Early Morning Adventures

I can't believe it, today is my last Saturday in Kenchanahalli.  Where has the time gone?  This time next week, I will be travelling to Bangalore, where I will fly out early the next morning.  I am full of mixed emotions - I am definitely ready to be home, but at the same time, Kenchanahalli (the people and the place) have such a special place in my heart that I will be sad to leave.  Never did I think this experience would be so transformative, so deep - and that it was possible to fall in love with a culture that is not my own.  There's just something about the gratefulness expressed in daily life, the genuine sense of family and community and the deep sense of spirituality here that are truly incredible.  This really is a beautiful place. 

For multiple reasons, Sudha and I weren't able to go out for our routine morning walks for the past week.  But this morning, things were back to normal when we struck out for Kenchanahalli at 6:30 this morning.  It's remarkable how many small details about the environment I forgot in just one short week of not seeing it by foot.  I forgot how sweet the air smells in the morning, the sound of women pumping water from the bore-wells, and how incredibly beautiful the sky is in the morning.

Sudha, my little Indian mother (nanna chica Indian amma), and I.

She has taken such good care of me throughout my stay in Kenchanahalli and has helped me to feel truly comfortable here.  Sudha does incredible hand-embroidery on sari material, and on Monday she's going to dress me like an Indian woman in one of her hand-decorated saris.  I am so excited!

The early morning sky is always breathtaking.  The clouds here are just so huge, they look surreal.  Sudha always smiles and says, "just like painting" - which is so true.

Sunrises - and sunsets - here are so much less colourful than those at home.  But instead of washing the sky in bright reds and oranges, it washes the landscape in a soft, white-ish glow.  The world always appears to be in a slight, shimmering fog at daybreak.

This bull is so funny.  Yes, this is a bull with his face shoved into a general store.  Every morning, this bull roams the streets of Kenchanahalli, walking from shop to shop lowing for bananas.  He sticks his head into a shop and, sure enough, someone will come out and feed him a banana.  Satisfied, he plods off to the next shop.  I just missed the woman feeding him the banana by about 15 seconds when I took this picture this morning.

Indian Wedding 2.0

Today my friend and coworker Ranjith invited us to attend his wedding in his home village, a couple of hours away from Kenchanahalli.  He married his fiance, Srividya, who he met 10 years ago in college - it was so exciting to be at a friend's love-come-arranged marriage!

Sudha was so proud that she was taller than me in this picture (she's standing 2 steps above me).  She was a huge help for the UCSF girls and I, she came to our house at 5:00am to help us put our saris on!  Really, I don't know how women can do it by themselves so easily.  

We travelled to the wedding, in Coorg district, in true Indian fashion - a huge rented Jeep with no doors.  Believe it or not, this Jeep comfortably fit all 12 of us.  The ride was awesome - the weather was warm, and the countryside was stunning.

When we arrived at the wedding, we went to the front to bless the newly married couple - Ranjith and Srividya are both seated, dressed in white.  We grabbed a small handful of rice and shook some on the heads of both the bride and groom before wishing them congratulations.  They both looked so happy.

Dr. Arundhati, and her daughter, Mansi, and I as we waited for the reception to begin.  A reception at an Indian wedding isn't a party, but rather the time for the couple to receive their guests - everyone files up to the stage to congratulate the couple, give them their gift and then have their photo taken.

Ranjith's sister, Ranjitha, was such a good hostess!  She introduced us to the family of both the bride and groom, ensured that we were fed and explained to us how the wedding ceremony functioned.  Karnataka is such a diverse state that traditions - including wedding traditions - vary within a 20km radius.  This wedding was a lot larger, but simpler than the previous wedding I attended.

Ranjith and Srividya.  She was stunning in her formal wedding sari - and was completely covered in traditional golden jewelry.

We were served a non-veg lunch!  This was one of the few times that I have eaten meat since my arrival in India... it's remarkable how little I miss it.  Here, it is much more common to be vegetarian than non-vegetarian, so people always assume you're "veg" unless you specifically ask for "non-veg" food. 

On our way back from the wedding, we stopped at The Golden Temple - a remarkable buddhist temple in a monastery.  The figures behind me are huge golden statues made entirely of gold.  At the time, the hall was full of monks praying... the sound of hundreds of their throaty voices mixed with a gong and conch shell horns was so beautiful.

Surya Namaskara

As mentioned in my most recent, and final, "Good For You!" column in The Citizen (my local newspaper), a major component of my work at SVYM has been creating a calendar promoting the use of Surya Namaskara, a series of yoga postures that we would call "the Sun Salutation."

Surya Namaskara is a series of 12 postures that are to be practiced seamlessly, with each posture being held for roughly 30 seconds.  Ideally, the complete series should be performed 5-12 times, early in the morning (yes, before the sun rises).  It is believed that the best results are achieved if performed on an empty stomach and after using the washroom.  Ease yourself into the postures.  If there is one that you are unable to complete initially, just go as deeply into the posture as possible.  Build up your strength, flexibility and stamina gradually so as to avoid muscle strain or injury.  To ensure that you learn the postures correctly, I would recommend using a yoga class, or yoga video (even youtube would work).

Credit: http://psyfraggle.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/suryanamaskar.jpg

  

Surya Namaskara is beneficial for helping healthy people to stay healthy and to increase strength and fitness, but also helps to alleviate and prevent illness and disease.  It improves overall health and sense of wellbeing.  Specifically, regular practice of Surya Namaskara is beneficial for people afflicted with:

• Mental health problems (ex. anxiety disorders, depression)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Obesity
• Insomnia and sleep-related disorders
• Digestive problems (ex. constipation, dyspepsia)
• Reproductive health problems (especially women)
• Diabetes
• Arthritis and joint-pain
• Lung problems (ex. asthma)
• Skin disorders   

However, if you have hypertension, severe back pain/injury or are pregnant, you should avoid Surya Namaskara.

Iidu Chanda.

Referring to her earrings, "iidu chanda" was my first self-constructed Kannada phrase used in a small conversation with Sudha yesterday.  Iidu chanda.  It is beautiful.  This little phrase is such an appropriate description for my time here in Karnataka (the state where I am living in Southern India).  Just about everything here is chanda in its own way.

I write about her all the time, but I feel like my unlikely friendship with Sudha is chanda.  I don't think she realizes it, but she teaches me so much every day.  Talking and observing her has been one of the greatest learning experiences - and she's definitely the best Kannada teacher I could ever have hoped for.  Some days, she'll bring in the Kannada newspaper and try and translate it for me, so I can see the characters and associate them with the spoken word.  It's really challenging, but written Kannada is really pretty looking... I can recognize the word for "rupees" (the currency of India), but that's about it.

This is an example of a local Kannada newspaper.  And yes, that white girl on the far right is me.  I went to a press conference with Dr. Dennis (the man sitting beside me), where he spoke about the Ayurvedic medicine at the Kenchanahalli hospital where we work.  The caption at the bottom says that my name is "Dr. Jessica." hahahaha

Sudha and I just enjoy being ridiculous together - so basically, I can just be myself with her.  Iidu chanda.  We can usually be found just laughing and chatting - her arm around my waist and my arm over her shoulders.  The other night, she decided we should do the "frog dance," as she called it... Picture a 6' tall 20-year old white girl and a 5' tall middle-aged Indian woman hopping around chasing frogs in the dark.  Yep, that crazy image is probably what we actually looked like.  Iidu chanda.

Yesterday, before returning to Kenchanahalli after work, the students from UC San Francisco and I went to the market to go shopping for fruit and sweets.  Before we got back into our vehicle, a group of school children approached us with the classic conversation-starter, "What is your name?" in their perfect little English.  Iidu chanda.  I knelt down to be on their eye-level and just started asking what their names were, and which standard (grade) they were in... they began joking around with me and pretty soon we literally had a mob of people around us.  The children wanted their pictures taken (they love being able to see themselves on a digital camera) - it was funny, they began rushing the camera, smiling and laughing.  Iidu chanda.  I was finally able to capture a group of Indian children just as they look in real life - chanda.

This whole experience has been chanda... Even the times that were a bit of a struggle have really helped me to grow and appreciate all of the phenomenal moments - and the little moments - that have made this trip the experience of a lifetime.  I think Mahatma Gandhi said it best, "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." This one quotation completely encapsulates my time here.  I came here to help SVYM, and I yet I feel that I'm going to be taking away so much more than I am even capable of giving.  Such an experience.  Iidu chanda.  

Oh, India.

Wow - I can't believe how quickly time is going... I'm not even really sure where to start with this post, I feel like so much has happened in the past week, but much of it is so difficult to explain... please bear with me.  I have learned a lot about a lot while I've been here - and actually have taught a couple of things about "America" while I've been here too.  Learning about Indian culture and experiencing how it functions - and then being accepted into the fabric of daily life here has been such a thrill.

It's just been within the past couple of days that I have begun picking up and remembering Kannada (the local language).  Living almost exclusively with Kannada speakers has been an immersion for me - when people are speaking, I can often get the gist of what is being said by picking up on commonly used words that I understand, and then facial expressions, tone of voice and body language.  It feels pretty cool, actually.  I now know enough to string together simple phrases, am able to properly greet people and to ask for (or decline) food.  When Sudha and I are walking in the morning, it always is so very beautiful or, "iidu tumba chanda" ("it is very beautiful"). In the morning, people always greet each other, "Namaskara sir/madam/ma'am. Iidu iayata?" ("Greetings, sir/madam/ma'am. Had your breakfast?"), to which you either say "iayatu" ("I did have.") or "illa" ("I did not.").  I try to practice every morning by greeting the people sitting in the hospital on my way to the office... my accent often makes it difficult for them to understand me, but it's much easier for them than if I speak English!  Oh well, it's good entertainment value for them.

After lunch the other day, I was sitting on some stones along the side of the road outside the hospital campus and a mother was also sitting there with her two small children.  They are absolutely adorable.  This image just doesn't capture how sweet the little girl was - she had such a huge, adorable smile and great big brown eyes.  She wasn't afraid to come right up to me, smiling and waving.

One of the funniest things though has been my attempts to Skype with family and friends at home, "in America."  I should preface this story by saying that privacy in India is not nearly as important (actually, I'd say it's not even considered here) as it is at home.  So when people want to read the email you're typing, or the webpage you're currently reading, or to talk with the people you're Skyping with - it's just normal.  So, so funny though.  I've talked with a couple of my friends and my family - and each time they get to meet someone (or someone just sits close-by to watch and listen).  The absolute funniest night, though, was about a week ago when I Skyped with Grant and my parents... they met so many people.  One man who I had never met before, Alistar, was very enthusiastic and excited to meet me.  He had an enormous smile and very happily began talking with me in the middle of my conversation with my family, "I'm a Christian! My name is Alistar! I'm from such-and-such-a-village in Tamil Nadu! Beautiful place! You've been, yes?!"... it was such a struggle to keep a straight face.  He then proceeded to sit down beside me and begin talking with Mom - oh gosh. It was so funny.  (I saw him again later in the week and he wanted to make sure my family was still doing well.  Very friendly.)

The best times here are the real-life moments.  The moments where I get invited into someone's home, or am able to just sit and talk with someone, or to actually do the things that real Indians do... those are always the best.  Work is great and rewarding, but it's the people that make a situation.  Spending time in Sudha's home is always a treat, her family is so warm and welcoming - and it's remarkable, Sudha has learned all of her English from her daughter, Vani ("Wani")... she speaks it incredibly well.

Sudha's family: Sushemah (her mother), Ganesh (her husband), Sudha, Vani (her daughter) and Vani's 3-month old son that has yet to be named.

Being invited into Dr. Arundhatti's home is always fun too.  She's always ready to show me something or teach me something new.  She's very soft-spoken, but with a sense of humour.  I've learned how to make a number of Southern Indian dishes from her - so look out at home, be ready for the Indian cooking! hahaha

One more story today.  The other day, the two girls from UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) and I decided that we would go to the canteen and observe Rangashetty (our cook) as he made dinner... unfortunately, he doesn't speak any English (except for "thank you," which he learned from me), so we were unable to explain what we were trying to do.  Instead, we went into the next room to help make chapati (similar to a thin, handmade flour tortilla).  We watched Sarojah expertly rolling perfectly round chapati - and then it was our turn.  We made the most misshapen, deformed looking chapati - but it was so much fun.  People were laughing at us and our ridiculousness... and we even managed to get a couple of the guys to come make them with us.  Rudrashetty (the accountant - I share an office with him) was hilarious about it - I convinced him to make one, and he said, "you must bless me, wish me, Jessica-ma'am!"  Yeah, like my chapati blessing would do him any good... it probably would've hindered his abilities.  Then he crouched down and rolled a perfect chapati - extremely satisfied with himself, he stood up and, I think, began trash talking the other guys.  It was absolutely hilarious.  The pharmacist, Praveen, then sat down to make one... he was about as good a calibre chapati roller as we were - so he decided to make the shapes of countries.  He made Sri Lanka and Australia... and they actually did resemble those countries.  The whole adventure only lasted about 15 minutes, but it was just one of those perfect moments.  One of those memories I'm going to have for a long time.