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.
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.
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.
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