It has been quite awhile since I've posted. Since I last wrote, life has been quite a whirlwind, a whirlwind of color, emotions, confusion, anxiety, and God has been so clearly in the midst of it all, the only steadying factor in this rush of new life and new experiences. I'm feeling myself stripped down to my core, being made aware of parts of myself I never knew about, expectations unbeknownst to me, and finding my new identity in Christ alone.
Before I detail what I've been up to at my site at CMS, let me recount the events of the last week of our orientation at Achen's house.
We continued to have classes each day on many subjects. Dr. Kuhnikrishnan, a professor and friend of Achen's, discussed with us the history of India, specifically Kerala's social history. We also learned from Binu and Achen about the history of Christianity in Kerala, the history of the various churches, and the issues facing the church in Kerala currently as well as current large-scale social issues. We watched various documentaries about faith and social justice and enjoyed discussions on these and many such topics. In the afternoons, we had our first lessons in Malayalam.
We had our first trips into town with Binu to buy various things, such as our first churidars! A churidar is comprised of baggy pants and a long tunic, with a shawl worn over the shoulders. Most of the women here wear saris or churidars, though I get the sense that churidars are more popular with the younger women. Nicole and I had a blast picking our fabrics and then having these beautiful outfits made for us.A funny aside about the churidars is that the tops were tighter than I expected and I got stuck in mine trying to get it off! It took Kochamma and the lady at the store to get me out. Since then, Kochamma adjusting the stitching a little so that I can get in and out of it. :) We've also bought some things for our rooms once we're at our sites.
We took our first trip to the Arabian Sea, which was very VERY wet because it was pouring down rain while we were swimming! The water was very warm, but the waves were very strong and I got knocked over a bit! We've also had our first dining-out experiences which have been wonderful. Here, you go to a hotel to eat. A hotel is like a restaurant, I think, and sometimes they have lodging, but I think usually a place to stay is called a lodge.
We were excited to go see the final rounds of the National Judo Championship held at UC College close by, but sadly, they were already over. While Ian and Binu went into town to get new glasses for Ian, Nicole and I were on our own in Aluva for the first time-so we went jewelry shopping! I have to confess to you that I did in fact buy a set of bells to wear on my ankles. :) As if I'm not already noisy enough, now you can hear whenever I'm coming or going!
It was in the jewelry store that I had a moment of realizing a cultural difference-here, you can't go into stores and just browse around, you go in with what you're purchasing in mind, and you find it and then buy it. I was trying very hard to just look at all of the items in the store and wherever I went, the clerk stood right in front of me, frequently right in front of what I was trying to look at! This is their way of being helpful, and they are extremely helpful, just more so than we're used to back home, but it was challenging because I inherently just wanted some space to look around. Interesting. I'm so acutely aware right now of my personal space bubble and my cultural notions that are just inherently a part of me, and are now being challenged. It's a fascinating process to become aware of your own unconscious values and expectations by their being challenged; to realize many things about yourself that you never knew!
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
Before I detail what I've been up to at my site at CMS, let me recount the events of the last week of our orientation at Achen's house.
We continued to have classes each day on many subjects. Dr. Kuhnikrishnan, a professor and friend of Achen's, discussed with us the history of India, specifically Kerala's social history. We also learned from Binu and Achen about the history of Christianity in Kerala, the history of the various churches, and the issues facing the church in Kerala currently as well as current large-scale social issues. We watched various documentaries about faith and social justice and enjoyed discussions on these and many such topics. In the afternoons, we had our first lessons in Malayalam.
We had our first trips into town with Binu to buy various things, such as our first churidars! A churidar is comprised of baggy pants and a long tunic, with a shawl worn over the shoulders. Most of the women here wear saris or churidars, though I get the sense that churidars are more popular with the younger women. Nicole and I had a blast picking our fabrics and then having these beautiful outfits made for us.A funny aside about the churidars is that the tops were tighter than I expected and I got stuck in mine trying to get it off! It took Kochamma and the lady at the store to get me out. Since then, Kochamma adjusting the stitching a little so that I can get in and out of it. :) We've also bought some things for our rooms once we're at our sites.
We took our first trip to the Arabian Sea, which was very VERY wet because it was pouring down rain while we were swimming! The water was very warm, but the waves were very strong and I got knocked over a bit! We've also had our first dining-out experiences which have been wonderful. Here, you go to a hotel to eat. A hotel is like a restaurant, I think, and sometimes they have lodging, but I think usually a place to stay is called a lodge.
We were excited to go see the final rounds of the National Judo Championship held at UC College close by, but sadly, they were already over. While Ian and Binu went into town to get new glasses for Ian, Nicole and I were on our own in Aluva for the first time-so we went jewelry shopping! I have to confess to you that I did in fact buy a set of bells to wear on my ankles. :) As if I'm not already noisy enough, now you can hear whenever I'm coming or going!
It was in the jewelry store that I had a moment of realizing a cultural difference-here, you can't go into stores and just browse around, you go in with what you're purchasing in mind, and you find it and then buy it. I was trying very hard to just look at all of the items in the store and wherever I went, the clerk stood right in front of me, frequently right in front of what I was trying to look at! This is their way of being helpful, and they are extremely helpful, just more so than we're used to back home, but it was challenging because I inherently just wanted some space to look around. Interesting. I'm so acutely aware right now of my personal space bubble and my cultural notions that are just inherently a part of me, and are now being challenged. It's a fascinating process to become aware of your own unconscious values and expectations by their being challenged; to realize many things about yourself that you never knew!
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
No comments:
Post a Comment