December 2012 update

The last two weeks have been busy. Started with oudercontacts (Parents Teacher meetings) for both the girls. Both went off ok. For lil G the teacher mentioned that she is not able to pronounce 'r' and suggested that  we get this checked. Of course, the husband squarely has put the blame on me, since she fell down on her head in my care. I will continue to bear the cross for heaven knows how long. Big G is doing well. Got to see her writing in school, and it was so neat and proper, almost like a stranger's. It's only off late that she is writing short paras at home and then it's not her best and neatest attempts. Hates to be corrected on spelling, punctuation, etc. She is a bit conscious of speaking up in class and I need to work on encouraging her to speak her mind, inspite of. I really don't want either of my girls turning out to be anything like me (read timid and proper).

And then were exams, eek, language exams. How I hate anything to do with exams! And of course language is not like Maths, no formulae, no right or wrong. There is sentence structure and conjugations and verb forms etc and then there is this oh, but that construct is for the next level, so for now only speak this/write this, etc. Language with limitations is frustrating, also that you want to say so much but you can't seem to find the words to say it. Faced it when my classmate said she has lost her parents in the genocide in Rwanda and what could I tell her, only desolee (sorry)! So really, when is it that you really speak a language well.

Did well in the Dutch exams, French was comme ci comme ca. For the oral, I managed to convey that one day I wanted to meet Narendra Modi, how he has won the Gujarat state election 3-terms-standing, how he is hailed as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate, etc and my desire to work for my country in field of education, social development. But even to myself I acknowledge the need to work a lot on this language. I am already re-evaluating my stand on taking a break with languages. Since I have not been able to land a job I might as well put my time to use.

So far, we have been very unlucky with regards to Christmas markets here. Normally at this time, we are in India, so we've never seen the much talked about Christmas markets. Yesterday again, our plans did not materialise as it was raining and it's no fun to step out with kids in such a weather. Keeping fingers crossed!

News from back home is so bleak and shocking. News of rapes and abuse on a daily basis. How much more debased can men get? What are our politicians doing, isn't public security amongst one of the many empty and insincere promises in their election manifestos. Why do we keep electing the wrong people? Of course, one could well argue it is not something even an able politician/administrator can stop but should we not at least give promising and proven candidates a chance. Why are we fighting elections on the basis of religion? Isn't it a personal issue. Ladies, can you say that the men you know would not subject to such gross and demeaning acts, despite/lack of  provocation, we are talking about force here? These are questions we have to ask ourselves.

I am following the news on the protests for the last 2 days and the scenario is so like a party for all - genuine protestors, biased and conflicting reports from media, absence of decision making politicians, infiltrators from  political parties, and then the antics of the Delhi Police! I know of someone who has even taken his 4-year old daughter in the protest march. I personally don't see a policy change as a solution, change has to come from each one of us - men and women alike, how men treat women and women with their acceptance levels. Both easier said than done.

I don't have more to say on this, there is this sense of ennui which I am fighting with, have not even been able to bring myself to bake a fruit cake for the end of the year. Some of the moving and thought-provoking stuff I have read in the aftermath of the Delhi rape case -

1. A moving ode to the reality of being born a woman by Jas of goingbeyongthepages.wordpress.com.

2. Dr. Madhumita Chakraborty argues that it is not the law, but that our mindset which needs to be changed. Read more here.

3. An article in the WSJ by a single woman in Delhi, Medha Chaturvedi.

4. On the need for policy reforms, by Tavleen Singh

5. The number of times we have allowed to live ourselves to a different set of rules as against our brothers, husband, sons. What, this happens everyday, but has to change. Ziggzackly sums it up brilliantly. 

6. Looking at rape from the P.O.V. of economics by Vivek Dehejia