Life takes many twists and turns. Some you anticipate, some you do not! For example; I anticipated going to University and obtaining an undergraduate degree. I did not anticipate studying International and Comparative Studies, traveling to Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, learning about the lack of rights, and human rights abuses in these countries. I didn’t expect to wind up volunteering for a summer with L’Arche, an organizational which supports people with developmental disabilities and then making that into a career/job for almost five years. Lastly I did expect to someday go to India however I did not anticipate coming here, to the city of Udaipur, and falling right into niche of how I want my passions, interests, and hopes and dreams to continue being an integral part of my life.
I will explain. I believe I mentioned in some earlier posts about a restaurant here in town called Millets of Mewar, or as I am now calling them M.O.M. My first attraction to the restaurant was the gluten-free options they advertised. My second attraction was that they offered mineral water bottle refills. A great option as it costs me less, but also reduces waste of plastic water bottles. My third attraction was the sustainable walks they do in town. Showcasing the reuse of materials and local resources. Very different from the mainstream tourist industry of bedazzled shoulder bags, carved elephants, and other artisan items. In speaking with the owners of M.O.M they also promote biodiversity, using alternate grains such as Millet and Amaranth. Not only wheat and rice, although they use these grains in their restaurant as well.
I regularly frequent this restaurant as not only do they promote so many different facets of social justice, but they also have delicious food. One evening I was there early; journaling before my friend was to arrive. One of the co-owners, Anoop (the name of a very good friend of mine in Ontario), approached me for some feedback about the restaurant. I gave him my thoughts and opinions about the things I liked about the restaurant. I started blathering on about my undergrad and some of the things I studied. I mentioned ‘food politics’ and the importance of bio-diversity. I also mentioned Dr.Vandana Shiva. I knew she was from India and quite an active and prominent player in terms of food politics, bio-diversity, and making food accessible to all the mouths in India. Anoop asked me “do you want to meet her?” I sat there immobile, then questioned “what?” Anoop responded “Dr.Shive has been working with us and our efforts here in the restaurant, and around the city. She is speaking in Delhi on the 15th and 16th of December. Would you like to come and meet her?” Still stunned, but a huge grin beginning to form across my face. In face I think my face become solely a smile. Eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead vanished as my smile took over it all! I finally stuttered out “uhhhh ya!!!!!” Anoop quickly sent me an email with the dates and his contact information. Fabulous. I think I was beaming for the rest of the evening.
There have been many times that I have felt that I wasted my time in my undergrad. Not so much that the information I learned isn’t valuable or relative. But that I didn’t take that information and use it in terms of a career. I have struggled with being a care-giver after my undergrad. Thinking that I should be doing something more with myself, with my gifts, my talents, my knowledge, etc. I was constantly going back and forth about what it all meant and whether or not it was important. Also weighing out the value in terms of me, the individual, but also what service I am offering the world/ human kind in a larger sense. When I would read Henry Nouwen, or Jean Vanier, I would think about what I am contributing in a larger sense and remind myself that this work was just as important as any paper I could be writing while doing my Masters degree, or any actions I could be taking working for a non-profit. It was definitely a struggle.
About three and a half years ago my dear friend and one of my role models passed away. She was heavily involved in Social justice and, it seemed, that she lived it as part of her everyday life. In her home, in her work, in her studies, in her community. In many ways she was the epitome of social justice. After she passed I remember feeling that I couldn’t let the social justice part of me die. I had to keep active in it and keep it relevant. At the time I was living in Vancouver, I was working as a care-giver for people with disabilities, although for a private company, not with L’Arche, which was my first love. Besides this and choosing to ride my bike and sky train, as opposed to having a car, I wasn’t doing much else in terms of social justice. I was living a fairly simple life in the mountains, near the ocean, in B.C. I was trying to live ‘the dream’ but really wasn’t doing a very good job of it. With my friends’ death it became clear that I wasn’t doing all that I could be doing, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was that I wanted to be doing, or how to go about doing it.
Fast forward three and a half years later and all of a sudden I can see that I am still living that social justice life. No, it doesn’t look like how I thought it would look. In my mind it was supposed to look like me sitting at a desk, working for a non-profit, helping people, that don’t have a voice, or power, or acknowledgement in their lives. But now I see that my life of social justice is choosing to buy local, fair trade, organic. It is my choice to be a care-giver to people with mental or physical disabilities. It is my choice to spend my summer planting trees in the cut blocks of Alberta’s forestry industry, or in Canada’s tar sands. It is in my choice to go back to school for acupuncture, and bring that medicine to those who cannot afford it or do not have access to it. It is in my choice to keep reading, learning, and finding alternatives in everyday life. To keep living that dream, the social justice dream, and, not to sound too corny, to make that the reality.
I will explain. I believe I mentioned in some earlier posts about a restaurant here in town called Millets of Mewar, or as I am now calling them M.O.M. My first attraction to the restaurant was the gluten-free options they advertised. My second attraction was that they offered mineral water bottle refills. A great option as it costs me less, but also reduces waste of plastic water bottles. My third attraction was the sustainable walks they do in town. Showcasing the reuse of materials and local resources. Very different from the mainstream tourist industry of bedazzled shoulder bags, carved elephants, and other artisan items. In speaking with the owners of M.O.M they also promote biodiversity, using alternate grains such as Millet and Amaranth. Not only wheat and rice, although they use these grains in their restaurant as well.
I regularly frequent this restaurant as not only do they promote so many different facets of social justice, but they also have delicious food. One evening I was there early; journaling before my friend was to arrive. One of the co-owners, Anoop (the name of a very good friend of mine in Ontario), approached me for some feedback about the restaurant. I gave him my thoughts and opinions about the things I liked about the restaurant. I started blathering on about my undergrad and some of the things I studied. I mentioned ‘food politics’ and the importance of bio-diversity. I also mentioned Dr.Vandana Shiva. I knew she was from India and quite an active and prominent player in terms of food politics, bio-diversity, and making food accessible to all the mouths in India. Anoop asked me “do you want to meet her?” I sat there immobile, then questioned “what?” Anoop responded “Dr.Shive has been working with us and our efforts here in the restaurant, and around the city. She is speaking in Delhi on the 15th and 16th of December. Would you like to come and meet her?” Still stunned, but a huge grin beginning to form across my face. In face I think my face become solely a smile. Eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead vanished as my smile took over it all! I finally stuttered out “uhhhh ya!!!!!” Anoop quickly sent me an email with the dates and his contact information. Fabulous. I think I was beaming for the rest of the evening.
There have been many times that I have felt that I wasted my time in my undergrad. Not so much that the information I learned isn’t valuable or relative. But that I didn’t take that information and use it in terms of a career. I have struggled with being a care-giver after my undergrad. Thinking that I should be doing something more with myself, with my gifts, my talents, my knowledge, etc. I was constantly going back and forth about what it all meant and whether or not it was important. Also weighing out the value in terms of me, the individual, but also what service I am offering the world/ human kind in a larger sense. When I would read Henry Nouwen, or Jean Vanier, I would think about what I am contributing in a larger sense and remind myself that this work was just as important as any paper I could be writing while doing my Masters degree, or any actions I could be taking working for a non-profit. It was definitely a struggle.
About three and a half years ago my dear friend and one of my role models passed away. She was heavily involved in Social justice and, it seemed, that she lived it as part of her everyday life. In her home, in her work, in her studies, in her community. In many ways she was the epitome of social justice. After she passed I remember feeling that I couldn’t let the social justice part of me die. I had to keep active in it and keep it relevant. At the time I was living in Vancouver, I was working as a care-giver for people with disabilities, although for a private company, not with L’Arche, which was my first love. Besides this and choosing to ride my bike and sky train, as opposed to having a car, I wasn’t doing much else in terms of social justice. I was living a fairly simple life in the mountains, near the ocean, in B.C. I was trying to live ‘the dream’ but really wasn’t doing a very good job of it. With my friends’ death it became clear that I wasn’t doing all that I could be doing, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was that I wanted to be doing, or how to go about doing it.
Fast forward three and a half years later and all of a sudden I can see that I am still living that social justice life. No, it doesn’t look like how I thought it would look. In my mind it was supposed to look like me sitting at a desk, working for a non-profit, helping people, that don’t have a voice, or power, or acknowledgement in their lives. But now I see that my life of social justice is choosing to buy local, fair trade, organic. It is my choice to be a care-giver to people with mental or physical disabilities. It is my choice to spend my summer planting trees in the cut blocks of Alberta’s forestry industry, or in Canada’s tar sands. It is in my choice to go back to school for acupuncture, and bring that medicine to those who cannot afford it or do not have access to it. It is in my choice to keep reading, learning, and finding alternatives in everyday life. To keep living that dream, the social justice dream, and, not to sound too corny, to make that the reality.
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