God's Own Country

 

Ashley and me before an early morning boat ride

Hello, again!  I am excited to tell you all about my most recent adventure: a seven day excursion to Kerala, a state on the southern tip of India.  The state promotes itself as "God's Own Country," with reason.  The views were outstanding, and churches abounded.  This was the final opportunity for the twelve students from CSB/SJU and our professors to travel as a whole group, and we had a fantastic time.  Nothing like a vacation to provide some relaxation before final exams!  Then again, it also means less time to prepare for the semester's end, but we'll survive.  Now for some highlights from the trip:

The Beds: Indian people prefer to sleep on much harder mattresses than the pillowtops Americans love.  The hotels we stayed in while in Kerala, however, had the soft beds we had not experienced since leaving home.  This, and other very Western elements of the tourist locations, provided a feeling of luxury as one of the first things we noticed upon arrival.  It actually took me a few minutes to adjust to the fact that we were still in India.  I don't think it was the beds or the showers or anything of that sort that truly made this a highlight so much as the way they forced me to change my image of India.  These tourist resorts, too, are part of the country's culture today.

The Houseboat: We had the fun of spending one night of our trip on houseboats.  The service and food was fantastic as we relaxed and watched the beautiful landscapes pass by.  There were plenty of opportunities to take photos of palm trees, the sunset, and more.  After dark, we introduced my friend Kia to the wonderful movie that is The Sound of Music.  I heard snippets of the movie's songs on everyone's lips for the rest of the trip.  Like many of the places we stayed for the night, we would have loved to stay on the boat for much longer.

Easter: As I said, churches are everywhere in Kerala.  I believe we entered five or so (and a synagogue), but we saw many more.  However, that does not mean that finding a Catholic mass in English is easy.  The four of us who chose to attend Easter mass ended up deciding that our best option was a 7am mass at a church near the resort...in the language Malayalam.  We arrived to find women and men sitting in different sides of the church, women covering their heads, and the Eucharistic prayer led by a priest facing away from the congregation.  I think I now know what masses were like prior to the Second Vatican Council, although I may have understood Latin a bit better than Malayalam.  Thank goodness for the fact that masses all contain the same mass parts, because I only recognized "Amen", "Hosanna", and "Happy Easter!"  It was nonetheless a fantastic and spiritual experience...followed by reading the Gospel from a Lenten prayer book my godmother had sent.

Demonstrations: Of course, what is a trip without some cultural and other demonstrations?  We visited a spice garden to learn about the many spices that Kerala is famous for as well as a tea museum to learn about how plantations make tea.  We also watched a demonstration of a local martial art and two kinds of traditional dances.  It was great to learn a bit about Kerala's culture, which is different in many ways from what we saw in northern parts of India.  To add to this, we learned a bit about the local history and walked around the hill city of Munnar.  I loved experiencing yet another culture in India.

Boat Ride: We woke up early one morning for a boat ride to see wildlife.  At least, that's what we thought.  When our bus hit a spot of traffic, our local guide told seven of us to go to a jeep up front.  We were confused but did as told.  It turned out, people had been waiting for hours, lined up at the gate to the tiger reserve in a way that seemed like what Oklahoma's border probably looked like with people waiting to claim their land many years ago.  When the gate opened, it was practically a NASCAR race of jeeps and autos racing into the park.  We thought it was the strangest, unexpected experience so far!  Then, when the jeep stopped at another gate, the men with us threw open the doors and told us to run!  We ran with no idea what we were running for and finally learned that the footrace was for boat tickets.  Apparently, the early morning ride is so popular that people must race the day of to get tickets for the best seats.  This amused us, as the ride itself ended up anticlimactic - relaxing but not particularly exciting.  What will I remember of it?  The strangest way to queue for a ticket that I have ever heard of.

Beach: Our last night of the trip brought some much-anticipated time on a beach.  We stayed in a beach resort next to the Arabian Sea and, yes, swam in said body of water.  The waves came quickly to make for a fun, albeit salty, experience.  Better yet, all twelve of us shared this experience together as we counted down the time left as a complete group.  Move over, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans!  I swam in the Arabian Sea!

I could probably write for another few hours and still not exhaust everything I want to say about this fun trip.  However, I assume that you are already thinking that this post has gone on far too long.  As a result, I will wrap this post up by saying that I had an unbelievable experience in this week-long vacation with my study abroad family.  It was an excellent final excursion to a wonderful semester abroad!

Off to Kerala

Kia and me at the Bengali New Year party

I head out tomorrow morning for a CSB/SJU group trip to Kerala, a state on the Southern tip of India.  From what I hear, it promises to be a fantastic experience.  In the meanwhile, I posted some photos from a short walking-tour in Kolkata (where, unfortunately, my camera's battery failed early) and last night's celebration of the Bengali New Year.  Both were fun and visually interesting experiences.  You can see the pictures on my PhotoBucket album Random and a New Year.  Enjoy!  Happy Easter, and I hope to post about a wonderful experience when I return from the trip next week.

Make a Difference

Remember my post and photos from the Sundarbans?  My friend Bekkah is working on a project to provide solar lamps for children in the villages of the Sundarbans so that they can study more easily after dark.  This project is sponsored by a non-profit organization called ASED but relies on donations from to achieve its goal.  For more information, see Bekkah's blog post "This Little Light of Mine: Solar Lamps for Children in the Sundarbans" or the donation sight's page "Solar Lamps for 700 Students in Sundarbans, India."  This project is very important to Bekkah, and donations of any size are greatly appreciated.

Catholic India

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.  To honor the most important week of the Church's year, I would like to share a few reflections on what India has taught me about my faith.  This country is practically a world religions course in itself, but here is what the Christian-minority country and culture has taught me about Catholicism so far:

Most people in India are Hindu or Muslim, but the Christian presence is still strong.  Catholic religious orders run countless English-medium schools, and Sunday masses can become quite full.  On the other hand, even students at the Catholic college where I attend classes asked why there was a smudge on my forehead on Ash Wednesday.  I also have had a few interesting conversations while attempting to explain Lenten observances.  This differs drastically from my experiences at Catholic schools in Minnesota.  Christianity exists, but it is not an everyday part of Kolkata's culture.

Readings and Holy Eucharist are the same, but there is something that makes masses different here.  Music is very unlike ours at home.  They say things a bit differently.  But, in the end, it's a Catholic mass.

The Sign of Peace after the Lord's Prayer does not necessarily need to be a handshake.  In a culture where respectful greetings include bowing with hands together at one's chest, this is the Sign of Peace.  But it still means the same thing.

Giving up meat on Fridays during lent is nothing.  Many people are "veg" year-round for their religion.  And this includes no eggs or fish.  Some even refuse onions and potatoes because eating these vegetables kills the plant (whereas I can pick an apple without killing the tree).

I used to think that "Salt of the Earth" referenced salt as something that can add flavor to foods to make them a bit better.  A homily a few months ago changed this image.  Here, nobody will even touch a meal that lacks a heavy dose of salt.  The simple substance that I overlook in America is absolutely necessary for everything.  People even put it on fresh fruit.  In this light, striving to be the "Salt of the Earth" is not an option to make the world a bit better.  It fulfills a necessity such that we fail in our duty to the Earth if we do not act as salt.

Every Holy Thursday, we read about Jesus washing his disciples' feet.  In Minnesota, our feet washing means taking off shoes and socks (or boots, as may be the case this year) to reveal relatively clean feet that we pour water over symbolically.  Religion teachers have tried to explain that washing feet was work for the lowest servants, but I never really understood.  That is, until I began walking the filthy streets of Kolkata wearing sandals.  Within minutes, my feet were absolutely disgusting!  I try to wash my feet every day simply because they become so dirty so quickly.  And I certainly would not wish to make anyone else wash my feet for me - it would be far too demeaning.  Now I understand: when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, he did a thankless and disgusting task that nobody would ever ask him to do for them.  The example tells us to do for others even those undesirable tasks that they would never want to ask anyone to do for them.

Finally, Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata is an inspiration.  Every Catholic church and school that I have seen has some reference to this woman who will be a Saint sooner rather than later.  And a visit to her Missionaries of Charity Mother House explains why this is so: her organization has grown to serve countless needs in Kolkata and beyond.  The original charity, which provided a home for the dying, has been joined by charities aimed at helping children with special needs, feeding and housing the poor, and more.  Mother Teresa prayed for the Sainthood of Blessed Father Damien, who helped lepers in the Hawaiian island of Molokai.  This seems fitting for someone who also left a European home to dedicate her existence to helping strangers in need.  Could I even imagine having the dedication to God required for this kind of life?  I don't know.  For now, I feel honored to have visited Mother Teresa's tomb and volunteered in a school in the city where she lived and worked.

I hope these reflections can be of interest to someone this Holy Week.  Maybe it's taking things out of the context I have been familiar with for so long, but this land that is not primarily Christian has encouraged me to reflect quite a bit about what I believe and why.  And, in case I don't have the chance to send this message again before next Sunday, Happy Easter to everyone!

Apologies

I'm sorry that I haven't written in a while!  As the semester nears an end (Do I seriously have less than a month left before my return to Minnesota?!), crunch time arrives on homework and other assignments.  We will spend a week in South India starting next Thursday, so I hope to finish assignments by Wednesday.  Yikes!  I am currently writing a short dissertation for my international relations class called "Multinational Corporations and their Cultural Influence on the Third World" (unless I give it a better name).  I will also write a research paper for Indian History and Society.  Cross my fingers I can handle those and the smaller papers due next week.

On the other hand, I have some blog posts in my head that I hope to write soon.  I'm eager to share what India has taught me about gender, race, religion, and a couple of other big, important topics.  That and I'll have the exciting trip to South India.  There will be good stuff...once I get my head above water again.  Or maybe just once I have a few minutes to write during a study break.  I'm still having a great time, and I want to share it with the world!

World Champions



Fans at South City Mall

 I expected many great, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to come during my trip to India: riding camels in the desert, visiting the famous Taj Mahal, living for an extended period in a foreign country, etc.  The once-in-a-lifetime experience I did not expect: watching the host country of the Cricket World Cup win the cup for its favorite sport while surrounded by screaming fans.

In case that was too vague, I will explain.  I know that India is too diverse for generalizations, but this one almost works: Indians are almost all crazy about cricket.  It has probably a greater following here than American Football has in the United States.  This means that people in India were excited to see the country host the ICC Cricket World Cup this year, regardless of who wins.  As for our group from Minnesota, we gathered at the only game in Kolkata, Ireland vs. South Africa in early March.  It was a memorable experience, but a long match.  I left before South Africa won, exhausted about five or six hours into the eight hour match.

Combining this excitement for cricket with the national pride that frequently goes into overdrive in reference to sports (and yes, this also applies to state, city, and school pride where applicable), the world cup was an unmistakeable part of India for over a month now.  Stores sold jerseys, and fans were encouraged to "Bleed Blue" (India's team color).  I first noticed that this was more than just a commercial event when India played its first match.  Everyone followed the match in whatever way possible.  And when India played England, I found out immediately upon entering the mall with friends.  Hundreds of people stood in the central atrium to stare at the large screen.  I don't think I have ever seen such numbers of people standing to watch a television screen.  They filled all floors of the mall and cheered loudly for all great plays.  I thought it an exciting atmosphere that I would not soon forget.

Then, India made it to the semi-final match against Pakistan. As everyone excitedly discussed the upcoming match, I likened it to the 1980 Winter Olympics hockey game between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.  Both events postioned countries in the midst of political tensions against each other in a game that could not remain only about the athletic contest.  People try to keep politics out of sports, but only cricket could make the Pakistani Prime Minister and the Indian Prime Minister sit in the same box for more than eight hours.  My friend Kia and I returned to South City Mall to see the hundreds of people again squeezed into the atrium and along the railings to see the match, leaving empty stores save for employees tuned to the stores' televisions.  It was a fantastic atmosphere, for cricket lovers and people watchers alike.  I watched the second half of the match at the house with my host parents.  It was a great ending, not a blow-out but clearly an Indian win, followed by loud celebrations on the streets well into the night.

And then there was the final match: India vs. Sri Lanka.  Yes, we are talking WORLD cup even if the best performances came from teams in Asia.  I watched with friends in a home before moving to City Centre, another shopping complex.  At first, we stayed in a restaurant lounge that afforded a great view of the outdoor screen without requiring us to be cramped in a crowd.  It was fun to watch the party-like reactions to great plays.  But after dinner, we squeezed our way into probably the last space left in the crowd.  Was that ever an experience!  Every commercial break, music blared and people started Bollywood dancing.  Fans screamed, "India, Jeetega!" (India will win), and every four or six (comparable to a homerun in baseball) brought a deafening thunder of excitement.  Sure, we were overcrowded, hot, and dealing with limited visibility.  It's all part of the experience.

It was in this electric atmosphere that I was fortunate enough to watch India sustain an incredible run rate to make up for a dismal offensive start.  With one last blast into the crowd, India was officially the Cricket World Cup champions.  City Centre erupted.  Noise, dancing, hugging, cheering, and more for quite some time.  Everyone wanted to shake hands and, in our case, welcome us to the country.  Someone from a local news station pulled us aside to ask how it felt to experience this while surrounded by native Indians.  Our response: unbelievable.  I do not know if I have ever seen so much excitement in my life, and that's saying something.  We couldn't even walk away from the shopping center as normal, because people insisted upon photos, dancing, and even dousing us in a healthy dose of leftover Holi colors (dry, thank goodness!).

Many people say that sports have a power to turn a group of people into a community.  Well, on Saturday evening, all of India was a community sharing a common cause for celebration.  I am lucky to have been able to see this, and even luckier that the community so willingly welcomed us to be a part of it all.


Photos:
In another note, I have another batch of photos online.  I have finally caught up for the most part, including everything post-Sundarbans through the end of March.  This means that it does include many photos from the colorful holiday Holi.  Actually, it's not too many photos this time.  Take a look at them HERE.