Journal of a woman in a foreign land
It’s the 2nd week of fires burning across Borneo and Sumatra causing us to choke here in Singapore. It’s hot here but the pollution combined with the heat makes us feel greasy and dirty. We have less energy. I’ve broken out in a rash all over. My Irish skin has little tolerance for the heat and chemical mix. It’s depressing. We all wait and hope it will end soon.
In Singapore no one uses the words pollution or smoke. We are great aaat not acknowledging most things — especially when it means taking responsibility. I’m sure I’ll talk about this again because it’s the roof of so many issues.
Today I want to talk about my book that the publisher said would be in the NYTimes book review tomorrow. It’s a book of somuch of my toil. I mean real sweat. So many times I took myself to places that were uncomfortable to be in the home and places where people live so under very different circumstances than my own. The brothels in Kolkata for instance. But it wasn’t all uncomfortable. Getting to know the women’s real lives, understanding their concerns, worries and their jokes. We had many many laughs. These women are smart. They organize themselves, make plans for coping with things that happen, depend on each other and cook delicious food. The paintings in the book tell the story of the women in the brothels, the wrestlers in Varanasi, girls in Morocco and trees in Tasmania.
Invisible Personas
by Joan Marie Kelly
