Spicy Food, Saris, and Sewing!

Oh the cows...

These past two weeks have been wonderful!  I still cannot believe that I am here in India; it seems like a dream two years ago when I decided to make this pilgrimage and take time off after graduation.  I am finally getting into the swing of things here, despite the major culture shock.  The heat has died down a bit because we are entering monsoon season.  The staring and the pointing at the “white girl” is becoming somewhat normal, I have never felt so out of place.  Little children especially come up to me and stare, while their parents try to avoid eye contact.  And the most common asked question is, “is the food too spicy?”  Even though it is quite spicy, I smile and pretend that it is not.  My goal by the end of this trip is to acquire a new spicy palate; I don’t think it will be a problem. 

Sharon and me in our Saris

Sharon was in finals all last week so this week we have explored the city.  Last Saturday, we went to a traditional wedding reception and I got to wear a Sari!  I must say that I have a lot of respect for the women who wear sari’s every day; they are very uncomfortable and extremely hot to wear.  There were a few hundred people at the reception, and supposedly that was small.  Everyone lined up to greet the newlyweds and offered their gift as they passed by- very traditional.   On Sunday we went to see a movie at a local movie theater, which was quite an event.  The movie theaters in India are probably the nicest theaters I have ever seen.  You must buy your ticket days in advance to see any movie and to reserve your seat, buying your ticket the day of is never an option.  And you can have your own personal server to deliver gourmet food throughout the movie.  This all for the price of $3!  I could certainly get used to this.

Auto-Rickshaw (aka death trap)

Driving here in India is probably one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life.  There are cars, scooters, auto-rickshaws (taxis), ox-driven rickshaws, and bicycles driving in every direction.  You will be on a two-lane road with four cars across and another car coming toward you driving on the wrong-side of the road; the police could care less.  I have probably seen my life flash before my eyes at least 10 times.  Needless to say, I am learning how to not be a backseat driver.

Outside of Achiever Academy

For these next three months I will be working on a number of different projects.  Primarily I will be working at Achiever Academy, a nationally recognized English Christian elementary school.  After visiting the destructed villages by the tsunami in 2005, John saw the need for education among the poorest of the poor.  Achiever Academy came out of John’s passion to give equal opportunity to the poor to receive a decent education.  They began with one Pre-Kindergarten class and have added a grade every year (it is now up to fourth grade).  The children that attend come from all different backgrounds, from the richest Anglo-Indian to the poorest fisherman’s son.  Of the 130 students, 40 need sponsorships.  For the past few years my mom and I have been working alongside of the Christians to find sponsors for these children.  What I believe to be the best part of this program is that each sponsored child’s family is obligated to pay a tuition of $5 a month (which is a huge sum in India).  This makes the program so valuable because the family has a great deal of pride and investment in their child’s education.  (So if you would be interested in sponsoring a child for $25 a month, let me know!)  I work at the school every day and work on various projects from helping as a classroom aid to teaching art classes.  It is very intimidating not having any real teaching experience, but it has been so wonderful.  The classes are taught in English, but the little Pre-K and Kindergarten classes still do not understand English.  The little ones always ask me questions in Tamil (the local language spoken) and I just smile back, having no clue what they ask.  I try and communicate that I only speak English, and they stare and me and continually ask the same question.  This language barrier is a bit frustrating so I am trying to learn a little bit of Tamil.

The Widow Safe Home (in process) 

Sparrows of Splendor is another project that I will be working on.   Up until 1987, whenever a husband would die, in the Hindu tradition, they would burn the widow alive with her dead husband’s body (an act called Sati).  The widow would be considered a disgrace and would consequently be put to death.  Despite the banning of this tradition, it still happens in rural villages in India.  Today, widows are still considered shameful in the eyes of their community.  They are often forced to live on the outskirts of town and are viewed as the “untouchables”.  Sparrows of Splendor provides jobs to widows and teaches them how to provide for their family.  These jobs include tailoring and making handbags and totes.  These bags are sold in the US, and the widows will make 100% of the profit.  I will probably be working with Sparrows to help create new sewing projects for the widows (thanks to my Project Funway background!).

Until next time, thanks again for reading!!

I Made It!

So after 25 hours of traveling, I finally made it to India!  As usual, I over packed

The Christian's Home

and had to pay extra fees, but figured it was all worth it to bring a three month supply of Wheat Thins, peanut butter pretzels, and of course a necessary staple -brownie mix.  I was fortunate enough to have three seats to myself on the first leg of the journey from San Francisco to Hong Kong; although, during the 13-hour flight I can claim only one hour of sleep.  There was a four-hour layover in Hong Kong which allowed me to enjoy my last iced almond latte from Starbucks and use of my cell phone before I boarded the plane for the final 5 hour flight. I arrived in Chennai International airport and my friends (the Christians) were there to greet me at 2:30 am in 86 degree weather.  I will be staying with the Christian family these next few months.  John and Carol Christian have been good friends with my parents for many years.  They have one daughter, Sharon, who is 21 and in her third year of engineering school in Chennai, and one son, Aaron, who is 16 and at a boarding school up in the mountains 10 hours away.  The Christian family used to live in San Jose and Sharon and I were great friends before their family moved back to India when I was nine.  We have remained great friends through these many years. They actually lived with our family this summer for two months while they were on sabbatical.  I am so happy to be staying with them because they are like my second family. 

The view from my window

Sleeping and unpacking have been my primary activities, as these past few days have been Hindu and Muslim holidays so everything is closed.  My body is getting used to a 12 ½ hour time difference – it will no doubt, take a bit of time.   The Christians live about an hour away from Chennai- in the tourist town Mahabalipuram.  Situated near the beach, “Mahabs” was greatly affected by the 2005 tsunami.  It is also a tourist beach spot that specializes in carving Hindu statues- which is quite a sight to see. 

India is unlike anything I have ever experienced in America.  Chaos can often be the best word to describe it- wandering cows/ goats/ bulls/ dogs in the middle of the road; two lane road with four cars coming at you in every direction; vibrant colored saris and brightly painted buildings; strong scents from locally grown produce sold on the curbside; the blaring Hindu temple music from parades and local shops; the unnerving blasts from loudly honking cars, the mounds of garbage thrown in streets; and the massive population becomes a vision overload.  I am still trying to take it all in, despite this being my third time to India; I wonder if all of this will “become normal” over the next 3 months.  Hard to believe that it can.

John, Carol, Sharon, and me!

Thank you all for reading my blog.  It is so important for me to share my experience here in India so that I may continue to stay connected with all of you! These next three months will be full of challenges, experiences, and blessings; I am so excited to share with you how God is working over here in India.  And you know me, I LOVE hearing from you and being so far away from all those that I love is going to be my biggest challenge- so keep in touch! Please keep checking back for more posts and pictures!

Love,

McKenna

Mahabalipuram