Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Jonathan! I must say he lives in a mini-paradise: no cockroaches, cooler weather, hot water, a working shower head, and variety in the food he is offered! I navigated the bus system which was actually kind of nice. It was like a mini-vacation in itself. I loved driving by the country side with a view of peoples lives. Peoples lives happen right on the side of the road - a view I love but understand how one would feel such lack of dignity in their lives being so public. The bus is all open so the wind is so strong and cools you off once you get out of the stuffy city area of Trichy. The horn blows every minute at least. Grown men point at you and then their children, indicating that they want you to wave to their child. Older women sit with you and somehow manage to have their one leg touch both of your thighs. People jump on and off the bus as it rolls to a slow enough speed to not injure you. At the stops young men and old men come on and offer you aplam (a potato chip made out of rice) or fresh fruit. I truly did enjoy my bus experience.
Jonathan greeted me in Palani which I was thankful for since I was nervous about getting to his very small town. We rode the bus together to Dharapuram. We ate dinner at a nice little place called Sugar and Spice. They offer Western style food. I ate a veggie burger which was topped with I am sure a whole bottle of mayonaise and Jonathan had a chicken hot dog which also came with another bottle of mayonaise! Jonathan also got french fries which were salty, greasy, and everything you could imagine a french fry tasting like! We finished off our meal by having a milkshake. Oh man it was so delicious!! To top off my lovely evening Jonathan and I got comfortable in his luxurious hotel room and watched HBO. Thats right you read this correctly HBO and the best part: it was in English!!!
We woke up and grabbed breakfast at the place where Jonathan has breakfast every morning. The waiters there are all super friendly and it seemed like they were very eager to attend to Jonathan's dining needs. After that we waited for Chandra (the headmistress) to come and pick us up. We waited by taking turns reading Tina Fey's book aloud to each other. If you have not read this book I recommend that you get a copy and read it. It is a light, easy, and very humorous read! Finally, Chandra and the secretary arrive and we head on our way to a nearby city which I am not sure of the name, but it is a large city. We were to meet a board member for the school where Jonathan works. We arrived at his house which by the way was a beautiful Indian home. Upon arriving we were offered drinks and were asked if we ate several times - of course! Then we had a little dialogue about our experiences thus far, things we wanted to get out of our experience, and we were given a brief overview of the man's role in social services in Tamil Nadu. We were given a fresh young coconut with a straw stuck in it. I am not a fan but I sure did see Jonathan's face light up! This man has a daughter who lives in Austin, Texas and a son who used to live in Texas as well but has moved back to India. It was pleasant to be able to talk with the daughter who lives in Austin. We laughed about the things we found challenging and things that had truly surprised us (mainly sanitation)! This man runs a charity which cooks food and delivers it to disabled Indians who live on the streets. I obviously became very curious and intrigued because this is not something that you find in India everyday but obviously something very common in the United States where there are non-profits, religious organizations, and government organizations which all attempt to combat hunger. He offered to allow me to come and participate in the organization the next time I have a break. I thought that was very nice of him and I will definitely take him up on that offer. It was then decided that we needed to eat. But wait before I move on I must confess: he gave me a chocolate mini-Hershey bar and it was so lovely!
They insisted that we eat out and not eat at their house, although I really would rather have because I have not experienced home cooked meals since the food at my placement is hostel food. We went to a five star hotel to eat lunch. It was quite extravagant. We ate with silverware. There was a buffet of Indian food, raw veggies, fruit, and a whole separate dessert section. I ate more than I needed just like a typical American at a buffet and I am pretty sure Jonathan did as well since he kept saying aloud to the group that he needed to try everything!! After that we went back to the house where the rest of the group ate. We were then given a tour of the house, offered fresh dates (not dried ones, the fresh ones are so amazing), a large mug of tea (which always comes with loads of sugar and milk), and the use of a very clean Western style toilet! We said our good-byes which was just like a typical American gathering. A lot of standing by the door, lingering, and last minute conversation.
After we left the house Jonathan, Chandra, the secretary, this other man (who is always with us when we are with Chandra and the secretary but I have no idea who he is or what he does), and I all went shopping because it was decided that Jonathan needed new pants since his last pants had ripped and were not able to be mended by the tailors at his school due to the severity of the rip. We first went to a rather fancy store where Jonathan quickly picked out a pair of pants and then was nearly assaulted by the secretary who insisted that the school needed to buy his jeans. We were both in shock. Then it was decided that one pair was not enough and we must go to another store to buy another pair of pants. And judging from the conversation and the repeated glances at the receipt we needed to find cheaper pants. So we headed off into the cotton district of the city. It was truly the cotton capital of Tamil Nadu. Cotton and sugar cane are the main exports of our state. Chandra told us that most all of the little shops that we walked and drove by would be exporting most of that clothing to Europe and America. It was very clear by the style and brands of the clothing that most of these clothes were destined for America but could first be bought for mere cents in these tiny shops. We wound down and up several staircases and alleys until finally we arrived at this shop which didn't look any different from the hundred or so that we walked by. Some conversation happened and then a man held up these big cotton pants in front of Jonathan. It was quickly decided by all (including all the Indian men sitting around on stacks of clothes) that those pants would simply NOT work. So off we went to a different section of the cotton district where we found pants for Jonathan. This part had to be the funniest though because the sizes in slacks stopped after a 36. And Jonathan announced to the group that he used to be a 36 but since coming to India has gone up to a 38. I am not sure that everyone in the group got what he said, but I sure did and started laughing. So they move over to another shelf where they keep the bigger pants which only come in jeans. It is finally decided that those jeans were suitable for Jonathan. Of course the secretary bought those pants as well. We left the shop - all of us relieved.
Before we could head on our way back to the town where Jonathan and Chandra live they needed to give us tea or something. Jonathan and I insisted that we did not need anything but the van stopped anyways in front of a hotel where we got some fresh juice. Chandra had asked me earlier in the day what things I ate at home because she thinks I am skinny. So I told her I eat a lot of fruit and veggies compared to my diet here. She had asked me what kind of fruits and veggies, I answered by telling her that we eat a lot of apples because in the part of America where I come from it is cold and makes for good apples. So she insisted that I try South India's famous apple juice. It was quite tasty. I must tell you though that all juices, unless they are citrus, are mixed with milk. And all the juice is made right when you order it from fresh fruits in a juicer. Now, over stuffed with food we headed on our way back to Jonathan's town.
We arrived at Jonathan's hotel and settled in. Karate Kid (the one with Will Smith's son) was about to play so I got comfy. Jonathan decided that he was ready to eat again so we went to this little restaurant that is in a garden right near his hotel. It was very nice and a very different dining experience than you can usually find in India. The man who ran the restaurant was also the cook, he was super sweet. He was very eager for us to be there and insisted that we eat some chicken dish that was amazingly delicious. We then also ate Chicken Briyani which is a popular South Indian dish. It was very tasty, now I know why Jonathan always talks about it. We over tipped our sweet Indian waiter/cook and headed on our way to watch Karate Kid!!!
Sunday morning we woke up early and read a little more Tina Fey to each other. We ate breakfast at his spot once again and then grabbed a bus headed toward Jonathan's school. Before we got on the bus we asked a few men standing around which bus was going to the town where Jonathan's school is and the bus driver of the bus right next to us yelled and pointed at Jonathan, "Gurrukulum"- it made me smile, we clearly have become accustomed and settled into our new lives. When we arrived at the Gurrukulum all the children were sitting outside waiting for us, they all got up and swarmed us. I was now holding hands with about 20 different children at once and the ones who weren't holding onto a piece of my hand were touching my arms and leading us into the courtyard. One of Jonathan's older students and body guard, Balin, cleared a path for us and told the younger ones to get off of us so that we could walk in! Jonathan and I then co-taught his English club. It was fun. We went over the verbs: to like and to want. His students are far more advanced than mine. It was nice to be able to effectively communicate with students! He is an excellent teacher and his students take in everything that he says. Balin writes down everything he says and tries so hard to understand everything, he really is a great student. Jonathan is lucky to have him and more importantly he is so lucky to have Jonathan for this year.
After that we played some games outside. The children love to play games with Jonathan and I have to admit I liked watching him play games with them. I could tell he was enjoying himself and I could tell that those children love each and every move Jonathan makes. His presence really does make an impact in their lives. They do all his exercises with him - they love him! We were then sat down in the large hall. We thought it was prayed time but it was actually a time to sing Happy Birthday to a little one. They then handed out ladoo to all the kids and of course to us! During this time I had to sit on the girls side and Jonathan had to sit on the boys side. On my side of the hall all the girls asked why I don't wear a chain (a symbol of marriage) and I explained that in America we have different customs. They didn't really understand me and instead decided I would look really good with all of their necklaces on! So they all started taking off their necklaces and giving them to me. One girl actually put hers on my neck. I protested and told them that the chains looked beautiful on them. They all giggled with excitement as I tried to hand all the chains back to the right owners.
After that we were given some tea and then Jonathan and I went for a walk. We ended up walking around the sugar cane field. It was so beautiful. A few of the older boys from the Gurrukulum met up with us toward the end and we all walked back together. We were then ushered in to eat by Jonathan's student server. Here we were probed with question after question about our marriage status and whether or not we had children. It was cute. I sometimes forget how curious young people are. They all laughed at how little I ate as I laughed at how much rice Jonathan can put away! By the way: at Jonathan's site they eat off of banana leaves while sitting on the floor. Well, if anyone knows Jonathan they know that he cannot sit cross legged on the floor (he also had a cut on his ankle so this did not help). So here is Jonathan attempting to sit on the floor all awkwardly when he finally states that he will eat standing up. That was not going to happen! Instantly he was given a chair and a little table and a silver platter to eat from!! Meanwhile I am next to him on the floor. It was quite the sight!
We played a few more games and then headed on our way. We walked away with a few of the older boys walking us to the gates. They really have been taught to be very gracious hosts. We caught our bus and on our way out the bus drove by the Gurrukulum and I got to wave to them all one last time. The boys were still standing by the gate waving (one even blew me a kiss) and all the little ones were sitting in the courtyard waving. It was so beautiful. Jonathan and I rode the bus to Palani, had tea and apple fizzy drink together, and parted ways. The bus ride on the way back was nice because it got dark and the chilly air blowing about the bus was relaxing. Overall it was a beautiful well spent weekend!
