Thursday, September 29, 2011
Singing New Songs
Dear friends,
Even though I just posted that last post, it's a few days since I wrote it. I have been feeling a bit better since then and am experiencing not as much anxiety. I'm still having sleeping issues, though, so please continue to pray for me to be "normal" as soon as possible.
I had about two weeks here at CMS with very little activity, and that's been very challenging for me! As you know, I like to be busy and involved and suddenly I was confronted with the anxiety I feel when I do not feel engaged, purposeful, or active. This, though uncomfortable, is important to identify and to work towards fixing. One must be able to relax!
But now, after about two weeks here, some of my responsibilities have begun! Let me tell you about them:
Yesterday I taught my first conversational English class. It was just a half hour, and was for the girls of the Home Science department. We worked on introducing ourselves and it went really well! There were seven girls that attended.
Yesterday I also began rehearsing the Hostel Choir, which I am in charge of. Each year they perform a Christmas concert of traditional carols and Malayalam songs. I can't tell you how excited I was to begin practice with them yesterday! 24 girls showed up and I started to teach them the song, "Go, Tell it On the Mountain." I will lead Hostel Choir from 6-7 on Tuesday & Thursdays, and teach conversational English classes at the hostel at the same time on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The college choir meets every day from 1:30-2 and from 4-5, and so I have begun rehearsing with them and leading the sopranos. I have also met a talented 15 year-old singer with whom I will soon start private lessons.
On this coming Tuesday, I will begin teaching conversational English and music to the girls of Baker's Girls School, ages 10-17. Though I have no idea what to expect and what the classes and girls will be like, I'll prepare as best as I can and am looking forward to it. I will spend one full day of each week at Baker teaching.
Additionally, some other opportunities around campus have surfaced. I met with a boys a cappella quartet to help them learn a song for the upcoming quartet competition, (I'll be one of the judges of the competition) and found out that they love to sing worship music! So I'm going to begin doing worship music with them whenever they have some free time. I am extremely happy to have found a group of students on campus who love contemporary worship music!
This morning also was the first day of a Vocal Training Program for Faculty which my supervisor and other faculty have arranged for me to lead. Today about 10 faculty members showed up, along with the chaplain, who prayed over the program before it began. For 45 minutes on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, I will meet with faculty members to work on tone production, vocal training, breathing, music fundamentals, and sight-reading. Most of the members sing in their local church choirs but do not read music-so there will be a lot to teach! There are very few people here who have any formal music training-all of the choir directors I have met work in another field and just direct the choir with knowledge gained from experience; no one here that I've met has a music degree, and most are very excited about scheduling time for me to come work with their choirs!
Leading warm-ups and vocal training with the various choirs has been amusing and challenging. As you may or may not know, in learning to sing, you have to do a lot of seemingly silly vocal and physical exercises. Singers are used to this, but if you're not a singer, being asked to do these exercises with your bodies and voices and make strange sounds can be considerably uncomfortable for people. In order to learn to sing, you very much have to abandon your boundaries and embarassment of awareness of all parts of your body and be willing to try anything sound-wise. This is challenging for people even at home, especially older people, and anyone that hasn't done these exercises before. Add on top of that the cultural sensitivity to the physical body present here which is much greater than in the US, and you'll get some sense of the barriers to surmount before proper vocal production can be achieved. Thankfully, the members of the group seem excited and dedicated to learn, but it may take some time before these physical exercises become comfortable. I'm very excited to continue with this program and anticipate the progress we will make together.
This week at church and also at college chapel, I will sing a solo, and I have started to be invited to conduct various workshops for local choirs, the first of which will be a day-long session this coming Wednesday.
I am very excited about all of these opportunities. It is difficult to schedule things, as the students have class from 10am-4pm, so I can't really do anything during that time.
I have begun to meet a lot more of the students around the campus and am beginning to master SOME of their names, which are all very new names to me! I am now used to being asked multiple times a day to sing a song randomly for groups of students anywhere and anytime, and it doesn't phase me anymore. I cannot express properly in words how kind everyone is to me. I have recently begun hanging out with the girls at the hostel in the evenings and bringing my books outside of my room to read nearby them, which invariably leads to wonderful conversation with them. These exchanges about cultural differences are both entertaining and enlightening.
This past weekend, Gigi Sir invited me to his home to stay on Saturday night as I have joined his church choir and will be attending church there on Sunday mornings. The Sunday service was a 2 and a half hour service entirely in Malayalam! I must confess that these long services in a language I do not understand and in a worship style entirely different from my own are challenging. But worship is worship! And I have to continually remind myself to be patient and open-minded about my responses and reactions.
Funny story: On Sunday after the service, we had church choir practice. The CSI Ascension choir has about 100 members! The director asked me to lead warm-ups, (which, as aforementioned, were greeted with many giggles) and then we began to rehearse some of the music for Christmas. At one point a few minutes into rehearsal the director asked me if I had any suggestions. I came up and began to work on some pronunciation, and he encouraged me to continue. So I started working on the piece with them, continually checking with the director if he still wanted me to keep going, who kept encouraging me to rehearse them, and I ended up rehearsing them the entire rehearsal, completely unprepared, for one hour!!! This was a great surprise, but very welcome!
I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be beginning to get involved in the lives and music of the people here-it was very difficult sitting back for awhile! All of this is just beginning. I know that the Lord has plans for me here, and I'm thrilled to receive confirmation of this.
Please continue to pray for relief from anxiety and for my sleeplessness! Thank you!
Thank you, Father, for these new ways with which to love and be loved by Your people. Thank you for arranging these activities, and thank you so much for the help of the many faculty here who have been incredibly kind to me. Father, I have never known such kindness from so many people. Thank you for these beginnings, and may I not lose sight of You or Your purposes. Amen.
Even though I just posted that last post, it's a few days since I wrote it. I have been feeling a bit better since then and am experiencing not as much anxiety. I'm still having sleeping issues, though, so please continue to pray for me to be "normal" as soon as possible.
I had about two weeks here at CMS with very little activity, and that's been very challenging for me! As you know, I like to be busy and involved and suddenly I was confronted with the anxiety I feel when I do not feel engaged, purposeful, or active. This, though uncomfortable, is important to identify and to work towards fixing. One must be able to relax!
But now, after about two weeks here, some of my responsibilities have begun! Let me tell you about them:
Yesterday I taught my first conversational English class. It was just a half hour, and was for the girls of the Home Science department. We worked on introducing ourselves and it went really well! There were seven girls that attended.
Yesterday I also began rehearsing the Hostel Choir, which I am in charge of. Each year they perform a Christmas concert of traditional carols and Malayalam songs. I can't tell you how excited I was to begin practice with them yesterday! 24 girls showed up and I started to teach them the song, "Go, Tell it On the Mountain." I will lead Hostel Choir from 6-7 on Tuesday & Thursdays, and teach conversational English classes at the hostel at the same time on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The college choir meets every day from 1:30-2 and from 4-5, and so I have begun rehearsing with them and leading the sopranos. I have also met a talented 15 year-old singer with whom I will soon start private lessons.
On this coming Tuesday, I will begin teaching conversational English and music to the girls of Baker's Girls School, ages 10-17. Though I have no idea what to expect and what the classes and girls will be like, I'll prepare as best as I can and am looking forward to it. I will spend one full day of each week at Baker teaching.
Additionally, some other opportunities around campus have surfaced. I met with a boys a cappella quartet to help them learn a song for the upcoming quartet competition, (I'll be one of the judges of the competition) and found out that they love to sing worship music! So I'm going to begin doing worship music with them whenever they have some free time. I am extremely happy to have found a group of students on campus who love contemporary worship music!
This morning also was the first day of a Vocal Training Program for Faculty which my supervisor and other faculty have arranged for me to lead. Today about 10 faculty members showed up, along with the chaplain, who prayed over the program before it began. For 45 minutes on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, I will meet with faculty members to work on tone production, vocal training, breathing, music fundamentals, and sight-reading. Most of the members sing in their local church choirs but do not read music-so there will be a lot to teach! There are very few people here who have any formal music training-all of the choir directors I have met work in another field and just direct the choir with knowledge gained from experience; no one here that I've met has a music degree, and most are very excited about scheduling time for me to come work with their choirs!
Leading warm-ups and vocal training with the various choirs has been amusing and challenging. As you may or may not know, in learning to sing, you have to do a lot of seemingly silly vocal and physical exercises. Singers are used to this, but if you're not a singer, being asked to do these exercises with your bodies and voices and make strange sounds can be considerably uncomfortable for people. In order to learn to sing, you very much have to abandon your boundaries and embarassment of awareness of all parts of your body and be willing to try anything sound-wise. This is challenging for people even at home, especially older people, and anyone that hasn't done these exercises before. Add on top of that the cultural sensitivity to the physical body present here which is much greater than in the US, and you'll get some sense of the barriers to surmount before proper vocal production can be achieved. Thankfully, the members of the group seem excited and dedicated to learn, but it may take some time before these physical exercises become comfortable. I'm very excited to continue with this program and anticipate the progress we will make together.
This week at church and also at college chapel, I will sing a solo, and I have started to be invited to conduct various workshops for local choirs, the first of which will be a day-long session this coming Wednesday.
I am very excited about all of these opportunities. It is difficult to schedule things, as the students have class from 10am-4pm, so I can't really do anything during that time.
I have begun to meet a lot more of the students around the campus and am beginning to master SOME of their names, which are all very new names to me! I am now used to being asked multiple times a day to sing a song randomly for groups of students anywhere and anytime, and it doesn't phase me anymore. I cannot express properly in words how kind everyone is to me. I have recently begun hanging out with the girls at the hostel in the evenings and bringing my books outside of my room to read nearby them, which invariably leads to wonderful conversation with them. These exchanges about cultural differences are both entertaining and enlightening.
This past weekend, Gigi Sir invited me to his home to stay on Saturday night as I have joined his church choir and will be attending church there on Sunday mornings. The Sunday service was a 2 and a half hour service entirely in Malayalam! I must confess that these long services in a language I do not understand and in a worship style entirely different from my own are challenging. But worship is worship! And I have to continually remind myself to be patient and open-minded about my responses and reactions.
Funny story: On Sunday after the service, we had church choir practice. The CSI Ascension choir has about 100 members! The director asked me to lead warm-ups, (which, as aforementioned, were greeted with many giggles) and then we began to rehearse some of the music for Christmas. At one point a few minutes into rehearsal the director asked me if I had any suggestions. I came up and began to work on some pronunciation, and he encouraged me to continue. So I started working on the piece with them, continually checking with the director if he still wanted me to keep going, who kept encouraging me to rehearse them, and I ended up rehearsing them the entire rehearsal, completely unprepared, for one hour!!! This was a great surprise, but very welcome!
I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be beginning to get involved in the lives and music of the people here-it was very difficult sitting back for awhile! All of this is just beginning. I know that the Lord has plans for me here, and I'm thrilled to receive confirmation of this.
Please continue to pray for relief from anxiety and for my sleeplessness! Thank you!
Thank you, Father, for these new ways with which to love and be loved by Your people. Thank you for arranging these activities, and thank you so much for the help of the many faculty here who have been incredibly kind to me. Father, I have never known such kindness from so many people. Thank you for these beginnings, and may I not lose sight of You or Your purposes. Amen.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Waiting on the Lord
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14
Dear friends,
Whew.
What a time this has been-a time of very intimate reliance on the Lord. Since I last posted, it feels like it's been a very long time. For those of you that don't know, I have struggled with anxiety issues in the past and though these have been dormant for a long time, they have surfaced here. Because my serotonin levels in my brain are absolutely all over the place right now, that means that I have had some rough days-not at all because of what is going on around me, but only because of what is going on inside my own mind. Because these chemicals are fluctuating, this means that my mood is all over the place and my sleeping is affected. This is a very hard place to be, because for those of you who haven't experienced anxiety issues, when the chemicals in your brain are shifting around it makes you feel really horrible sometimes. HOWEVER these are merely chemicals-not truth!- and God is ALWAYS good. I anticipate that soon we will have my anxiety and sleeping stabilized and I absolutely can't wait until we do!
So please be praying very hard for relief from anxiety, deep restful sleep, and wisdom from the doctors whose care I am under. This will not last long and is nothing abnormal-I did, after all, move across the world for a year!-and I am so excited to continue to see the Lord's hand at work in the life of my own mind and anticipate His healing touch! Please be praying for me right now as this is a difficult time. Your notes of encouragement and emails and comments right now are INCREDIBLY encouraging! I am so very thankful for each and every one of you!
Emotions and silly frustrating brain adjustment stuff aside, the Lord's hand has been ever present in my life and in my heart, spurring me on to forget my own discomfort and to walk more closely with Him. After all, anything I am suffering or struggling with is nothing, NOTHING compared to what He suffered for me. And so I press on, despite my own unreliable emotions, to serve Him and to rejoice in His mighty power which is so visible right now.
"I WILL exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths...O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent." Psalm 30: 1,2,11
Dear friends,
Whew.
What a time this has been-a time of very intimate reliance on the Lord. Since I last posted, it feels like it's been a very long time. For those of you that don't know, I have struggled with anxiety issues in the past and though these have been dormant for a long time, they have surfaced here. Because my serotonin levels in my brain are absolutely all over the place right now, that means that I have had some rough days-not at all because of what is going on around me, but only because of what is going on inside my own mind. Because these chemicals are fluctuating, this means that my mood is all over the place and my sleeping is affected. This is a very hard place to be, because for those of you who haven't experienced anxiety issues, when the chemicals in your brain are shifting around it makes you feel really horrible sometimes. HOWEVER these are merely chemicals-not truth!- and God is ALWAYS good. I anticipate that soon we will have my anxiety and sleeping stabilized and I absolutely can't wait until we do!
So please be praying very hard for relief from anxiety, deep restful sleep, and wisdom from the doctors whose care I am under. This will not last long and is nothing abnormal-I did, after all, move across the world for a year!-and I am so excited to continue to see the Lord's hand at work in the life of my own mind and anticipate His healing touch! Please be praying for me right now as this is a difficult time. Your notes of encouragement and emails and comments right now are INCREDIBLY encouraging! I am so very thankful for each and every one of you!
Emotions and silly frustrating brain adjustment stuff aside, the Lord's hand has been ever present in my life and in my heart, spurring me on to forget my own discomfort and to walk more closely with Him. After all, anything I am suffering or struggling with is nothing, NOTHING compared to what He suffered for me. And so I press on, despite my own unreliable emotions, to serve Him and to rejoice in His mighty power which is so visible right now.
"I WILL exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths...O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent." Psalm 30: 1,2,11
Thursday, September 22, 2011
True Kindness
I have now been at CMS College, the oldest college in India, for 10 days. What exactly have I been doing?
I've been learning about true kindness, that's what. I've also been learning to relax!
I've already written about the many kindnesses shown to my during my insomnia bout, and that is just one example of so very many.
Since last Thursday, I've been making my way around the campus, being shown around by Gigi Sir, my supervisor, or Ann, my other supervisor and friend. I've mostly just been meeting everyone in all of the departments and seeing the campus.
I joined the college choir, and found myself the next day in charge of rehearsing the soprano section! They have beautiful voices and I'm very excited to work with the college choir. Most of them do not read music, so one has to teach in a kind of call-and-response fashion. I also have met with the college choir director, Vimal, and chaplain, Roy, about beginning a vocal training program for faculty and students of the college. I was invited to join Kottayam Mixed Voices, a Christian community choir, and went to my first rehearsal on Sunday. Next Sunday I will be leading warm-ups for this choir. I am very excited to get involved in the musical community of the campus!
I've been taken around to buy things that I need for my place or just in general, and yesterday went shopping with Ann and my new friend Sheny, who teaches Chemistry at the college. We spent the day out at the shops and then visited Ann's aunt and uncle nearby. I attended a wedding this past Saturday and went to the local CSI (Church of South India) Cathedral the next morning. On Monday, a bus strike was happening, and so everything was closed and we couldn't go anywhere, so I just hung out with the girls and studied some Malayalam. Wednesday also was a holiday, Sri Naranaya Guru day, so everything was also closed then. So many holidays! The pace of life is much slower here-I must learn to slow down and to relax (something I've always been bad at.)
Also, on Sunday of this past week there was a very special concert: the inaugural concert of the Harp & Lyre Western Classical Concert Series! (Harp & Lyre is a local music studio where students and faculty study music.) A Western classical concert-I was SO excited! There was an Indian pianist who played many favorite pieces (including Gershwin's Preludes for Piano and Debussy's Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum) and a Swedish baritone, who sang many songs I knew! It was a rather humorous situation to find myself in: sitting with an Indian audience of hundreds, very few of whom are familiar with any of this music or style, following along to translations of Erlkonig and Du bist die Ruh just like I was sitting at school listening to one of my classmates perform. I met them both afterwards, and commented to him what a particular joy and a comfort it was to hear familiar lieder so far away from home. Praise the Lord for this specific and amusing comfort!
A little more about my setting: At the college, classes are from 10am-4pm. They offer both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in subjects such as English literature, Chemistry, Physics, Zoology, Botany, Biotechnology, Home Science, Commerce, Sociology, Malayalam, Hindi, and Mathematics. There is not a music department, but I hope to be involved with as many of the musical activities around campus soon! The college has about 1500 students. Undergrate degrees take 3 years to complete, and most go right on to their PG, or postgraduate studies, which take 2 years. I am amazed at how educated everyone here is-everyone has at least an undergraduate degree and most have their PG as well. (I feel very undereducated compared to many here, but then I remember that my undergraduate degree took 4 and a half years, haha).
I have begun to develop a bit of a daily routine which is extremely helpful: I am at college from 10am-4pm meeting people, conversing, learning my way around the college, visiting the departments, and going on the internet when I can. Tea is always at 4, though I usually don't go to it, as I enjoy being out of the hostel during the day while I can be.
I have to be back at the hostel and inside by 6 pm, and this is the time I get to spend with the wonderful girls of the hostel. It's certainly a challenge for me to have to be in by 6 pm, as here a girl seen outside unaccompanied past 6 or 6:30 is considered disreputable. This is the first time in my life I've had to be in by any time, really, let alone by SIX pm, let alone because of my gender! But this is humbling-and I must live as one of the girls here, and also it affords lots of rich time in the evening to get to know the girls.
So how about some funny stories: I worked out for the first time the other day, which the women here generally don't do. As I couldn't go outside of the hostel, I ran around in circles in the hostel yard, and every girl was watching me and laughing from her window. I waved at them and kept on running. :)
It's really funny to be the subject of so much attention: everywhere I go the girls follow me. They stand when I walk by and I have to insist that they don't need to. They call me "Claudie Chechi," Chechi meaning "older sister." They even walk to their doors just to watch me walk by. I'm just walking! If I go on the swing, they'll gather to watch me swing. At meals and all the time, I am always watched. Everyone can see all that I do- this is new... but this means that I have to always make sure that I am very pleasant and smiling and greeting everyone! I am continually reminding myself of a favorite Philippians passage: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:4-7)
I am VERY visible-more visible than I've ever felt-but this affords me continual opportunities for conversations that I hope are seasoned with salt and interactions that I pray are God-centered. And everywhere I go the girls always ask me to sing a song for them, particularly the song from Titanic, which I do not know, and I will NOT learn, otherwise I'd have to sing it constantly.
Another funny moment: the other night, I walked back from college with a guitar, the one Jim left (thank you, Jim! Love that the brand of the guitar is JIMM, haha). Later that evening after dinner, I came downstairs with the guitar. IMMEDIATELY about 40 girls ran over to me. Awestruck, they watched me play and sing and I taught them, "How Great is Our God." Let me tell you-what an incredibly special moment that was: to hear 40 or 50 voices, Hindu and Christian, in broken English, lifting their voices to sing this glorious praise. It was all I could do to keep from crying, it was so beautiful. They are so eager, such impressionable, truly beautiful girls-and they picked songs for me to play until the warden told us that we needed to stop.
I pray for continued sharing of worship like this-it's really a treasure and I absolutely hunger for moments like this. Right now are college exams, so the girls are all trying to study, so I can't do too much music. I'm already a big enough distraction already, I feel like. I have, however, found a few people who are fans of worship music, and I gladly share my music with them! As mom would say, PTL! :)
Never have I encountered such kindness in so many people. One hundred and forty lovely girls, their beautiful eyes, their smiling faces...they look like Him to me. And they bring me gifts-sweets and treats to eat. The other night, a whole group of 7 girls excitedly presented me with a plate of biscuits (cookies) all arranged in a pretty pattern on a plate. I was choked up-they find such JOY in giving of the little they have. For they give sacraficially-those biscuits they gave me meant that many fewer biscuits for them. Their little tokens, though just cookies and a single piece of candy, are incredibly rich gifts, for they come from the heart.
And every night, after dinner, the cook boils some milk especially for me. I sing to the girls, "Goodnight, My Someone" as a goodnight song. I feel so surrounded by love. And I'm just floored by all of this true kindness.
Thank you, Lord, for placing me in this new home, a home not only with many conveniences others don't have, but more importantly, surrounded by true kindness. Thank you for my 140 smiling, giggly neighbors. Thank you that you are so visible in their lovely faces, and may my face reflect Yours. May I represent You well, Lord God. Thank you for the selflessness of all those I've encountered. Lord, I've yet to see pride here. May I learn from those around me how to love others.
So much more to share, but later. For now, some specific prayer requests:
1) The food. The food here is all very spicy to me and it's hard to adjust. We have rice for every meal, and with curries. I eat with a smile on my face, but I feel like I have to force myself. Please pray that I might find foods I like and that my taste buds would adapt to be able to enjoy all of this food! And that I might always be very grateful for the food that I have!
2) PATIENCE- I feel like I have so much free time right now and this is a challenge for me. As you all know, I like to be really really busy! Pray for patience during this time when all the students are taking their exams and I can't really do much but walk around and smile and begin to build friendships and converse. This is a very important part of my journey but I'm getting kind of antsy-so please pray for patience and for God to provide peace through reading and journalling, and casual interactions with the students and faculty. Pray that there might be manifold opportunities to talk about Him.
3) OPPORTUNITIES- Please pray for opportunities to surface for me to use my gifts, and for God to keep sustaining me until these opportunities are found out and begin!
Love you all. Peace & blessings.
I've been learning about true kindness, that's what. I've also been learning to relax!
I've already written about the many kindnesses shown to my during my insomnia bout, and that is just one example of so very many.
Since last Thursday, I've been making my way around the campus, being shown around by Gigi Sir, my supervisor, or Ann, my other supervisor and friend. I've mostly just been meeting everyone in all of the departments and seeing the campus.
I joined the college choir, and found myself the next day in charge of rehearsing the soprano section! They have beautiful voices and I'm very excited to work with the college choir. Most of them do not read music, so one has to teach in a kind of call-and-response fashion. I also have met with the college choir director, Vimal, and chaplain, Roy, about beginning a vocal training program for faculty and students of the college. I was invited to join Kottayam Mixed Voices, a Christian community choir, and went to my first rehearsal on Sunday. Next Sunday I will be leading warm-ups for this choir. I am very excited to get involved in the musical community of the campus!
I've been taken around to buy things that I need for my place or just in general, and yesterday went shopping with Ann and my new friend Sheny, who teaches Chemistry at the college. We spent the day out at the shops and then visited Ann's aunt and uncle nearby. I attended a wedding this past Saturday and went to the local CSI (Church of South India) Cathedral the next morning. On Monday, a bus strike was happening, and so everything was closed and we couldn't go anywhere, so I just hung out with the girls and studied some Malayalam. Wednesday also was a holiday, Sri Naranaya Guru day, so everything was also closed then. So many holidays! The pace of life is much slower here-I must learn to slow down and to relax (something I've always been bad at.)
Also, on Sunday of this past week there was a very special concert: the inaugural concert of the Harp & Lyre Western Classical Concert Series! (Harp & Lyre is a local music studio where students and faculty study music.) A Western classical concert-I was SO excited! There was an Indian pianist who played many favorite pieces (including Gershwin's Preludes for Piano and Debussy's Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum) and a Swedish baritone, who sang many songs I knew! It was a rather humorous situation to find myself in: sitting with an Indian audience of hundreds, very few of whom are familiar with any of this music or style, following along to translations of Erlkonig and Du bist die Ruh just like I was sitting at school listening to one of my classmates perform. I met them both afterwards, and commented to him what a particular joy and a comfort it was to hear familiar lieder so far away from home. Praise the Lord for this specific and amusing comfort!
A little more about my setting: At the college, classes are from 10am-4pm. They offer both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in subjects such as English literature, Chemistry, Physics, Zoology, Botany, Biotechnology, Home Science, Commerce, Sociology, Malayalam, Hindi, and Mathematics. There is not a music department, but I hope to be involved with as many of the musical activities around campus soon! The college has about 1500 students. Undergrate degrees take 3 years to complete, and most go right on to their PG, or postgraduate studies, which take 2 years. I am amazed at how educated everyone here is-everyone has at least an undergraduate degree and most have their PG as well. (I feel very undereducated compared to many here, but then I remember that my undergraduate degree took 4 and a half years, haha).
I have begun to develop a bit of a daily routine which is extremely helpful: I am at college from 10am-4pm meeting people, conversing, learning my way around the college, visiting the departments, and going on the internet when I can. Tea is always at 4, though I usually don't go to it, as I enjoy being out of the hostel during the day while I can be.
I have to be back at the hostel and inside by 6 pm, and this is the time I get to spend with the wonderful girls of the hostel. It's certainly a challenge for me to have to be in by 6 pm, as here a girl seen outside unaccompanied past 6 or 6:30 is considered disreputable. This is the first time in my life I've had to be in by any time, really, let alone by SIX pm, let alone because of my gender! But this is humbling-and I must live as one of the girls here, and also it affords lots of rich time in the evening to get to know the girls.
So how about some funny stories: I worked out for the first time the other day, which the women here generally don't do. As I couldn't go outside of the hostel, I ran around in circles in the hostel yard, and every girl was watching me and laughing from her window. I waved at them and kept on running. :)
It's really funny to be the subject of so much attention: everywhere I go the girls follow me. They stand when I walk by and I have to insist that they don't need to. They call me "Claudie Chechi," Chechi meaning "older sister." They even walk to their doors just to watch me walk by. I'm just walking! If I go on the swing, they'll gather to watch me swing. At meals and all the time, I am always watched. Everyone can see all that I do- this is new... but this means that I have to always make sure that I am very pleasant and smiling and greeting everyone! I am continually reminding myself of a favorite Philippians passage: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:4-7)
I am VERY visible-more visible than I've ever felt-but this affords me continual opportunities for conversations that I hope are seasoned with salt and interactions that I pray are God-centered. And everywhere I go the girls always ask me to sing a song for them, particularly the song from Titanic, which I do not know, and I will NOT learn, otherwise I'd have to sing it constantly.
Another funny moment: the other night, I walked back from college with a guitar, the one Jim left (thank you, Jim! Love that the brand of the guitar is JIMM, haha). Later that evening after dinner, I came downstairs with the guitar. IMMEDIATELY about 40 girls ran over to me. Awestruck, they watched me play and sing and I taught them, "How Great is Our God." Let me tell you-what an incredibly special moment that was: to hear 40 or 50 voices, Hindu and Christian, in broken English, lifting their voices to sing this glorious praise. It was all I could do to keep from crying, it was so beautiful. They are so eager, such impressionable, truly beautiful girls-and they picked songs for me to play until the warden told us that we needed to stop.
I pray for continued sharing of worship like this-it's really a treasure and I absolutely hunger for moments like this. Right now are college exams, so the girls are all trying to study, so I can't do too much music. I'm already a big enough distraction already, I feel like. I have, however, found a few people who are fans of worship music, and I gladly share my music with them! As mom would say, PTL! :)
Never have I encountered such kindness in so many people. One hundred and forty lovely girls, their beautiful eyes, their smiling faces...they look like Him to me. And they bring me gifts-sweets and treats to eat. The other night, a whole group of 7 girls excitedly presented me with a plate of biscuits (cookies) all arranged in a pretty pattern on a plate. I was choked up-they find such JOY in giving of the little they have. For they give sacraficially-those biscuits they gave me meant that many fewer biscuits for them. Their little tokens, though just cookies and a single piece of candy, are incredibly rich gifts, for they come from the heart.
And every night, after dinner, the cook boils some milk especially for me. I sing to the girls, "Goodnight, My Someone" as a goodnight song. I feel so surrounded by love. And I'm just floored by all of this true kindness.
Thank you, Lord, for placing me in this new home, a home not only with many conveniences others don't have, but more importantly, surrounded by true kindness. Thank you for my 140 smiling, giggly neighbors. Thank you that you are so visible in their lovely faces, and may my face reflect Yours. May I represent You well, Lord God. Thank you for the selflessness of all those I've encountered. Lord, I've yet to see pride here. May I learn from those around me how to love others.
So much more to share, but later. For now, some specific prayer requests:
1) The food. The food here is all very spicy to me and it's hard to adjust. We have rice for every meal, and with curries. I eat with a smile on my face, but I feel like I have to force myself. Please pray that I might find foods I like and that my taste buds would adapt to be able to enjoy all of this food! And that I might always be very grateful for the food that I have!
2) PATIENCE- I feel like I have so much free time right now and this is a challenge for me. As you all know, I like to be really really busy! Pray for patience during this time when all the students are taking their exams and I can't really do much but walk around and smile and begin to build friendships and converse. This is a very important part of my journey but I'm getting kind of antsy-so please pray for patience and for God to provide peace through reading and journalling, and casual interactions with the students and faculty. Pray that there might be manifold opportunities to talk about Him.
3) OPPORTUNITIES- Please pray for opportunities to surface for me to use my gifts, and for God to keep sustaining me until these opportunities are found out and begin!
Love you all. Peace & blessings.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
A Room With a View
(Yes, being a dork, I have now used two different titles of E.M. Forster books as blog titles.:)
When I moved in, the first thing I was told was, "You have a room with a view!" So here it is: A room with a view. A view of my room.
Scarves draped on my bed. I had to buy blankets, as most Indians do not use blankets at night. I use two :)
The patio
Wardrobe, and photos of friends and family, along with some Monet
My cabinets and table (all covered with pictures-friends and family surrounding me!)
There are three rooms: the bedroom, and this a little kitchenette area, with a WASHING MACHINE!?
Reading corner
My bathroom. Bucket baths-thought I wouldn't like them, but they're really quite enjoyable! And I have a hot water heater!
Drying rack on the patio
I've begun my Malayalam lessons and try to have one every day-notice the title of the one book: "Learn Malayalam in 30 Days." Yeah right!
Now I need to tell you something: at first when I moved into my room, I thought, "Well, okay, this is nice." But I quickly learned that this room was SO much more than nice: it was entirely done up, refurnished, and rewired just for me. It is BY FAR the nicest room in the building. The wardrobe is new, everything cleaned...they even repainted the room and retiled the bathroom for me. I can't believe how much special treatment this room received.
I have a washing machine. No one else in the building has a washing machine. I have a hot water heater. Every other person in the building takes cold bucket baths. I have a PATIO-a complete luxury. I have a power generator for some extra minutes of power when the power goes out. Drying rack, sinks, some dishes, even some fluffy towels, extra plastic chairs for guests... Everything was bought and set up for me: cleaning supplies, cabinets, shelves, all set up for me.
I am just so humbled. This room, with all of this love and care and work having prepared it, is an absolute palace in this place. I really don't deserve all of this special treatment, but I am so very grateful for everyone who prepared this place for me and strives to make me feel as home as possible. I feel surrounded by love and kindness in this room, knowing all the love that was put into preparing it.
When I moved in, the first thing I was told was, "You have a room with a view!" So here it is: A room with a view. A view of my room.
Now I need to tell you something: at first when I moved into my room, I thought, "Well, okay, this is nice." But I quickly learned that this room was SO much more than nice: it was entirely done up, refurnished, and rewired just for me. It is BY FAR the nicest room in the building. The wardrobe is new, everything cleaned...they even repainted the room and retiled the bathroom for me. I can't believe how much special treatment this room received.
I have a washing machine. No one else in the building has a washing machine. I have a hot water heater. Every other person in the building takes cold bucket baths. I have a PATIO-a complete luxury. I have a power generator for some extra minutes of power when the power goes out. Drying rack, sinks, some dishes, even some fluffy towels, extra plastic chairs for guests... Everything was bought and set up for me: cleaning supplies, cabinets, shelves, all set up for me.
I am just so humbled. This room, with all of this love and care and work having prepared it, is an absolute palace in this place. I really don't deserve all of this special treatment, but I am so very grateful for everyone who prepared this place for me and strives to make me feel as home as possible. I feel surrounded by love and kindness in this room, knowing all the love that was put into preparing it.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
In His Hands
Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go to the heavens, you are there,
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea
Even then Your hand will guide me
Your right will hold me fast.
From Psalm 139
There is a reason that there was a long break in between my blogs earlier, and that only now am I detailing the events of our final days of orientation and of my arrival at CMS, where I've been for almost a whole week.
How awesome it is to be on this side of the valley and to thank you all so much for your prayers during this challenging time, and I would ask for your continued prayers.
As I previously posted, last weekend was our last days of orientation. At some point in there I began to experience some anxiety and stopped sleeping. I think this is because of a continual uprooting that's been happening. I am a person who attaches quickly and does not let go lightly. I left home almost a month ago, being completely uprooted from my home and family, where I came to New York for a week with the other YAVs and got settled in there, putting down roots and forming relationships. And then that was uprooted, and it then became the community of just the India YAVs and Achen's family at his house. Somewhere in all of that continual trying to put down roots and having to be uprooted yet again, I developed some anxiety.
We arrived at our sites on Monday morning after trying to register with the state department, and I bid farewell to my teammates and to Achen. I was completely exhausted, having not slept and spent all day meeting people and moving in, and just couldn't wait to be alone to sleep. But sleep never came, and not for the next two nights either.
I did my best to attend meals, to attend what I was to go to, and to meet everyone, but eventually I had to keep lying down more and more because of how dizzy and exhausted I was. By Wednesday, I really couldn't do anything except eat and lay in my bed, too tired to even finish thoughts or converse with people. Even though I was utterly and completely exhausted, I could not find sleep.
It was kind of a scary place to be (not to mention inconvenient when one is supposed to be meeting lots of people and going around to lots of things!) I hadn't struggled with this issue in a long time and didn't think it would crop up here.
But I have to tell you: though this was a difficult period, I can't believe how visible the Lord's hand was in all of it.
First of all, even though it was initially anxiety that triggered the insomnia, after that I experienced hardly any anxiety. Usually this kind of sleeplessness would really shake me and result in panic. But night after night I listened to music, tried to read, and just clung to God's word, and repeated Scripture to myself in my head when I couldn't keep my eyes open to read it, and His deep peace settled in my heart. I knew the entire time that even though I was in pretty bad shape that God's hand was upon me. I have never experienced such a deep peace during a period like this-it was straight from Him.
Secondly, how can I begin to express the gratitude towards those who took care of me: Ann and Gigi Sir, my supervisors. They were there to hold my hand, to take me around to buy whatever I needed, and checked on me constantly. I felt really safe in their hands and opened up immediately to them about my issue instead of trying to deal with it on my own. They were very understanding and kind, insisting that I eat, and helping me to go to as much as I could, but also respecting my need of rest.
On Wednesday, we decided it was time to do something since I still hadn't slept, and so Achen arranged an appointment for me with a doctor he's friends with in Kottayam. Ann and Gigi Sir spent their entire afternoon waiting at the doctors with me, as did fellow teammate, Nicole. These people, and many others, bent over backwards to help me, time and time again, so that I could be well. What an incredible manifestation of grace! I was given a prescription, and as we were driving back from the doctor's, there was a special moment, one of many these past few days that I vaguely remember but that was really special.
We were driving in Gigi Sir's car, and he stopped to pick up some things I needed, insisting on buying them for me. And as we were driving he turned on his music player in his car, and it was a violin, playing the hymn "Morning Has Broken." And just as I was thinking it, Gigi Sir said, "We'll have to buy you a violin soon!" Let me tell you, that music was like a balm to my soul. It was like God saying loudly to me, "Claudia! I'm right here! I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!" So here I was, careening through these crazy crowded streets, having not slept for four days, and singing along to these hymns, happy as can be. I just felt extreme joy in my heart-joy beyond circumstance, joy beyond exhaustion, deep joy that didn't make any sense because it comes only from Him and Him alone. I felt like laughing, because God had the victory!
I can't express in words what it feels like to find yourself in such caring hands, to find yourself in a completely foreign land, to be so tired that you can barely stand, to have escaped anxiety, to be in this little car playing hymns amidst the honking horns, and to be singing, and to just be ridiculously happy.
God is just so good, ALL the time. His hand never left me, not for one moment. And I've seen Him so clearly in Ann and in Gigi Sir and in all the girls at the hostel, who came and visited me just to smile and meet me, in Korah Sir, the principal of the college, who called me to wish me a good night's sleep, in all of your messages from home spurring me on...His fingerprints have been everywhere.
Moments like these last forever. I remember laying on my bed, exhausted, waiting for Ann and Rinsy and Sheni to come and get me for dinner. And as I was laying there, I realized that I now had friends. And that this was exactly like how I used to wait for friends to come and get me for dinner in college. And I closed my eyes, a gentle breeze blowing through the room, and the voices that gently called my name could have just as easily been Suzie's, or Zeb's, or Em's. And suddenly I thought, "This feels familiar. This is my new home." It made me deeply happy.
I remember another moment, the day after I arrived at Lea Hostel, and it was my first time to dinner. I was dizzily tired, but eating near Ann and my dear new friends Rinsy and Sheni. At dinner here, the girls must be silent. And so the entire meal was just rows of girls glancing over at me and smiling, and it was everything I could do to not burst out laughing. Each smile warmed my heart. We couldn't communicate, not yet at least, and yet their smiles meant a thousand words apiece. I don't think they know how badly I needed those smiles or how much they meant to me right then.
And after dinner, we went outside into the courtyard, where there is a big swing in celebration of Onam. Someone motioned that I should try it, and I thought, "Oh, why not?" And when I sat down on the swing, there was thunderous applause from every girl, watching from her window or door!!!!! And I swung, higher and higher, crying with laughter, deeper and deeper into every smile and the fragrant air and touching the tip of God's great sky.
Healing. Peace.
Abandoning my anxiety far below me on the ground...
If we suffer in this world, from anxiety or whatever it is, it is a privilege to suffer it in Christ's name. It is a privilege, an honor to be sleepless, to be uncomfortable, yet to remain in Him. To be in a new land, and to feel momentarily alone and afraid, but to be always with Him. Because our sufferings are so brief! Too brief to even think much on! I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us! says Paul in Romans 8:18! We are joyful in our sufferings! says Paul. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-6. AMEN AND AMEN!
Christ has conquered! The victory is already won, so who am I to linger in anxiety? For if God is for us, then who can be against us?
My friends, thanks be to God for His mighty healing. Since then, I have been resting deep and well, and sleeping amazingly. I am still on medication that is assisting me, but I am on a lower dosage now and I would appreciate your prayers very much for the ability to quickly get off this medication and to sleep normally. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and messages to me, they mean so very much to me at this time.
Lord, I can't thank you enough for how greatly you manifested Yourself through this time of trial. Your hand never once left me. You put me into the hands of people who took care of me, who took me exactly where I needed to be when I needed to be there. I can't do anything on my own here. I can't eat, I can't even cross the street on my own. Thank you for this weakness. Thank you that I so continually need the help of others. Thank you for Your great strength in my weakness, and for never for a second abandoning me. Thank you for this, my new home, and my new family, who all look a lot like You.
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go to the heavens, you are there,
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea
Even then Your hand will guide me
Your right will hold me fast.
From Psalm 139
There is a reason that there was a long break in between my blogs earlier, and that only now am I detailing the events of our final days of orientation and of my arrival at CMS, where I've been for almost a whole week.
How awesome it is to be on this side of the valley and to thank you all so much for your prayers during this challenging time, and I would ask for your continued prayers.
As I previously posted, last weekend was our last days of orientation. At some point in there I began to experience some anxiety and stopped sleeping. I think this is because of a continual uprooting that's been happening. I am a person who attaches quickly and does not let go lightly. I left home almost a month ago, being completely uprooted from my home and family, where I came to New York for a week with the other YAVs and got settled in there, putting down roots and forming relationships. And then that was uprooted, and it then became the community of just the India YAVs and Achen's family at his house. Somewhere in all of that continual trying to put down roots and having to be uprooted yet again, I developed some anxiety.
We arrived at our sites on Monday morning after trying to register with the state department, and I bid farewell to my teammates and to Achen. I was completely exhausted, having not slept and spent all day meeting people and moving in, and just couldn't wait to be alone to sleep. But sleep never came, and not for the next two nights either.
I did my best to attend meals, to attend what I was to go to, and to meet everyone, but eventually I had to keep lying down more and more because of how dizzy and exhausted I was. By Wednesday, I really couldn't do anything except eat and lay in my bed, too tired to even finish thoughts or converse with people. Even though I was utterly and completely exhausted, I could not find sleep.
It was kind of a scary place to be (not to mention inconvenient when one is supposed to be meeting lots of people and going around to lots of things!) I hadn't struggled with this issue in a long time and didn't think it would crop up here.
But I have to tell you: though this was a difficult period, I can't believe how visible the Lord's hand was in all of it.
First of all, even though it was initially anxiety that triggered the insomnia, after that I experienced hardly any anxiety. Usually this kind of sleeplessness would really shake me and result in panic. But night after night I listened to music, tried to read, and just clung to God's word, and repeated Scripture to myself in my head when I couldn't keep my eyes open to read it, and His deep peace settled in my heart. I knew the entire time that even though I was in pretty bad shape that God's hand was upon me. I have never experienced such a deep peace during a period like this-it was straight from Him.
Secondly, how can I begin to express the gratitude towards those who took care of me: Ann and Gigi Sir, my supervisors. They were there to hold my hand, to take me around to buy whatever I needed, and checked on me constantly. I felt really safe in their hands and opened up immediately to them about my issue instead of trying to deal with it on my own. They were very understanding and kind, insisting that I eat, and helping me to go to as much as I could, but also respecting my need of rest.
On Wednesday, we decided it was time to do something since I still hadn't slept, and so Achen arranged an appointment for me with a doctor he's friends with in Kottayam. Ann and Gigi Sir spent their entire afternoon waiting at the doctors with me, as did fellow teammate, Nicole. These people, and many others, bent over backwards to help me, time and time again, so that I could be well. What an incredible manifestation of grace! I was given a prescription, and as we were driving back from the doctor's, there was a special moment, one of many these past few days that I vaguely remember but that was really special.
We were driving in Gigi Sir's car, and he stopped to pick up some things I needed, insisting on buying them for me. And as we were driving he turned on his music player in his car, and it was a violin, playing the hymn "Morning Has Broken." And just as I was thinking it, Gigi Sir said, "We'll have to buy you a violin soon!" Let me tell you, that music was like a balm to my soul. It was like God saying loudly to me, "Claudia! I'm right here! I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!" So here I was, careening through these crazy crowded streets, having not slept for four days, and singing along to these hymns, happy as can be. I just felt extreme joy in my heart-joy beyond circumstance, joy beyond exhaustion, deep joy that didn't make any sense because it comes only from Him and Him alone. I felt like laughing, because God had the victory!
I can't express in words what it feels like to find yourself in such caring hands, to find yourself in a completely foreign land, to be so tired that you can barely stand, to have escaped anxiety, to be in this little car playing hymns amidst the honking horns, and to be singing, and to just be ridiculously happy.
God is just so good, ALL the time. His hand never left me, not for one moment. And I've seen Him so clearly in Ann and in Gigi Sir and in all the girls at the hostel, who came and visited me just to smile and meet me, in Korah Sir, the principal of the college, who called me to wish me a good night's sleep, in all of your messages from home spurring me on...His fingerprints have been everywhere.
Moments like these last forever. I remember laying on my bed, exhausted, waiting for Ann and Rinsy and Sheni to come and get me for dinner. And as I was laying there, I realized that I now had friends. And that this was exactly like how I used to wait for friends to come and get me for dinner in college. And I closed my eyes, a gentle breeze blowing through the room, and the voices that gently called my name could have just as easily been Suzie's, or Zeb's, or Em's. And suddenly I thought, "This feels familiar. This is my new home." It made me deeply happy.
I remember another moment, the day after I arrived at Lea Hostel, and it was my first time to dinner. I was dizzily tired, but eating near Ann and my dear new friends Rinsy and Sheni. At dinner here, the girls must be silent. And so the entire meal was just rows of girls glancing over at me and smiling, and it was everything I could do to not burst out laughing. Each smile warmed my heart. We couldn't communicate, not yet at least, and yet their smiles meant a thousand words apiece. I don't think they know how badly I needed those smiles or how much they meant to me right then.
And after dinner, we went outside into the courtyard, where there is a big swing in celebration of Onam. Someone motioned that I should try it, and I thought, "Oh, why not?" And when I sat down on the swing, there was thunderous applause from every girl, watching from her window or door!!!!! And I swung, higher and higher, crying with laughter, deeper and deeper into every smile and the fragrant air and touching the tip of God's great sky.
Healing. Peace.
Abandoning my anxiety far below me on the ground...
If we suffer in this world, from anxiety or whatever it is, it is a privilege to suffer it in Christ's name. It is a privilege, an honor to be sleepless, to be uncomfortable, yet to remain in Him. To be in a new land, and to feel momentarily alone and afraid, but to be always with Him. Because our sufferings are so brief! Too brief to even think much on! I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us! says Paul in Romans 8:18! We are joyful in our sufferings! says Paul. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-6. AMEN AND AMEN!
Christ has conquered! The victory is already won, so who am I to linger in anxiety? For if God is for us, then who can be against us?
My friends, thanks be to God for His mighty healing. Since then, I have been resting deep and well, and sleeping amazingly. I am still on medication that is assisting me, but I am on a lower dosage now and I would appreciate your prayers very much for the ability to quickly get off this medication and to sleep normally. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and messages to me, they mean so very much to me at this time.
Lord, I can't thank you enough for how greatly you manifested Yourself through this time of trial. Your hand never once left me. You put me into the hands of people who took care of me, who took me exactly where I needed to be when I needed to be there. I can't do anything on my own here. I can't eat, I can't even cross the street on my own. Thank you for this weakness. Thank you that I so continually need the help of others. Thank you for Your great strength in my weakness, and for never for a second abandoning me. Thank you for this, my new home, and my new family, who all look a lot like You.
Weekend Adventures
Last weekend, Saturday and Sunday, were our last days at Achen's house for orientation. Here are a couple of tidbits about what we did and some pictures of our adventures.
(Additionally, I can't believe in my last post that I forgot to mention that teammate Rachel safely arrived after 10 days! Though she did not have the time to adjust that we all did, she is doing extremely well and we are so very thankful for her safe arrival and for the completion of our team!)
On Saturday, we drove to go see some elephants. Initially the elephants were out bathing, and so while we were waiting for them to finish we went to a zoo at the complex. Sadly, the place no longer hosts elephant rides, but here are some photos of our large wrinkly friends:
Some other new events were:
1) Seeing our first Malayalam film...entirely in Malayalam. This was certainly an adventure, and I enjoyed making up for myself what the characters were saying...especially when it was most likely not at all what they were saying.
2) We enjoyed together at home an Onam sadhya, or meal, eaten off of a banana leaf, with a wide variety of curries and chutneys. It was delicious. I'm finding the food here to be extremely different from anything I've eaten in the states. When I've travelled before I've at least had a sense of some familiarity with the food, such as "this is some kind of meat" or "this is some kind of fruit." But here, wow. Initially I never knew what I was eating. It is a matter of trust! Now I'm beginning to recognize the foods, but the flavors are really very different, many flavors that I have never tasted anything like in the states. It is all very new.
3) On Sunday, our last day together before going to our sites, we had many adventures. We travelled to Cochin to go to church, and while there, Binu, Rachel, and myself sang "The Summons" during the service and it was such a blessing for me to be able to share in this way. After church, we began our tour of the many sites in Cochin, first by visiting a synagogue and then proceeding to the Dutch Palace, a 16th century Portuguese palace that was then taken over by the Dutch. Inside were many portraits and historical artifacts to see from the early colonial period. The power also went off when we were inside the museum!!!! which meant that we got to look at everything in the dark, and I was so excited! (For those of you that know about my museum obsession, I also greatly enjoy power outages, so the intrigue of maneuvering through the manikins and portraits in the dark was delicious!)
This was St. Francis, a 16th century church where Vasco da Gama used to be buried.
We visited Fort Kochi, a swirling mass of people and drums and fish stalls and sea air-as well as tourists-the first white people we've seen since we arrived! They fish with huge Chinese fishing nets, and the four of us tried our hand(s) at fishing, though admittedly our catch was rather meager. :)
We also stopped to take photos at a gorgeous lookout over the backwaters. Later in the day, we hurried to get more errands done-shopping at Fabindia, a rather fashionable clothing store, and getting passport photos to be able to register with the state department.
And then we spent our last evening together for the time being, though I was very excited to get to my site! It has been a rich and wonderful time, and I will miss Achen's insightful teaching, Kochamma's warm laugh, our favorite gecko friends on the wall...I'll even miss the call to prayer which at first always made me jump! I'll miss watching movies and playing worship songs with Binu, and this wonderful home-away-from-home. I can't imagine having had a better introduction to Indian culture nor a warmer welcome.
And now, onward & upward!
(Additionally, I can't believe in my last post that I forgot to mention that teammate Rachel safely arrived after 10 days! Though she did not have the time to adjust that we all did, she is doing extremely well and we are so very thankful for her safe arrival and for the completion of our team!)
On Saturday, we drove to go see some elephants. Initially the elephants were out bathing, and so while we were waiting for them to finish we went to a zoo at the complex. Sadly, the place no longer hosts elephant rides, but here are some photos of our large wrinkly friends:
Some other new events were:
1) Seeing our first Malayalam film...entirely in Malayalam. This was certainly an adventure, and I enjoyed making up for myself what the characters were saying...especially when it was most likely not at all what they were saying.
2) We enjoyed together at home an Onam sadhya, or meal, eaten off of a banana leaf, with a wide variety of curries and chutneys. It was delicious. I'm finding the food here to be extremely different from anything I've eaten in the states. When I've travelled before I've at least had a sense of some familiarity with the food, such as "this is some kind of meat" or "this is some kind of fruit." But here, wow. Initially I never knew what I was eating. It is a matter of trust! Now I'm beginning to recognize the foods, but the flavors are really very different, many flavors that I have never tasted anything like in the states. It is all very new.
3) On Sunday, our last day together before going to our sites, we had many adventures. We travelled to Cochin to go to church, and while there, Binu, Rachel, and myself sang "The Summons" during the service and it was such a blessing for me to be able to share in this way. After church, we began our tour of the many sites in Cochin, first by visiting a synagogue and then proceeding to the Dutch Palace, a 16th century Portuguese palace that was then taken over by the Dutch. Inside were many portraits and historical artifacts to see from the early colonial period. The power also went off when we were inside the museum!!!! which meant that we got to look at everything in the dark, and I was so excited! (For those of you that know about my museum obsession, I also greatly enjoy power outages, so the intrigue of maneuvering through the manikins and portraits in the dark was delicious!)
This was St. Francis, a 16th century church where Vasco da Gama used to be buried.
We visited Fort Kochi, a swirling mass of people and drums and fish stalls and sea air-as well as tourists-the first white people we've seen since we arrived! They fish with huge Chinese fishing nets, and the four of us tried our hand(s) at fishing, though admittedly our catch was rather meager. :)
We also stopped to take photos at a gorgeous lookout over the backwaters. Later in the day, we hurried to get more errands done-shopping at Fabindia, a rather fashionable clothing store, and getting passport photos to be able to register with the state department.
And then we spent our last evening together for the time being, though I was very excited to get to my site! It has been a rich and wonderful time, and I will miss Achen's insightful teaching, Kochamma's warm laugh, our favorite gecko friends on the wall...I'll even miss the call to prayer which at first always made me jump! I'll miss watching movies and playing worship songs with Binu, and this wonderful home-away-from-home. I can't imagine having had a better introduction to Indian culture nor a warmer welcome.
And now, onward & upward!
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