I Miss Living In India During IPL (RCB Cricket)
It’s April. Precisely the season when my personal and India blogs get the highest amount of traffic that I’ll have all year. Back when I…
I’ll Never Live in India Again, Here’s Why
I didn’t realise it at the time that I wasn’t really free in India. During the (almost) three years I lived there, I truly thought…
#InternationalGirlDay – India’s Red Brigade Trust Run by Child Survivors of Rape and Acid Attacks
11 October 2017 was International Girl Day. Back home in the USA girls and women fight for things like equal pay. Well, our sisters around the globe don’t always have it so easy. In India, only 11% of girls who are raped ever go on to lead ‘normal’ lives again. Almost ALL are blamed for the attack. Girls in rural areas are kicked out of the village and their family home and banished, so families can save face, while the men walk around with zero repercussions and able to do it all over again.
There is a group of very young (pre-teen – teenage) girls who started a group called Red Brigade Trust. They were all raped or victims of violence or acid attack and they are very brave. In India, girls don’t speak out about rape because that would bring shame on them and their family. But these brave girls do. If you can please donate even just $1 to their NGO they will use it to do good. (more…)
#1 Thing I Hated About Living in India
Anyone who has visited or lived in India knows that there is one truth that must be embraced above all others >> that India is a land of contrasts. I lived there for about three years … and was subsequently blacklisted from the country like a terrorist or criminal for the next five years over a paperwork issue that they refused to correct. I’m on year four if they stick to the five year blacklisting and I’m looking forward to returning next year for a visit to see my friends and explore the country as a tourist for the first time. (more…)
An Afternoon at Vivanta by Taj Fisherman’s Cove in Chennai
On your next trip to Chennai, head down south to Vivanta by Taj Fisherman’s Cove for an amazing escape from the hustle and bustle of…
How Did I Live So Long in India? Musings from China on Women’s Personal Freedom
When I locked the door to my home in Bangalore and headed to Los Angeles for a simple visa renewal in 2013, I never dreamed that I was destined to move to China, never to walk through those doors again! It was a series of circumstances and events that could have been prevented and that I was actually able to remedy but at the end of the day I think I knew my time in India had ended so I didn’t fight as hard as I could have to stay if my heart had really been in it.
I lived a yin and yang existence in Bangalore full of fun and friends and opportunities balanced by the worst financial hardship of my life, subjected to degrading situations as a woman and living without personal freedom. I learned from the negatives and appreciated the positives and I genuinely thought that I was happy there. But I was wrong. (more…)
Bangalore FRRO Guide: How To Register or Apply for a Visa Extension Using the New Appointment System
UPDATE 2013: Please be aware that you can no longer simply show up at the FRRO for service as they have implemented an online application…
GUEST BLOGGER Ophelia Balan: The Reality of Sexual Harassment in India
Note from Angela: I find the writer’s references to Bollywood films interesting and her manner of conveying her own negative experiences to be without any hint of self pity. She is a friend of mine and she conveys the facts and her feelings beautifully.} (more…)
Angela’s Indian Visa Shuffle in the USA: Tips on How To Apply and Avoid Delays via BLS International
I'm back to my roots in California for the first time in 10 years, and out of India for the first time since 2011, all…
GUEST BLOGGER – My Mommy’s Adventures Visiting Us in Bangalore
My daughter asked if I’d like to write through her Angela’s Bangalore blog about my vacation in India. I thought what a wonderful way to not only have a keepsake daily journal of my time here but also to share my experience here to those of you who have ever considered an off the beaten path adventure. So here goes!!!! (more…)
Naked IPL Truth Part 2: My Day with Delhi Daredevils White Mischief Cheerleaders in Bangalore
IPL6 is on like Donkey Kong and I am thrilled to be more involved this season than last. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the first article I wrote about the IPL cheerleaders last year to dispel the myths and negative rumours surrounding them, many new opportunities have opened up for me and I’m having a BLAST with IPL this year. It seems that people appreciated reading the real stories of the lives of these girls and that not everyone wants to see naughty or flirty pics of the girls. (more…)
Indians and Alcohol: Maybe The Drinking Problem Is Lack Of Education?
Recently the Deccan Chronicle reported on the drinking problem of Malayalis, using a headline grabbing statistic that just under 1/3 of the people consume alcohol…