#WednesdayWomen Nenneh--Yekepa, Liberia

#RevolutionaryHeroes #SanctuaryCities

I never noticed this poster, located next to the entrance of the hardware store on my corner. That is until just after the 2016 election. How long had it been there? I was also blissfully ignorant of the fact that New York is a sanctuary city. In fact, I was embarrassingly ignorant of the term Sanctuary City. President-elect Donald Trump changed all of that for me.

I’ve lived in my neighborhood for a very long time—so long that I don’t care to put a number to it. When I first moved here, the corner store sold clothing then it sold falafel then it was a video rental place (that also traded in heroin, oops) then it became the hardware store. In the many years that the hardware store has been there, I can’t tell you how many lightbulbs I’ve purchased there, keys I’ve had made, people I’ve directed to shop there. I also can’t tell you the original country where the proprietor and his employees come from.

Part of the reason is that it is really none of my business. Another part is that it’s not something I actively consider when interacting with my fellow New Yorkers. What does it matter if they’re from Ohio or Ontario, Syracuse or Syria? That’s all changed now. Now I’m embarrassed that I don’t know which country my neighbors hail from. Were they themselves refugees? Do they employee refugees as they resettle into what must be a very foreign, but I’d like to think friendly, new environment? Is that selfish of me—or respectful?

This is what I do know. I went to get a key made (see above) and suddenly a song I love came on. The problem was that since I’m not a millennial (or younger) I had failed miserably in my efforts to identify the artist. When the hum of the key grinder finally subdued, I asked the 20-something, vaguely Middle Eastern-looking kid behind the counter the name of the guy who sang my song. Of course, he knew. He is a young American.

There’s no place like home

That’s true if, like me, you live in New York City! (I know, such a snob.) But already, I’m getting ahead of myself.

You’re probably thinking that since I stopped sharing my adventures--oh too many years ago to really want to count—that there has been a lack of adventure in my life. Au contraire! Although you wouldn’t know it to look at this blog, I’ve been to Uganda, New Zealand, China—several times, Liberia, Egypt. The list goes on and on. Maybe I’ll tell you about it some time. Are you kidding? Of course, I will. Just you wait and see.

I’ve been thinking about picking up where I left off for quite a long time. I meant to do it yesterday—New Year’s Day—but that felt so cliché. Alright, I’m lying already AND you caught me. I had quite a bit of holiday season this year. I needed one more recovery day. Again you catch me! Ok, make that two recovery days.

In the meantime, let me leave you with this image that says the morning after like no other. Happy New Year!

This is the end?!?

Yes, can you believe it? My travels (and work, because honestly that’s what allowed my fantastic journeys—thank you MSF!) have come to an end. It has been such a great time and I thank you all for sharing it with me. I know that several of you have tried to send me comments and somehow they have not come through. Drop a line at your convenience: mrellim99@yahoo.com

I wish you all the best!!!!

Maureen

She knows one thing more than the devil

An old Italian proverb to describe one who does something when all others question her sanity and not only does she turn out to be right, the thing turns out to be amazing. Yes folks, I am that devil. After the long slog to Agra to see the Taj Mahal (ho-hum another shiny white tribute to that emperor of the universe Shah Jahan), I made an executive decision. Once I arrived in Udaipur, city on the lake, I would not be moving. Nope. I was NOT going to go traipsing around Rajasthan as planned. Rather, I would set myself up in some old decaying castle and explore my environs from there, since public transportation is not quite what it should be in this part of the world—even the pricy and just as unreliable first class option.

I have to say that this devil is having a BLAST shopping and strolling through castles and temples and marketplaces. When I compared notes with more ambitious travelers, all agreed that Udaipur was probably the best and most relaxing place to be ‘stuck.’ Udaipur or bust. I’m glad I went for it.

Octopussy

Did you know that Octopussy—the absolute WORST James Bond 007 film ever!—was made in Udaipur—and East Berlin, but that no longer exists. To commemorate this famed event, there are daily showings, everywhere!!! Since it was so difficult to avoid, I finally succumbed and went on to some rooftop, curled up with some Indian food and a blanket and watched this awful film to the backdrop of the spectacularly lit castles and havelis that constitute the city of Udaipur. Quite honestly, not much has changed in this town since they made that film in 1980.

The Udaipur County Fair

Who knew they had these kinds of things in India? Four of us squeezed ourselves into one of those tiny green and yellow auto rickshaws that are built for two but I’ve seen hold as many as seven—plus the driver. We took a fantastic tour around first one lake and then another with floating water castles gleaming whitely under a perfect blue sky on our way to the unpromisingly named town of Shilpgram Utsav. Say that three times fast. And what to my wondering eyes should appear but my first Indian drag queen! Yes, indeedy, I did a double take to determine if it could really be true. Not only was there one drag queen, there were two! And a handsome fellow with the ubiquitous Rajasthani mustache being strapped into a horse outfit. These three twirled their little hearts out. Ok, not quite grandma’s county fair.

The place was filled with vendors selling typical arts and crafts of the region, and occasionally plastic goods from China, which seemed to be quite popular. Once I saw a wandering Genghis Khan I knew I was in the right place. The day’s festivities culminated in traditional performances from every province in India. My personal favorite was the ecstatic trance dancers from Manipur. I don’t think I need to say more on that topic…