tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88728963284853548092024-03-13T14:20:10.045-07:00Roti and Rice PerambulationsHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-102738863778370252011-06-12T21:34:00.000-07:002011-06-12T21:34:10.348-07:00Urban Planner seeks organization...Hi all,
Just a quick plug for your's truly. I am in job seeking mode. If you know of any jobs available for Urban Planners and Food Systems professionals (ahem, that's me!), I would be grateful to hear from you. Below is a short blurb about my experience and here's my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top
thank you!Heidi
Heidi Exline holds a Masters in Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-62275000678727474292011-06-12T21:10:00.000-07:002011-06-12T21:10:04.981-07:00Baba Ramdev wusses outEvery day the Hindustan Times lands at my doorstep. With one eye barely open, I hear the thwack and then usually go back to sleep. When I do finally wake up, I try daily to read it, but occasionally my kitten-who-is-better-than-anything-Staples-could-make-paper-shredder gets to it before I do. This is ok, because while I try to stay on top of Indian happenings, sometimes I am a little dismayed atHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-17812338774071577902011-06-01T23:47:00.000-07:002011-06-01T23:47:49.949-07:00Oh, what a difference 30 degrees makesThe other night, after going to sleep around midnight, I woke up a half hour later to gusty winds ghoulishly blowing my doors open and shut. The last time this had happened, I welcomed in the breeze only to find my countertops covered in black spots and my eye tearing up because one of the dust monsters had attacked me.
However, I could not resist, because with it the wind brought cooler Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-27371818208644243732011-05-20T00:52:00.000-07:002011-05-30T01:13:46.245-07:00Four days of trekking in the Himalayasearly-April
"I'm really out of shape."
"That's ok, I am too."
"No, I mean it. It's really bad. So let's plan to work out for six weeks and get in shape before our trek."
"Ok, definitely."
late-April
"It's too hot to work out."
"I know. It's over 100 degrees here now."
"Ok, well I'm still going to try to get in shape. We still have three weeks left."
"Ok, me too."
mid-May
"So, I barely worked Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-74322336615220955902011-05-11T04:49:00.000-07:002011-05-23T07:41:47.562-07:00Occasionally getting it rightThose of you who know me well, might be surprised to learn that I am just now beginning to try my hand at making Indian food. Now, I've dabbled here and there, even in the U.S. before I moved here I would throw in some masala and cinnamon and chili powder to my beans. But it was only recently that I decided the day had come to make some roti. (Roti is the flat bread that accompanies every PunjabiHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-84127846003154736892011-04-25T04:14:00.000-07:002011-05-11T04:17:22.538-07:00Fast, but not too fast(Before I begin, if you're out there, Russian reader, das vidanya from India!)
The other day I went to CMC (Christian Medical College) Hospital to inquire about getting some "medical tourism" work done (don't worry, I will not come back with a new nose or fewer chins). The medical tourism industry is supposedly huge in India. Max Hospital group in Delhi even has a separate check-in counter for Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-2511928105721767042011-04-15T13:37:00.000-07:002011-05-22T22:05:41.259-07:00Thomas Jefferson and MonticelloI was seeking a favor. This favor would involve going to my apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and exchanging keys for a deposit with my subletter. One sister - working; a Brooklyn friend - running a race; another Brooklyn friend - too overwhelmed with finding a new roommate and being broke. Who to turn to?
I relayed this chain of events to a good friend here in India, and he was Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-71817640257549925762011-03-29T09:16:00.000-07:002011-03-29T09:16:12.143-07:00You must feed the antsIt has been a while since I wanted to burst out laughing, impolitely, in someone's face. But that is what nearly happened when I consulted an astrologist and he said, very seriously, "You must feed the ants." The backstory is that my friend had some burning questions she wanted answered, so when an astrologist came to her business, she took it as a sign that she should visit this wise, knowing Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-77740677041900272632011-03-26T23:45:00.000-07:002011-03-26T23:45:58.057-07:00Will you accept a little rambling?Having been quite some time since I posted, I'm finding it difficult to jump back into this here blogging world. So, if you'll pardon the randomness of it, I'm just going to spout off a few things that have come to mind recently.
1) People are different. No matter how much we want to say that we're all the same, culture plays an obviously huge role in our lives and shapes us forever. Take for Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-72801705521399764112011-03-16T14:22:00.000-07:002011-04-29T20:32:21.707-07:00Karnataka, my new favorite Indian state
Hampi
Desperately trying to get a bottle of wine open
Eating cheese and baguette and I am so happy
Cute and geeky little train museum in Mysore
Mysore Palace
Fancy hotel near Mysore
Cute little boy who swore he was going to school and just helping
out that day. Here you see him making inscence sticks.
Sushi in Bengaluru. I was in heaven.
Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-24470397530017836682011-02-10T06:17:00.000-08:002011-02-10T06:17:53.199-08:00Some things give you pauseEvery now and then I'm reminded of the stark contrasts that surround me. Less than an hour ago I returned from buying chicken. Seems innocuous enough, right? Except this chicken is going to feed my kitten. Still unclear? Let me paint the picture for you: Girl negotiates price of Rs 40 ($0.90) for a return trip on a rickshaw. Girl boards rickshaw and travels to chicken shop. On the way, girl is Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-31010100316029018622011-01-31T06:18:00.000-08:002011-02-10T06:34:27.923-08:00They're just like usIf you've traveled to India, you've probably experienced the phenomenon of being stared at. It's not an accusatory stare, or one of malice; it's a stare of extreme curiosity mixed with pleasure and often, if the stare-er is under 15, the giggles. Which got me to thinking about the US Weekly section called, Stars: They're Just Like Us! Before you go a gettin all holier than thou, no, I don't read Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-50695589009103182132011-01-30T00:39:00.000-08:002011-05-30T00:50:44.100-07:00Jim Corbett National Park, UttarakhandMy friend Alice came through on her way to yoga training in Maharashtra. Here are some pics from the weekend at Jim Corbett park. Sadly, there were no tiger spottings. We did hear the warning call that the forest animals give to other animals to notify them of the tiger's wanderings, but in the end, that was the closest we got. Apparently you have spend the night in the park and you're moreHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-24087188711061895402011-01-24T08:58:00.000-08:002011-02-05T08:59:56.273-08:00Vegetable artHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-28546791771966956932011-01-24T08:48:00.000-08:002011-02-05T08:57:22.725-08:00Van tries to ensure greater access to PDSI recently got the chance to visit a van that distributes rations from India's reputedly corrupt Public Distribution System (PDS). I can't attest to what the papers say about the PDS, but I do know that the depots that distribute the rations are run by private citizens and often they are open only once a month. So Jago, the NGO working on this project, was able to get some Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-5138533514777529372011-01-19T08:45:00.000-08:002011-02-05T08:48:04.362-08:00Carrying on the tradition
Traditional dance performance put on for school kids
Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-1876477484084624812011-01-10T23:29:00.000-08:002011-01-22T23:46:04.656-08:00Sister and bro in law's visitMy sister and brother in law arrived around 3 am on December 26th. It was cold and shortly thereafter, they were both felled by some stomach illnesses. Then on to Agra and the Taj Mahal, where I became sick and my sister got scratched by a monkey. Then to Delhi for New Year's Eve where we got into a car accident. From there we flew to Goa where we finally released ourselves of the Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-4436604850715455962010-12-23T06:04:00.000-08:002011-01-19T06:08:52.799-08:00Christmas party, India style!My Christmas party was a fairly tame affair - no one drank beer but me and we ended at 8:30. Still, it was a good time and I enjoyed getting a chance to make some American food for my friends.
My attempt to make mustard.
Here they use mustard seed,
mustard oil, mustard greens...
but no mustard! Funny, but it's
nearly the opposite for us in the US.
One of the most rockin suits I Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-46263474708761866752010-12-22T05:54:00.000-08:002011-01-19T06:01:14.497-08:00Village surveys
A man and his child and the family's
unfinished home, due to lack of money
This is hysterical. Apparently this is a well that no
longer works. The villagers tied a bunch of
thorny branches to the top of the well
because kids were throwing stones down it.
The driver I hired to take me to the villages
invited me to his home and fed me some
tasty saag and mahki (corn) roti,
a winterHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-28768740777509254162010-12-21T05:44:00.000-08:002011-01-19T06:01:52.774-08:00Surveys in Ludhiana's informal housing settlements, aka slums
You might think that spending time in a slum would be a depressing experience. In part, you'd be right, simply because it's hard not to feel glum when you see people, and especially children. living in often squalid conditions. But the condition of the homes in different slums varies quite a bit. And while some kids seem despondent and a little sickly, others look healthy, clean and happy.Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-70541590577238896682010-12-20T23:29:00.000-08:002010-12-20T23:29:36.132-08:00How to deal with poverty 101This course will teach students how to handle emotions that arise when viewing extreme poverty on a day to day basis. Students will learn practical methods for handling difficult situations. Examples of situations discussed in this course include little children toiling daily in restaurants; children with missing limbs (especially when it's clear the limb was torn from the child's body) Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-53356746979266865672010-12-09T00:27:00.000-08:002010-12-09T00:27:11.310-08:00I've cracked the codeAbout two weeks before I left for Rajasthan, I noticed that the cool (sans water heater) showers that I had relished to relieve my skin of the sticky heat of September and October were becoming less and less refreshing. I surveyed a few Indians to ask their opinion. I could buy a type of rod, several said. This rod plugs into the wall and then you stick it in a bucket of water to warm the water. Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-28665181439922586732010-11-28T20:07:00.000-08:002010-12-05T05:49:54.229-08:00So hungry!What is it about Indian breakfasts? Now that I've returned to Ludhiana from Jaipur (Rajasthan), I've also returned to some of my old eating habits. Instead of the parantha (fried bread), a hard boiled egg, and curd (full fat, of course) for breakfast, I'm again eating oatmeal sprinkled with nuts and a little maple syrup. Sometimes I throw in a banana. I guess it should be obvious why I'm hungry aHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-38502307195225203292010-11-27T06:15:00.000-08:002010-12-05T05:49:04.198-08:00Am I cheating?Sitting here nibbling on some cave-aged Gruyere and sauscisson sec between sips of duty-free Rioja, I feel a little tug on my conscience - am I cheating on India? Am I doing my whole-hearted, hand on heart best to understand Indian culture by sitting in my apartment with my gourmet foods lovingly flown thousands of miles to me from New York by my sister (This after the cheese was flown fromHeidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872896328485354809.post-9352063327483153672010-11-23T05:20:00.000-08:002010-12-05T05:40:43.270-08:00Research in Jaipur
At this agriculture research station, they're trying to get
farmers to use greenhouses to grow flowers for export.
My interpreter on the left and his cousin on the right.
Interpreter's cousin invited me for dinner
Rajasthani dinner. On the left are baati; essentially wheat flour, ghee and
salt formed into a ball and then baked. It's wonderfully doughy on the inside.
I bought Heidi Exline, writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909125012531076830noreply@blogger.com0