Mumbai, India

Last week I was given an amazing opportunity to attend a 4 day conference at the American School of Bombay.   It was an amazing conference that had a focus on the future of education and how we can lead these changes in our own schools.

However, this blog post is dedicated to Mumbai and I will do another  post on what I learned at the conference.  Most days we were at the school from 8-5 but we were able to have a few adventures.

Mumbai India is a city with 12.4 million people and you notice this immediately.  The streets are noisy and crowded with cars, motorcycles, tuk tuks, people, goats, dogs, and even cows.  I am thankful I did not have to drive in this city.  The taxi from the airport drove by the city dump which had dozens of children sorting through the trash.  One little boy was squatting and pooping as he was digging.  Heartbreaking and makes one thankful of where they were born.

It is difficult to not notice the poverty.  I have seen poverty in many places around the world but never like I saw in Mumbai.  Maybe it is because the upper, middle, lower, and even lower class are all mixed together.  The city is not divided into sections.  You can be looking at a millionaire's home and then two blocks later you see a slum.  Or maybe , it is because Mumbai has poverty unlike anywhere else I have traveled.

There are many slums in Mumbai, which are usually the heart of the factories that make products for the world.  I am told you can find clothing that is headed to fancy stores in the U.S. being made right in the center of these enormous slums.  I was also told that many of the factory owners are quite wealthy but live in the slums to be close to their factories.

Here are a few pictures:

This place does laundry from all around Mumbai.  It is 7 acres!  There are huge vats of hot water and then the colder water rinse.  People that work here can be on contracts or just show up in the morning to see if there is any work.  This was a crazy, busy place! 

Ghandi's home.  I think he must have rented just a room because he was a person that lived quite simply. 

Gateway to India.  

A common scene. 

Tuk Tuk driving!

No matter where I am in the world I can always find a Starbucks.  Sometimes it is so comforting to see this sign.  Home....

Shopping in a market. You can find some great deals. 

There are broken cars everywhere.  These cars seemed to be stripped of every piece inside and recycled into something else. 

This market was the craziest of all.  There was no room to walk!  We made our way pushing down the aisle but did manage to buy a few items.  I really did stick out since I was the only western person in the market.  Everyone should have the opportunity to feel out of place.  It keeps one grounded.

Home Sweet Home for 5 nights.  We stayed at a very nice hotel that was walking distance from the school.

My room was on the third floor, which was the conveniently the spa floor.  The spa was open until midnight so I found myself there a few times getting Indian head massages and pedicures.  During my pedicure I was the only person in the spa so we were able to speak for 90 minutes.  I went back to my room and typed our conversation because I did not want to forget anything.  Here are my notes:

1. She went to an all girls Catholic school in Mumbai where she learned to speak English.
2. She had never left Mumbai or even explored all of Mumbai. 
3. She is hoping her parents find her a husband because she says love marriages usually end in divorce and are too complicated.  She would rather have an arranged marriage.
4. A few years ago the government closed all the brothels but then rape increased so brothels are open again.  She feels safer with brothels open.  
5. She thinks I am lucky and should be proud that I can live the lifestyle that I live.  She said it is my destiny and she is living her destiny. 
6. The slums have bathhouses that they share.  Slums also have tvs and fans.  
7. The government does not help the poor in anyway possible.  The poor have to take care of themselves.
8. Her closest friend growing up was Muslim and was married at the age of 14.  Her husband has three wives.  
9. She felt very lucky to have the job at the spa.  It paid better than most jobs.  She was paid better because she was single.  If a woman is married they are a risky hire and don't make as much money.  Employers are hesitant because a married women has to keep the household and have babies.  

I would have loved to visit with her for hours and keep learning life from her point of view.  

Craziness! 

I wonder if this is a sign for Bollywood.  

 Mumbai is a city with high security.  Our hotel had dogs, mirrors, security guards inspecting all vehicles, and our bags had to go through an xray machine.  The school had guards and metal detectors.  Each restaurant and store had some sort of metal detector.  The airport had more security than any other airport I have ever flown from.  I believe we had at least 6 inspections and the first one started on the outside of the airport.  There must be some good reasons for this level of security.

While visiting the school I  met some really nice people that call Mumbai their home.  They love their life in the city and love the amazing experience they are getting at the school.  Living in a large city is not for my family but I am glad that this city does offer a decent lifestyle for expats.

I feel my blog focuses on more of the sadness that is found in Mumbai instead of the positives.  I think that my message is that many of us are  lucky to be born in places that offer opportunities and we should not waste these opportunities.  I am also very impressed with all the people I know that were not born with opportunities but have been able to make it in life.  Those people are the true gems of the world.

While in my hotel room I caught myself watching the news quite often.  This has been something I avoided since I have moved overseas.  I watch what I feel is important and I know the American Embassy will keep me updated on anything urgent.  I can't believe how grumpy I felt after listening to the news for only 20 minutes.  This is not healthy!  Much of the news focused on my home country.  So much sadness and hate in the land of opportunity.  I try to learn a lesson about life on each trip and my lesson learned on this trip is:

I cannot do all the good the world needs.  But the world needs all the good I can do! 

Jana Stanfield

Come on America!  Please think about the world instead of me, myself, and I.  We all share this planet and we need to all get along.