Expressive Arts Therapy

     Last Sunday John and I attended a workshop run by my friend Veda.  Veda is currently pursuing a masters degree in expressive arts therapy and occasionally runs workshops for both children and adults.  The workshops aim to "promote the freedom of expression through artistic modalities" and strengthen the idea that "by identifying where one stands in life through self expression, one can objectify their stance and work towards betterment or progress."  The workshop was a little more than 5 hours and full of interesting activities that centered around movement, drawing, language, and relationships.  The workshop was a joy for several reasons, but mostly because it provided a safe environment to participate in- everyone was there for the same reason, and everyone at least tried to withhold judgement and set hang-ups aside.  We were free to be as silly and open as we would allow ourselves.
     One activity, in particular, I enjoyed the most, and it centered around our relationships with our families- whatever the word "family" might mean to each individual.  Veda dumped out several bags of small toys, figurines, flowers, leaves, clay, tissue paper, etc., and told us all to gather up whatever we wanted and then to create a representation of our families with it- not to think too much about it or try to analyze before creating, but just to play with the different materials until we created something that related to our idea of family.  This is what I came up with:

Unfortunately, it's hard to see, but I'll try to explain:
The purple mass on the left represents Kentucky where most of my immediate family is, or at least where I consider everyone to be in the sense of "home."  The purple mass on the right is wherever I am that isn't Kentucky- here crudely represented as a hot air balloon.  Standing in the hot air balloon is a small female figurine that is me and to my left, a bull which represents John, as we are currently together physically, in India, and also in the grander sense, emotionally, right now in life.  On the purple KY mass is a figure for each of my 4 parents and 5 siblings, all in a circle facing each other because they are all interconnected and apart of each others' lives.  In the family circle there is a big horse, a little horse, a turkey, a mallard, a goose, a piglet, a big dog, a small dog, and a donkey.  Now I will leave it to question who in my wonderful family was assigned to which animal- it is important to note, however, that I was working with the animals (all farm, of course) which I just happened to grab at the start of the exercise, so too much should not be read into it!  (Also it should be noted that, of course, my family extends far beyond these main players to all of my extended family and friends, whom I am eternally grateful for- there were only so many farm animals!)  The yellow flowers that are between John and I on the ballon and in the family circle represent the friendship amongst all of us; I felt that was particularly important to depict because I have an uncommonly fortunate circumstance in which I can say there is great friendship that extends across the usual boundaries in my family.  The silver tinsel that is strewn in an arc between the two masses represents the technology that allows me to remain close and connected with my family even though at times I feel very far away.  If it weren't for those modern amenities, I'm not sure how easily or comfortably I could live my life with the freedom of travel and distance.  The red flower and silly clay heart are simply the love that exists and which I am eternally grateful for.
     I realize all of this might be a bit sentimental for many of those who know me well (cue silly clay heart) but I really enjoyed this activity and wanted to share it with those involved without their knowledge.  It occurred to me after the workshop that the reason I enjoyed this activity in particular so much was because it allowed me to reflect on my family in a joyful, creative, and seemingly-inconsequential way; it was simply fun play that wasn't given too much thought, and because I miss my family and friends (of course) it was a pleasure to unexpectedly have that opportunity and to realized the deeper implications afterwards (all of which were very positive).
     So thanks to my family and the friends who are very much my family.  I had a wonderful moment thinking of you and it brought me great joy.  I miss and love you all very much!

Time to get out of Delhi!

     How nice it is to get out of the city, even for a day.  On Saturday, John and I went to Chandigarh with Justine, a woman I met through an expat network who is new to Delhi.  Justine and I originally connected when I posted on yuni-net looking for anyone who might be interested in traveling with me to Rishikesh for the ashram.  As it turns out, she's a fantastic gal, originally from Tennessee, who lived in New York for a bit and then Barcelona for the last 4 years.  Since she has just arrived, we invited her to brave the train with us (all of our first experience) and trek north to Chandigarh for the day.
     Chandigarh is one of the few Indian cities to be planned out by an architect, and a french one at that.  The architect LeCorbusier gave Chandigarh a grid design with broad avenues and a sense of order not often found in other cities.  It is also exceptionally green and clean, and the plans also included a large artificial lake complete with paddle boats.
     The main reason to go to Chandigarh, however, is the Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden- a 25 acre rock/sculpture "garden" that is like falling down the rabbit hole into the fantasy land of Mr. Chand's mind.  It's genesis in incredible- following India's independence, many refugees were flooding across the borders and villages were cleared in the construction of new towns, including Chandigarh.  Nek Chand saw the amount of waste generated and hauled the matter back to his village home where he turned it into sculpture.  Eventually he had tens of thousands of forms made, sprawling into secretly sculpted spaces, that were, as it turns out, illegally occupying government land.  When it was all discovered, 15 years after it was started, it was almost demolished until the local council recognized the garden as a culture asset.  Chand was given 50 laborers and salary to devote himself to the project.  What remains is an exceptional hideaway from time and reality that cannot really be conveyed through words...

     After the winding, lush land of Nek Chand, we grabbed a bite and then headed to the lake for a bit of paddle-boating.  A fantastic afternoon to enjoy the lakeside promenade and a spin in a quite ancient paddle boat shaped like a dragon.

     This trip was Justine's first experience having her picture taken with locals- an odd phenomenon considering how many tourists (many of them fair) there must be, and yet it never ceases, especially at tourist sites.  I've had the pleasure/inconvenience (depending on how you look at it) of having my picture take with a family of 15, and then individually with each family member!  It is somewhat baffling to think of how many stranger's have a photo with their arm around me- a proud moment, to be sure!

A very cultural weekend!

     This past weekend was an amazing one and a good thing too because John is off again for a week to Uganda!  On Friday the kids from Very Special Arts participated in a dance competition with other kids from special needs schools and programs around Delhi at the India International Center.  There were 17 different groups of kids with various disabilities performing, and they were so wonderful!  They had amazing costumes and some had story lines and speeches about their dances; all of the kids seemed thrilled to be apart of the competition, and worked very hard on the performances.  It was wonderful for me to be another face there supporting them.

     Determined to take full advantage of the weekend before John left, we decided to check out the Grand Hotel on Friday night.  The Grand is a large, somewhat opulent, hotel right by our house; apparently it used to be quite popular, but after a large fire a year ago and a somewhat strange and hidden location, it's tide has turned and often sits empty.  We had heard, however, that they have a lovely bar and an even better pool, so we thought it best to check it out for ourselves and at least have a cocktail.  Well- we had no idea what we were walking in to!  As we approached on foot, we saw tons of cars lining the service road leading up to The Grand, and then saw the massive colored lights and banners exclaiming that Men's Fashion Week was being held there at the moment.  We walked in, suddenly standing up a bit straighter and looking a bit more entitled, and breezed past reception to the lounges, several of which were set up promoting different libations.  We were promptly given wrist bands and drinks while people asked to take our picture.  Assuming we could be someone important, we gave no indication otherwise and thoroughly enjoyed our free drinks before heading to the hall where the runway was set up and an impromptu dance party gathering.  We jumped up on stage and shimmied with people who clearly were "important" and gawked at ourselves and our luck.  Stuffed on passed hors d'oeuvres, free wine, and camera flashes, we headed home, quite pleased with ourselves and looking forward to a Saturday.

     Saturday did not disappoint.  After a leisurely morning, we went first to the Indira Ghandi Museum, housed in her former residence.  It has photos, artifacts, personal belongings, and newspaper clippings detailing her life until her assassination in 1984.  From there we walked to Ghandi Smriti- the Mahatma Ghandi memorial, a fairly large estate that includes a museum, his prayer spot, and a martyr column on the spot where he died, after having been shot by a religious zealot in 1948.  The grounds were beautiful and included an impressive statue of Ghandi with children, pavilion, and a World Peace Gong.

    From the memorial, we headed to one of our favorite cheap, Southern Indian eateries at Connaught Place before going over the the Park Hotel, where I had read there was a dance company from New York performing.  Five years ago the Park Hotel started the the Park's New Festival- a performing arts festival all over India, beginning in Delhi.  On Saturday night the Parijat Desai Dance Company from New York performed, blending Indian classical and Western contemporary styles in 2 amazing pieces.  The venue in the Park Hotel was beautiful though quite small, and once again we found ourselves warmly greeted by camera flashes, food, and cocktails!  How we were so lucky to stumble upon two such great events in one weekend, I have no idea.  Granted, I had read about the performance in a magazine, but was shocked that there weren't more people there, especially considering the nature of the event- that being artistically amazing, catered, and FREE.

     The only detractor from such a fantastic day/night was rushing home to get John packed and on a plane to Uganda.  This week I busy myself with yoga, the sweet kids at VSA, a gallery show, and Hindi lessons (gulp), but I look forward to another wonderful weekend, stumbling around Delhi into the most wonderful places.