Being in your late 20s and choosing to be single is a challenge even in the year 2013. For a few years, I blamed the Indian focus on traditions and marriage until recently when I realized that women from other cultures think being single during one’s “marriageable age” is unusual too.

What does it take for a woman in Pakistan to leave her house, take her children along and attend a political rally? I say, more than commitment. Apart from support from the men of her house, she needs to feel safe, among men, that is.

Delwar Hossain Sayedi was sighted on the moon. People came out in groups to experience this wonder. When I heard this, I felt sad. A deep grief, anger and inability to do anything about it gripped me. Seriously, do people really believe that a human can be sighted on the moon? After this the Jamaat i Islam vandalized minority houses and temples with the help of some people who would do anything for Islam. These are uneducated and politically unaware people who do not know the true essence of Islam or any religion for that matter.

Monika Schröder was born in Germany. She worked as an elementary school teacher and librarian for International Schools in Oman, Egypt, Chile and India. She lived  in India for eight years and then moved to South Carolina, where she is now living with her husband. Later, Monika started to write and became an author for children`s books. Three books by her have been published so far. Women Talk blogger Meike Pohl had the chance to talk to her about her second book “Saraswati’s Way,” the story of a 12-year-old Indian boy who has to fight for better education.

Everything was a failure that day,” says Jyoti’s companion on that fateful ride. From the taxi drivers who ignored the rules to the police “not working properly,” to the hospital facilities, which were “very poor”, to the indifference of the passers-by. In her last blog in the series on the rape incident that occurred last year in December in India, Dr. Kanchana Lanzet tries to capture the plight of the average Indian citizen.

Womentalk blogger Roma Rajpal visited Cyprus some days ago. Luckily she was back in Bonn before the cash vending machines in Nikosia stopped dispensing money. Back home, she tells us her first impressions of the country.

Abandoned Projects

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I was astounded by the poverty of the region. The drive from the airport to the hotel was definitely not scenic. All one saw was abandoned projects, buildings that lay bare in different stages of construction. My guide later told me that it was because a lot of companies who had initially invested were now backing out.