A weekend in Keeranur

We left early on Friday morning for Sanmarka Gurukulam in Keeranur which is where Jonathan will be staying and teaching.  The ride was beautiful with much to see along the way.  The ride kind of set the stage for Keeranur as I saw Christian buildings, Mosques, and Temples all along the roadside.  We arrived at the orphanage and instantly we were greeted by a group of people.  There was a tray with red liquid on it and a little flame in the middle.  We exchanged greetings and then a few beautiful women began chanting.  Once the chanting stopped they put the red liquid between our eyebrows and then asked us to proceed inside the grounds.  As we walked in one by one little girls threw flower petals on us.  After that beautiful experience we were brought to the Guru.  The Guru welcomed us by blessing each of us.  He chanted while rubbing flowers over our head, tossing flowers on our feet, and then putting flowers in our hands and holding them closed.  The Guru is 98 years old.  He told us about how important religious harmony is and how they foster an environment where all religions are supported and tolerated.  I instantly fell in love.

We then went and saw all the children.  They are a lot younger than the youth at my site.  They were all sitting in the main hall on straw mats chanting.  It was the most beautiful sound ever.  We then had to give a speech to the kids which was a little difficult but we all succeeded.  We then ate our lunch.  It was a ton of very delicious food served on a banana leaf.  After that we finally got to interact with the kids.  It was so lovely.  They would just crowd around us and giggle.  We then toured all of the classrooms.  In most of the classrooms the children performed nursery rhymes for us or recited some of the English that they were familiar with.

When classes ended all the children who lived in the surrounding area went home and the children who lived in the orphanage just ran around on the grounds and of course surrounded us once again.  During this time I found the child whom I want to take home with me.  He came up to me and like all the others attempted to communicate with me and touched me.  But he seemed different than all the others.  He kept trying to hold my hand and he would bend down and duck under my arm so that it was around his shoulder.  Some of the other kids kept saying he had skin problems and would laugh.  He just stood there and smiled at me.  After many exhausting hours with the children we left to head on our way to our lodge, Temple, and dinner.  I did cry as I left because Mahandra, the little guy that I fell in love with, was waving at me and he never broke eye contact with me.  Before I left him he asked me why I could not stay there.  It made me so sad to leave him yet at the same time I was so glad to have met all of those beautiful children and all those lovely teachers who dedicate their lives to the orphans.  


The lodge that we stayed in was rather scary.  There was a mattress, which looked like someone had died on and then got tossed out and then put back into this lodge, an Indian style toilet (thank goodness I brought my own toilet paper!), and a very scary bathroom that was more like a bug sanctuary.  We put our bags down and then went to Temple.


Temple was very interesting.  We were rushed along these corridors because the men from the orphanage who brought us had bribed their way through.  We finally made it to the part where you receive your blessings from the God.  We were given many flowers and herbs which were all very fragrant and we also were given ash which we were to rub on our forehead.  It was a very interesting experience.  It was nice to experience a religion which is so different from anything I have ever experienced. 


Today was another very beautiful day.  We started our morning by leaving the extremely gross lodge to head on our way to the orphanage to do yoga.  We drank some coffee and then did yoga.  The yoga was great-it was very focused on breathing and finding the light within ourselves.  It made me feel very relaxed.  I definitely needed it after all the emotionally charged experiences that keep happening with no recovery time in between.  We then went to temple once more and ate breakfast after temple.  Breakfast was massive and served on a banana leaf.  Mahandra found me again and stuck right by my side.  


The headmistress Chandra then took us girls into a classroom and honored us by giving us Saris.  I almost cried because she had brought her own to give to me.  She helped us put them on, did our hair, put Jasmine in our hair, and then put Bindi between our eyebrows.  I hugged her several times.  I just felt like I could not truly express my gratitude due to the language barrier.  But I am sure that my excessive hugging and tears were an indication.  We were then re-presented to the children who were all anxiously waiting outside of the room.  Right away each of them was pointing and saying, "Beautiful" in their sweet English Indian voices.  


Before we left I went into the hall where the children sleep and they were all watching a movie on a tv which probably had a 10'' screen.  They were all crowded around it.  I sat near Mahandra on the floor and her introduced me to his 3 sisters and his 1 brother.  He was holding my hand the whole time and after he introduced me to his three sisters he flipped over my other hand on my knee so that it was facing upwards and his sisters instantly grabbed my hand.  I sat there for a while with them.  I never wanted to leave.  They are all the most beautiful children.  

Coconuts, autos, and a Craft Bazaar

This morning after our lessons we left to go a Craft Bazaar which sells goods that are made here in India. Before we left our street area we went to a stand that had a ton of coconuts on it.  There was a rather small woman who took out this very impressive knife and began chopping off the tops in little bits.  Finally, she got through to the liquid center and stuck a straw in it!  They were ready to drink!  They were tasty but not my thing.  I am not so sure I will go there to buy coconuts again.  However, the woman did make these beautiful baskets/bags out of recycled plastic.  Now, let me explain how excited this actually made me.  Everywhere you go there seems to be trash on the ground in large piles.  There appears to be no method for waste removal and the same goes for sewage.  I have become really obsessed with this because it seems like it will be a huge challenge for India as they try and build more infrastructure.  I also think action right now would be much more cost effective and help to reduce the potential for illness.  Now back to my point:  Here is this beautiful woman making use of all this plastic and making money off of it!  How could I not buy one?  She has created her own little micro-business for herself!  I kind of thought it was a frivolous thing to buy but after a few moments of thinking and talking with Jonathan, I came to the conclusion that my money was going to great use and I should support her.  My bag is very cool.  I am going to use it as a basket in my bedroom.  I think in the future I will return to her and buy many more and use them as gifts! (Let me know if you'd like one!)

Right after that, with the high of having a beautiful basket in my possession and supporting a lovely woman, we got in an auto (auto-rickshaw).  I must tell you riding in an auto is scary and very exciting.  Our auto ride was pretty uneventful but I love riding in them.  I wish I could just describe the scenery that you drive by but I can't.  I just can't paint an accurate picture of it all.  There are cows just sitting everywhere, there are school children biking by, there are people with big carts filled with things they are selling, there was a man on a scooter with crates of eggs on the back and between his legs, there are people asleep on the side of the road, there are street food carts, and the list goes on.  My eyes and brain become so overwhelmed by all the images of beauty, chaos, and poverty.

The craft bazaar was interesting.  We were told that all the items were made in India.  I was slightly skeptical about all the items being made in India but some clearly were.  There were bronze sculptures, jewelry, wooden statues, stone statues, hand bags, scarves, wall hangings, and tons of Indian clothes.  I bought two skirts which are beautiful.  I also bought a wall hanging which is made by women in a nearby village.  It was all hand embroidered.  It looks like a small child did it, but I think that is why I like it.  Jonathan and I then walked to a bookstore that was close by.  There wasn't anything too exciting.  Jonathan did buy me a book which included all of the following on the back:  youth, prison, analyzing the caste system, and poverty.  What more could I ask for in a book? 


After that we rode in a very funny auto to get home.  It was obviously having some mechanical problems because it had trouble making it up hills and was travelling super slow, which is very abnormal for any vehicle on the road in India!  I also got to talk to my Mom today which was truly exciting.  Now I am waiting for our Tamil lessons to start and drinking chai tea.  My life here is beautiful-but oh how I do miss my shower in Wisconsin!

School, spice, and shopping!

Today we went to the school.  It was so beautiful.  When we arrived all the students were on break out in the stadium.  When we arrived they all turned and looked at us and then slowly moved over toward us.  Before I knew it I was completely encircled with children all giggling and smiling at me.  Jonathan was very anxious being on display and started playing badminton.  All the girls were watching him and I started to clap every time he hit one and the girls followed suit.  I also felt anxious being on display as well but I stood there and began asking how they were and what their names were.  They were all so curious and just beautiful.  A lot of women wear flowers in their hair and I told one of the girls that I liked her flower and she blushed and tried to hide behind her friend.  They are all so shy.

We then observed a classroom which was very different.  I am so used to youth who are not interested in their own academic success.  It felt odd to be in a classroom filled to the brim with young women who were over eager about school.  They all recite what the teacher asks them to and they are very well disciplined in their ability to work independently.  They take ownership over their education.  We also learned today that it is a law in India that each child no matter their socio-economic status have a right to an education.


Yesterday Ravanan (our caretaker) told us that today's lunch would be extremely spicy, Wednesdays are spicy food days!  Well he certainly was right!  We had rice (of course) with two super super spicy sauces, one had boiled eggs in it.  There were also potatoes which were extremely spicy and yogurt to kill the spice!  They all were so tasty!  For the rest of the day my whole chest and stomach burned especially since the air around me is so oppressive.

We then went to the mall which was not really a mall in the Western sense.  It was more like two shops next to each other with a few small food stands around it.  I bought some beautiful Indian clothes.  I bought 3 tops, two pants, and a lovely skirt.  Jonathan bought some slacks.  We then went across the way to the small food stands and I got fresh sweet lime soda-it was deliciously refreshing.  Jonathan got a chai tea which was perfect!  He then was very tempted by the mango lassi and soon caved-boy was it worth it!  All those yogurt products definitely help to ease the burning in my tummy.  We also picked up cell phones.  We then rode an auto to and from the mall.  It was fun and a little scary at moments.  Two children on a bus near us kept waving at me.

It was another very pleasant day.  We are about to eat dinner and Ravanan is eating with us as I insisted that he eat with us and not after us.  He only speaks Tamil so I hope that I will be able to communicate with him after Anesha (our lovely Tamil translator) leaves.  I really like him and appreciate him but it is so hard to convey that.  We learned that we can call him uncle in Tamil and he will be honored by that.  Hopefully I will find other ways to let him know that I appreciate him.  I hope dinner is not too spicy...

Sweets

This morning Jonathan and I walked down to the main road and bought some sweets.  We tried to use our Tamil but the man behind the counter either did not understand Jonathan or wanted to use his English-as he was very well spoken.  The sweets were very tasty.  We got two crumbly bar that were obviously made with nothing but sugar and butter!  We also got a sort of cotton candy ball that had a nutty flavor and some small nut bits in it.  On our way back we ran into some of the school children biking by on their way to school and we greeted them.  A group of girls greeted us back and then giggled to each other.  It makes Jonathan and I laugh when they do that.  It is really cute and sweet.

Yesterday we had a little free time and we walked to the general store and Jonathan bought some stationery.  The store was very interesting.  There were two older women working in the store and they followed us around and wanted to hold on to our stuff as we tried to meander around the store.  Also, you must take your shoes off when you walk into stores here.  On our way back from downtown all the school children we had met were biking home and we got to talk with them.  They were all so fascinated with us!  I asked them their names and they asked us our names.  We communicated in English.  I guess it was just the excitement of the situation that I forgot to practice my Tamil with them!

Today we are going to observe some classes at the school that I will be working at.  I am so excited.  The students are all so extremely beautiful!  We are also going to a mall today-Jonathan and I are pretty excited to purchase our Indian clothes!

I hope you all have lovely days...I know that I surely will!

Love Ky

The school where I will teach...

This morning we went to the school where I will be teaching.  We arrived and they had us sit down.  They are always insistent that you sit when you come into their office areas.  They gave us a glass of soda and talked in Tamil and English-it was confusing to know when they were talking to us and when they were talking to each other.  Sometimes their accent, when speaking English, is so thick that it sounds as though they are speaking Tamil.
All the girls lined up outside-they waited patiently with small chatter here and there for the assembly to begin.  A few girls recited some readings and then did a brief reading of current events in both Tamil and English.  After that we were introduced.  They honored us in front of the whole school by putting beautiful shalls around us and shaking our hands.  All the students clapped for us and a professional photographer took our pictures.  I almost cried because it was so beautiful and they were all so genuinely happy to have us there.  All the girls look at us and smile, and if you smile and wave back they giggle.  They are so pleased when you say hello to them.

After that we went to the library which was a rather bare library with a very random assortment of books.  All the teachers came to meet us-we had to introduce ourselves, which made me a little nervous.  One of the teachers told us that they could never have imagined that we would come to their school to help them.  They kept expressing their gratitude toward us.  Once we were done there we moved onto a classroom of older girls.  When we walked in they all said, "Good Morning" and stood to show their respect for us.  I was then handed a white board marker and asked to pretend to teach the classroom in order to model for a calendar that will be distributed locally and to all the students and their families!  It was quite funny and awkward.  I didn't know what to say or do!  With a little help from my co-volunteers I got the courage to write where I was from on the board and my name.  All the while this professional photographer was taking my picture!  It was quite the scene!  After, one of the teachers, who speaks English very well, joked with me that I will be a local celebrity!

We then finished up our morning by taking a tour of the complex which is rather large.  There are many schools which all do different things at all sorts of levels.  We walked by one school which had these beautiful young girls and they did a traditional South Indian dance for us.  We also stopped by another school which serves local children in poverty.  All of the children there followed us, shook our hands, waved at us, and giggled at us.  Their classroom consisted of a straw mat on the ground and a teacher.  I really wanted to stay there and work with those kids!

I am generally beginning to settle in and feel more comfortable.  The power outages are long and frequent which make it extremely hot and uncomfortable since none of the fans work during those times.  But you learn to love and appreciate those fans even more when the power comes on!  The bugs are not bad.  We have salamanders that live in our rooms-they don't bother you but they do like sitting right near or on the toilet which makes me a little weary when I go to the bathroom when the power is out!  This morning I had the pleasure of watching local school children bike by on their way to school.  There was also a little herd of goats outside the house and three cows which were heartily eating from the compost/trash pile which is right near our house.  There is a boys hostel above our house.  Last night I got to see them through the windows and they were each at their desks doing work.  This morning they came downstairs and bathed outside the front of the house from the spigot while I was sitting there.

There are many things that take getting used to but I love India!

My first impressions...

I cannot really describe the feelings that I went through on the plane ride here.  It was many hours and left me to my thoughts for far too long.  I thought about all the things that have happened since I have graduated from college, it seems like just a year ago I graduated but in fact it has been three years and here I am on a plane to India!  How has this come to be?!?  I also thought about missing my family and the ability to communicate with them.  Receiving a text, calling whenever I want, texting a simple message, or getting a funny picture from my family-all are things that I value and took for granted for so long.  I will miss these things greatly.  I know I will also miss getting hugged.  Often I am hugged by people at home or on rare occasion a youth at work.  I love hugs and I fear it will be a while before I get a good hug, especially since affection between Jonathan and I seems to be inappropriate in the cultural setting we are in.

When we arrived in India it was very late at night so I couldn't see much as we landed, which typically is one of my favorite things about flying into an area I have never been to.  Right from the start I was thrown into the chaotic world of Incredible India.  Right outside the airport there were hundreds of people standing, waiting, and watching.  They were all so beautiful, smiling, waving to their loved ones, and wearing such vibrant colors.  We met our field director Jenna and within minutes our bags were picked up by several Indian men who were going to be hosting us and of course greeted is with such big smiles.  Next thing we were in an old van zooming in and out of traffic.  All of it was very overwhelming and chaotic, the noises, the smells, the people, the honking, and the swerving of the van.

Soon, I was settled into my room for the night.  I was all alone in my room which made me feel slightly lonely as it was my first night in an extremely different environment.  But as I lay in the dark room with the honking of vehicles in the background and the cool air from the air-conditioner I became comfortable and eased into sleeping.

The next day was just lovely.  I experienced my first Indian breakfast, the true heat and sun of India, Indian coffee, Indian masala (chai), and Indian lunch foods.  I must say eating with no utensils is challenging and not being able to use my left hand has proved to be difficult, but you adapt rather quickly.  I have not had a meal that did not involve rice since I have arrived.  And man are they pushy with that rice.  It is assumed that you must eat at least 2 full cups of rice or you must not be satisfied.  I enjoy the food.  We went to the beach in Chennai which was a very beautiful experience.  People don't really swim there, they just sort of stand on the edge of the water and let their legs get splashed from the rather large waves.  Some younger boys go into the water and bounce in the waves.  The little ones all stand right on the edge holding their parents hands laughing as each wave pounds against them fighting to go just a little closer.  On our ride to the beach I was struck by how so many people just lay down anywhere on the street or sidewalk.  I was also struck by the lack of sanitation.  There are some rivers that run through Chennai but they mostly seem to be raw sewage.

Last night we rode an overnight train to Trichy which is where my placement is.  The train ride was quite the experience.  The only toilet available was an Indian style toilet.  In the morning, at 5:30, we got off the train at the wrong stop and then suddenly a man yelled that we were to get back on.  Now this would seem easy if the door on the train was wide and had stairs, but that was not the case.  It was a skinny doorway with no real step.  Here we are with all our luggage and the train has started to move.  It was scary, but hey I guess I can say I survived jumping on a train that was moving, of course not very fast, but nonetheless-extremely scary.  After that I had gotten a huge rush of adrenaline which made me sick to my stomach which then suddenly turned into me having to use the Indian style toilet as I got my first bout of travelers sickness.  I survived my first Indian toilet in the most unpleasant of possible experiences.  Thank goodness I had brought my own toilet paper!

Well, on to better things.  I got over that quickly with some water and rest.  Today Jonathan and I got the experience of taking money out of the atm and buying some beautiful mangoes!  The mangoes tasted lovely and we also got bananas which are now my favorite as they are a different variety than we have at home.  They stay green and are not as intense of a flavor.

We have mostly been spending our time taking Tamil lessons and going over paper work which is kind of boring but tomorrow we will go to our school and meet our students at an assembly.  I am excited and nervous.  I hope that I am able to effectively communicate with them and I hope they accept me.

Mark and Lois, I miss you both so much.  I hope you are doing well.

Mom and Bob, I had so much fun with you both.  Mom I loved working at the food pantry with you.  The work you do is really beautiful and it helps so many people-I hope you know that.  You are truly a beautiful person.  Bob, I keep thinking about our lunch together and I forgot to really tell you thank you and how much I valued that time with just you.  I love you both and miss you terribly.  I will call when I figure out the phone situation.

Erika my lovely and beautiful sister.  I miss you greatly.  I am so glad that I got to see you before I left, I enjoyed camping so much and obviously loved seeing Andy Griffith with you!  I will also call you once I figure out the phone situation!

-Kylie

Where I will be

I will be located just outside of Trichy in Tamil Nadu.

Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India

On my way...

This last week I said good-bye to Wisconsin.  I had a lovely good-bye lunch with Jonathan and his family.  I did produce a few tears while leaving, as Wisconsin has been such a beautiful place to live-although tough at times.  On my way out of town I saw two Academy vans filled with kids.  It made me a little more sad since I love those beautiful youth and I will surely miss them.

This past weekend I went camping with my Mom and Erika in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range.  It was quite the adventure with many laughs.  I can always count on camping with those two being a laughter filled adventure!

This week will be filled with running errands to get ready and saying good-bye to my Mom and Bob.