Outings, etc.
(back-dated post #4)
I think we're all settling into life in Kerala by now. Our lives are taking on a new rhythm-- in general much slower and more relaxed. Which isn't to say that we haven't done a lot since we got here five days ago. We've all eagerly begun learning Malayalam-- starting with a few important phrases (nani [thank you], mathi ["enough"-- used frequently at meals], vellam venam [i'd like water], toilet evide ana [where is the toilet?]) and now backtracking to learn the alphabet and different sounds of the letters. Being here is like being an infant again. The most basic things need to be relearned from scratch-- how to eat, how to speak, how to dress, how to go to the bathroom. and in five days, i think we've all made remarkable progress in all these fields. We've also had daily bible studies, lectures on current issues and history in India and Kerala, and taken a few outings:
Friday and Saturday we were in the town of Tiruvella, about three hours away, at a meeting of the Student Christian Movement of India. Achen was sort of the keynote speaker and we were invited to accompany him. We stayed at some kind of Catholic boarding house/conference center and took meals at the refectory. The meeting was held at a nearby Christian college and was attended by approximately 50 college students from all over Kerala. The meeting was held in a small concrete box of a building with a blackboard, some plastic deck chairs, and a few ceiling fans-- nothing like what an American would identify as a conference hall or auditorium! During breaks in the programme and during meals, we were encouraged to socialize with the students, and we each joined a small group to discuss the negative effects of globalisation in Kerala. I'm not an outgoing person at all, but the socialising proved no problem at all-- like at the wedding, Indian kids were lined up and crowded around to talk to us; again, mostly to practice their English, but also because most of these kids had only seen white people on TV and were honestly fascinated by us. The talk about globalisation was much less forthcoming. the kids in my group only wanted to hear my opinions on the matter. I was only interested to hear what they had to say, but shared my thoughts as a way of opening the conversation up. But still, no one was willing to share. When I outright asked for their thoughts, the one fellow who spoke English well said that Indians like America very much-- we're very generous and have done a lot to help India. They then went on to ask me what i like about Kerala, and what its "demerits" are. After my cursory answers, the students began talking amongst themselves in Malayalam, and seemed to be engaged in some serious discussion, so i asked for a translation. I was told that they were discussing how the dropping prices of agricultural products were driving many farmers into debt, and was actually creating a suicide epidemic. I was (and still am, honestly) kind of frustrated that they weren't willing share these thoughts with me. they just thought I wanted to hear how great they think America is. I think one of my great challenges for the year will be to get people to relate to me not as an American, but as simply another person.
This whole trip ended up being a very interesting exercise in communication. Having to introduce and talk about myself, explain my tattoo, and discuss globalisation in short, simple sentences using short, clear words really forced me to be deliberate and think about exactly what i wanted to communicate so that i could express it as clearly as possible.
The next day (Sunday) we attended Achen's church and introduced ourselves to the congregation. Men and women sat on opposite sides of the sanctuary and the service was entirely in Malayalam, but other than that it was more or less the same as church anywhere. Both at the church and the conference, we brought the guitar (Binu's-- Achen's son's-- guitar, since mine was still lost somewhere between London and Cochin) and performed "Ninte Hitham," a song in Malayalam that Achen had taught us. Our attempts at Malayalam were (and still are) a great source of entertainment to everyone, but i think they secretly respect the attempt we're making to learn their language.
After church, we went out to lunch and had another traditional banana-leaf meal and proceded on to Kodanadu, a sort of zoo where elephants are domesticated and trained to carry wood and other jobs. We all rode an elephant, took pictures with some elephants, went goggle-eyed over baby elephnats (chained to stakes in the ground....), and checked out a small zoo with monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, deer, and various kinds of birds. But the most interesting part of the day was a brief conversation with a man named Joshi (Joshua). Joshi spoke very little English. I spoke even less Malayalam, but we seemed to understand each other anyway. when i told him i was from America, he said, holding up his index finger "Ah, America number one. Too big ego. world police. Christian, Hindu, Muslim... too much killing. Is no good." "No good," i agreed, shaking my head sadly, "too much killing. too much hate." Joshi grabbed my shoulder. "Brother."
(back-dated post #4)
I think we're all settling into life in Kerala by now. Our lives are taking on a new rhythm-- in general much slower and more relaxed. Which isn't to say that we haven't done a lot since we got here five days ago. We've all eagerly begun learning Malayalam-- starting with a few important phrases (nani [thank you], mathi ["enough"-- used frequently at meals], vellam venam [i'd like water], toilet evide ana [where is the toilet?]) and now backtracking to learn the alphabet and different sounds of the letters. Being here is like being an infant again. The most basic things need to be relearned from scratch-- how to eat, how to speak, how to dress, how to go to the bathroom. and in five days, i think we've all made remarkable progress in all these fields. We've also had daily bible studies, lectures on current issues and history in India and Kerala, and taken a few outings:
Friday and Saturday we were in the town of Tiruvella, about three hours away, at a meeting of the Student Christian Movement of India. Achen was sort of the keynote speaker and we were invited to accompany him. We stayed at some kind of Catholic boarding house/conference center and took meals at the refectory. The meeting was held at a nearby Christian college and was attended by approximately 50 college students from all over Kerala. The meeting was held in a small concrete box of a building with a blackboard, some plastic deck chairs, and a few ceiling fans-- nothing like what an American would identify as a conference hall or auditorium! During breaks in the programme and during meals, we were encouraged to socialize with the students, and we each joined a small group to discuss the negative effects of globalisation in Kerala. I'm not an outgoing person at all, but the socialising proved no problem at all-- like at the wedding, Indian kids were lined up and crowded around to talk to us; again, mostly to practice their English, but also because most of these kids had only seen white people on TV and were honestly fascinated by us. The talk about globalisation was much less forthcoming. the kids in my group only wanted to hear my opinions on the matter. I was only interested to hear what they had to say, but shared my thoughts as a way of opening the conversation up. But still, no one was willing to share. When I outright asked for their thoughts, the one fellow who spoke English well said that Indians like America very much-- we're very generous and have done a lot to help India. They then went on to ask me what i like about Kerala, and what its "demerits" are. After my cursory answers, the students began talking amongst themselves in Malayalam, and seemed to be engaged in some serious discussion, so i asked for a translation. I was told that they were discussing how the dropping prices of agricultural products were driving many farmers into debt, and was actually creating a suicide epidemic. I was (and still am, honestly) kind of frustrated that they weren't willing share these thoughts with me. they just thought I wanted to hear how great they think America is. I think one of my great challenges for the year will be to get people to relate to me not as an American, but as simply another person.
This whole trip ended up being a very interesting exercise in communication. Having to introduce and talk about myself, explain my tattoo, and discuss globalisation in short, simple sentences using short, clear words really forced me to be deliberate and think about exactly what i wanted to communicate so that i could express it as clearly as possible.
The next day (Sunday) we attended Achen's church and introduced ourselves to the congregation. Men and women sat on opposite sides of the sanctuary and the service was entirely in Malayalam, but other than that it was more or less the same as church anywhere. Both at the church and the conference, we brought the guitar (Binu's-- Achen's son's-- guitar, since mine was still lost somewhere between London and Cochin) and performed "Ninte Hitham," a song in Malayalam that Achen had taught us. Our attempts at Malayalam were (and still are) a great source of entertainment to everyone, but i think they secretly respect the attempt we're making to learn their language.
After church, we went out to lunch and had another traditional banana-leaf meal and proceded on to Kodanadu, a sort of zoo where elephants are domesticated and trained to carry wood and other jobs. We all rode an elephant, took pictures with some elephants, went goggle-eyed over baby elephnats (chained to stakes in the ground....), and checked out a small zoo with monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, deer, and various kinds of birds. But the most interesting part of the day was a brief conversation with a man named Joshi (Joshua). Joshi spoke very little English. I spoke even less Malayalam, but we seemed to understand each other anyway. when i told him i was from America, he said, holding up his index finger "Ah, America number one. Too big ego. world police. Christian, Hindu, Muslim... too much killing. Is no good." "No good," i agreed, shaking my head sadly, "too much killing. too much hate." Joshi grabbed my shoulder. "Brother."
posted by Andy at 7:48 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home