The Blogging Recommences on my Personal Blog!

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

~Martin Luther King Jr.

For those of you who have enjoyed my blogging during my internship at Innopark in India, thank you for inspiring me to keep going now that I'm back in America. It is my hope that you will enjoy reading my personal blog from here on out, which I hope to continue in a similar style which I fell in love with while I was in India. I am just as proud of my experience and what I accomplished in India, if not more so, than any design project I've ever done. It was an experience that tested me, challenged me, and helped me grow into a more open minded and stronger person.

In some ways it's been very difficult to reacclimatize in US, although in different ways than was difficult in India, as I have explained briefly before, and life in suburban America never seemed so tame. Now that I've been back in America for a couple of weeks, things have settled down, I'm adjusting again, but still everything seems different. It's like life here has stayed the same, but I'm different, I see it through a different perspective. Since it's winter, even the sky is grayer and the scenery is duller, which is why every year I look forward to the spring and the new green growth it rejuvenates. The thing about coming back home is that home isn't the same, because I'm not the same, and I don't really know how to describe it any other way than that. Anyone who has gone through a transformative process of self will understand what I'm talking about, and won't need any further explanation.

And for the first time in my life, now that I'm back from India, I have no certain plans for the future. I don't have college courses starting next semester, no campus clubs and organizations I'm volunteering for, I'm graduated from college, and I've never had more freedom. I'm working on my portfolio so I can get a job, and quite frankly not having concrete plans for the first time ever scares the shi* out of me. Then there are those "expectations" to live up to and all that jazz about getting job and being successful.   It's something no one seems to want to say, but freedom can be intimidating. What I want most is to find a job that I will be happy in, and you know, make enough money to live off of and pay bills. Everyone wants to be positive and have a can do attitude, and trust me, I'm all about being positive and optimistic as much as possible, because if you don't your thoughts will eat up any enjoyment of life you may have, but it can still be hard at times.

In school, everyone wants to be out in the real world, but in the real world, sometimes you want to be back in school where reality doesn't really exist yet. Where, in my case, you regularly spend nights with your college classmates making midnight coffee runs and working on design projects until 3 am until you nearly fall asleep at your computer. Then, suddenly, upon graduation, the familiarity of life and routine disappears, and the people you've seen around the Applied Arts building for the last 4 years you wonder if you'll ever see again. What follows is generally moving in back home and job searching, true on both accounts in my case, praying to God for a job, and a good job at that, to use that expensive degree. With the economy being what it is, and the design industry always competitive, it's hard not to judge the value of our work by comparing it to others. A designer's work is our blood, sweat, and tears, literally that's what it takes, some people may think I'm being dramatic, and in a way I wish this was an exaggeration (exacto blade injuries anyone?). It is like a part of the soul visualized in colors, and shapes, and typography. It is our perspective of the world, it is a rendition of thought, it is a sort of abstract autobiography, and it's hard not to want a positive acceptance of our work, nay, dare I say it, acceptance of our soul??? And if I've learned anything as a person, as an artist, as a designer, nothing is such a hindrance or so dangerous to our well-being, to our creative livelihood, to our confidence, as doubt. If you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect others to? By this, I don't mean you should be cocky, overly cocky designers are just annoying, but retain a quiet confidence, and part of that confidence is learning how to take constructive criticism and grow from that. The best designers are the ones able to look at their work critically, humbly, and unbiased so they can make it the best it can be, and encourage others in their pursuits as well. If I could change one thing about how I designed in college, it would be to focus on being the best designer I myself could be, not compared to anyone else, focused on developing my own design style and artistic personality, and I feel like this is difficult for a lot of design students. I feel like the competitive tendencies in the classrooms sometimes stop people from helping each other out and helping each other grow, and you'll never be a good designer if you don't listen to input or give input to your fellow students, you learn so much that way.

After my experience in India, I hope I'm one step ahead in getting what I want out of life. I have never been able to write such honest thoughts for a public audience before, but something about being in India gave me the confidence I needed to do so. I hope at least somewhere out there, it has inspired someone. If you are so inclined, please feel free to peruse the blog I will be writing in from here on out, The Blog of Kelli Fox, at your leisure, and I will attempt to keep it lively and interesting, and most importantly, honest. It will also be filled with design updates and projects I'm working on or have recently finished, as well as other random things I deem blog worthy.

If you read my blog, you will know the real me, the real me that I am in real life. I would hate for someone to say, "Wow, you're a totally different person in real life than in your blog." So here's to keeping it real, folks.

Cheers,
Kelli

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."
~Sylvia Plath

'Sari' for the Pun...

"Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have." ~Steven Wright

What a busy and wonderful weekend! I believe in Hindi I would say it was 'bindaas', fantastic. Friday night I went to my very first Indian Wedding, a Hindu South Indian Wedding. It was a friend of a friend's wedding, so I tagged along and thoroughly enjoyed the new experience. This I will show in my next blog post to compile the pictures of the ceremony.

Saturday I went to a few other shops I had yet to visit, City Center and Westside, going with a colleague. Browsed selections of kurties, suits (these are dress like items in India, versus the American suit term as meaning a jacket and trousers). I learned from this friend that the term 'vest' in India means a white undershirt. I had pointed to an item that was button up and sleeveless that you wear on the outside of a dress shirt and said it was a nice vest, an American term apparently, and she started laughing and asked me if I called that a vest. Additionally, I mentioned that Americans will call speaking Spanish mixed with English 'Spanglish,' and apparently in India there is something called 'Hinglish,' a mix of English and Hindi. However, the lesser known 'Spindi', is a mix of Spanish and Hindi, which I believe is a VERY recent development in the Indian lingual system (hint hint...). In this type of language, people say things like 'Hola yaar!' and 'Como estas yaar?' and 'Kyaa hal hai, amigo/a?'

Saturday night went with a friend to Shilpa Ramam, a center to preserve traditional Telugu arts and crafts, culture and language. I saw traditional Telugu dance for the first time, unfortunately I don't have pictures, but the women were dressed in clothing styles of several hundred years ago. Brightly colored silks and fabrics, henna, jewelry, and stage make-up. I was told that it takes many years to learn this kind of dance, because it is very difficult, and every movement of the body and facial expression means something. Then I saw some traditional hand crafted goods, wood carvings, art, small statues of gods, jewelry, etc. There were some nice paths to walk around at the place, and I really love weather here at night. Everyone keeps saying how cold it's getting, but I personally think it's perfect weather, pretty similar to Minnesota weather at night in the summer. Also, because it's not the monsoon season anymore, the weather is much drier.

Sunday I wore a sari for the first time. I borrowed it and had help wrapping it by the auntie at my hostel. It's quite a difficult garment to wear, every movement is a very conscious one with all of the folds of fabric. It takes practice to walk and carry it. The sari I wore was a very elegant one, and is featured below. I wore this for a lunch outing at a community gathering sort of event.

Sunday night took my first boat ride with a friend on the lake Hussain Sagar to the Buddha statue in the middle of the lake, also featured below.

First experience in a sari. It is a very elegant feeling wearing a sari, but also takes a good deal of skill to make any sort of movement.

Process of tying the sari, with help from the Auntie.

Just another pic of very typical day to day Indian wear. 

My new 'slippers,' or sandals as they would be called in America.

This bike is how I've been getting to and from work. I like to think I'm just a little bit badass. 

This outfit I wore to the wedding with a dupatta (not shown here). It is a patiala suit, and I believe this style of patiala is also called harlem, to be worn with a kurtie/kurta.

View of Hussain Sagar shore from the boat. The road around the lake is called Necklace Road because from above the lights around the lake resemble a necklace.

View of Birla Mandir Temple from Buddha Statue on Hussain Sagar.

In front of the 17 meter high Buddha Statue. It is the largest monolithic statute of Gautam Buddha in India, carved out of a SINGLE slab of granite rock by 40 sculptors. The lights on it rotate colors, very pretty to observe at night.

Theek hai, that's a 'wrap'! You, know, because of the whole sari thing and all...


P.S. *Disclaimer #1: No, I don't actually drive a bike to work...yet :)
**Disclaimer #2: I have personally coined the phrase 'Spindi,' which is not actually an international term yet, but I believe will catch on very rapidly in the near future, as I am currently promoting the use of the slang.


"You cannot find peace by avoiding life."
~Virginia Woolf

Innopark's Anniversary Party Celebration

My team and I at the party.

So, on Friday Innopark celebrated their 7 year anniversary. Quite amazing actually, the company has grown from a few people to 200 since the inception. Everyone was invited to celebrate at News Cafe, a restaurant/pub/club in the Inorbit Mall. It was a good time. Starting off with a presentation from one of the founders; food, drinks, cake, socializing, music, pictures, and dancing followed. There was a theme for wearing Innopark's colors, so most were dressed in black, red, or white. I enjoyed the night out with my colleagues, they're pretty entertaining. I've gotten complements from co-workers on my India dressing, apparently I wear India clothes well! That seriously makes my day when I hear that. And I learned at the party that house lizards can lose their tails as a defensive mechanism, and then re-grow them (speaking of which had a couple of these guys on my wall last weekend). Really hoping I don't find tails in my room...

Many of my colleagues have told me that Hyderabad has really undergone quite a rapid change over the last 5-10 years. Many of the shopping malls have been built very recently, and the culture is becoming more Westernized. It seems that this has also had a dramatic impact on India's culture in the major cities. It's very normal for people to wear either traditional Indian dress or Western clothing. The rural areas I am told are still very different than urban. It is hard seeing the kind of poverty that some people live in, which I've never experienced before in America, and the trash on the streets. It's very common to see dogs, chickens, and cows feeding on a garbage dump area that I walk past on my way to work, and the smell is not so pleasant.

I'm attempting to try not to worry as much about things when they aren't going according to my plans, which can be difficult when things get more complicated than I think they should be, and yeah, it's not fun, it can really suck, but that's life. And when something doesn't go right in a foreign country, it's just that much more difficult to deal with because I'm not as knowledgeable about how to go about resolving an issue. But, I think it's making me a stronger person, and I'm learning I have some really awesome people here who will support me in whatever I'm going through.

I thought I would list a few common phrases that I hear all the time that I've gotten used to. So, here's my cliff notes version of Indian English mixed with Hindi:

1) "Cool." Used a lot like sounds good. Everything is cool.
2) "Good, good." Also, "acha," which means means good in Hindi.
3) "Sorry?" Said a lot when you need something repeated or you don't understand something.
4) "Theek Hai." Hindi for OK. Hear this all the time.
5) "Haan" and "Naheen." Yes and no in Hindi.
6) "Kyaa?" What?
7) Answering anything with a side to side bob of the head.

I also seriously think Indians speak more English slang than Americans do. And, though I keep mentioning Hindi, I should point out that there are many other languages people speak here besides. Telugu is very common, as the state language, but I know people in Hyderabad that speak other languages such as Urdu, Bangalore, Oriya, Marathi, and more that I can't remember. It's just that usually Hindi is the commonly used alternative language to English that I've heard in the office. On a random note, someone mentioned they were a Bong the other day, and then clarified that it meant they were a Bengali (a part of India), yeah, I didn't know what to say at first to that. If you're American you'll probably understand my confusion.

The following are the top questions I always get:
"Where are you from?" (People always wonder if it's the US or UK)
"How many people are in your family?" (4, in case anyone is wondering)
"How tall are you?" (a little over 5 feet 7 inches)

Last week we were sharing some jokes in the office, and I taught a couple famous American jokes. I'll mention one: Q: "What's black and white and read all over?" A: "A newspaper" (when telling the joke the confusion is that everyone will think "read" is the color "red." I also had to teach what a knock-knock joke was, because people thought all that was to it was "Knock-knock, who's there?", and that that's all the joke is! So, I felt it was my duty to set the record straight. Here's an example of a knock-knock joke:

Person A: "Knock-knock"
B: "Who's there?"
A: "Boo"
B: "Boo Who?"
A: "Don't cry, it's just a joke!"

Okay, kind of stupid, but anyway, you get the point. I still like them.

On another note, people here get upset with me when they ask me if I know certain American singers/movies/celebrities, etc, and I say I've never heard of them. They're like, "What? We need to educate you on your own culture!"

Thought another temperature comparison would be interesting, so I included both F and C temps for Hyderabad and St. Paul, Minnesota. It's already getting chilly in MN, and this is nothing yet! Hyderabad is still quite warm, hot summers but nice winters.

Well, that's about it for now.


"Rule number one is, don't sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it's all small stuff." ~Robert Elliot

Day 30?? Already?!

Somehow, and without warning, it is suddenly day 30 of my time spent in India. Reflecting on the past month, things already seem so different here from when I first arrived. It is strange this feeling of becoming adapted to a new culture; what had a month ago shocked me, now seems almost normal and commonplace. While I've been here, it's impossible to describe all I have felt, the highs and lows of acclimating to a place that is completely foreign in so many ways. But there is a great satisfaction and fulfillment in learning how to live in a new spot, to understand a different way of life. Gradually as I've become more comfortable, familiar, and knowledgeable with my surroundings, I have begun to see the city in a new light. Sure things are different here, much, much different, and there are often still obstacles to overcome, it would be naive to assume it would be otherwise, but I have met some truly great people more than willing to help me out when I need it. No matter where you are in the world, people are still people. Maybe that seems weird to say, but it's true.

As I get more comfortable I have gained confidence and am able to be more of myself. I have noticed it has become much easier to understand the Indian English accent, and easier to recognize when people revert so quickly between Hindi and English. And as I pick up more tidbits of Hindi, I can grasp words here and there that I understand. My coworkers have been helpful and encouraging in my desire to learn to speak at a beginner's level Hindi, and in return I have been teaching a bit of Spanish. I have found that it is easier now to pick up phrases in Hindi, as I begin to learn the pronunciations of the language, and learn common words. As I've grown more confident in my pronunciation, I have tried to use small phrases here and there, usually to the surprise of my colleagues, and now they've begun to try to get me to practice speaking Hindi to unsuspecting coworkers! So, this is my apology in advance if I slaughter a perfectly good Hindi phrase in my attempts! I am finding great pleasure in this lingual learning experience. 

I am also really enjoying both my design work and work environment at Innopark, working on branding, web, and gaming assignments. Working for a gaming entertainment company does have its advantages. Playing online games for research on design projects? Umm, sure, sounds good to me!

I saw this when I was out on Saturday and thought it was humorous. No honking, huh? Unless the sign is referring to an actual trumpet (doubtful), that'll be difficult. Apparently there was also a marathon held in Hyderabad last weekend, though I did not see it.

Lately, I have had a craving to read Jane Eyre again, so I picked it up at a nearby bookstore. For those who have not read it (and you should, it's a classic), it is a story of a quite remarkable and courageous young heroine. I came across a really great quote from it on Sunday, "It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it."

Many who know me also are aware that I am an avid Jane Austen fan. Walking through the streets in India reminds me in a way of Elizabeth Bennet walking to Netherfield Hall in Pride and Prejudice, "jumping over stiles and springing over puddles with impatient activity, and finding herself at last within view of the house, with weary ankles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise," except that India's streets also have continuous streams of traffic. I think that this would also be an appropriate time to confess that my knowledge of the game of Cricket, India's largest sport, comes almost entirely from the film Becoming Jane...

I know this isn't the type of post that I usually have, but I think it is equally important to observe and record the intangible as it is the tangible, feelings as well as facts. From a favorite movie of mine, You've Got Mail, "Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal."

And, with that, khayal rakho (take care), and, as always, thanks for reading, leaving thoughts and encouragement, and sharing in my adventure.
:)

P.S. On a very different side note, India has their own Chuck Norris.
Rajinikanth vs Chuck Norris