One of the most interesting things I read in the newspaper while in Delhi was the matrimonials in the Sunday Times of India. The section consisted of page after page of personal classifieds by families unapologetically seeking the perfect made to order husband or wife for children whose time has come to make a love connection. Some of the ads were very specific. They spelled … Continue reading A Westerner Ponders Arranged Marriage
Stray dogs are one of my favorite sights in Delhi. They are all mutts and they loaf around the city. I have even seen them lying in the roadways oblivious to traffic whizzing by. Delhi has cleared many of them away from the games and venues. Today they were rounding them up at the field hockey venue. I hear they are in shelters and will … Continue reading Dog Days at the Commonwealth Games
The other night my colleagues and I ordered pizza to be delivered to our workplace at the International Broadcast Centre during our shift at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. There have been tons of issues with the catering here so we had food brought in. At the end of the evening there were still four untouched boxes of pizza that were cold and had … Continue reading Waste Not, Want Not
Thanks Bazi Kanani of Denver’s 9News for doing this wonderful story about the income generating project, BeadforLife. If you would like to host a bead party visit http://beadforlife.org. The organization is on its way to booking 100 parties in 100 days. It’s time and money very well spent and the women of Uganda will rain blessings down on you for helping their families rise up … Continue reading BeadforLife on 9News
When I came to Delhi in 2008 I remember the palpable culture shock. It was overwhelming even for a rather intrepid traveler. I had been in Beijing and Uganda earlier in the year so I thought I would be prepared for anything, but nothing I had ever experienced set me up for India. On the roadway from the airport cows roamed the street. The traffic … Continue reading Delhi’s Commonwealth Games Face
As a journalist I’m used to working long days. Adrenaline keeps you in the game for 16 to 20 hours during breaking news and disaster coverage. You sleep for three hours then you’re back at it. But nothing prepared me for how exhausted I would be after just a couple of hours of listening to the painful testimonies of young Ugandan men and women who … Continue reading Uganda’s Child Soldiers: In Their Own Words
NOTE: THE ACID ATTACK IN OREGON TURNED OUT TO BE A SELF-INFLICTED HOAX. In recent days there have been two brutal acid attacks against women in the United States, one in Oregon and one in Arizona. Many of you have read the story I wrote about a courageous acid attack victim from Kampala, Uganda named Juliette on this blog. HDNet’s World Report aired an “in her own … Continue reading Acid Attacks Hit Home
Even with 500 TV channels at our fingertips my 12 year old son, Blair, and I could not come up with a movie to watch. He manned the remote flipping from title to title while I played God saying “next” and “pass” until we had gone from A to Z. He grew impatient and started lobbying for “Family Guy” instead. I was undeterred. We would … Continue reading The Grapes of Wrath: The Next Generation
It was the most amazing coming out party. A small village outside Kampala, Uganda, full of women, celebrating the miraculous accomplishment of rising up from life crushing poverty to become homeowners and landowners. They started singing and dancing in the morning and the festivities did not stop until midnight. One of the most joyful sights I’ve ever seen. Thanks to BeadforLife, the people in the … Continue reading Beads, Bricks and a Better Life
I had a hunch as soon as I sat down by Scott on the flight to Anchorage that he was on his way to the funeral of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. He was in a suit with a Lockheed Martin pin and was busily cranking away on his Blackberry. Once we were airborne we started to talk and he regaled me with stories of his … Continue reading Remembering Uncle Ted
Vicky Collins Online 