Exploring for Equity: A Quest for Understanding & Eradicating Educational Disparities

 "Convenience currency" is my non-scholarly term for being able to buy almost any service - food delivery, grocery delivery, home cook, cleaner, laundry service (not just dry cleaning), driver, etc.  While the American in me says this is lazy and pretentious, it is commonplace for middle class Delhiites to have at minimum a house cleaner and cook.  There's an element of mutualism to the arrangement - that you are providing employment to someone who needs it and your time is freed up for health, family or career.  The guesthouse where I'm staying employs two young men - a cook and cleaner, so I guess in some capacity I do as well.   Rolls & fries from Kolkata Kathi Roll  However, for three weeks I avoided using the delivery services for  fear of my credit card not working, lack of Hindi not explaining  something correctly and being seen as lazy (not really sure by  whom). On more than one occasion I had people tell me to solely rely on food and grocery deliveries i

Today marks two weeks in India, which simultaneously feels fleeting and like a lifetime.  This is primarily because I've spent the last six years in a culture that is antithetical to life here in Delhi.  This was glaringly evident in my expedition for a kitchen knife and groceries.  The guesthouse where I'm staying has a small kitchen, but is only equipped with plates, mugs and a bowls.  So after eating oatmeal and noodle cups for a few days I decided to invest in a knife and cutting board so I could take advantage of the fruit stands on each corner.  I'm sure there are far easier ways to go about this, but my intense need for independence and lack of language skills got the better of me. I decided to rely on the familiarity of a grocery store instead of figuring out the stands a the local market.  After some Googling I learned about Modern Bazaar - a seemingly organized grocery store chain with where I could peruse the shelves at my leisure.  On my first attempt I realized

Well it took three days, but I finally got sick.  Not "Delhi belly" sick, but like strep throat type of sick.  I can only imagine what the bacteria was that found me. Fortunately I was able to walk to the market next door and find a pharmacy.  Antibiotics are over the counter here and don't require any type of prescription or examination.  I simply asked the pharmacist for Amoxicillin and pointed to my throat. She gave me 15 pills for 400 INR (about $5).  I spent the next two days ordering room service and watching the one English-speaking channel on TV, which played three shows: Young Sheldon, Future Man, and Schitt's Creek .  I finally understand the obsession with Schitt's Creek and secretly wouldn't mind another binge session. A few days later I went to a farmer's market in Sunder Nursery (a park).  The park required an admission fee, which probably cut down on the crowd.  There were several Muslim families enjoying the park and visiting the buildings