How Survival Became Popular

I love the concept of survival as I've expressed through many blog postings. Survival speaks a lot about a person. You learn about yourself and what matters most to you when it seems in jeopardy. For many people, survival becomes an obsession like an extreme sport. I consider myself a survival addict, but in a different sense given the many fantastic situations and circumstances I get to survive.

Popular culture also loves survival which is ironic when we consider how attached we are to our posh lives. We have have Lost (ultimate survival, how tempting), Survival (try and...survive...basically) American Idol and the dance/talent/modeling shows (surviving the ridicule of other Americans), Gray's Anatomy and House (who's going to surviving being cut up?), Desperate Housewives (surviving marriage and other...things), Alias (spy survival) and finally CNN (can American conservatism survive liberal bias?). We like to survive, we have a history of surviving which we're proud of and we like to think we can, and so we try and watch others try.

Life overseas is survival of the fittest. Avoiding food poisoning is a glorious achievement in itself and avoiding other maladies such as malaria, Ebola and Japanese encephalitis is a bonus. To create contraption like clothes lines, fixing washing machines, or door stoppers with the bare necessities such as bricks, duct tape and clothes hangers, proves you have outsmarted the elements and you have the self-satisfaction of doing it yourself. You can be as brilliant as Christopher Columbus was in his American discovery of 1492.

It's not really just survival, it's the willingness to adapt. Life is about adapting to changes; from childhood to high school, from high school to uni, from uni to job, from two door truck to the mini van, from house to house and city to city, change to change. It's about having a good attitude about change, accepting the changes for what they are and deciding to have a good time. It's about deciding you won't just survive, you'll thrive. That's survival for the fittest, simply deciding that circumstances don't have to define you. Then you're fit to help others still learning to adapt.

We love the dramatic because...well...drama is cool! But the only thing stranger then fiction is reality and seriously, getting stuff to work overseas can be pretty dramatic!

How to Watch a Bollywood Movie

Bollywood is one of the best kept secrets of the Orient. It’s India’s own Hollywood. The multibillion dollar Indian filmmaking industry has been turning out original cinema since the mid-30s but is distantly non-western. Modern Bollywood films have been accused of going western but the very nature of Indian films can’t possibly allow such alterations. There’s no easing into it, you get dunked and you get wet and you wonder what on earth just happened. I’ll pass on a few tips I’ve picked up since arriving in Pakistan.

Dig in deep. The movies are always about an hour too long. Accept it and bring as many snacks and beverages you will need to cover the length of time.

Expect dancing. Dancing is to Bollywood what thunder is to thunderstorms; it’s mandatory, frequent and intense. In a perfectly serious moment characters will break into a wild dance routine. The main characters change clothes and location randomly singing though a crazy song for up to 8 minutes in completely implausible situations. Central to a film is the “item number” where a very hot chick performs (for lack of a better word) a very sexy dance; both the chick and number having nothing to do with the film! Rarely does the dancing have anything to do with the story, it’s simply the trademark to Bollywood and it’s really the best part of the movies! Bollywood stars such as Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai are hugely successful like George Cloony and Angelina Joli, except Khan and Rai can dance, really dance.

Look for crazy plots. Bollywood produces drama but the majority of films are dancing comedic musicals. They’re meant to be funny, and to reach the biggest box office numbers possible and average over 10 million a flick. The movies are very colorful from the outfits to the settings. The dances are choreographed so all the girls will be wearing blue and the guys yellow and the colors often set the mood of the scene. Most the films are in Hindi with English subtitles but English being the cool man's lingo, is thrown in randomly.

Be grateful for morals. Bollywood prohibits kissing so there’s rarely innuendo and the worst you’ll see is a big hug after a hugely emotional scene. Clubs and discos are favorite setting for dance sequences, but that’s about it for the drinking/partying. Albeit, India is a Hindu culture so there is the caste system but the films like to play up the best of India and are distinctly modern. They’re hopeful films, in keeping with the younger Indian belief that the future is bright before India.

Don’t call it cheesy. Bollywood films are never cheesy. They can be crazy, the story may be improbable, the dances can be far fetched, the girls are always knock-outs and it’s too long but hey! You don’t find it just anywhere so appreciate the differences and no whinging.

How an English Accent goes Further

Another thing I've learned from my extensive travels in bizarre parts of the world is that the English accent reigns. We’re not speaking of the Irish, Scottish or any other twisted sounds from that little island. We are speaking of BBC English (although Posh and Becks have lowered the standard). It's globally recognized as the most attractive, the most desirable and the most coveted way to speak. Take a look at the lineup of British faces in Hollywood who are drooled over every time they open their mouths.

If you ever get the hang of faking it, do use it. Americans are not the most popular people and it’s better to associate yourself with another location. The British aren’t typically very popular either but that’s okay, they’re just quirky and are allowed to be quirky, or so the feeling goes. At any rate their accent is legendary for its charm and appeal and also easily confused with Australian, and Southern Africa accents. In South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Zambia, I was just another white African. Also, children in schools in Kenya to China learn British English in schools so they are familiar with that flavor of English (even though everyone watches American TV). Either way, my time tested belief is that an English accent gets you further because 1) I have to repeat myself much less. 2) I get so much more respect. 3) I don’t get asked very loudly in awkward situations if I’m American.

Now I tell people I’m from Zimbabwe, in some places being a loud American isn't the best thing and so while we don't lie, we learn to be quiet and blend it. I did come from Zimbabwe, it’s completely true and I am a newly converted rugby fan. And if changing an accent gets you further, do it!