, with multiple dialects. There are two written Tibetan languages, one of which is more complex then the other. The one that school children learn is the less complex, but it is harder to convey information through, since it was not meant for the type of stories they are trying to create. So the first challenge was picking a language to write in. If the language they had picked had been English, Aravinda tells me, she would actually be able to write and edit some of these books, but since they had not chosen this language to publish in, it limits her to only helping this project in other ways.

Aravinda Anantharaman,
 Preatam Koilpillai and their son Gawa.

Another challenge this project faces is funding. The target audience is fairly small. Most of the readership is limited to Tibetans, and for the most part, the distributors will only be able to get the books to Tibetan refugees now living in India. This means that there is little if any money in this for people like Aravinda who are working on this project. Still she rather be doing this then some of the more lucrative things she could be doing with her time. 

Aravinda Anantharaman is really dedicated to the distribution of children's literature throughout India, not just for the Tibetans exiled to India, but for all children in India. You can tell just by talking with her that there is a special place in her heart for the Tibetan people, and that is a big part of her life. 

Book:

I downloaded the Audio Book, The 14th Dhalai Lama: Buddha of Compassion, by Aravinda Anantharaman, the writer I had eaten Brunch with. The book is a Non-fiction work that talks about this current Dhalai Lama,  the 14th Dhalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. The book tells the story of this Ddhalia Lama's discovery, childhood, empowerment, the Chinese takeover of Tibet, and his exile of the Dhalai Lama.

According to this book: the Dhalai Lama had been born to Tibetan peasants. He was discovered by Tibetan monks who believed he was the reincarnation of the 13th Dhalia Lama after he identified a rosary of that Dhalai Lama. After more tests were given, he was taken to a monastery, and then later to the palace where he grew up. At age 15 he became the leader of his people. As Communist China prepared to take over Tibet, the Dhalia Lama went to China to try to resolve the issue peacefully. However, His Holiness became disillusioned with Communism. China's take over of Tibet was thus not peaceful and many, including the Dhalai Lama left in exile to India. 

This is a great book to get the basics about the Dhalai Lama. It is short and concise and contains a lot of great information on not just the current Dhalai Lama but modern Tibetan Buddhism as a whole.

Short Film:
Aravinda Anantharaman's Husband (and my cousin in-law),  Preatam Koilpillai, has also been very involved with the Tibetan exiles in India. In 2010 he produced a short film called Passport Photos. This is a documentary that features young Tibetan exiles who are living in India. Through this 15 minute presentation we get to see the struggles that these young Tibetans go through as a people whose home has been stolen from them.

Work Cited:

Anantharaman, Aravinda. Personal Conversation. December 27, 2014.

Anantharaman, Aravinda. The 14th Dhalai Lama: Buddha of Compassion. Published:  04 January 2013.

Drepung Loseling Monks  of South India. "Tibetan Medicine Buddha Mandala". Created: 2001.

Jujare. Arvind: Photo of Preatam Koilpillai and Aravinda Anantharaman. Taken 25 December 2014.

Jinpa, Thupten (14th Dalai Lama). The World of Tibetan Buddism. Published: 1995.

Koilpillai, Preatam, in collaboration with with Lingpa, Jangchup, Thardoe Lobsang. "Passport Photos". 2010. Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHRQfhUfOY. 

San Antonio Museum of Art. Art descriptions of "Amitayus Buddha Thangka", and "Tibetan Medicine Buddha Mandala".  Read in: November 2014.

Unknown: "Amitayus Buddha Thangka".Created: Late 18th Century.