JB in Delhi!

Yes, I am wearing leggings. Let the mockery begin.

Today is my second day in Delhi and most of my time has been spent trying to figure out exactly where I am. I got in Wednesday at midnight, and have already spent approximately 3 hours wandering around lost trying to get to and from work. I have also paid about 5 times the going rate for a bike rickshaw several times, once I hit the point where I admit I am lost and need help. I've been overpaying because I am clearly white, unprepared to haggle in Hindi, and I didn’t have small bills yet. My experience so far is exactly what I was told it would be by former PHRGE fellows and the guide books, so I try not to get upset when the driver stops to ask for directions or claims he cannot give me any change.

Once I get a better grasp of the city, I am hoping to walk to work in the morning when it’s daylight and to take some combination of rickshaws and/or the metro on the way home. I usually love finding my own way, but google maps doesn’t work because there are a million small winding roads and no street signs.

It’s a crazy, noisy city, but I feel quite safe walking around, or at least, safer than I expected to feel. People do stare, and I’ve encountered one persistent beggar woman, but mostly I am walking through neighborhoods and a few parks. The streets are crowded with cars, motorized 3 wheeled autos, bike rickshaws, motorcycles, and bicyclists, so most of my energy is spent watching where I walk and occasionally dashing across the street.

This is a very dull post about transportation and getting lost, and I hope to have something exciting to write about next time. I wanted to let everyone know that I’m alive and well, and getting lost is pretty much all that has happened to me so far. I did get a few assignments at work today and I will be doing research on sterilization and late term abortion when there are significant birth defects in the next month. It looks like I will be traveling to Uttakarhand, a state that borders Nepal and China, next week for a few days for a fact-finding.

I have work tomorrow :( as most Indian offices work a half day on Saturday. I am planning to have dinner with colleagues on Saturday night, and perhaps go to a soccer tournament on Sunday that I learned about from an expat listserv. The next post should be more interesting.

In the meantime, you can reach me through email and skype (Julia.butner). I am 10.5 hours ahead of the east coast. I also have a cell phone here, so if anyone has vonage (17 cents/minute to India) or a similar calling card and wants to talk by phone, let me know.

JB in the DMV

I survived finals! (mostly. Still writing a few papers with late deadlines)

I had an excellent ten days in the DMV – D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. I spent most of my time in MD relaxing with my mom and Justin. I got to see a lot of wonderful people at a party my mom threw for me on Sunday and then at my sister’s house on Thanksgiving. I usually see my dad’s side of the family for Christmas and I will be missing that this year, so this was a great opportunity to see them for a pre-Thanksgiving party. We had BIG Thanksgiving with 35 people, which is actually on the low side for my family, and my sister was an excellent host. Isabelle, despite her nickname, did NOT get into any turkey this year!

I got to say goodbye to some good friends my last night in DC at RFD, and now I’m sitting at Dulles about to head off on this amazing adventure. I am so grateful for everyone that came over to say goodbye and good luck, and I am headed to India with these wonderful gifts in my bag!

Thank you!

I will try to do weekly updates on here, and please comment so that I know people are actually reading it! I should have wifi and will post once I’m set up to do skype. I will be 10.5 hours ahead in the mysterious subcontinent.

Cow Countdown

In India, the cow is considered sacred and not delicious. Supposedly it walks the streets unhampered, but I've yet to see any pictures of cows in Delhi.

I've been joking that I want to eat an entire cow before I go to India. I finally looked up the stats, and a cow can make between 300 and 1200 burgers, depending if you use all the parts. Soooo, that's not happening.

 Here's my burger countdown before I go:

11/8
Mass Ave Tavern: California Burger
Avocado, tomato, bacon, swiss

11/15
Grass Fed: Cali Burger
5 oz grassfed beef with avocado, pepper jack cheese, mesclun, shaved red onion & cilantro-lime aioli
  
11/26
RFD: Brew Burger
A half pound of Angus beef marinated in black lager with lettuce, tomato, and pickle on a Kaiser bun. With Gouda cheese and fries on the side

For anyone surprised that I'm forsaking my normal favorite foods, don't worry. I still have a case of Peter Pan Low Fat Crunchy Peanut Butter at home and I will be bringing a few jars to India. I planned to eat more than three burgers, but lots of Thanksgiving and family party leftovers got in the way.

12 days left

It's November 5th. A week and a half left.

• One final tomorrow night, I'm performing a cross-examination in a trial in Family Law Litigation Practicum.
• A presentation on Thursday for International Health Law (I sort of have a topic, I just have to outline it, research, create a 30 minute presentation, and turn it into a 10-15 page paper due Nov 16).
• A final paper for Juvenile Courts due Friday, Nov 16
• A final paper for Pro Res due Monday, Nov 19
• A final paper for Crash due Friday, Nov 30

Notice a theme? Final papers. Not my thing, I'm much more of an exam person, but unfortunately it's what all my professors chose this quarter.

On a positive note, today's Juvenile Courts class today turned into a brief review discussion and a field trip next door. LALSA (latin american law students association) had asked Judge Borenstein (who I had last fall for evidence) to have a talk on "Blind Justice" and Judge Blitzman, my Juv Cts prof, thought it would be a good discussion for us to join. So instead of class, we had an hour+ of the two Judge B's talking about being public defenders and being judges, and fighting for kids and minorities and poor people and women and people of color. They may have been two old(er) white guys, but the way they look at the law gives me faith in our system. Some of my best professors - these two plus Judge Carol Ball - have been judges by day and adjuncts professors at night, and I'm pretty lucky to hear from people with so much experience.

I'm going to start posting more often - hopefully once a week or so - because I'll be headed to INDIA in 22 days!