London!

I'm very much looking forward to having Dear Daughter join me on my upcoming business trip to London at the end of the month.  The trip has been on the work radar for a while.  At one point, it included Paris, but that became too complicated and expensive.  Only recently, did Dearest Mommy aka Grandma decide to join us, making it actually feasible to both work and sightsee, and extending the 3 days of business meetings into a 6-day working holiday.

And what a pleasure it's been to read the guidebooks and children's literature accounts of London, and hitting YouTube and the Mary Poppins DVD for more inspiration.  I'm so psyched she'll get to see some of my favorites - the Tate Modern (and the entire funky Southbank), Big Ben (and the princely Houses of Parliament and Westminster), Mayfair's staid offices (and my falafel and fresh juice lunch shop), the thrilling, one-of-a-kind, London Eye (that pretty much triggers an anxiety attack in me that I must actively manage with deep breathing. But, whatever, SO worth it).  We'll make it to the Globe Theatre (or else I'll never get the free pass from the Shakespeare-obsesses teacher for the days out of school), and other London icons like St.Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London.  At some point we'll pass through the dreaded Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden going from somewhere and to somewhere.  We'll breeze throughTrafalgar Square, because its lovely St. Martin-in-the-Fields hosts daily free concerts, and is the architectural model for our beloved home church, All Souls.

No trip is complete for me without the food teasers. I was delighted to see today's New York Times article by my crush Mark Bittman, "In London, Flavors of India without the Fuss."   Such a difficult choice among four delectable restaurant descriptions.  I was first tempted by the 70's decor and the incredible descriptions of dishes at Cafe Spice Namaste.  I was also momentarily seduced by Sitaaray, and its Bollywood theme (this and other pictures at the NYTimes slide show).  But, we have decided quite happily to check out Chor Bizarre in Mayfair, just a few blocks from our London offices.  I like its irreverent and self-depracating allusions to pick-pockets and pawn shops, it's cheesy antiques decor, and its Delhi-London pedigree.  The black lentil daal sounds amazing, as does the Bhagare Baingan - see full mouth-watering menu here.  

I'm so excited to speak British English - I'm teaching Dear Daughter to say 'loo,' 'lift,' and 'lorry' - and to travel by tube, taxi, and doubledecker bus.  It's all such a grand adventure isn't it?

In her backpack...Every Girl's Everyday Empowerment Kit

From GFC blog...


Delhi, India - In our World Café session today at the GGI (Grassroots Girls Initiative)/GFC Knowledge Exchange, small groups discussed various issues relating to improving the lives of adolescent girls. My group discussed the skills and tools necessary for adolescent girls to be able to transform their lives. The notion of agency, or self-direction, is critical to this goal. In early discussion, the key elements of this type of empowerment were easily identified: education; economic empowerment; life skills (such as decision making, self-awareness, and self-confidence); reproductive health information, knowledge, services, and supplies; independent mobility; and knowledge of rights.


Additionally, a social network of peers and “navigators” provides a needed source for support, security, and nurturing, while also mitigating the isolation too often encountered by girls of low social status in their families and communities—such as child brides, girls in domestic work, out-of school girls, rural girls, and young mothers. In this context, my colleagues and I also discussed the importance of role models and mentors to provide vision and a sense of possibility. In all settings, but especially in culturally or socially restrictive environments, supporters and champions are equally necessary, providing a safety net so the girls know that “someone’s got their back.”

As the conversation progressed, we felt we were becoming stuck in generalities and not breaking new ground. What if we could actually equip a girl for her everyday empowerment? What if we could give her a backpack (a symbol of free mobility) filled with the necessary tools that could help her direct the course of—indeed, transform!—her own life? Here’s what we came up with in a conversation that was inspired, impassioned, and full of laughter:

In her backpack:

•  Cell phone (for social networking, calling her mentor, and even banking(!))
• Some money of her own
• A map, a compass, or a GPS!
• Toilet kit (some tissues and some sanitary napkins – her dignity)
• ID card (a birth certificate, some documentation of her identity)
• A good book
• A condom (or, in an ideal world, a female condom or some microbicide)
• Pocket-sized directory of women’s organizations and community resources
• Pocket-sized copy of the International Declaration of Human Rights and/or Convention on the Rights of the Child (armed with information!)
• Bottle of clean drinking water
• Change of clothes (you never know…)
• Self-defense tool (hot pepper spray or maybe some martial arts skills!)
• Some good tunes (music gives confidence!)

State Dinner @ Obama White House

I'm somewhat obsessed with the Obama's first State Dinner this evening for the Prime Minister of India. Completely gaga about the menu - mostly vegetarian - with arugula (from the White House vegetable garden), eggplant and potato salad; red lentil soup; prawns with green curry; poached pears with (White House beehive) honey. The deep purple flowers, the apple green tablecloths - colors reminiscent of the India state bird, the peacock. And Michelle Obama's gorgeous dress designed by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan worn with glitterati bangles and amazing chandelier earrings. She's so f-in' classy (and with my use of crude language, I'm clearly not).

All this on the heels of my most recent trip to India (my 4th, I think) - a country I'm so fascinated by. And so many Indians/Indian-Americans for whom I have such high regard. A place on the move....

AND a guest list with people I think are super cool (or actually know!*), with many men accompanying their power women (just sayin')

Jhumpa Lahiri - kickass writer
Kavita Ramdas* - President of The Global Fund for Women
Jim and Paula Crown* - Global Fund for Children donors/supporters
Geeta Rao Gupta* - President, International Center for Research on Women
Marland Buckner* - husband to Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Senior Advisor, and ex-husband of dear friend and neighbor, Aileen
Mona Suphen - Deputy Chief of Staff, MHC grad
Gov. Ed Rendel (PA- D)
Marian Robinson - Barack Obama MIL, Michelle Obama's mom, Sasha and Malia's g-ma
Sonal Shah*- Director of Office of Social Innovation, Maya's friend
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton - (D - DC)- yay for recognizing DC
Mayor Adrian Fenty and Ms Michelle Fenty (D) - DC mayor- yay, DC again!

India morning

I'm not much into travel journaling, it's all become rote to me, as I land in another place yet again. But if I'm blogging, it seems I should comment on where and how I am.

In general, when I travel, I find myself much more aware, more alert. My mind and senses are stimulated. I am turned on.

When landing in Delhi, my pick-up driver did not arrive, so I mobilized myself into a pre-paid "black and yellow" taxi. Immediately, I felt the surge that has become so familiar when I land in a new and different place. The more "foreign," the better. Chaos, beeping, mad traffic, insane driving...the loud humming motor of the puttering bumblebee taxi. Adrenaline.

But this morning, much more peaceful here at the Global Arts Village. There is 6am "dynamic meditation" which I missed, but heard the drumming and the whooping, later followed by sitar music. I showered in my lovely, tiled - saffron and cobalt - bathroom, the warm water washing away the dirt and fatigue of travel. So nice to let the warm water wash over my naked body - again a function of the sensuous nature of travel. I never feel the warm water wash over my naked body when I'm home. Fresh and dressed, I went out in the early 7am mist to sit in the thatched hut with my earthenware mug of (Starbucks Via) instant coffee (yes, I get the irony). For a few moments, I felt very, very present - maybe 15 minutes or so. I heard the birds and the plane overhead, saw - really saw - the magnolia tree, and watched the still, still water. The coffee tasted very, very good - rich and warm - and I felt it enter my bloodstream with a soft energizing buzz to my tired jet-lagged body. The earthenware cup was warm, I felt the heat transfer to my hands.

It was such a lovely, quiet, present moment. So rare, so cherished. To be sought - consciously - more often.