Today there was a picnic for Father Herman and his staff. He runs an Integrated Community Development Program and his staffs primary work is creating and supporting self-help groups (SHG). The picnic was about an hour and a half drive away and a large portion of the roads were under construction (just as annoying no matter what country you are in, orange cones and all). Being driven in India has given me a new understanding of potholes, they are everywhere here. On the drive to the picnic Hannah and I watched Grays Anatomy on her iPod in German. I have been amazed at how much I am able to understand when people speak in another language. We were driving to DDC that morning to pick up Hannah and I thought the car was stopped, so I opened my door to get out. Father Herman said da, da, and I closed my door. He looked back at me and asked if I understood him. I said, you were telling me to wait right? He and the driver (Romeo) started laughing. Apparently da does mean wait. And I often find myself laughing at two people joking around in Bengali. I don't usually understand the words but I can guess at the meaning. When we arrived at the picnic, we unloaded the sweets and snacks and sat down on a tarp next to the lake. The park area was beautiful, although many of the staff were upset that we couldn't bring music. I guess there are migratory birds that were visiting the lake and the music disturbs there sensitive ears. I thought we had a great time regardless. We started with snacks, and then the staff conducted their staff meeting. There was a high school student at the picnic, whose parents were friends of Father Herman, and we walked around the lake with her during the meeting. The area was beautiful and Hannah and I had a nice time talking. I learned that in Germany when a boy graduates from highschool (which ends at grade 13) he has to go for one year of military training or one year of social work. Interesting, huh? As we sauntered back to the picnic we found that the meeting was over and it was time for our boat ride. The boat was not that rickety, although I was a little deterred when the boat rower had to scoop water out before we could get in. Once we were on the boat (no one fell into the water during this process!) the ride was really fun.
Transgression: I have a stable internet connection now and the Ethernet cord is located in the large meeting area where the Sisters work and where the immunization center is. Currently there is a little boy receiving immunizations and he is crying up a storm!
Back to the picnic. When the boating was over it was time for lunch. We ordered from a hotel and each little box had rice, curried vegetables, and mutton. It was probably the spiciest thing I have eaten and I enjoyed it! I am sure my lips were bright red and I know I made a mess of trying to eat rice with my hands, but I the enjoying part is the most important! After lunch we went to a local historical site, an burial site for some royalty or general with an underground tunnel to a palace that no longer existed. It was cool and we all took some pictures. Then we drove to a local fair. There were booths selling dishes, bengals, jewelry, clothing, bedsheets, towels, stuffed animals, and various food items. There were also a few fair rides. We went on two rides, one that spun around and one that swung back and forth. It was great fun, but Hannah and I both questioned the safety of the rides, but you only live once! On the way out Hannah and I got Henna on our hands. The henna was stamps, and the designs were really cool. The drive home was uneventful, besides the face that I had to pee almost uncontrollably! When we reached DDC, I was thrilled. I got to see Hannah's room and she seems very comfortable there. We had dinner with Sister Philo and Sister Sarita at DDC. The dinner there is very good! We had egg, three types of vegetable, chapatis, and grapefruit. Hannah stayed at DDC and Puthmai, Father Herman and I came back to SWI. I went to bed early and am slowly feeling better each day.
An interesting story from a few days back. We were driving home from the villages and there were village people dancing and blocking the street. Sister Mini told me they were tribal people, and they would block the street, dance and ask for money. It seemed pretty clever to me, and the dancing was cool. Thats all for now. Sending love.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
1/28
This morning I woke up feeling not so grand. My throat hurt less, but the pain had moved into my sinuses. Even my teeth hurt from sinus pressure. I took some pills and put on an upbeat face. Chatting with Mom and Dad was great on Skype. And the breakfast noodles were red (they are usually yellow) and they had egg in them. Class was okay, because I went so quickly to bed the previous night I did not have time to plan my lesson. The first half of class was good, except that my crossword was too easy for them. Then halfway through I admitted that I was ill the night before and did not prepare a lesson. They were extremely sympathetic and helped me impromptu plan the rest of the class. We talked (one sentence one person at a time) about the Indian family structure. That was interesting for me, and then we played a few of our usual games plus a word jumble.
After class I spent a few hours working on my project. I was able to complete the Project write-up and will start on the Concept Note early next week. I hope to have the project completed by the end of next week. I had a quick early lunch and then Susmita, Shahnawaz (previously Sha-na-watch) and I left for Bindol. Today was the last day of the training, and we went to award the certificates. We took the Jeep, so travel was comfortable and quick. When we arrived we did the usual, sit around, chat in Bengali, look at the leaf plates, take pictures and smile. That is enticing enough for me, but today the village women showed Susmita and I how to work the sewing machines to sew the leaf plates. Let me just say, it is harder than it looks. The old machines really have a way about them, and it is difficult to convince them to work with you, not against you. Oh! And Mom- I saw them threading a bobbin, it was so cool. They put the bobbin on a stick and then after the top wheel was spinning then put the end of the stick against the spinning top wheel. I know my explanation makes very little sense-so you will have to trust me, it was neat. After awarding the certificates and enjoying a little tiffin (means snacks and coffee/tea) we left the village and headed to the Sisters of the Divine Saviour’s convent. Sr. Anisha, Sr. T, Sr. Elizabeth and Sr. Mini are all Sisters of the Divine Saviour. They run a hostel and a school and work at various posts in the community. The Sisters were very nice and we had a nice time chatting with them and having coffee.
Back at SWI, Fr. Herman and Shahnawaz were leaving to go marketing. I decided to tage along. We walked down Raiganj Street and they picked up a few toiletries at an all in one shop ( a shope with a little bit of everything). They asked if I needed to pick up anything. I have been wanted to go out shopping for shoes for my sari (because I can’t wear tennis shoes with my saree) and asked if we could look at a few shoe shops. They were both fine with that, and we ended up visiting 6 different shops, trying on shoes at all of them, and having them go around and help me pick out different styles. It was a lot of fun and I finally found a cute pair of brown sandals for Rs. 195 (about 4 dollars). Dinner was good and after dinner I helped Fr. Herman prepare for the picnic tomorrow.
I didn’t see much of Hannah today, but she seemed as though she had a nice night at DDC and like Fr. had given her some work to do today. I will go to the picnic tomorrow, the puja on Saturday and then we will take a short trip on Sunday and Monday. I hope that I feel better quickly and that this annoying little cankersore on the corner of my lip goes away. That is all for now, sending love and hugs.
PS. Ajla the moon tonight was wonderful. It was a little little little fingernail like slit that was really bright. I hope we can skype soon, love you dear.
After class I spent a few hours working on my project. I was able to complete the Project write-up and will start on the Concept Note early next week. I hope to have the project completed by the end of next week. I had a quick early lunch and then Susmita, Shahnawaz (previously Sha-na-watch) and I left for Bindol. Today was the last day of the training, and we went to award the certificates. We took the Jeep, so travel was comfortable and quick. When we arrived we did the usual, sit around, chat in Bengali, look at the leaf plates, take pictures and smile. That is enticing enough for me, but today the village women showed Susmita and I how to work the sewing machines to sew the leaf plates. Let me just say, it is harder than it looks. The old machines really have a way about them, and it is difficult to convince them to work with you, not against you. Oh! And Mom- I saw them threading a bobbin, it was so cool. They put the bobbin on a stick and then after the top wheel was spinning then put the end of the stick against the spinning top wheel. I know my explanation makes very little sense-so you will have to trust me, it was neat. After awarding the certificates and enjoying a little tiffin (means snacks and coffee/tea) we left the village and headed to the Sisters of the Divine Saviour’s convent. Sr. Anisha, Sr. T, Sr. Elizabeth and Sr. Mini are all Sisters of the Divine Saviour. They run a hostel and a school and work at various posts in the community. The Sisters were very nice and we had a nice time chatting with them and having coffee.
Back at SWI, Fr. Herman and Shahnawaz were leaving to go marketing. I decided to tage along. We walked down Raiganj Street and they picked up a few toiletries at an all in one shop ( a shope with a little bit of everything). They asked if I needed to pick up anything. I have been wanted to go out shopping for shoes for my sari (because I can’t wear tennis shoes with my saree) and asked if we could look at a few shoe shops. They were both fine with that, and we ended up visiting 6 different shops, trying on shoes at all of them, and having them go around and help me pick out different styles. It was a lot of fun and I finally found a cute pair of brown sandals for Rs. 195 (about 4 dollars). Dinner was good and after dinner I helped Fr. Herman prepare for the picnic tomorrow.
I didn’t see much of Hannah today, but she seemed as though she had a nice night at DDC and like Fr. had given her some work to do today. I will go to the picnic tomorrow, the puja on Saturday and then we will take a short trip on Sunday and Monday. I hope that I feel better quickly and that this annoying little cankersore on the corner of my lip goes away. That is all for now, sending love and hugs.
PS. Ajla the moon tonight was wonderful. It was a little little little fingernail like slit that was really bright. I hope we can skype soon, love you dear.
1/27
I did not type my blog entry at the usual time yesterday. I had an awful headache and was getting sick. I went straight to bed after dinner instead of typing about my day first. So the entry for 1/27 will be short. It is difficult to recall previous days with much detail, and I want to save some time to type tonight’s entry. I will also type the entry as though it happened today, because that’s easiest for me.
This morning Father helped set up my Internet connection. Now I am able to connect to relatively quick Internet with the Ethernet cable in the Sr.’s office/immunization center. As long as the wireless box is functioning the Internet connects easily. That being said the wireless box’s functionabilty is beyond my understanding (and control). Overall though, great news. I was able to skype shortly with Mom and Dad. There is something so much more comforting to hearing their voices and seeing their faces. Hopefully as the weeks pass I will be able to connect over Skype with most everyone.
I woke up with a sore throat today, which is never a good sign. For my body a sore throat is the signal of a cold coming on. I tried to drink lots of water and watch my sugar intake (since sugar stunts white blood cells) but as the day progressed my throat just got worse. Ever since 4pm I have had an awful headache.
Some of the basics of the day: Class was good. I taught, the students spoke English and most everyone understand what was being said. In the afternoon I went to Bindol (the village with the leaf plate making training) with Susmita and Hannah. We traveled by tchecker, which was minimally crowded for Indian standards. The training is going well, and the women were very excited that I came again. I shared with them my increasing Bengali vocabulary (6 words) and they were very impressed. Bomali (the social worker in the village) had prepared some snacks for us, which was very sweet. For the ride home we took a government bus, my first Indian experience on a bus. It was bumpy and windy, and I fell asleep. There is something about bumpy roads and wind rushing through the windows that is perfect for sleeping. After arriving back at SWI Father rushed us to St. Xavier, for coffee and conversation. There I met Johannes for the first time, he is very nice and again it was nice to meet another Western student in Raiganj. Then we dropped Hannah off at DDC, she didn’t seem so thrilled to go, but I think she will enjoy the pace there. And the Sr.’s are so welcoming, I am sure she will feel at home soon. Then we came back to SWI, had dinner and I went to bed.
That is the jist of the day, I’m sorry that it is poorly written and rushed through. So here is a funny story from the day that should make up for the shotty job above.
When we were on the bike/door vehicle (picture to come soon) riding from the village to Bindol, we saw a large group of people gathered just off the road. We stopped the bike/door vehicle and got off to check it out. There was a game of musical chairs underway with a crowd of two hundred people surrounding. We started to watch, but soon the game ended and the crowd became more interested in the two white girls. As the crowd began to circle us instead of the musical chairs we headed back to the bike/door vehicle. I was sitting on the back and plopped down. I did not look up front and see that the driver was not sitting on the bicycle. Because I was the only one on the door part, the door part when down towards the ground and the bike part went up. It was kind of like sitting on one end of a table and having the other end fly up in the air. Except this happened on the road, on a vehicle with a crowd of 200 people watching. Everyone thought it was absolutely hilarious that the gigantic (this is not self-effacing, my height is huge for West Bengal standards) fair skinned girl had made a fool of herself. I laughed along with everyone and made sure that when I sat down next, everyone else was on first. Sending love.
This morning Father helped set up my Internet connection. Now I am able to connect to relatively quick Internet with the Ethernet cable in the Sr.’s office/immunization center. As long as the wireless box is functioning the Internet connects easily. That being said the wireless box’s functionabilty is beyond my understanding (and control). Overall though, great news. I was able to skype shortly with Mom and Dad. There is something so much more comforting to hearing their voices and seeing their faces. Hopefully as the weeks pass I will be able to connect over Skype with most everyone.
I woke up with a sore throat today, which is never a good sign. For my body a sore throat is the signal of a cold coming on. I tried to drink lots of water and watch my sugar intake (since sugar stunts white blood cells) but as the day progressed my throat just got worse. Ever since 4pm I have had an awful headache.
Some of the basics of the day: Class was good. I taught, the students spoke English and most everyone understand what was being said. In the afternoon I went to Bindol (the village with the leaf plate making training) with Susmita and Hannah. We traveled by tchecker, which was minimally crowded for Indian standards. The training is going well, and the women were very excited that I came again. I shared with them my increasing Bengali vocabulary (6 words) and they were very impressed. Bomali (the social worker in the village) had prepared some snacks for us, which was very sweet. For the ride home we took a government bus, my first Indian experience on a bus. It was bumpy and windy, and I fell asleep. There is something about bumpy roads and wind rushing through the windows that is perfect for sleeping. After arriving back at SWI Father rushed us to St. Xavier, for coffee and conversation. There I met Johannes for the first time, he is very nice and again it was nice to meet another Western student in Raiganj. Then we dropped Hannah off at DDC, she didn’t seem so thrilled to go, but I think she will enjoy the pace there. And the Sr.’s are so welcoming, I am sure she will feel at home soon. Then we came back to SWI, had dinner and I went to bed.
That is the jist of the day, I’m sorry that it is poorly written and rushed through. So here is a funny story from the day that should make up for the shotty job above.
When we were on the bike/door vehicle (picture to come soon) riding from the village to Bindol, we saw a large group of people gathered just off the road. We stopped the bike/door vehicle and got off to check it out. There was a game of musical chairs underway with a crowd of two hundred people surrounding. We started to watch, but soon the game ended and the crowd became more interested in the two white girls. As the crowd began to circle us instead of the musical chairs we headed back to the bike/door vehicle. I was sitting on the back and plopped down. I did not look up front and see that the driver was not sitting on the bicycle. Because I was the only one on the door part, the door part when down towards the ground and the bike part went up. It was kind of like sitting on one end of a table and having the other end fly up in the air. Except this happened on the road, on a vehicle with a crowd of 200 people watching. Everyone thought it was absolutely hilarious that the gigantic (this is not self-effacing, my height is huge for West Bengal standards) fair skinned girl had made a fool of herself. I laughed along with everyone and made sure that when I sat down next, everyone else was on first. Sending love.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
1/27
Father Puthumai came back to Raiganj today. He arrived early this morning with another students, a 20 year old girl from Germany. She is very sweet, and although she is a little reserved, I think she will enjoy herself. It was also nice to have a companion for the day.
After welcoming Father Puthumai back, I taught class. The question of the day was: “What is your dream job?” The questions are a daily activity that I use to force the students to speak. The answers must be at least 8 complete sentences and the questions vary, although they usually have to do with favorites. The students really enjoyed this question. Most of them wanted to be teachers, but one wanted to be a businessman and another a member of the Indian civil service. We played a few of our usual games, and Fr. Puthumai came and taught a new game. I have had 10 days of class so far, which means we are one fourth of the way done. Even though it seems as though it has flown by, I can really see improvement in their speaking skills. They are each advancing, and I am proud of their progress.
This afternoon I ran my errands. I went with Hannah (the new German girl) to the bank, the tailor, and to return a movie. Then after lunch at SWI we went to the sweet shop. I have discovered a sweet that is utterly irresistible! It is very flaky and melts in your mouth. It tastes like sugar, the description does not do it justice. The good news is that it is packaged in such a way that I will be able to bring some back with me! It is called soan paprid and you should all be excited to taste it when I come home.
There are two German students at St. Xavier and I have heard about them, but they were on travel until last week, so I had not had the chance to meet them. Today Regina, the girl, stopped by SWI and we were introduced. She was very nice, upbeat and positive. It was evident that she had really grown attached to Raiganj and that this experience has touched her. The three of us, Hannah, Regina, and I went to Chonditola (the orphange) and we played with the kids in the afternoon. That was so much fun today! We held some of the newborns, I chased after some of the older kids, and we helped feed the toddlers a snack. While running around, one of the little guys feel down, he bonked his head pretty bad, so I picked him up and held him until he stopped crying. He is about 2 and very cute. Regina (who goes to Chonditola most days) said that he was new a few weeks ago and painfully thin. He has filled out now, but he is still light as a feather. Well after he calmed down he fell asleep in my arms! There isn’t a better feeling in the world. He was so precious, and Hannah and I joked, because both of our mothers told us not to come home with children!
We had an early dinner with a Sr. who used to work at SWI and has since been transferred. Father Puthumai, Hannah, Sr. Lizzy and I went to a local hotel and had dinner. We had fish sticks, which I was very happy about. Because I really like fish, but I struggle to pick out the bones in the fish at SWI and usually end up with bones in my throat. The fish sticks were really good and for dinner we had tandori chicken, nan, and non-liquid dal. The dinner was really good. Nan is a thick pita like bread and tandori means very tasty spices. Sr. Lizzy was really nice and it was fun to hear Father tell stories about the days when they both had just started.
In the evening we watched television and sat with Father Herman and an visitor (Father Patrick) while they ate dinner. We all chatted and joked around. Overall it was a very good day.
Having met Regina and being tasked with introducing Hannah to SWI, I started to realize how settled I am here. Seeing Hannah in the beginning stages of adjustment, I was able to measure how far I have come. I have become attached to Raiganj, it has begun to change me. To teach me about living simply, finding peace in chaos and being friendly. And there are the children at Chonditola, I have only been there a few times, and already I am in love with every child there. I think that Raiganj has been teaching me all along, and that only recently have I opened my heart to the lessons. Yet another lesson, the importance of having an open heart. Sending love <3
After welcoming Father Puthumai back, I taught class. The question of the day was: “What is your dream job?” The questions are a daily activity that I use to force the students to speak. The answers must be at least 8 complete sentences and the questions vary, although they usually have to do with favorites. The students really enjoyed this question. Most of them wanted to be teachers, but one wanted to be a businessman and another a member of the Indian civil service. We played a few of our usual games, and Fr. Puthumai came and taught a new game. I have had 10 days of class so far, which means we are one fourth of the way done. Even though it seems as though it has flown by, I can really see improvement in their speaking skills. They are each advancing, and I am proud of their progress.
This afternoon I ran my errands. I went with Hannah (the new German girl) to the bank, the tailor, and to return a movie. Then after lunch at SWI we went to the sweet shop. I have discovered a sweet that is utterly irresistible! It is very flaky and melts in your mouth. It tastes like sugar, the description does not do it justice. The good news is that it is packaged in such a way that I will be able to bring some back with me! It is called soan paprid and you should all be excited to taste it when I come home.
There are two German students at St. Xavier and I have heard about them, but they were on travel until last week, so I had not had the chance to meet them. Today Regina, the girl, stopped by SWI and we were introduced. She was very nice, upbeat and positive. It was evident that she had really grown attached to Raiganj and that this experience has touched her. The three of us, Hannah, Regina, and I went to Chonditola (the orphange) and we played with the kids in the afternoon. That was so much fun today! We held some of the newborns, I chased after some of the older kids, and we helped feed the toddlers a snack. While running around, one of the little guys feel down, he bonked his head pretty bad, so I picked him up and held him until he stopped crying. He is about 2 and very cute. Regina (who goes to Chonditola most days) said that he was new a few weeks ago and painfully thin. He has filled out now, but he is still light as a feather. Well after he calmed down he fell asleep in my arms! There isn’t a better feeling in the world. He was so precious, and Hannah and I joked, because both of our mothers told us not to come home with children!
We had an early dinner with a Sr. who used to work at SWI and has since been transferred. Father Puthumai, Hannah, Sr. Lizzy and I went to a local hotel and had dinner. We had fish sticks, which I was very happy about. Because I really like fish, but I struggle to pick out the bones in the fish at SWI and usually end up with bones in my throat. The fish sticks were really good and for dinner we had tandori chicken, nan, and non-liquid dal. The dinner was really good. Nan is a thick pita like bread and tandori means very tasty spices. Sr. Lizzy was really nice and it was fun to hear Father tell stories about the days when they both had just started.
In the evening we watched television and sat with Father Herman and an visitor (Father Patrick) while they ate dinner. We all chatted and joked around. Overall it was a very good day.
Having met Regina and being tasked with introducing Hannah to SWI, I started to realize how settled I am here. Seeing Hannah in the beginning stages of adjustment, I was able to measure how far I have come. I have become attached to Raiganj, it has begun to change me. To teach me about living simply, finding peace in chaos and being friendly. And there are the children at Chonditola, I have only been there a few times, and already I am in love with every child there. I think that Raiganj has been teaching me all along, and that only recently have I opened my heart to the lessons. Yet another lesson, the importance of having an open heart. Sending love <3
Monday, January 26, 2009
1/26
Happy 60th Indian Republic Day. Seeing as today was a holiday I had no class, and was able to spend my morning leisurely chatting with my parents and watching the parade in Delhi on TV. Around 9am the Fathers took me up to the balcony, which is three stories high and has a great view of Raiganj Street. Two of the servants were already up there, and they were preparing to hoist the flag. I don’t know if I have ever heard raising a flag called hoisting, but it seems to be the common turn of phrase in India. It was actually pretty funny to watch the four grown men argue in Bengali and decide where to attached the pole, where to tie the rope, and how to hoist the flag. I stood in the back and giggled to myself. I took a picture and mentally captioned it: How many men does it change to hoist a flag, four! Once the pole was tied up, Father Herman folded it, and they filled the folds with marigold and pink flower petals. They wrapped the rope around the balled up flower filled flag (what I later discovered to be called a floral salute, at least I think I am remembering that right) and only when the flag was at the very top did the ball unravel and the flower petals come fluttering to the ground. They all clapped and then began singing the Indian National Anthem. It was really cool to be able to experience patriotism from another countries perspective. Especially after they joined me to watch Obama be inaugurated. It seemed like an appropriate swapping of patriotic traditions.
Today I went with the family I had dinner with on Saturday to a village for a picnic/fishing adventure. Father Herman came along, and we had lots of fun joking around. The family is composed of the father, mother, daughter, Neha in 7th grade and son, Anup in 4th grade. First we toured the petroleum plant that the father works at. We met his boss and saw his office, and then toured were they fill up the petrol for kitchen uses. It was really cool seeing how it worked, and the grounds were full of very bright flowers. Then we drove the rest of the way to the village, and met a friend of the families, who also works at the petroleum plant. It was his family that was hosting our picnic/fishing adventure. Father and I had stopped at the sweet shop before we left to pick up some treats to take as presents. (And ever since Ruchi pointed out how close the sweet shop is to Caritas, I have been a frequent customer. The sweets in West Bengal are famous in India, and for good reason!) Father gave me the individually wrapped chocolate candies we bought, and told me to pass them out to the children. He said it would be more exciting if the ‘fair skinned’ girl handed them out! So I first gave them to the five children in the family, and then Neha and I walked out front of the house and gave the chocolates to a large crowd of children that was developing out front. At first the children were very noticeably frightened of me, but after I coaxed one of them to take the sweet all of the others were quick to follow. As we went back into the courtyard of the family that was hosting us, I noticed that there were quite a few small heads poking up over the wall, starring at me.
Then it was time to fish. As we were standing outside, admiring the pond and waiting for the fishing supplies to be made (bamboo sticks with string attached), the crowd of children followed us. And about five minutes into our waiting I saw children running towards us from down the path. At first I thought there was just a few, but they just kept coming. A few more minutes into our wait and I swear there were at least 50 children standing around looking at me. They would look at me, until I smiled at them or made eye contact, and then they would turn away quickly. It was pretty cute. The day was pretty overcast, foggy and cold, so the fish were not biting at our poles. Although I quite enjoyed the fishing, regardless of not catching any fish. The village family father came out with his net, and showed us how they fish with their nets. The net was really cool, weighted down by stones in just the right areas. I will post pictures soon, but it was so cool. He would wind up and then throw and this net would fly open and a circle about 20 feet wide would ker-splat in the water. He caught around 8 fish this way, so it was more effective, efficient and not to mention really cool to watch. During this time I was also chatting with Neha about an upcoming photo competition at school and playing around with Anup. Anup and I were playing tag, chasing after one another and I had a blast acting like a 10 year old! Their family (Neha and Anup’s) is really welcoming – and I enjoyed every minute of the day spent joking around, laughing and smiling so much my cheeks hurt.
The family that was hosting us served us lunch, which was very good. They were very insistent that we took seconds, thirds, and fourths! The meal was rice in some sauce, cooked cabbage and spinach, grilled brinjol, chicken in gravy, cucumbers, fish in gravy, and a very thin crispy tortilla shaped food that I have had twice before and really enjoy. Nothing was too spicy and I enjoyed the chicken gravy mixed with the rice. Although since Indian food is spicier than American food, it turns my lips red whenever I eat something spicy. I think it must just be because my skin in sensitive, and it doesn’t hurt, it just looks like I’m a small child who found her mothers red lipstick and smeared it all over my lips. I tried out my new graciousness tactics, by expressing my enjoyment of the food in my enthusiastic eating and only saying thank you when we left. Overall it was a great picnic/fishing adventure and I took lots of documenting photos
This evening I successfully finished another Sudoku (although its Monday and they are the easiest on Monday) while Father Herman did the Jumble. We tried to get Slumdog Millionaire to work again, but failed. Which was a bummer, but what can you do. Father Herman and I read the horoscopes in the Sunday paper, and mine was to not be influenced by any negativity around me. All day we were making jokes about him being negative and my not being influenced (particularly about the cold and dreary weather, which I continued to say would improve in minutes). Another favorite anecdote of the day is when Anup asked Father Herman how he was, and Father said, better than you. It was really random and Anup didn’t know how to respond at first, but in the end we all ended up joking. It was a much more creative answer then the usual ‘fine’. For dinner we ordered a few special foods from the market, to celebrate Republic Day. They were delicious and we also had fried brinjol for dinner, which is one of my favorites (brinjol is like eggplant, but not purple).
Tomorrow Father Puthumai arrives back in Raiganj and it will be good to have him back. Class starts up tomorrow and I will go and pick up my saree in the afternoon. I will also go to the bank and the shoe store for some basic flip flops to wear with my saree. It is a good feeling to have errands to run, it makes me feel independent, established and self-sufficient. Sending my love to all
Today I went with the family I had dinner with on Saturday to a village for a picnic/fishing adventure. Father Herman came along, and we had lots of fun joking around. The family is composed of the father, mother, daughter, Neha in 7th grade and son, Anup in 4th grade. First we toured the petroleum plant that the father works at. We met his boss and saw his office, and then toured were they fill up the petrol for kitchen uses. It was really cool seeing how it worked, and the grounds were full of very bright flowers. Then we drove the rest of the way to the village, and met a friend of the families, who also works at the petroleum plant. It was his family that was hosting our picnic/fishing adventure. Father and I had stopped at the sweet shop before we left to pick up some treats to take as presents. (And ever since Ruchi pointed out how close the sweet shop is to Caritas, I have been a frequent customer. The sweets in West Bengal are famous in India, and for good reason!) Father gave me the individually wrapped chocolate candies we bought, and told me to pass them out to the children. He said it would be more exciting if the ‘fair skinned’ girl handed them out! So I first gave them to the five children in the family, and then Neha and I walked out front of the house and gave the chocolates to a large crowd of children that was developing out front. At first the children were very noticeably frightened of me, but after I coaxed one of them to take the sweet all of the others were quick to follow. As we went back into the courtyard of the family that was hosting us, I noticed that there were quite a few small heads poking up over the wall, starring at me.
Then it was time to fish. As we were standing outside, admiring the pond and waiting for the fishing supplies to be made (bamboo sticks with string attached), the crowd of children followed us. And about five minutes into our waiting I saw children running towards us from down the path. At first I thought there was just a few, but they just kept coming. A few more minutes into our wait and I swear there were at least 50 children standing around looking at me. They would look at me, until I smiled at them or made eye contact, and then they would turn away quickly. It was pretty cute. The day was pretty overcast, foggy and cold, so the fish were not biting at our poles. Although I quite enjoyed the fishing, regardless of not catching any fish. The village family father came out with his net, and showed us how they fish with their nets. The net was really cool, weighted down by stones in just the right areas. I will post pictures soon, but it was so cool. He would wind up and then throw and this net would fly open and a circle about 20 feet wide would ker-splat in the water. He caught around 8 fish this way, so it was more effective, efficient and not to mention really cool to watch. During this time I was also chatting with Neha about an upcoming photo competition at school and playing around with Anup. Anup and I were playing tag, chasing after one another and I had a blast acting like a 10 year old! Their family (Neha and Anup’s) is really welcoming – and I enjoyed every minute of the day spent joking around, laughing and smiling so much my cheeks hurt.
The family that was hosting us served us lunch, which was very good. They were very insistent that we took seconds, thirds, and fourths! The meal was rice in some sauce, cooked cabbage and spinach, grilled brinjol, chicken in gravy, cucumbers, fish in gravy, and a very thin crispy tortilla shaped food that I have had twice before and really enjoy. Nothing was too spicy and I enjoyed the chicken gravy mixed with the rice. Although since Indian food is spicier than American food, it turns my lips red whenever I eat something spicy. I think it must just be because my skin in sensitive, and it doesn’t hurt, it just looks like I’m a small child who found her mothers red lipstick and smeared it all over my lips. I tried out my new graciousness tactics, by expressing my enjoyment of the food in my enthusiastic eating and only saying thank you when we left. Overall it was a great picnic/fishing adventure and I took lots of documenting photos
This evening I successfully finished another Sudoku (although its Monday and they are the easiest on Monday) while Father Herman did the Jumble. We tried to get Slumdog Millionaire to work again, but failed. Which was a bummer, but what can you do. Father Herman and I read the horoscopes in the Sunday paper, and mine was to not be influenced by any negativity around me. All day we were making jokes about him being negative and my not being influenced (particularly about the cold and dreary weather, which I continued to say would improve in minutes). Another favorite anecdote of the day is when Anup asked Father Herman how he was, and Father said, better than you. It was really random and Anup didn’t know how to respond at first, but in the end we all ended up joking. It was a much more creative answer then the usual ‘fine’. For dinner we ordered a few special foods from the market, to celebrate Republic Day. They were delicious and we also had fried brinjol for dinner, which is one of my favorites (brinjol is like eggplant, but not purple).
Tomorrow Father Puthumai arrives back in Raiganj and it will be good to have him back. Class starts up tomorrow and I will go and pick up my saree in the afternoon. I will also go to the bank and the shoe store for some basic flip flops to wear with my saree. It is a good feeling to have errands to run, it makes me feel independent, established and self-sufficient. Sending my love to all
Sunday, January 25, 2009
1/25
Sunday mass is in Bengali. I still don't understand more than 3 to 5 words. But this is the second week that the service has included my name. Last week it was a prayer because I was new, and this week it was referencing my country because Father Herman was speaking about inspirational leaders. My head always perks up when they say my name. I enjoy the time though, even though I don't understand it is nice for me to have some reflective time surrounded by pray. We had breakfast with a few community members and the conversation was about the age at which children become independent. In India usually children live with their parents until they are married. I was explaining how it is different in the US. I enjoy discussing the similarities and differences of US and Indian culture with people, but I often wonder if I am adequately able to explain culture. Culture is undefinable and variant based on person, region and life situation. So I usually add the disclaimer that I can only speak to a small portion of life in the US, and I expect in the same way I am learning about a small portion of life in India. That being said, I think it will take me 3 months to learn that small portion :-)
At Jonathan & Ruchi's house we were having an American lunch yesterday. Ruchi's brother was in town from Calcutta, so he brought a few food items not available in Raiganj. We had sandwiches with salami, tomato and we also had mashed potatoes. It was very good! It was such a treat to have American food. Over lunch Ruchi and Jonathan told me about the way 'thank you' fits into Indian culture. They said that around friends it is not customary to say thank you often. After this I became aware of how often I do say thank you. I have been trying to control myself, but it is such an ingrained habit, and it is one of the few ways I know how to express gratitude. I was very grateful though, to have been let in on this new piece of culture.
The rest of the afternoon we played with Trisha, watched Friends, had snacks and tea and chatted. I enjoy spending time wit Ruchi and Trisha(Jonathan is usually at work). They are a lot of fun and make me feel very welcome and comfortable. In the evening we went to the saree shop, to buy me a saree for the puja on Saturday. A puja is a worship celebration for the Hindus, this Saturday is the puja for Saraswati the goddess of wisdom. Ruchi is Christan, but said that it is commong for everyone to join in on the celebrations. Ruchi's neighborhood is having a party, and she invited me. She said that the women would be very excited if I wore a saree, and I have wanted to try one, so we went to the shop and I bought a very pretty red saree. The shop has tons of them, and it was really cool to see the beautifully decorated ones for weddings. We took it to the tailor and I should have it back by today.
In the evening I went with Father Herman to try and rent Slumdog millionaire. It is very common in India to find pirated movies at video rental shops. We couldn't find it, but I remembered that Ruchi and Jonathan said they had just watched it. We stopped by their house and borrowed the DVD. Unfortunately we were not able to set it up on the tv, so we postponed it until tonight, when we will try again. I hope that the Fathers enjoy it.
Today I am off for a fishing adventure with the family who hosted us for dinner on Saturday. I am very excited, and will take lots of pictures. Sending my love.
At Jonathan & Ruchi's house we were having an American lunch yesterday. Ruchi's brother was in town from Calcutta, so he brought a few food items not available in Raiganj. We had sandwiches with salami, tomato and we also had mashed potatoes. It was very good! It was such a treat to have American food. Over lunch Ruchi and Jonathan told me about the way 'thank you' fits into Indian culture. They said that around friends it is not customary to say thank you often. After this I became aware of how often I do say thank you. I have been trying to control myself, but it is such an ingrained habit, and it is one of the few ways I know how to express gratitude. I was very grateful though, to have been let in on this new piece of culture.
The rest of the afternoon we played with Trisha, watched Friends, had snacks and tea and chatted. I enjoy spending time wit Ruchi and Trisha(Jonathan is usually at work). They are a lot of fun and make me feel very welcome and comfortable. In the evening we went to the saree shop, to buy me a saree for the puja on Saturday. A puja is a worship celebration for the Hindus, this Saturday is the puja for Saraswati the goddess of wisdom. Ruchi is Christan, but said that it is commong for everyone to join in on the celebrations. Ruchi's neighborhood is having a party, and she invited me. She said that the women would be very excited if I wore a saree, and I have wanted to try one, so we went to the shop and I bought a very pretty red saree. The shop has tons of them, and it was really cool to see the beautifully decorated ones for weddings. We took it to the tailor and I should have it back by today.
In the evening I went with Father Herman to try and rent Slumdog millionaire. It is very common in India to find pirated movies at video rental shops. We couldn't find it, but I remembered that Ruchi and Jonathan said they had just watched it. We stopped by their house and borrowed the DVD. Unfortunately we were not able to set it up on the tv, so we postponed it until tonight, when we will try again. I hope that the Fathers enjoy it.
Today I am off for a fishing adventure with the family who hosted us for dinner on Saturday. I am very excited, and will take lots of pictures. Sending my love.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
1/24
I held class today, even though it was Saturday, because Monday is a holiday. If I am going to hold 40 classes (which I am supposed to) by the time I leave, then it is important that I hold class as often as possible. And in India Saturday is only half of a weekend, usually people work half of the day on Saturday. We did tongue twisters in class today, to work on correct pronunciation. We had so much fun, laughing at the funny things that were said. After class, I spent a large part of my day reading or dinking around on the computer. I am learning how to take life slowly. I think a lot of that has to do with becoming comfortable. There is no way to relax when you are uncomfortable; the two things are complete opposites. But since I have begun to settle in, and become comfortable, I have also been able to relax. The goal of my time on the computer was to upload some photos, which ended up taking much longer than expected. But I had plenty of time, and after I uploaded mine, Sr. Anisha needed help uploading photos, so it was perfect timing that I had just learned how.
The Missionaries of Charity were at SWI today; they were passing out free medicine. From what Father Herman said the medicine was for common sicknesses and the people were poor and couldn’t afford such medicine at the store. There were lots of people around, and they all stared, and some smiled. The Sisters were very nice, and all acknowledged me and asked me how I was doing.
After tea/coffee time (one of my favorite times of day, because we always get sweets and it reminds me of Grandma Hewitt’s teatimes) I spent a couple hours working at the Sudoku (they are the most difficult in Saturdays paper) and watching some TV on the English channels. There are 4 or 5 English channels, and they play pretty good movies and some primetime TV shows. Today I watched High School Musical 2, and completed 95% of a Sudoku.
When the Fathers returned from their outing, we all went to dinner at a friends home. The family consisted of a mother, father, and two children, a younger boy and older girl. They attend St. Xavier School, and the family all spoke English. We had appetizers, and joked around for a bit. Then we had dinner. The food was delicious! The parents did not eat while we were there, which Father explained to me again, is the customary treatment of guests.
Father Markus noticed earlier that I was working on the Sudoku, and he asked what it was. I explained to him and he scoffed and said that is easy! He asked for the family’s paper and started to work on it. He spent a good hour and a half of our time there working on it and wasn’t able to make much progress. I was teasing him the entire time and we were all laughing!! Father Herman has taken to doing the Jumbles and he is quite good at them. Even Sha-na-watch has started contributing to the Sudokus. I think I have started a new craze--newspaper games
Monday is Republic Day in India, a celebration of all of the states agreeing to join in on the Indian constitution. There is no school or work. I am very excited to see what a Patriotic India looks like. The family we had dinner with invited me to tag along on Monday while they go and visit a village. I am very excited to go with them; they said there will be fishing involved!
On the walk home from dinner tonight, Father Herman asked if I am feeling more comfortable here. I said that I am feeling very comfortable here and am grateful for all of the people who have been so nice to me. He said that they are feeling at home with me as well, and appreciated my friendliness and willingness to joke around. I think that is one of the best compliments I have gotten so far. I have sure blossomed as an extrovert during my time here, and I think it has been for the best.
That is all for now. Loves.
The Missionaries of Charity were at SWI today; they were passing out free medicine. From what Father Herman said the medicine was for common sicknesses and the people were poor and couldn’t afford such medicine at the store. There were lots of people around, and they all stared, and some smiled. The Sisters were very nice, and all acknowledged me and asked me how I was doing.
After tea/coffee time (one of my favorite times of day, because we always get sweets and it reminds me of Grandma Hewitt’s teatimes) I spent a couple hours working at the Sudoku (they are the most difficult in Saturdays paper) and watching some TV on the English channels. There are 4 or 5 English channels, and they play pretty good movies and some primetime TV shows. Today I watched High School Musical 2, and completed 95% of a Sudoku.
When the Fathers returned from their outing, we all went to dinner at a friends home. The family consisted of a mother, father, and two children, a younger boy and older girl. They attend St. Xavier School, and the family all spoke English. We had appetizers, and joked around for a bit. Then we had dinner. The food was delicious! The parents did not eat while we were there, which Father explained to me again, is the customary treatment of guests.
Father Markus noticed earlier that I was working on the Sudoku, and he asked what it was. I explained to him and he scoffed and said that is easy! He asked for the family’s paper and started to work on it. He spent a good hour and a half of our time there working on it and wasn’t able to make much progress. I was teasing him the entire time and we were all laughing!! Father Herman has taken to doing the Jumbles and he is quite good at them. Even Sha-na-watch has started contributing to the Sudokus. I think I have started a new craze--newspaper games
Monday is Republic Day in India, a celebration of all of the states agreeing to join in on the Indian constitution. There is no school or work. I am very excited to see what a Patriotic India looks like. The family we had dinner with invited me to tag along on Monday while they go and visit a village. I am very excited to go with them; they said there will be fishing involved!
On the walk home from dinner tonight, Father Herman asked if I am feeling more comfortable here. I said that I am feeling very comfortable here and am grateful for all of the people who have been so nice to me. He said that they are feeling at home with me as well, and appreciated my friendliness and willingness to joke around. I think that is one of the best compliments I have gotten so far. I have sure blossomed as an extrovert during my time here, and I think it has been for the best.
That is all for now. Loves.
To meet the demands of my mother :-)
Follow this link to find me in India!
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Friday, January 23, 2009
1/23
Today I tagged along on a field visit. We left directly after class and went to Malda, which is a separate district around an hour away. I went with Sha-na-watch, and two other men. I think one of them in a Father, and the other is an employee at SWI. I don’t remember their names (I am still awful at remembering Indian names), but they were both very nice. The drive took quite a while, at least an hour and a half. I enjoyed every minute of it! Well, that may be a lie, I enjoyed every minute that I was visually exploring the new area, and was genuinely terrified any time I let my eyes slip to the road. Its not that the drivers have poor driving skills, if anything, they are some of the most talented drivers I have ever seen. Instead what terrifies me is the, shall we say, quirks of the vehicles and the tendency to play chicken with other cars. For example today the car had a small hole where the shifter connected to the ground, so you can see the road beneath you. Or in the other vehicle the speedometer fluctuates 10-15 km constantly, so you never know what speed you are going, instead you know a range. The cars are in proper working condition, and none of these small quirks affect the driving or the safety, but they still shake my nerves a little. Also in India the tendency is to drive in the middle of the road, this often makes sense since the sides of the road are filled with bicycles, pedestrians, and other various forms of non-motorized transportation. Even if you stay on the left (which is the correct side) you often need to pass large vehicles that are carrying goods, and to do this you have to veer into the other lane. But when two cars are coming from opposite directions and they are heading straight towards on another, and you happen to be sitting in one of the cars, it is unnerving. Even though each time it happens the cars swerve to the left at exactly the correct moments, it still teases with my nerves.
But back to the field visit. We arrived around 11:30 and I joined the Self Help Group Training for a few hours. The training was for skill development, the SHG’s were learning to make bicycle flowers. They are like giant pipe cleaners that you shape around the center of your bicycles wheels for decoration. The women showed me how they made the flowers and it was really cool. You took wire and laid dyed and cut raffia strands onto it. Then making sure that it was even you folded more wire on top and twisted. The man who was running the training explained that the women sell the bicycle flowers at market and are able to contribute to their household income with that money. The trainings are free for any members of the SHG’s, and although the supplies are provided for the trainings, there is the expectation that once you have the skill you are able to procure any materials on your own. Sha-na-watch told me a little more about Self Help Groups and the way the microfinance program works. The members (10-15) contribute a small amount of money every month to a communal bank account. The money builds up over time and the members are able to ask for loans to begin small business projects or in case of a family emergency. The system also ensures the groups’ meet regularly and that they are not too dependent on the organization. It was really cool to be able to learn this about the details of the groups, especially while I was there witnessing such a key element in the function of the groups. The training was held at a large Catholic campus, with a school, a hostel, a convent, some training rooms and the residence of the parish priest. So there were kids all over (since it was a holiday) and they kept poking their heads in the window trying to get a good look at me. We had lunch and coffee with the priest after closing the training with a few speeches and some congratulations.
Class was good today, I had 7 students and most everyone showed up on time (even though this morning was particularly foggy). I am really beginning to find a useful routine in class, and I am also tuning my ability for effective communication. The students are great, and they challenge my knowledge of English and enhance my knowledge of India everyday.
The best news of the day is that I successfully completed my first Sudoku, which is pretty impressive considering its Friday and they get progressively hard beginning on Monday and ending on Saturday. I was very proud, and cut it out to use as a bookmark. I also discovered also thoroughly enjoyed dinner. My favorite new dish is potato and egg mixed together with spices. It was wonderful! I also found some English movies on television after dinner; I was flipping between Pirates of the Caribbean and Shrek the Third. And I caught a half an hour of Friends today, which has become a renewed favorite of mine. The dogs were nice on my walk to bed; the just sniffed me. I appreciated their refrain from barking.
The sunsets here are beautiful, the sun is a perfect red circle as it sets on the horizon and when we go on field visits you can perfectly see the horizon 360 degrees around you. There are no buildings obstructing your view, just hazy sky. Another favorite of mine in India are the trees, there is a particular tree, which has a huge trunk that is composed of tons of little trunks intertwining. Sometimes when you are driving down the street, the trees on both sides form a tunnel. I love those drives the most, I feel like I am in the Sound of Music skipping down the road and merrily singing in German clothes made of curtains! The tree tunnels (as I have dubbed them in my mind) are another of my Indian favorites.
Skype didn’t work today, which is a bummer, but hopefully once my laptops gets set up with a more stable internet connection, skype can become a regular occurrence. I am still missing everyone at home (all of my various homes) but today I was able to reminisce without feeling sad, just a little incomplete. The best is when I think of things from home that make me laugh. Sending my love.
But back to the field visit. We arrived around 11:30 and I joined the Self Help Group Training for a few hours. The training was for skill development, the SHG’s were learning to make bicycle flowers. They are like giant pipe cleaners that you shape around the center of your bicycles wheels for decoration. The women showed me how they made the flowers and it was really cool. You took wire and laid dyed and cut raffia strands onto it. Then making sure that it was even you folded more wire on top and twisted. The man who was running the training explained that the women sell the bicycle flowers at market and are able to contribute to their household income with that money. The trainings are free for any members of the SHG’s, and although the supplies are provided for the trainings, there is the expectation that once you have the skill you are able to procure any materials on your own. Sha-na-watch told me a little more about Self Help Groups and the way the microfinance program works. The members (10-15) contribute a small amount of money every month to a communal bank account. The money builds up over time and the members are able to ask for loans to begin small business projects or in case of a family emergency. The system also ensures the groups’ meet regularly and that they are not too dependent on the organization. It was really cool to be able to learn this about the details of the groups, especially while I was there witnessing such a key element in the function of the groups. The training was held at a large Catholic campus, with a school, a hostel, a convent, some training rooms and the residence of the parish priest. So there were kids all over (since it was a holiday) and they kept poking their heads in the window trying to get a good look at me. We had lunch and coffee with the priest after closing the training with a few speeches and some congratulations.
Class was good today, I had 7 students and most everyone showed up on time (even though this morning was particularly foggy). I am really beginning to find a useful routine in class, and I am also tuning my ability for effective communication. The students are great, and they challenge my knowledge of English and enhance my knowledge of India everyday.
The best news of the day is that I successfully completed my first Sudoku, which is pretty impressive considering its Friday and they get progressively hard beginning on Monday and ending on Saturday. I was very proud, and cut it out to use as a bookmark. I also discovered also thoroughly enjoyed dinner. My favorite new dish is potato and egg mixed together with spices. It was wonderful! I also found some English movies on television after dinner; I was flipping between Pirates of the Caribbean and Shrek the Third. And I caught a half an hour of Friends today, which has become a renewed favorite of mine. The dogs were nice on my walk to bed; the just sniffed me. I appreciated their refrain from barking.
The sunsets here are beautiful, the sun is a perfect red circle as it sets on the horizon and when we go on field visits you can perfectly see the horizon 360 degrees around you. There are no buildings obstructing your view, just hazy sky. Another favorite of mine in India are the trees, there is a particular tree, which has a huge trunk that is composed of tons of little trunks intertwining. Sometimes when you are driving down the street, the trees on both sides form a tunnel. I love those drives the most, I feel like I am in the Sound of Music skipping down the road and merrily singing in German clothes made of curtains! The tree tunnels (as I have dubbed them in my mind) are another of my Indian favorites.
Skype didn’t work today, which is a bummer, but hopefully once my laptops gets set up with a more stable internet connection, skype can become a regular occurrence. I am still missing everyone at home (all of my various homes) but today I was able to reminisce without feeling sad, just a little incomplete. The best is when I think of things from home that make me laugh. Sending my love.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
1/22
Today was the day of mosquito bites. I have four on my right knee. I have had very few mosquito bites up until this point in time, because of the very effective repellent that I have been using. But today the mosquitoes were extra bloodthirsty and have savaged my right knee through my jeans! The itching is unfortunate, but manageable. The mosquito bites here seem to be different at home, they both itch and get red and puffy with a white bump in the middle, but the Indian mosquito bites seem to heal quicker, and be less likely to scab. The little white bump only itches for a few hours directly after biting. Then the itching stops and the bump goes down rather quickly. I am glad for this, because otherwise I would probably come home with mosquito bite scratches all over!
I learned more about the strike today. It doesn’t have to do so much with business as it does with politics. First Jonathan explained to me that in India you only vote every 5 years for a local representative. The person you elect is then in charge of voting for representatives at higher posts. The majority party at the higher posts elects the prime minister and the president. Because of the distance from the upper level leadership and the people’s votes, many times persons feel distanced from the political process. This is why there are so many street rallies for political parties. The strike was government workers who want to be paid more, and they are striking because it is their only outlet for political expression. In India government runs a few very important commodities in society, including gas and telephones. So if government employees don’t go to work, the town shuts down. There were very few cars on the street today, mostly only police jeeps, and a quite a few parked buses on the side of the road. The roads were full of people on bikes and a few rickshaws. All of the shops were closed, besides the chemists, which are like pharmacies. There was less street noise, although it was no wear near quiet, the birds just seemed louder.
This morning I was able to speak with Mom and Dad on skype for about an hour (Ajla I think the power outages was what kept interrupting our conversation). It was really great to see their faces and hear their voices. It is surprising how much comfort comes from the senses. Because of the strike I thought that my students would not come, but I had 6 students who all came by bike. The class performed skits again today and they are definitely loosening up and having more fun. I most appreciate class for two reasons: one, it is teaching me the value of good communication and two, it is the most effective way to learn about culture, history and tradition. I just assign the students to give 2-4 minute presentations on the topic I want to learn more about, and that way while they learn English I learn about Indian society. There were no mice in the classroom today, and the power stayed on for more than half of the class (although this afternoon the power was awful).
I spent some more time today researching for my project and developing a firm idea of what a revolving fund is, and the elements necessary to provide for its success. I found some interesting and valuable information on a few databases, but with the power outages, the computer kept shutting off and having to restart. After a while I gave up and went to Ruchi, Trisha and onathan’s house. It was a holiday for them, because of the strike. We played with Trisha on the terrace, and she now knows my name! She calls me Chelche (which is pretty darn close)! After lunch (rice, what looked similar to garbanzo beans in soup with vegetables and cooked spinach) we had some more wonderful Indian sweets. It was this flakey sugary square sweet that literally melted in your mouth. I think at home I will miss Indian sweets, they are very rich and very different from US standard desserts. Ruchi’s brother will be in town for the long weekend (tomorrow is a holiday that celebrates the birthday of a freedom-fighter and Monday is republic day). On Sunday we are going to have a brunch and I am going to make American pancakes. I am very excited to be able to cook, it will be a good way to show gratitude for their kindness. There are no ovens in India either, a fact that I surprising just became aware of today. There are countertop stovetops and microwaves, but no ovens. Ruchi said that usually for baked goods you go the baker, which makes sense
Trisha is so cute, she is very smart for a two year old and very stubborn. She has an endless stream of energy and is always going going going. Today she was playing with her next door neighbor who is around 9 years old and was home from school. They were running all over the place on little tricycles with little plastic toy instruments making quite the ruckus. It was only then that I realized how much I miss my kids from Childhaven and even having McKenna around. Kids are such an example of joy, I am glad I have been able to find that in India as well as at home. (See now I am finding similarities instead of differences.)
In the evening I taught Father Herman how to use a few different Microsoft programs. I showed him some tips and tricks for Powerpoint and Excel. He also wanted to know about Access, and since I am not as familiar with that one I found a free online tutorial for him. I felt as though I was knowledgeable, which is usually doesn’t happen too often in the states. Before dinner Father Herman and Sha-na-watch and I did the Sudukos together and the word jumbles. We had a lot of fun, trying to make up words and find the right numbers. Sha-na-watch invited me to tag along to the field tomorrow, which is very exciting, twice in one week! We will leave tomorrow directly after class.
Dinner good, a father from the rectory had come for dinner and the four of us (Father Herman, Father Markus, new Father, and myself) all enjoyed joking around about the news updates. We had soup tonight, which was new and very good. It was reminiscent of chicken noodle soup with no chicken or noodles. I am starting to recognize the vegetables, there is a dish with cabbage, one with carrots and potatoes, one with green beans that look like sugar snap pea pods, and one with potato and mashed up brinjol. Tonight it was the carrots/potatoes and the cabbage.
There are dogs that live at SWI. They stay locked up during the day, but at night they are the used as guard dogs. They usually bark and follow me to my room. They are actually rather frightening, Father Herman said that that is the point. But I have to say I sympathize with Ajla (she is scared of dogs), when they want to be threatening, dogs are scary.
Sweet dreams for now, and good night hugs.
I learned more about the strike today. It doesn’t have to do so much with business as it does with politics. First Jonathan explained to me that in India you only vote every 5 years for a local representative. The person you elect is then in charge of voting for representatives at higher posts. The majority party at the higher posts elects the prime minister and the president. Because of the distance from the upper level leadership and the people’s votes, many times persons feel distanced from the political process. This is why there are so many street rallies for political parties. The strike was government workers who want to be paid more, and they are striking because it is their only outlet for political expression. In India government runs a few very important commodities in society, including gas and telephones. So if government employees don’t go to work, the town shuts down. There were very few cars on the street today, mostly only police jeeps, and a quite a few parked buses on the side of the road. The roads were full of people on bikes and a few rickshaws. All of the shops were closed, besides the chemists, which are like pharmacies. There was less street noise, although it was no wear near quiet, the birds just seemed louder.
This morning I was able to speak with Mom and Dad on skype for about an hour (Ajla I think the power outages was what kept interrupting our conversation). It was really great to see their faces and hear their voices. It is surprising how much comfort comes from the senses. Because of the strike I thought that my students would not come, but I had 6 students who all came by bike. The class performed skits again today and they are definitely loosening up and having more fun. I most appreciate class for two reasons: one, it is teaching me the value of good communication and two, it is the most effective way to learn about culture, history and tradition. I just assign the students to give 2-4 minute presentations on the topic I want to learn more about, and that way while they learn English I learn about Indian society. There were no mice in the classroom today, and the power stayed on for more than half of the class (although this afternoon the power was awful).
I spent some more time today researching for my project and developing a firm idea of what a revolving fund is, and the elements necessary to provide for its success. I found some interesting and valuable information on a few databases, but with the power outages, the computer kept shutting off and having to restart. After a while I gave up and went to Ruchi, Trisha and onathan’s house. It was a holiday for them, because of the strike. We played with Trisha on the terrace, and she now knows my name! She calls me Chelche (which is pretty darn close)! After lunch (rice, what looked similar to garbanzo beans in soup with vegetables and cooked spinach) we had some more wonderful Indian sweets. It was this flakey sugary square sweet that literally melted in your mouth. I think at home I will miss Indian sweets, they are very rich and very different from US standard desserts. Ruchi’s brother will be in town for the long weekend (tomorrow is a holiday that celebrates the birthday of a freedom-fighter and Monday is republic day). On Sunday we are going to have a brunch and I am going to make American pancakes. I am very excited to be able to cook, it will be a good way to show gratitude for their kindness. There are no ovens in India either, a fact that I surprising just became aware of today. There are countertop stovetops and microwaves, but no ovens. Ruchi said that usually for baked goods you go the baker, which makes sense
Trisha is so cute, she is very smart for a two year old and very stubborn. She has an endless stream of energy and is always going going going. Today she was playing with her next door neighbor who is around 9 years old and was home from school. They were running all over the place on little tricycles with little plastic toy instruments making quite the ruckus. It was only then that I realized how much I miss my kids from Childhaven and even having McKenna around. Kids are such an example of joy, I am glad I have been able to find that in India as well as at home. (See now I am finding similarities instead of differences.)
In the evening I taught Father Herman how to use a few different Microsoft programs. I showed him some tips and tricks for Powerpoint and Excel. He also wanted to know about Access, and since I am not as familiar with that one I found a free online tutorial for him. I felt as though I was knowledgeable, which is usually doesn’t happen too often in the states. Before dinner Father Herman and Sha-na-watch and I did the Sudukos together and the word jumbles. We had a lot of fun, trying to make up words and find the right numbers. Sha-na-watch invited me to tag along to the field tomorrow, which is very exciting, twice in one week! We will leave tomorrow directly after class.
Dinner good, a father from the rectory had come for dinner and the four of us (Father Herman, Father Markus, new Father, and myself) all enjoyed joking around about the news updates. We had soup tonight, which was new and very good. It was reminiscent of chicken noodle soup with no chicken or noodles. I am starting to recognize the vegetables, there is a dish with cabbage, one with carrots and potatoes, one with green beans that look like sugar snap pea pods, and one with potato and mashed up brinjol. Tonight it was the carrots/potatoes and the cabbage.
There are dogs that live at SWI. They stay locked up during the day, but at night they are the used as guard dogs. They usually bark and follow me to my room. They are actually rather frightening, Father Herman said that that is the point. But I have to say I sympathize with Ajla (she is scared of dogs), when they want to be threatening, dogs are scary.
Sweet dreams for now, and good night hugs.
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