From: Where in the World is Farhana?

It has been 3 months since coming back from the Surfing Possibility trip. I had meant to send out some type of picture perfect ending message from that trip, but I didn't because I had a severe case of writer's block.  In truth, I had no idea how to share with you the meta-story to my trip – my most cherished gold and black pearl necklace that went missing out of my bag, the struggle we felt watching the surfer girls embody freedom in the water, only to become objects of male control once on land, the lies that were told to us, the name calling, the upper respiratory illness, the food poisoning.  Yes, for all the great blogs I wrote about our adventures, I couldn’t help but feel a bit broken down from Bangladesh upon my return. I landed at SFO and rolled myself into my friend’s car after 6 hours of food poisoning where I became one with Emirates' toilet.  It felt like a journey that required much physical and mental recuperation. 
 
As I was recovering from my food poisoning–come-illness (which took a good month to contain), I wracked my mind about ways to lighten the story of the heavy reality of the girls’ lives.  It was a reality that revealed itself to us in various ways.  I also tried to reconcile our “possibility” narrative that framed this awesome trip against some of these realities. In fact, I spent most of January trying to make sense of it all.  What impact did we make from taking this trip?  What was true about the interviews we captured?  Who really showed up because they were truly a surfer?  Who of the girls showed up because the "boss" knew it would be good PR for business? In this web of confusion that was also a reality of our trip, I couldn’t help but feel a little duped. 
 
I began to reflect back on the hours of conversations we had with our translator and with my Co-Producer, Cara Jones of Storytellers For Good.  We discussed for hours the economic situation of the girls, and the sheer vulnerability they faced with no strong nuclear families.  At one point in our journey, we were all ready to launch a full-blown surf retreat in order to employ the girls so they could have a sustainable wage.  That idea lasted a few days until I thought to myself “How am I going to do that?”  We barely raised money for my ticket to come here and I was in the middle of launching my coaching practice.  Cara was in the middle of making a full-length documentary and also ran a business full-time.   When would we have time to invest in a third venture?

I was delighted when Hazera, our faithful translator, sat down with us one day, passion and zeal oozing from her 5’0 petite Bengali body.  She began to reveal her vision for how this could all work.  “I want to take this on,” she told us.  We were thrilled because she is such a capable, smart, entrepreneur and better yet, she was born and raised in Cox's Bazar.  By “this”, she meant the eco-surfing camp and reality tour idea we had been playing with.  It was as if we got to witness that ah-ha moment of the social entrepreneur – the one that seizes them into a fit of inspiration so strong that propels them forward into obsessively living their life purpose. 
 
And I thought to myself, how could I NOT be a part of this?  My role now?  To be her coach, of course! ;)  And I too started to see a way forward and how this collaboration of sorts would work.  I’d coach this social entrepreneur pro-bono for 6 months and she’d drive forward her idea so together impact could be made. We began our sessions in late December in Cox's Bazar and continued via Skype from there.
 
When I returned from my trip, I noticed something interesting in one of the Facebook albums of the Bangladeshi surfer dudes.  It was a picture of Nasima on a surf trip in her surfing catsuit (the one her husband had thrown a fit over).  Given the struggle I witnessed while I was there between her husband and the suit, I was pretty stunned to see this pic and wondered what had changed.

The next thing I know, I receive an e-mail from Hazera informing me that Nasima, the 15-year old aspiring pro surfer girl, was divorcing her husband. 

As if that wasn’t enough news, after 3 coaching calls, I woke up to find this link www.coconutclubbangladesh.wordpress.com posted on my Facebook page from Hazera – a fully developed Wordpress website, with the vision for this surf camp retreat strategically woven into Hazera’s social business named ‘The Coconut Club’.  I teared up upon seeing it.  At that moment, I had a shower of insight too.  This was the work of the new social entrepreneur – to actually be in the field, collaborating, inspiring, coaching, and exploring possibilities and not behind a desk running database queries  and asking people for money – to really be IN IT.  Brown Girl Surf seemed like such a crazy, indulgent idea when I first started it.  And now I was beginning to see the exploration leading to something I never imagined possible.

Nasima’s divorce has since been finalized.  The last I heard she was getting papers ready so she could get a passport. In a recent Skype coaching call with Hazera, she went on and on about her idea to start a surf shop, and her vision of traveling to the west to talk about her project and to share the gem of Cox Bazar with the world.  She more recently rented office space so she could start English classes for the surfer girls ,who ironically were some of the most brave and risk taking females we met on our trip – most apparent when they were in the water. Hazera’s plans to access their bravery, freedom and risk taking perspective in the water and bring this to their learnings on the land is the critical insight of this venture.  She has very fittingly names this venture ‘The Surfing Girls Education Project.’  (I am attaching the executive summary, just in case some of you are interested). 

And how cool that shortly after launching, she attended a weekend long event in a think tank with Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammed Yunus where she discussed her plans for her social venture:

And so, that’s how it all panned out….Barely a month had passed since leaving Cox's Bazar when I started to get reports of these changes.  I thought I’d be telling you all about the sad ending and the hopelessness of the situation of girls actually being free and empowered to live in their possibility.  Instead, it took an unexpected turn (as all good stories sometimes do), and I’m able to leave you, my dear readers, with a story that is truly about the possibility that results from human connection.

Brown Girl Surf has certainly taught me innumerable lessons from this trip.  Mainly, you never really know what is going to happen, and so you just have to start and feel your way forward sometimes (this is true I think in early stage entrepreneurship in general).  How fortunate were we to have met Hazera and how fortunate we had an empowerment through surfing agenda which Hazera knew how to work with right away.  She is galvanizing the girls and the surf community behind this vision, at a time in Bangladeshi history where all the beach front land has been leased out for 99 years to Bangladeshi companies, most of them illegally, for so called "development."    Her role in empowering the surfer girls of Bangladesh means so much in this era of globalization.

This is not only a story of surfing possibility, but of the possibility for change to be made at the ground level, by the leaders and people of the community, faced with the imminent tsunami of global capitalism hungrily eyeing this peaceful beachside town.  If anything, the seeds have been planted and a link has been made for some of the surfer girls and boys of Bangladesh to have a stake in the economic development of their country via tourism.  Perhaps there’s a new vision here for a surf tourism industry that’s unlike Bali, Indonesia or Sayulita, Mexico, where it is carefully crafted, owned and led by its locals, including its women. 
 
And if Nasima ends up living her dream, and doing what she wants to do, helping to shed some light onto her story is so worth it.  All it takes is one person to set off the spark to inspire others of what’s possible.  In fact, her story is so important that our dear friend and talented film maker, Heather Kessinger, has been on a mission to create a full length documentary of Nasima’s story for the past year and a half (her team is about halfway through production).  The name of the documentary is ‘The Most Fearless, an Unexpected Surf Story’.   Brown Girl Surf will be partnering with Heather to ensure that all of these stories get out into the world and can seed a tangible impact for some of the world’s most vulnerable girls.
 
For those of you who are local, please mark your calendar for May 9th in San Francisco (venue to be announced)– we’ll be debuting our Surfing Possibility Profiles: Stories of India and Bangladesh’s Surfer Girls.  I’d love to see you all there for some fun mingling, inspiring stories, drinking, chips and dip!
 
I am not sure where I’ll be off to next. But hope to see you soon, in some far off land!  Oh, and I almost forgot!  Guess who just took their first surf lesson?

Happy Spring!  Hope you have a healthy supply of Zyrtec close at hand.

Signing off from Hilo, Hawaii (where I’m house sitting for some friends for the month…no, Hawaii doesn’t count as a far off land but there are lots of coconuts here).
 
With love,

Farhana

P.S. - Show your support and purchase a Brown Girl Surf T-shirt!   (Logo designed by C.E.O. Women graduate Wen-Fei Hsu)

From: Where in the World is Farhana?

Before I embarked on this trip, I was given a special quilt, made by a special lady named Dionne, of the Wahine Project.  The Wahine Project is an organization that teaches resource poor girls how to surf.  Based out of Monterey, California, they also teach girls how they can respond locally to global issues.
 
When I met Dionne, I thought to myself, ‘Wow!  Someone who has more ideas than me!’  Dionne is a petite woman, with bright eyes and a passionate resonance that just mesmerizes you when you meet her.  She’s the kind of woman who thinks of something and then bam, 24 hours later, she’s managed to manifest it.  She’s just that way. 
 
The quilt came to Dionne one night when she was having trouble sleeping, and was trying to figure out a cool art project to do with the surfer girls in the Phillipines.  She ended up tying two colorful sarongs together.  She then had each girl paint their handprints on it.  The handprints moved together to form the crest of a wave.  It was supposed to be just a simple art project.  But it ended up becoming so much more.

Dionne had no idea that this quilt was in for quite a journey.  In the years that followed, it crossed the border making its way to Puta Mita, Mexico.  Here girls with few resources learned to surf from the Wahine project and then painted their prints on the tapestry.

Then, it somehow landed in the hands of surfer girls in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip via our friend Matt Olsen of Explore Corps.  Here they are painting their handprints on it.

A few days before I left, Dionne met with me and gave me the quilt.  I felt like I was receiving the holy grail of girls’ surfing.  Since I did not get my India visa, I ended up handing it off to Ted, our director of photography just as he was on his way to the airport to catch his flight to India.  Ted then delivered it to Cara who then delivered it to Ishita, India’s first female surfer.  6 degrees of separation!
 
Here’s Ishita and another surfer girl in India, making their mark on the quilt!

I posted the picture on Facebook, like I have always been doing with our trip updates.  Dionne happened to see it.  The next thing I knew I was tagged in a video and a slew of comments started showing up in the Facebook activity feed. The site of the image overwhelmed Dionne so much that she ended up making an on the spot video of her reaction.  I thought I’d share it with you, as it was a really super touching part of this trip. 

Then my friend Sara, who is one of the big brains behind the Blue Marble movement, a global movement to raise consciousness about protecting our ocean,  wrote something in the comment section of the post, that I think pretty much summed the whole thing up for me.  She said:

"Dionne - so sweet and lovely to see you so moved. It's so brave to show love, and to share moments of gratitude that come from a place of pain as well...pain for the difficulties the planet has, yet joy when we open the apature of seeing what is true. Farhana Huq and the entire expedition into Brown Girl Surf is profound social justice/planet justice work...and you made visible what many of us feel inside: happiness and pain, gratitude and passion. Thank you."

The quilt then met me in Bangladesh.  We had the girls put their hand print on it the first day we went surfing together.  When we explained to them what it was, they looked amazed that something had traveled so far and wide and touched so many girls who, despite their nationality, religion, race, and color, had something in common with them – they were lovers of the sea.

As I stood alongside as we made hand prints on the cloth in a combination of red and green (fitting for the holiday season), one of the first things I felt was ‘geez I’m tall!’  I also felt this inexplicable sense of responsibility to ensure somehow these girls were all linked.  How cool would it be if they could all meet one another one day!

I never thought in a million years I’d go to Bangladesh as an adult to surf with girls there, and then hand paint a quilt with them on the beach.  But here I was, smack dab in Cox’s Bazar, on another crazy adventure, doing just that.    I wondered where this would all go, and also where else this quilt would travel to.  I wondered what more I’d learn about the girls, their stories and their challenges.
 
Each time I look at the quilt, I’m reminded that sometimes really profound things are just profoundly simple.  Who would have thought a piece of material could start to connect and bring together these unique (and remote!) communities around the world.  Many don’t have Facebook or internet for that matter, so this might be the closest thing to them knowing there are other girls out there around the world, who share their passion and dreams.       
 


P.S. - Donate to Surfing Possibility and help us finish our videos:

DONATE ONLINE HERE

OR make checks payable to: Moving Train (our fiscal sponsor)

Mail to:
Moving Train
1530 Frontrero Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024

EIN #:80-0376076

Please put "Surfing Possibility/Storytellers for Good" in the Note section of the check.

From: Where in the World is Farhana?

Last I left you, I had an angry man banging on my door in search of his wife, Nasima (forgive me for the misspelling of her name from my last post).  Upon opening my door to let him in, he proceeded to address me in Bangla, his tone of fierce  disapproval more than apparent.  I couldn’t make out what he was saying.  He kept repeating the word “kharab” (“bad”).  I gathered he was asking me where Nasima was.  “Asho,” (come) I told him and pointed to the bathroom where his wife was changing. 
 
Nasima opened the door only to model her new sun suit.  He was not pleased (even though she had put her kurta (tunic) on top of it).  Nasima, in a casual and relaxed tone, looked down at her outfit as if inviting him to take notice.  She simply said, “It’s good.” I kept out of it.  I figured I’d let them hash out their domestic dispute, despite it now happening in the corridor of my own room.
 
After an exchange of some words, it didn’t appear as if he got his way.  Nasima wore her suit and like the other girls, wore her long tunic on top of it.  Though he tried to exert his disapproval with her slick, new, sea faring style, she didn’t appear to be bothered one bit. It was obvious (to me, at least) that she held some amount of power in that relationship. 
 
He left and I briefly asked Nasima about his feelings on the matter.  She said he did not like the suit and that he wanted it covered.  I suggested that perhaps she wear her pants over it as well to be more covered.  I did not necessarily want to be liable for coercing anyone into using the suit either even though something told me he’d grow into accepting it.  She agreed with me and quickly put her pajama pants on. Then we headed out to meet the rest of the girls. 

Nasima’s husband followed us to our surf spot, a designated strip of beach termed “girls’ beach”  where there is far less of a crowd.  He lagged 20 or 30 steps behind all of us.  He stayed pretty quiet the rest of the time and waited patiently while we all dashed to the sea.

This being December, it’s the flat season of surf in Bangladesh.  But there were 2-3 foot waves coming in – perfect for longboarding.  Of course Nasima was one of the first to pop up on a wave.  Check out the burka-wearing sea lover.

It was so fun to see the personality of each girl in the water :  Nasima’s laser focus and skilled wave reading ability,  Ameena’s boyish aggressiveness, Mina’s girlishly giggly nature bubbling out of her as she got toppled by her soft top each time (a large, beginning surf board), and of course Gulapsha’s universal relaxed surfer attitude.  Gulapsha makes me smile the most, and puts me at ease.
 
It’s as if Gulapsha was born with the spirit of the typical laid-back surfer dude-ess.  She is the only one of the girls in school (her brother sells clay pots that she and her mother decorate at home with seashells.  He earns money to pay for her tuition).  Her dream one day is to be a doctor.  But apparently all she talks about is surfing. 
 
Here she is demoing a pop-up on the beach to some of Jafar’s students:

While we surfed in the sea, Hazera, our translator, upon hearing about the incident regarding Nasima’s husband, decided to speak with him a bit.  She told him that what Nasima had accomplished with her surfing is a good thing for Bangladesh, and that he should be proud of her.  She also noted that these types of suits are good because they protect the body from the sun and from jellyfish stings.  She mentioned too that women in the Middle East wear something like them to swim in as well .  “Really?” he said, as if the sun suit suddenly became “legitimized” in his eyes in some way.
 
As we migrated from the beach back to the hotel, Nasima’s husband, without any hesitation, offered to help carry some of our bags and equipment.  I started joking with the girls, practicing what little Bangla I knew that would make them laugh: “Tumar dat coy?” (where is your tooth?)  “Amar gari kothai?”(Where is my car?) and “Ami tuma ke marbo!”(I am going to beat you) to which everyone laughed, including Nasima’s husband.  I know. I KNOW!  (I need to learn some better Bangla.)  It was the first time I actually saw her husband laugh though.  It made me feel at ease and I was glad he came to see what we were all doing. 
 
That day I felt like I honored my personal mission to surf with the girls of Bangladesh and to experience the vastness and freedom of the ocean together.  It also put me in touch with my own internal struggle as someone who grew up Muslim who loves to travel, loves to be athletic and be in my body and experience the freedom of the sea.  In many ways, I feel like I have to surf my way through these blog posts, finding balance in offering my perspectives to all of you - my readers.  The film crew from Storytellers for Good were all part of the evangelical movement (one from The “Moonies”), something they have since let go of as adults.  They have relaxed into a genuine appreciation and acceptance for all religions and spiritual practices.  So it has been great to debrief with them and hear their perspectives on all that there is to take in here.  The only thing that I can really share is my perspective and all the vulnerabilities that come with me from simply being human.  

Still, I feel like we have come to Bangladesh at a most fascinating time in the history of the world. I still see the layer of power males hold in this society (and globally) despite the prime minister of this country being a woman.  This is perhaps why the stories of Bangladesh’s surfer girls, especially that of Nasima’s,  are so interesting to me on many levels.  Nasima once entered a surfing competition and beat all the boys.  What will her voice be in shaping women’s empowerment, and in putting girls and sports on the map, especially in the context of more moderate Islamic majority nations (with pockets of religious conservativeness) set against a backdrop of increasing globalization?
 
I don’t know the answer to these complex questions.  Shit.  I just came to surf and write to you about my adventures!  But surely the stories of these brave females offer us a glimpse into a way of understanding some aspect of our world together and the things that we all have in common.  I know they make me think more of my own life, and how to find the balance that is just right, allowing me to inspire and help others while empowering myself to surf the waves of life that area most meaningful to me.  I hope these stories evoke something within you too.  Each day I am more and more grateful to have been blessed with surfing in my life and am honored to be able to share some of the journey with you.

With that note, I’ll sign off.  Thanks for coming surfing with me in Bangladesh and stay tuned for the next story!
 
 
Sighing off from Cox’s Bazar,
 
Farhana


P.S. - We are still accepting contributions to help us tell the stories of the Surfer Girls of India and Bangladesh through our Surfing Possibility documentary profile.

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE
If you'd like to contribute, you can DONATE ONLINE HERE

OR make checks payable to: Moving Train (our fiscal sponsor)

Mail to:
Moving Train
1530 Frontrero Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024

EIN #:80-0376076

Please put "Surfing Possibility/Storytellers for Good" in the Note section of the check.

From: Where in the World is Farhana?

I'm getting over a little cold here, but overall have been busy taking in the sights, sounds and waves of Bangladesh.  You must have heard me mention a surfer girl here named Nasima in my previous posts; she was referred to in a recent article by my friend Jaimal Yogis in the Huffington post as The Most Fearless Surfer.  I had heard bits and pieces of her story - that she won a recent surf contest here, that people had hopes she’d be picked up by a sponsor, that she recently got married.  I also heard that she has had a tough, tough life.  (She also happens to be the subject of a documentary film that my friends are working on, but more on that later!).  Needless to say, I have been looking forward to meeting with this fellow surfer for some time. 
 
Nasima couldn’t be with us for the first evening so we went on a quest to find her.  We decided we'd just show up at her home.  So we crammed our crew into a rickshaw (driven by her brother) and tom tom and journeyed to her home.  We passed green rice fields, colorful open fish and vegetable markets, school aged girls clad in full burka (veil) on their way to school amidst a backdrop of economic globalization and expansion.  There were signs for the latest and greatest high rise resort “coming soon” every few feet.  It felt like Cox's Bazar was on some type of economic development map to become the next Bali.  Having spent a few months surfing in Bali in 2010, I'd say this type of rampant development is something to be concerned about, both for the people and for the environment.

I had always looked at Bangladesh as a moderate Islamic state.   But this region of the country seemed to exhibit a conservatism not found in Dhaka or even Barisal, my dad’s district, where I usually travel.  (Interesting fact: the prime minister of Bangladesh is a woman.  Since we've landed, there has been a series of transportation strikes led by the opposition party  resulting in destruction and even death.  The leader of the opposition party also happens to be a woman. )
 
After a half hour or so, we arrived at Nasima’s home.  It didn’t take long for her to appear.  I was stoked to meet my surf sister and embraced her with a big hug.

As usual the visit attracted the stares of all family members. If you can imagine there’s no TV here, so unexpected visitors become the entertainment of the moment!

We asked Nasima if she could come out with us so we could do an interview with her.  I did not realize there would be so many layers of permission she would have to access before saying yes.  First she called her husband for permission.  Then she called the head of her surf club to get his consent.  She got the go ahead from both, but on one condition imposed by her husband - that she wear her burka (full body cloak).  It took her awhile to wrap herself up.  We meanwhile waited patiently outside trying to get her release signed.
 
Here’s the surfer girl, all set to go.

I kept looking at her thinking how much in contrast she looked to the shots I had seen of her popping up on her surfboard riding the waves in the ocean. In that instant she reminded me more of a Russian doll with a bright, smiling face.  I would later see that she was as fluid moving in and out of these identities as she was paddling through the waves of the ocean. 

Muslim women’s dress always seems to be the subject of great controversy whenever the topic of Islam comes up – especially in the surf world. So I'll digress a little on this topic for your edjamakation.  Truth be told, veiling actually has its origins in the Christian tradition and was worn by elite women to designate status. It was later adopted into Islam (as I understand it - at least that's what the academics say, and well, they do read a shitload more of books than we do).  Here's what Wikipedia says: ” In the early 20th century, the niqāb (Egyptian form of the veil) was worn by both Muslim and Christian elite women. This urban phenomenon originated in Istanbul and was part of the harem tradition, in which concubines and freeborn women of the Ottoman-Egyptian elite were secluded in harems that were guarded by eunuchs.[2]   
Who’da known!  History is fascinating in that way…..

FYI - Other famous veiled women:

Did you know that the Portugese brought the chili pepper to India?  And according to the Etymology Dictionary,the word 'surf' was derived from the Indian word 'suffe' which means the coastline. This word was picked up by Portuguese sailors in the 1600's and 'suffe' soon became 'surf'.  Some more interesting things to ponder….
 
Anyways......we headed over to fellow surfer Nahida’s home to do the interview.  We got a little clearer on Nassima’s story, of how she used to sell shells at the beach from the time she was little, to how she started surfing, to how she ended up becoming the best female surfer of the country.  It was hard to gauge her feelings about her current situation being married at age 16.  She seemed much more demure than what I would have thought her to be, and in contrast to the rambunctious nature of the rest of the group.  There seemed to be a calmness about her and a stable core I wouldn’t have imagined from hearing how tough her life had been.
 
She also said something that really made an impact on me.  She believed that if she wasn’t poor, being a surfer would be so much more acceptable for her – it would be like a hobby for her.  But since she is poor, girls like her are expected to marry at a very young age.  Surfing is frowned upon by people and her actions to do it are even more scrutinized. She has had her fair share of negative comments from passer byers each time she took to the ocean.  Despite, she is still surfing; her husband still “let’s” her do it.    It’s ironic that just the other day, we were surfing next to Sheikh Hasina's son and family (Sheikh Hasina is the prime minister of Bangladesh).  It wasn’t a big deal for them to be doing it obviously because they are wealthy (not to mention he’s a dude – it’s just so much more taboo when someone like Nasima does it I guess).

Nasima only recently married her husband who is about 19.   I couldn’t get a clear sense of how Nasima felt about her marriage - whether she felt she had given up on her dreams to do what was socially acceptable or whether she was content with it.  She seemed to think the marriage was good for her and welcomed her husband’s authority.  From an outsiders perspective, she seemed to give over her power easily– asking her husband for permission to go out, asking the head of her surf club (a rival to that of Jafar’s) for permission to be interviewed etc…  I was heartened to know that her fellow surf buddies from her surf club totally opposed the marriage and wanted her to keep focused on her surfing and building her skills in life guarding.  Like brothers, they just felt she was too young to be married.  (She apparently married without them even knowing it). 
 
In these situations of male dominance and control, especially in the name of religion, it often makes me think.  For us, having our husbands dictate what we wear and whether we can do something or go out is a clear red flag for control. For Nasima – someone who has lived her whole life without parents and with nobody to watch over her – I wondered if maybe she welcomed it as a way of feeling loved or feeling that someone is caring for her well being. Her male surf counterparts seem to think her husband takes things to the extreme.  I wondered what she thought.   It’s hard to really know.  Regardless, I was glad to meet her and was ever curious now to surf with this Muslim surfer girl, surfing her own waves of life of being wrapped up like a doll in a burka to hopping on a surfboard in the ocean catching waves.  I couldn't think of two more opposing images.
 
The next day we all headed for the sea.  I had been looking forward to surfing with the girls for some time now.  I had passed out new sun suits to the girls the evening before (courtesy of our sponsor Ecostinger from Italy).  They were overjoyed to get them. They showed up, bright and spunky, ready to hit the waves.

Nassima came accompanied by her husband.  I handed her a new suit and we headed up to my room so she could change.  A few minutes later, there was a loud banging on my door.  I opened it.  It was her husband, looking totally pissed. The rest of the story to come soon.....  
 
Signing off from Cox’z Bazar, Bangladesh!

Farhana


P.S. - We are still accepting contributions to help us tell the stories of the Surfer Girls of India and Bangladesh through our Surfing Possibility documentary profile.

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE
If you'd like to contribute, you may DONATE ONLINE HERE
OR
make checks payable to: Moving Train (our fiscal sponsor)

Mail to:
Moving Train
1530 Frontrero Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024

EIN #:80-0376076

Please put "Surfing Possibility/Storytellers for Good" in the Note section of the check.

From: Where in the World is Farhana?

I hope you all are doing fantastic!  I am happy to report that the Storytellers for Good team and I made it safe and sound to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh after more than 30 hours of traveling.  Since I couldn’t go to India, Storytellers for Good went and then met me in Dhaka. (stories from their journey to come soon.)  From there we flew to Cox’s Bazar.

Cox's Bazar is touristy beach town on the South Coast of Bangladesh. It is home to the longest sandy surfing beach in the world.  Yes, surfing in Bangladesh – I know!  It, like most coastal strips around the world, is being infiltrated with various multi-national developers who are building high rise hotels and such changing the face of the once pristine and beautiful landscape (that is a whole other blog story).   

When we landed we were greeted by two members of the Bangladeshi Girls’ Surfing Club.  They presented us with leis of marigolds and roses along with big, bright smiles – a little Aloha Bangladeshi style.   

Jafar Alam, Bangladesh’s first surfer, was there to greet us and 'tom tom' us to our hotel by the beachside. 

This is probably my 5th or 6th time to Bangladesh (my father is from Bangladesh), but my first time going as a surfer.  So as you can imagine, I’m incredibly curious about the waves, the surfers, the surf culture and just how these girls managed to do something so daring here.  Inquiring minds wanna know!
 
We couldn't wait to get into the water so once we arrived, we headed for the surf.  The beach is quite a scene here.  Everyone stared at us as we carried our boards to the water, and a crowd formed around us to see what we were doing.  It was a little uncomfortable at first, but their expressions were very much of curiousity.   We were soon out to sea catching waves on our own, the crowd becoming a distant speck on the beach.  It felt so good to be back in the water after so many hours cooped up in a plane.  The ocean felt familiar and the act of catching waves – timeless.

That evening we joined the girls for a welcoming meal.  I learned that they were essentially taken in by Jafar as street kids, who offered them a place to call home and access to something that brought them joy in their lives. Surfing is completely free to them, so it is very accessible and provides them with a sense of community.  Mina (the second from the right) was the newest to the group. Her father died and her mother re-married.  Mistreated by her mother and stepfather, she left home and told them she would fend for herself.  She wandered the beach in Cox’s Bazar hoping a kind soul would give her food and take her in.  That’s when she met up with Nahida on the beach (to the left), who took her in.  She now stays with Nahida and Nahida’s mother in their house (which is no bigger than an 8x8 sized room).

We also TOTALLY lucked out with the world’s best translator -  an awesome woman named Hazera who is from Cox Bazar.  She was at the dinner and offered to help us navigate and translate through the various dialects of the girls’ languages. She also has some sophisticated frameworks in terms of looking at various ways to address social and economic issues in her country (she was educated in London and has experience working with a street kid project in Bangladesh).  So it's great to have her there as well.  

From our discussion, it was apparent to me that this particular microcosm of Bangladeshi society is so used to being supported with aid and given charity that they see the solutions to their problems in the form of support and thinking from the outside.  It's a crippling mindset to say the least.  This is especially perpetuated by the religious fundamentalism a region such as this attracts (funding from Saudi Arabia to build mosques, presence of the Christian evangelicals with their conversion agendas) and by the economic agendas of more developed nations looking to expand their markets (the Japanese are busy building roads here because where there are roads, there are cars - Japanese cars).  Bangladesh always seems to be in the position of receiving.    

Still, I remained curious about what potential solutions the girls could come up with themselves regarding their challenges. I know they are probably thinking since we're from the west, we'll be their savior and help them out.  It's such a fine line between helping your fellow neighbor out and adding to a systemic cycle of dependency and hand outs that has plagued developing nations around the world.   I have to keep reminding myself that our purpose for being here is really to bring their stories to the world, and through that, to inspire others to live in their possibility.  Given this social and economic landscape, it is remarkable what these girls are doing, and what they aspire to do and be. 

After a lovely evening with the girls, we were off the next day to do our first interviews and to meet someone very special who couldn’t be there for the dinner.  More on that to come.   

Today, Cara from Storytellers for Good, left for India to initiate the first part of Surfing Possibility, Brown Girl Surf’s joint project to share the stories of India and Bangladesh's first female surfers.  I stayed home.  Here’s why.

Over 50 days ago, I submitted my application to obtain an Indian visa.  As I suspected from previous experience at the consulate, it was rejected due to my heritage.  I was told I needed to submit more information - my parents' original Indian passports, my birth certificate, and a copy of my parents’ naturalization certificates.   For those of you who don't know the history of India, I will give you a mini geography lesson.  Before 1947, modern day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were all one nation  INDIA.  After 1947, the country was partitioned on the basis of religion (and a host of other political stuff).  My parents were born as Indians before partition.  They did not receive passports until India was Pakistan and Pakistan was Bangladesh. The Indian consulate in San Francisco states on their website that if one has any family affiliation to Pakistan, their visa will take a minimum of 6 weeks to process - a MINIMUM of six weeks. 

I wasn’t dealing directly with the consulate but with an outsourcing facility that processes everything for the consulate – an added layer of bureaucracy.  Since the consulate no longer dealt directly with visas, I decided I needed a strategy and attempted to access any influential connections within the South Asian community to help me. 
 
I started by e-mailing my dance arts organization to see if they could contact the consulate on my behalf.  At the suggestion of the arts organization, I wrote to the consul general himself.   No reply.  After 1 call and 12 e-mails back and forth with the arts organization, nothing.  My journalist friend in the South Asian community also wrote to the Consul General herself.  She did not hear anything back either.  I then sent 4 e-mails to my City Council contact who told me he’d have his office work on this issue.  We heard nothing.

I released my plea on Facebook.  My friend’s husband, a successful Silicon Valley businessman, had a contact!  7 e-mails and 2 calls later, he graciously offered to package and send my entire application himself to his personal contact at the consulate.  Unfortunately he received no response either.  (But how wonderful there are such caring people out there willing to lend a helping hand.) 
 
At the advice of the Silicon Valley businessman, finally just decided to send on as much information as I had to the visa processing center. I sent in copies of my parents' U.S. passports, their original Pakistani and Bangladeshi passports, their naturalization certificates as well as my birth certificate. 
 
A few days later, I received more deflating new - my visa was rejected again.  Their request this time? I was to provide a notarized affidavit that I never held a Pakistani passport nor was a Pakistani citizen, despite the fact I sent on my original birth certificate showing I was born in New Jersey where my family still lives (and yes, my parents did lose power for 10 days and my friend’s brother’s house got completely destroyed along with another friend’s home which was flooded due to Sandy.  They are all OK now.  You'd think there are more pressing things to fuss about than a visa, I know. )

Around this time, Brown Girl Surf ironically received a nomination for a Silicon Valley Award in the category of media and film.  Among the guestlist to the awards ceremony were several prominent members of the Indian consulate.  I figured the organizer would surely be able to help and would know someone at the consulate, since she was organizing an event featuring so many of them.  After 5 messages to the event planner with a recommendation I e-mail the vice consul of visas myself, and a call she graciously made on my behalf, I was told my visa was stuck in “processing” and that they had no control over when it would be approved.

I continued to contact my city council member, Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s office, leaders in the Indian American community, my friend in India who comes from a family of influence, more South Asian journalists  and an ultimate plea to a family member (who I forgot spent his whole career working on behalf of the government of India), but I couldn’t get a visa in time. No go.  No va.  So I canceled my ticket and re-purchased another one just to Bangladesh.  (which cost me an additional $500)  Boo! :( 

Yep, I felt defeated. Ishita (India's first female surfer) and I poetically expressed our disappointment through posting sad face icons on our Facebook pages.  We had Skyped with one another for the first time back in March and were so looking forward to this project. 

In times like these, I like to think about the good things in life, and acknowledge the usual global privledge my native U.S. citizenship gives me.  I also take solace by indulging in my $5.95 dark chocolate covered almond brittle from the Ferry Building.  All the while Cara dropped off her visa application to the processing center one morning, and she picked it up at 6 pm the same day.  No problem for her; she had the correct heritage. So Brown Girl Surf India will happen, but just not with this brown girl. 

So what’s next?  Well, Cara, and Ted, our Director of Photography, will commence the project with Storytellers for Good. I will then meet them in Bangladesh.

And so I’d like to take this opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons and share with you the 4 life lessons I learned from my Indian visa saga.  Yes, I know.  I KNOW - the fact that I am sharing life lessons from being jerked around for a tourist visa to India may seem really, really sad from a journalistic perspective.  But dig deeper, REALLY DEEP,  into the self-helper in you and  you will see there is much wisdom to uncover!  Here goes....

1.     Know when to call it quits

I have always prided myself on my persistence.  Just this afternoon I watched some tearful moments from the Olympics of this runner who tore a hamstring muscle in the middle of his race.  It kept him from winning of course, but he hobbled til the end.  Key messages like “never give up” and “go after your dreams" flashed on the bottom of the screen while really sappy music played in the background.  I wholeheartedly believe this philosophy; this is how I approached the visa process from the beginning. This is how I approach life.   If you keep on doing something, some law of physics dictates that what you aim to have happen will eventually happen, right?  Or does science have its limits?
 
By the 41st day of running around in circles spending money to fed ex my additional visa documents requested by the government of India, bothering my parents for their passports, obtaining this certificate and that piece of paper, persistenly calling my contacts, friends, leaders, and even a visa expetider in San Francisco, I was ready to pull my hair out. I was beyond frustrated; I was frozen.

I couldn’t plan to sublet my place out. I couldn’t buy my domestic tickets. I couldn’t move forward with details.  The process was also not serving the project and it was not serving me.   When I realized even the most influential of my friends couldn’t speed up the timeline, I made the decision to call it quits. 
 
Doing this brought me some peace in a way, and I was able to use the time to focus on other pressing details of the project instead of running around in a circle like an idiot.  Deep down, I truly felt that I gave it a good fight.   Calling it quits released me from this process and I can take solace knowing that the India leg is still in capable hands even though I won’t physically be there.  It was a tough call for a project I’ve been working on for over a year.  However, in certain situations, bless and release.

We all experience life through our own perspectives (as I’m learning in my coach training!).  Sometimes getting yourself out of one perspective can help you see  things in a new way.  I was recently visiting with my dear friend and former Board Member, Robert Chatwani, who heads Internet Marketing at eBay.  I was telling him about my visa adventures and how I’m not going to India.  I also was brainstorming with him about a new coaching and consulting practice I wanted to launch in January.  Given the situation, Robert looked at me and said "why wait?"   And this is where the re-framing came into play.  Even though I didn’t get the visa, I took it as a sign that maybe it’s time to gain a little momentum on the income-generating side of my life before I leave for Bangladesh.  (FYI: Check out  the site!  It just went live this week! www.farhanahuq.com)

Maybe now  I won’t be a pauper camping out in my friend’s backyard the next time I visit Hawaii.

3.     Know Any Brilliant People?  Befriend Them!
 
When I launched Surfing Possibility, I know many of you wondered "why surfing?", or "why should you care?"  To some, our intent for doing the project was not crystal clear.   Luckily, I surrounded myself with brilliant people who articulated it in a way I couldn’t.  These people had my back all through this process, and were ready at a moment’s notice to blog away on the Huffington Post about the visa discrimination or anything I'd ask of them for that matter.
 
Check out this post written on Brown Girl Surf on We Blog the World.  Hopefully you too will start to make the connection on why this project is not just about surfing, but about the right for women and girls to live freely in their bodies, and the right for them to have a highlighted voice in global discourse.  Once I started making this connection clear and was able to talk with brilliant people face to face about the project, they caught on and have been showing their support in so many ways.  It made it easy for them to show up and help out with something as lame as a visa. In the end they probably couldn't have altered the outcome, but their support was so incredibly helpful.

I truly believe you get what you give.  I count my blessings that I’ve had the opportunity to give a lot to others and to my community over the past 15 years.   Giving has expanded my network and has created an energy of generosity around me.  The people and relationships I called on when I needed help with my visa situation responded.   The relationships I made with my former C.E.O. Women board members and funders even tried to help out.  People I did not even know responded to help me.   I really believe if I hadn’t been giving, I wouldn’t have received all the support.  I feel so much gratitude all around. This is a special thank you for all those who tried to help out.  Gracias!!!  Arigatou!!!  Mahalo!!!
 
Despite the struggles, I'd still love for you to be part of our global network of friends to help see this project through, for all it represents.  We are 20% to our fundraising goal so are still trying to fill the gap. 

Please consider giving here:  www.indiegogo.com/surfingpossibility

(ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE)

All the short documentaries, photos and writing produced will be used for educational purposes, shared online with global audiences to inspire people to live in their possibility.  They will also be used in speaking engagements to present on topics of gender, sports and empowerment.  It’s rare to non-existent to hear the perspectives from women in this part of the world on risk taking and the ocean, nonetheless.   We’re going to change that and I'm so happy some of you have already come on board!
 
For now, thanks again for following my journey.  I am looking forward to sharing with you what's to come!
 
Till next time!

Farhana

P.S. -

You can also make contribution to Surfing Possibility via our fiscal sponsor, Moving Train:

Make Check Payable to: Moving Train
Mail to:
Moving Train
1530 Frontrero Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024
EIN #:80-0376076

Please put "Surfing Possibility/Storytellers for Good" in the Note section of the

Howdy!

Today we're going to hear from Ishita Malaviya, India's first female surfer and Co-Founder of the Shaka Surf Club (where I will be going this November - yeah!).  Ishita is going to share her thoughts on being brown.  Those of you who are from South Asia, or other parts of Asia, will understand the stigma tied to tanning and getting darker in the sun.  This has been cited as one of the main reasons why many females in Asia in fact do not partake in water sports; they have a real fear of getting dark.  And being dark skinned is not considered beautiful.  In many cultures, the whiter you are, the more beautiful you are considered.  Here's what Ishita has to say on the matter.  What are your thoughts? 

"Growing up I always dreamed of becoming a surfer someday. Like almost everyone else in India, I just assumed that there were no waves here and that I'd probably have to go to California one day to start surfing! To this day I have people asking me, "What?! You can surf in India? But are there waves here?" India is a country with more than 7,000 kilometers of coastline. Now that I think about it, it seems pretty silly of us to have assumed that our waves weren't good enough to be surfed! It begs to ask the question, why is it that surfing is still practically unheard of in India? A country with a population of 1.2 billion and yet our beaches are completely empty! And even if it were a crowded beach, you'd only find people sitting on the beach, rather than swimming in the water and cooling off from the sun.

From my experience, I've realized that there have always been two major reasons for people not taking to the water: the fear of drowning (completely understandable) and the fear of getting tanned! I still remember when I first started surfing, my family was of course concerned about my safety but they were also apprehensive about me getting dark. Not because they thought I looked any less beautiful but because they were always worried about "what the neighbors would say!" They had good reason to, because whenever I would run into someone on the street or at school, friends or even acquaintances, the very first sentence they would greet me with, would  be, "Oh my God Ishita! You've become so dark!" And they didn't mean that in a nice way. This one time my professor at university walked up to me and said,"Have you been working in a charcoal factory?"

Indian mainstream media has always glorified fair skin and this reaction wasn't new to me. Although such remarks were quite hurtful at first, I've now learned to find humor in them. While on one hand I have people sympathetically giving me home made de-tanning formulas (without my asking) on the other I have European surfer girlfriends who are always complimenting me on my skin color, saying they wished they had the same.

As a surf instructor, a lot of my students ask me how long it will take for their tan to wear off! It's not uncommon to find fairness creams being advertised here both for men and women! Big time bollywood actors are endorsing big brands who pay them big money to convince you that being fairer will increase your chances of getting a better job or finding a suitable spouse!
I feel grateful that I'm a well educated, modern woman who doesn't succumb to such pressures. But, I definitely empathize with those who do and understand where they're coming from. I feel that surfing can have a very positive influence in India in many aspects. Surfer girls to me, are naturally beautiful, daring and confident individuals, who make great role models! I think that as more and more girls start surfing in India, new role models shall emerge and it won't be too long before these desi surfer babes shall be making waves all over the world!"

                                                                                                                                                            -  Ishita Malaviya

Interested in hearing more of Ishita's story?  Give to our Surfing Possibility Campaign and help shine the spotlight on South Asia's first female surfers.  We will be traveling to India and Bangladesh in November to produce short documentary profiles, photographs and writings on these courageous women. 

Join Brown Girl Surf and  Storytellers for Good  for the KICK OFF Surfing Possibility fundraiser on October 11, 2012 in San Francisco, CA!

This Fall, I, along with my friend Cara of Storytellers for Good will be traveling to India and Bangladesh to meet South Asia’s first female surfers.  We want you to come along for the ride!  We will share with you their stories and our journey through a series of blogs, short-form documentary profiles and photographs. 

Why are we doing this project?  Aside from the fact that it's just cool, we want to empower and inspire people.  So, we will use the media as educational tools to speak on topics of female empowerment and risk taking in diverse cultures.  We will also use it to inspire a culture of trailblazing women and girls to live in possibility of their dreams!

Join us to learn more about this amazing storytelling adventure! 

Our event, held in celebration of International Day of the Girl on October 11th, will be a memorable evening during which we'll share our video trailer, sneak peak Skype interviews with some of South Asia's first female surfers as well as details of our upcoming trip.  We'll also be raffling off some cool items like:

- A surf lesson for YOU and 3 friends from The Wahine Project! (Boards, wetsuits and instruction all included)
- Clothes and gear from Patagonia
- Brown Girl Surf gear
- $160 class pass to Aha Yoga in San Francisco
- One FREE surfboard ding repair
- Storytellers for Good T-shirts and more!

When: Thursday, October 11th
Where: Rally
144 Second Street
San Francisco 94105
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Cost: FREE

RSVP here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4325559866

You'll get 2 drink tickets for coming to this FREE event. Please sign up ASAP as space is limited! 
Attire is casual and  snacks will be provided. Bring your friends and plan to be inspired  - we hope to see you there!

If you're not able to join us that evening, we'd be so grateful if you can check out our trailer and support our Indiegogo campaign here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/surfingpossibility?a=1108592

Howdy! Brown Girl Surf TM is all about sharing the stories and projects of trailblazing female surfers around the world.  So I'm always digging and asking around about cool trailblazers and projects.  A few weeks ago, I found one!  Meet Fiji's first female surfer - Carli Lovell! I got a hold of Carli through my friend Tim McBride.  Tim and I spent some time in Southern Fiji where he helped guide me out to some of the most pristine surf breaks there. (I'll have to share some of those blog stories with you at some point).   Some of you know Fiji is one of my most favorite places in the entire world; I'd go back there anytime in a heartbeat.  The Fijians are honestly some of the warmest hearted people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Anyways, I digress..... I am so stoked that I got to catch up with Carli, and have her share her thoughts on everything from localism to ocean protection.  Read on to hear more!

 Q:  Can you share your story of when you first started surfing in Fiji? What is your earliest memory of surfing? How did you get involved?

A: Dad is an avid long-time surfer from California. I spent my early years cruising the South Pacific on our yacht. Dad used to go surfing with his buddies, and I would tag along on my bodyboard. Dad started the Fiji Surfing Association in 1993 to get the best together to compete at the South Pacific Games 1995 in Tahiti. The team required a female competitor and that was when my board-surfing took off. Numerous wipe-outs later while training at Sigatoka river-mouth, Namotu & Tavarua, I was keen to take on Papara’s beach break! I entered the women’s bodyboard and open (stand-up) events, and tag-team relay. What an exhilarating experience! My 3 medals (2 bronze and a silver) placed Fiji in 2nd place for surfing. At 13, I was the youngest athlete in the Games, and within the Fiji contingent, the one with the most medal wins! Sorry, brothers!!

Q:  How has surfing exposed you to or raised your awareness on any social, environmental or political issues? 

A: So blessed are we to grow up in paradise surrounded by a beautiful ocean teeming with life, providing food, oxygen and a perfect playground. For me, it is a natural sanctuary of happiness and serenity. I remember, at 8 years old I joined my parents in a protest against nuclear-testing on Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia. Even now, I advocate strongly against pollution, over-fishing, shark-finning, whaling, and any exploitation of this precious resource.

We are most fortunate to live in a corner of our planet where the waves remain uncrowded compared to other countries. As is the Fijian way, we are ever encouraging to the younger surfers who look up to us, and welcoming to the newcomers and visitors from across the seas. At the end of the day, there are always enough waves for everyone, and more than enough to share.

Q: What role does surfing play in your life now?

A: Upon coming to Australia to study, and gaining employment as a marine biologist and shark diver at Sea World, I realised there was more to life than the pressures of competitive surfing. So much that is new to see, explore and enjoy! Surfing continues to be my chill-out fav, with the sea, air and waves washing away daily stresses. I relish a social session before and after work with my surf mates, and epic road trips on the weekends scouting out secret spots. But every so often, I'll enter a local competition just for old times’ sake and adrenalin buzz.

Q: Can you tell us anything about girl localisms evolving in Fiji? (girl surfing communities that are forming in specific geographic locations that are uniquely defining themselves). 

A:  Localism certainly existed in Fiji in a commercial sense with resorts controlling the prime surf breaks for their own exclusive use. This was removed with the introduction of the Surfing Decree in 2011. With our Fiji surfers, a big `Bula’ characterises their all-welcoming approach to each other and those visiting. Besides this gracious and friendly manner, we have few female surfers in Fiji (two older ones, and eight under 18) and they all know each other, so there is no localism. Of course, numbers of female surfers come through Fiji from the United States, Australia and other countries seeking the best waves that Fiji has to offer. Their ability and style is naturally of great interest and inspiration to the local surfers.

The Fiji Surfing Association’s contests and open-days is spreading the word on this invigorating sport, particularly to the village girls. With most in school or working, surfing is usually done on the weekends. The cost of boards, and access to the surf spots which often require boats and outboard engines, are a challenge for all surfers in Fiji.

Q:  Any advice to our readers?

A: Enjoy time in the great outdoors everyday whether it’s surfing, running or taking a walk. And, when it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer!