same same but different

I have been hearing and observing some horrible things about the Director of Root Institute. I won't go into detail here but she's very racist and disrespectful mostly to the Indian staff and long-term volunteers here. For example, she tells the Indian staff not to mingle and get too close to the foreigners. My interactions with her has not been so pleasant either.

Having said this, I'm trying to take on a different approach to dealing with people like this. Make my role very clear in Root Institute and also between her and I. Invest very little time with her. If my role is threatened in any way, look at what that situation is at the moment and decide if I should compromise or not depending on if that decision will empower me or not. Before, I am certain I would have gotten into many arguments with her about this and that not to mention all the negative emotional investment. But if there's one thing I've learned in a week is I can't change India. I can't change anyone's views, values, way of life. No.. actually it's who am I to change anything or anyone. This is not to say, I've lost my voice in fighting for what I believe in but taking a different approach. I guess thinking "fighting" for what I believe was exactly the problem.

Sheevan, another nurse volunteer at Root Institute and I was invited over to Ramanand's house tonight for dinner. Ramanand, a health educator is 20 years old that lives with his five siblings, nephew, and parents. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with their cow that lives in the house with them. Indians treat their cows like how we would treat our dogs, as pets. They name their cows, feed them, wash them, and talk about them for hours. It's quite cute. And of course, like an idiot, I tried to pet the cow and it pushed me away with its head with some force and I screamed. Don't know why I thought the cow wouldn't know the difference between it's owner's touch and mine.

Before dinner we had coffee (the best coffee I've had since the weasel poop coffee.. thanks Cho) and Ramanand and his friend wanted to take pictures of us (been feeling like a celebrity here in India.. =) His friend said, we are the same level so let's take a picture at the same time. First I thought he was talking about height or appearance (coincidentally they were wearing the same shirt that day) but after much discussion, he was talking about social class. Then we proceeded to make jokes about our same plates, cups, and food but also joked about how we are also different in many ways, (Sheevan- tall white female born in Africa now lives in DC, loves good times with good company, me - short asian american from New York, loves good times with good company, Ramanand - Indian male born and raised in Bodh gaya, loves good times with good company: Then Ramanand made a joke, we are "same same but different"