15.4. - First Field Trip

Surprisingly I had my first field trip today with Bradeep to a local SHG (Self Help Group). SHG's consist of 15 to 20 poor people (mostly women) who have formed the group to empower themselves (confidence buidling and widening of horizon) and introduce some discipline into their lifes (weekly savings of members to create internal budget). It would be exhausting to elaborate further on this matter since I'm dvelving through reports and whatever else comes across my nose for almost two weeks now. Moreoever these structures vary from group to group, so it's hard to generalize. The model of the Grameen Bank, for example, operates only with 5 group members. Anyway I had a very interesting visit and was happy to get out of town into the outskirts of Bangalore. Fresh air, more animals and nature and yeah... more culture. I like looking at all these colourful dresses the women wear. They look really cool. The youth in the city mostly adopts the way we are dressed... jeans...

As you may know I'm writing that extensively because I've to prepare a diary for university, reflecting on my experience in India. Furthermore we've to do something like a scrap-book, which I believe may not be worth the effort, but what can you do. The scrap book shall include everything from newspaper articles, photos, bills to videos. Especially photos and videos are a little problematic. It would be best to actually make some pictures of your work with you SHG. However, I feel uneasy with going there to work for TBF and have to behave like a tourist. I haven't and probably won't do that. It feels like asking locals if they could accompany them to go into a slum and then starting to make loads of pictures and videos. I had this in mind before I was coming to the Philippines and even asked one ambassador of the Philippines in Moscow (CS-Meeting) about visiting a slum. I'm happy to have learned from this type of „poverty tourism“. It's the same with a flood (remember those Westerners staying at their beautiful beaches while meters away the Tsunami has destroyed people's life) or some accident. People desperately want to see what's going on, take evidence of their presence and leave. I've read similar stuff in the book „Giant Steps“ of parts of Latin America, when someone crashes. Locals just stand by and don't really make an effort to help the victims. Weird world...

Feel a little tired of writing right now... ah... since I literally HAVE to write I'll carry on though.


RELIANCE... biggest conglomerate in India... even bigger than TATA but less efficient


That's what you see pretty often down here... just like lift-sharing haha. In the Phili's I've once seen 5 on 1!!!

Below you can see some evidence from the hidden racism I mentioned earlier. There are literally no black be on advertising. Same on TV.