11 years of freedom.

Mid-September, Freeset celebrated its eleventh birthday, which is truly an amazing thing - for 11 years, this business has been working for the freedom of women who have been trafficked, exploited, and sold into the sex trade.

11 years of community.

11 years of providing women with a choice.

11 years of returning dignity to those who have been abused.

11 years of working towards breaking the cycle of the roles passing from grandmother, to mother, to daughter.

11 years of a reason to smile.

Daily I remind myself just how lucky I am, that I have been given this opportunity to work alongside the most incredible people, both the women Freeset hires, and the close-knit group of international staff.

To be around a group of people who have been called from the corners of the earth by God, who have sacrificed years of their time, money, and skills, is really quite inspirational.

Not only am I blessed to be here, but when I have lived in an environment that is an assault to the senses, I really begin to be thankful for the privileges I have back home in New Zealand... I could list the differences in the quality of life back home in comparison to here, but each is on a completely separate scale. It is easier to just acknowledge these differences, and understand that the society of the life we all live today is the way it is, and there is no immediate 'fix'... which is why we are working towards freedom, for a greater quality and equality of life, and for His love to enter the homes of the oppressed and voiceless.

This is why Freeset is still 11 years young, and will continue to fight for the freedom of the women our hearts have been captured by.

Here are some photos of the celebrations that took place at Freeset - colours, sarees, music, dancing, and plenty of food! Initially the music + dancing side of things wasn't going to happen as we felt that it might be too soon after Shanti's sudden death (two weeks), but in the end it was decided that the women needed something to enjoy and be happy about - a chance to celebrate their freedom.

x

New Market

Emmas chickpea lunch - mmm.

I love how everything is overly decorated, wherever you go.

People watching from our lunch table.

My dosa that I had - 37 rupees! (About 90 cents in NZ). So yum, and it had this amazing potato filling.

And finally, my first experience in a fabric store!!! Ahhhh! Look how amazing these are! Can you tell I am excited? I bought the one you can see in the very top right corner (most of it is cropped out). It was only 60 rupees, so about $1.45.

When you come into some of these shops, they give you chai in little clay cups that you just throw away. It is cheaper for them to use clay instead of paper or polystyrene.

The fabric shop!

Looking down one of the many alleyways in New Market.

And dinner last night was at an Itallian restaurant, and we had pizza, which cost around 400INR which is about $10 NZD.

So yesterday was a busy day, work finished at 2pm, and Judy and I went on the Metro (i.e. standing way too close for comfort up against men who stare at you) to meet Emma for lunch, before heading to New Market to do a bit of shopping. 

New Market is like a bazaar where you can buy many Western items, like food, clothes, items etc. We went so we could buy things like peanut butter, toilet paper and so on. I also really wanted to buy a scarf to wear around, as my first fabric purchase, so Emma took us to the shop above that you see, and the guy was so lovely! I am definitely going to go back there.

We headed back home after we became too tired, but the Metro we wanted didn't turn up. It is not uncommon that someone will throw themselves in front of the trains... So instead we got a taxi, who turned his meter off, much to Emma's frustration, and said we had to pay 90 rupees instead of what should have been about 50 if he had kept it on.

We eventually made it home, and then myself, Gabs, Judy, Nate, Justin and Pip went out for dinner. (It is Gabs' last week in India, hence all of the going out all of the time). It was really nice, but I was super tired.

On the metro home, Gabs and I were discussing men that harass girls, and told me what she tells them if they do to her (I won't repeat it on here, but it is pretty colourful). So funny! On the train we rode in the women's carriage, which was so much nicer.

I am not feeling 100% today, getting a bit of a headache. I think it is just because it has been a busy week, but guess what?? I have made it through my first week in Kolkata!!

And yes, many of my posts do include photos of food - and you will probably have to put up with seeing that for a while, until it all becomes normal for me... the food and the way they present things here is so amazing, I just have to document it!

I'm not missing home too much yet, but I do miss the familiar faces now and then.

Much love.

x

Destination #3: Pune, Maharastra

I received some very exciting news today. Although apparently Mark Smith (my go-to person at Interserve - such an amazing help!) thinks that it was going to be taken as an inconvenience on my part... he emailed me today to say that I have to go to a compulsory orientation in March, in Puna, Maharastra. But I couldn't be any more excited! To have to visit this amazing city of 3.4 million people (almost NZ in one location!) is not going to produce one inch of a complaint!

So thank you Mark!! :)

Wooo! Now check out its amazingness:

And there it is (A)! On the Western side of India from where I will be (West Bengal on the map).

Source 

Source

Source
Oh my gosh... look how beautiful that walk would be - this is about 35km South of Puna, and the 19km walk takes you to Rajgarh Fort.

Source
It could almost pass off as a LOTRs type scene in New Zealand!

Source
I have a small thing for the trains of India - there is so much history to them!

Source

Yum yum yum! Kebabs! Whenever I eat these in India, I will always think of Larissa and Lyd!

Source
Mmmm this looks amazing, whatever it is. All I know is that I can buy it in Puna. And that I am going to hunt it down. And then consume its apparent yumminess.

Source
As always, I am in love with the colours. And I especially love the look of the worn-out paint. Adds so much character.

Source
What can I say? I am excited for all the new foods in India! It will be like I am weaned from milk for the second time in my life and trying a whole new range of tastes and textures.

Source
Apparently this is a library. Why can't libraries be like this in New Zealand?!

Source
Right. I am so sorted. One of my favourite forms of dance in one of my favourite countries. Someone pinch me. But at the same time don't.

Everyone get excited with me!

x

A few thoughts.

Today I had the 'pleasure' of getting my first round of vaccinations in preparation for India. I received a typhoid/hep-A and a Polio vaccine, one in each arm, so I went and bought myself some food to console myself afterwards haha. I am just waiting now to see whether I will get the common side-effects of nausea and a fever...

So right now I am really on the inspiration buzzzzzz, and here are some images that are getting me on that high!!:

I like to think that I take most opportunities to have a bit of a peep outside of the box, to stick my head through the top and have a quick look. Sometimes I need to just clamber on out and jump away from the box altogether.

I love this image. I have seen a few like this, and I just love how it inspires me - when I am in India, I really want to make a scrap-book or just some way of collecting different photographs/items/notes etc. You can see more here.

I so want to see this movie! It is called 'Hanna', and it has the lovely actress Saoirse Ronan (also in The Lovely Bones  and Atonement).

I love these collages by Ashlie Chavez. It makes me want to pick up an old magazine and hack away!

When I one day have my own space, I really want to have just that. Space. I want to live in a large, open studio area, and have awesome clothes hangers like above, with inspirational quotes on the walls in large type.
Image found here.

And this image is just too awesome to ignore! I so want to do this with some of the old encyclopedias I have at home some day.
Image found here.

x

Yummmmmmm.

Vegan Nutella.

This looks too amazing.

Find the recipe here on Food Coma.

Mmmm Mmm.