Previous

Popular in Cities

Over a Cup of Nepali Chai

Over a Cup of Nepali Chai

Popular in Eats

Burmese Days: Recipes for Action

Burmese Days: Recipes for Action

Popular in Ethical Travel

An American Dream

An American Dream

Popular in Get Out There

A Coconut in Delhi

A Coconut in Delhi

Popular in NGO-Land

Learning to Listen in the Lions Den

Learning to Listen in the Lions Den

Popular in Tips

10 Tips: Eat. Local. India.

10 Tips: Eat. Local. India.
Next

SLG Mag : A Fresh Perspective

A Coconut in Delhi

Apr 30, 12 A Coconut in Delhi

Then grandma asks, What are you doing outside anyway, my child? Come inside, it is too sunny. “I’m getting some sun on my face!” Uh oh, I realize too late.. wrong answer! A sun tan in India? Am I out of my mind? The fairer you are, the prettier you are. You can even buy ‘Fair and Lovely' cream to make your skin look lighter. It’s not like in the West, where often a tanned skin is considered pretty. In India, dark skin traditionally implies you have had to work outdoors in the scorching heat to earn a living, and that notion endures.

Over a Cup of Nepali Chai

Apr 05, 12 Over a Cup of Nepali Chai

As I gave up and sat down to smoke (yet again), a woman with her traditional basket approached me for a cigarette. She sat down besides me smoking away and I took the opportunity to take some photos in exchange. She asked me for booze. I politely declined. She asked me for dollars. I laughed and walked away.

Ask The Globe Trotter

Apr 05, 12 Ask The Globe Trotter

I am of Mediterranean origin (olive skin, black curly hair) and I live in a very multicultural environment in the UK. I have had several instances where complete strangers, particularly South Asian men, stopped me on the street or approached me on a bus or in a restaurant and enthusiastically proposed marriage. It is quite befuddling - one of them managed to explain that my skin tone (relative fairness?) Made me desirable. I vaguely understood that this has some links to the caste system. In all three cases it proved very difficult to extricate myself from the situation gracefully. The men were very insistent.

Bangalore Redefined

Mar 31, 12 Bangalore Redefined

Gone were the olden days where an urge to eat Goan Sausages meant a trip to the center of town. Paremsan cheese, gongesela sauce, soya bean paste, smoked ham, fresh basil, crisp lettuce, broccoli – exotic food, largely unknown to the Indian palette went from being novel to regular - at least for the affluent. Purchasing power increased. For the first time, people in their twenties were buying houses, cars, travelling abroad, living the lives that their parents were only able to afford in their 50s.

Plan Your Trip With Us!

Mar 29, 12 Plan Your Trip With Us!

Our personalized travel coaching will help you devise an action plan for your trip, tailored to your specific needs. We’ll find the best guesthouses and accommodations according to your budget and interests. We’ll connect you with other travellers, movers and shakers in your field. And we’ll ensure that you know the best local restaurants, nightlife, and hotspots outside of the tourist enclaves.

Meeting Barcelona

Mar 27, 12 Meeting Barcelona

The days following proved to be equally awkward and confronting. I was unaccustomed to everything about the Spanish way of life. The terribly inconvenient business hours with a mid-day siesta, yet no one seemed to mind. It was starkly different from the incessantly convenient American way of working. Dinners always lasted late into the balmy, summer evenings, regardless of what obligation came in the morning. I quickly learned the concept of “manana, manana.” Time was a concept of fluidity to the Spanish: whenever this task is complete, that’s when one moves on to the next.

Ask The Globe Trotter

Mar 25, 12 Ask The Globe Trotter

SLG wants to answer your tough travel questions... whether you actually dont want to try those bamboo worms (and that's ok) or if you just want to understand how to make amends after committing a major cultural faux pas we are here for you. Are you planning a trip and need to know what to expect, or are you wondering how to be culturally sensitive? Meeting the extended international family for the first time? We have tips for you. Ask the Globe-Trotter is a column featuring our travelers in the field answering your toughest cultural questions from at home and abroad. Got a question for our pool of Globe Trotters? Email us at shatterthelookingglass@gmail.com

Burmese Days: Recipes for Action

Mar 13, 12 Burmese Days: Recipes for Action

As friends around the world are activating and educating in hopes of a transparent and free election, we wanted to offer some inspiration. The food of a culture is often the best window to it's people, Burmese food is as diverse as the people and politics of the country. From Karen State, to Mandalay, each region offers a different taste and different flare. The flavorful, comforting tastes of Burmese cuisine will surely inspire your appetite, and hopefully your energy to learn more about this amazing and complicated place.

Vocabs of Social Good: Kai Zhang

Mar 06, 12 Vocabs of Social Good: Kai Zhang

I'm also wary, though, of the way that this individual-targeted heroism can be a bit too ego-driven, prize-money-driven, recognition-driven, and does not necessarily encourage thorough community engagement, research, or critical thinking before the launch of another “save the BLANK” effort. It also may encourage people to go into situations not adequately prepared to deliver the help they idealize, and may end up causing harms they never intended. Doing “good” is a really messy business, and kids who engage in social entrepreneurship can grow up in that messy work to either really become stronger from inevitable failures along the way, or be really broken by the process.

Learning to Listen in the Lions Den

Feb 25, 12 Learning to Listen in the Lions Den

Shin was honest when he said, “You will be thrown to the lions, and have to claw your way out.” We taught our classes with no outside help. After trial and error I finally began to get a feel for the way my class learned, and what did and did not work. I had a whiteboard that leaned against the wall precariously-- sometimes slicing my ankles as it fell-- and two markers.The classroom was the main room in the school house, and oftentimes other children from the village would run in and out, trailing toddlers behind them and sometimes even dogs.

Kathi Rolls: From Bombay to Kolkata

Feb 19, 12 Kathi Rolls: From Bombay to Kolkata

You've just come off the bus after a 12 hour journey and are ready to eat the paper from your travel journal. Behold, just as you exit the bus you smell the spices and ghee of a slightly sketchy Kathi roll stand. You order a Paneer Tikka and a Chicken and when you finally get your hands on one, its the most satisfying meal you can remember this trip.

A Flood of Kindness

Feb 13, 12 A Flood of Kindness

the flooding so another volunteer and myself were placed in a hotel located on the outskirts of the province. Although the worst of the flooding in Thonburi province was near to the university, the roads in front of my hotel, 75 kilometers away, were still flooded with waters three and a half feet deep and more water was expected