Iftar in South Mumbai

One of the amazing elements of life here in Mumbai is the array of religious activities that you can witness, marvel at, and take part in.  Last night Jordan, Waciuma and I went downtown to Mohammed Ali Road to eat alongside thousands of other Muslims as they break their fast.  It is a traditional area for families from all walks of life to come together and eat.  Like many of our experiences here, it is tough to fully describe the scene due the overwhelming array of smells, sounds, and people.

hanging kebabs ready for action

Upon arriving by train at Masjid Station around 6:30pm, we, in true Mumbai fashion, quickly got out our phones to figure out where to walk to and made our way for a short 15min walk through the neighborhood.  The streets were packed with delivery trucks, workers hurrying home for dinner, goats tied up, people were buying clothes and shoes and Islamic prayer DVD's and in general, the noise was growing.  As the large Mosque came into view we came upon the food stalls, first veg/fruit vendors, and then the shawarma stands.

Kashmiri Sharbat -- yes, I braved the ice cubes

Inside the Mosque rows of men waited patiently with freshly cut fruit in front of him.  Outside, right on the street, tarps has been laid down and rows of women and girls sat cross-legged across from each other with fresh fruit scattered between.  It was so crowded, we kept getting pushed close to the hot fires of the street vendors.  Again, the noise crescendoed.

Women seated on the street waiting for the Iftar to begin

At exactly 7:09pm with fresh shawarmas in hand, we heard the call to prayer from the gigantic speakers on the minarets and immediately everyone dug in to their food.  The next fifteen minutes were almost silent -- everyone just sat back and enjoyed the moment.  It was pretty surreal to observer several thousand people cramped into a small space with such a small volume.

Jordan contemplates the samosa and samosa-like egg rolls

Then the crowd grew as everyone moved through to get to other food stalls.  We tried several dishes, mostly fried food so the evening resembled a sort of Islamic State Fair.

We chose not to eat Brain Masala -- but I couldn't resist this shot with the chef

Our stomachs full, we ended up walking to Victoria Terminus due to the overwhelming crowds at Masjid Station to take the train back to Bandra.  It was a cool evening with a festive atmosphere and a perfect night out on the town.

I dare someone to find a better looking train station anywhere else

Diamonds in the Rough

Well, we are back in India and have entered a rather chaotic world of construction on both campuses. Despite the enthusiasm for the new buildings and all the amazing things we will eventually be able to do, there has been a lot of stress and frustration surrounding the whole thing as we as a staff try to get ready for school all while still in very active construction zones.

There have been many moments when I look around and wonder why in world are we there- we're just in the way of the contractors and there's not much we can really do until they are done. After an hour of having our boxes moved at least close to where the music room is and thinking that they were out of the way against a wall than no sooner had the painters come needing access to that wall, and as we're trying to unpack there are guys coming in and out of my room to finish installing lights, outlets, finishing carpentry for the pillars, working on the windows, and prep work to install the glass walls that are supposed to separate the music room from the rest of the floor... Not to mention that there have been a few moments when I've caught myself wondering, is it really all that safe for me to be here. All the while trying really hard to not be too disappointed in the fact that after months last year of trying to do everything I could to help plan this new music room, that NOTHING save one detail was actually done as talked about.

There have been a crew of Indian men working in the school, hired to be the heavy lifters and cleaners and other odd jobs that need to get done. The first couple days I felt a little awkward as I couldn't communicate directly with the men assigned to our floor, especially as they were having to do all the moving of these huge and heavy boxes. Not to mention that it is Ramzan right now so any of them that are Muslim are fasting, including no water, throughout the day. By the third day with translation help from my teaching partner, Naveen, we were able to build a little of a relationship. Today we were unpacking some of the boxes they had to move the days before and they were curious  about all the instruments and materials. We told them to give them a try and they were THRILLED. Each box was like opening a new surprise. We found a random sticker book of instruments and they were looking at them, so, I gave one to one of the guys and motioned to all of them to take one and they proceeded to put stickers all over themselves and one another, giggling the whole time. They didn't want to leave us the rest of the day. I asked if I could take a photo and they were so surprised that someone would want their photo- the started fixing their hair and smoothing out their shirts.

So, even though I'm still missing all of the cabinetry (which was just plain forgotten), whiteboards, sound system, projection system, and even WALLS before we start next week, leaving each day with a headache from the paint and tar fumes and covered in white construction dust, I know that this will eventually turn into an amazing space for making music with kids, and best of all, having achieved it with the help of my diamonds on the rough.

PS- my other favorite part of this last photo is the ASB driver in the background giving the drums a try. Doesn't matter who you are or how old you are, the music room is filled with fun things for all.