Today we went to the service held on campus. It was amazing even though I could not understand anything they said (it was in Tamil). The prayer book we were all using had some English and Solomon pointed out what the preacher was saying or singing during the service. The major difference between the service today and American christian churches has to be the intimacy. The church feels much more like a community and they come to worship not just for themselves but to be with their fellow members. I was able to participate in communion where instead of handing out bread and "wine" to each individuals in the pews, we got in line to kneel at the alter where we were handed the bread and we all drank out of the same cup. The leaders of the church were nice enough to translate the purpose of the bread and wine for me when they passed by. The lord's prayer was then read in Tamil but it had the same rhythm as when it is said in English so I felt connected. After the service ended we headed outside where we met the bride, Glenny. She was very sweet and very beautiful; I cannot wait to go to the ceremony Saturday. We also met other teachers in the computer science department, Betty, Polly, and Polly's husband. They made very good conversation with us and giggled when I said how I lacked confidence and fearlessness when it came to crossing the road. We then headed back to the dorm for time to rest before Solomon took us out to a store.
Before we were supposed to leave for the store it started pouring down rain. Instead of staying inside, Solomon told us to sit on the steps out front and enjoy the cool weather. He explained that when it rains off and on like it has been many people will get very sick or get colds. He said that the difference of temperature when it is raining can be up to 15 degrees C. After it cleared up, Solomon took us individually to the store, LifeStyle. We went on his motor bike which initially is very frightening there had already been a serious accident that day and did not feel very safe but that being said Solomon went very slow and was very careful.
Conner had already been shopping by the time I arrived. When we got upstairs to the men's section Conner was in the dressing room while six workers stood outside waiting for him. After a while I retreated downstairs to look around. The workers in the women's department were not quiet as persistent as they had been for Conner which was nice but ever time I looked at a pair of pants or a shirt someone was always no more than a foot away from me. The workers would ask me if I needed any help and I would say yes followed by a question that they did not understand. I would keep asking until someone else had to be called over to answer, sometimes the language barrier is still present even in English. We finally made it back ten minutes before we met Dr. Relton for dinner.
Let me start by saying Dr. Relton is amazing. He told us what we would be doing and several times told us that we would be taken care of no matter what. He and I started talking about the birds around campus and his research and he mentioned he could set up a hiking trip for us on a weekend of our choosing. He expressed that nothing should be impossible to see or do while we were here. He also said that if we needed anything at all he would tell a student to tend to it. It is comforting to know that Dr. Relton is there for us and is ready to help us explore the land and get to know the culture.
I start my first day at the veterinary hospital tomorrow at 9 am which I couldn't be more excited about! Relton told me that veterinary care is free of cost in India. Also we learned that turtles are a bad omen, if one enters a house or on campus everyone will vacate the building and sometimes sell their house (how interesting!).
Before we were supposed to leave for the store it started pouring down rain. Instead of staying inside, Solomon told us to sit on the steps out front and enjoy the cool weather. He explained that when it rains off and on like it has been many people will get very sick or get colds. He said that the difference of temperature when it is raining can be up to 15 degrees C. After it cleared up, Solomon took us individually to the store, LifeStyle. We went on his motor bike which initially is very frightening there had already been a serious accident that day and did not feel very safe but that being said Solomon went very slow and was very careful.
Conner had already been shopping by the time I arrived. When we got upstairs to the men's section Conner was in the dressing room while six workers stood outside waiting for him. After a while I retreated downstairs to look around. The workers in the women's department were not quiet as persistent as they had been for Conner which was nice but ever time I looked at a pair of pants or a shirt someone was always no more than a foot away from me. The workers would ask me if I needed any help and I would say yes followed by a question that they did not understand. I would keep asking until someone else had to be called over to answer, sometimes the language barrier is still present even in English. We finally made it back ten minutes before we met Dr. Relton for dinner.
Let me start by saying Dr. Relton is amazing. He told us what we would be doing and several times told us that we would be taken care of no matter what. He and I started talking about the birds around campus and his research and he mentioned he could set up a hiking trip for us on a weekend of our choosing. He expressed that nothing should be impossible to see or do while we were here. He also said that if we needed anything at all he would tell a student to tend to it. It is comforting to know that Dr. Relton is there for us and is ready to help us explore the land and get to know the culture.
I start my first day at the veterinary hospital tomorrow at 9 am which I couldn't be more excited about! Relton told me that veterinary care is free of cost in India. Also we learned that turtles are a bad omen, if one enters a house or on campus everyone will vacate the building and sometimes sell their house (how interesting!).
Me in front of the library landscaping. Shortly after this two little girls asked if they could get a selfie with me!
The plants here are huge.
Our view from the front steps during the rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment