Beautiful People

A quick warning before I begin.  For the next month, my Internet access will be VERY limited. 

I am writing to you from the town of Whitefield (yes, that is actually what it is called, it isn’t a translation), an hour outside of Bangalore, India.  We are staying at a place called the Ecumenical Christian Center (ecc for short).  The ECC was created as a place that anyone could come live, regardless of money, caste or race.  The only requirement is that you (or a family member) need to be enrolled in a class.  The idea is to promote education, especially among poorer communities. 

We each have our own rooms in the Dialogue House.  The set up of the buildings in India is very different than back home.  There really are very few hallways that I have encountered.  They are more covered walkways.  Being on the second floor “hallway” is really more like walking along a balcony from room to room.  It is very cool.  Not that the ecc has any 2-story buildings.  Those are mostly just in the cities. 

Our rooms all circle two open courtyards.  Our windows have no glass, just screens to keep out the bugs.  Bugs still get in, but I have been very meticulous about not having any food smelling things in my room, so I have not had as much trouble as other people.  We have showerheads that spray cold water, or you can take a bucket shower with warm water.  I am opting for the latter. Our classroom is also in the Dialogue House.

Meals are all served to us, and they usually have a spicy and not spicy option.  We have half an hour periods to eat, and we are the only ones in the dinning hall despite the fact that this place is pretty full.  Other people eat at other times, and we have been kicked out after our time is up.  I think Marty is trying to track down a reason.  I have heard everything from reduced traffic flow to dietary restrictions.  If it were a matter of diet, I would not mind eating something else if it meant getting to know more people at the center.  But they haven’t exactly asked for our opinion.

Before coming here we were in Mumbai for 3 days.  The first day we got in at 5am after a 6 hour plane flight.  After checking in at the YMCA (it was set up like a really cheap hotel, but they provided free meals) we went on a bus tour of Mumbai.  Driving through the city, you would see slums one minute, then high-rises the next.  In the afternoon we walked through one of the slums.  This particular slum was the biggest in Mumbai, and where parts of Slum Dog Millionaire were filmed.  Wires hung precariously above our heads, and trash was under our feet.  The buildings varied in quality, but mostly had tin roofs and tarp held down by bricks to keep out the rain.  The people there, in order to support themselves, made pottery or sorted through recycling or worked with leather.  There is no operational social security system in India, so there were many older women working long hours to earn enough to live in the slums. 

There were a few boys that followed us around for a while, posing for pictures and asking questions.  They all seemed remarkably happy, given the destitution around them.  Actually, everyone we met was quite cheerful, and no one asked us for money (a welcome relief after Istanbul).  I guess it goes to show that happiness is not dependent on money.  That being said, a little more money to buy the kids shoes might have been nice.

The next day we went to a law college.  The morning started with a Q and A with one of the profs, then we had to answer questions of the students.  We went out for lunch with some of the students, then ceremonially planted trees (why? we have no idea).  We then went back to the college, where some girls were performing more traditional dances.  They put on pop music and invited us to dance Bollywood style with them.  We went back to the YMCA for a break and dinner.  That evening we went out clubbing with the students.  They took us to one of the nicest clubs in the city.  The drinks were actually cheaper than in Istanbul, because the conversion rate between Rupees and dollars was still good then.  It is getting a lot worse since our government is still not up and running (66-$1 vs 44-$1).

The law students that took us out kind of remind me of the Princeton Stereotype.  They were kids from super rich families, who were expected to enter law to make a lot of money themselves, but were only really interested in partying.  Quite the contrast from the slums. They were very nice to us, and did a very good job of protecting the girls.

The next day we visited Elephanta Island, an hour boat ride away from Mumbai where there is a huge shrine to Shiva.  Our tour guide went through each of the 9 relief statues and told us stories from Hindu mythology.  It is amazing how many similar motifs there are with Christianity, especially surrounding death and rebirth.  Hinduism is not shy about sexuality though.  Anyone who has seen a Shiva shrine will understand what I mean.

The island is also host to some mischievous monkeys, who have no problem with stealing food or Coca-Cola from an unsuspecting guest.  They made many children very unhappy.

That evening I met up with a friend who had graduated from St. Olaf last year.  He is in Mumbai as an intern with an organization fighting human trafficking.  We walked along the coast of the Arabian Sea for a while, had dinner at a really nice pizza place, then kept walking.  At one point in our conversation, it came up that I was frustrated that I had left my bible at home.  He offered to help me find one.  After talking with a friend, we figured out that it would be impossible that evening, but perhaps the next morning.  The next morning he showed up at YMCA with a bible.  His bible.  He left me a note inside telling me not to feel guilty about it.  Easier said than done.  There are some people in this world that are just too awesome of people. 

That morning we flew to Bangaluru airport. Heather had come down with a really nasty stomach bug and fever which is only now (Tuesday) starting to get better.  We were met by Reggie and Min Loon (idk if that is the spelling; that is how they sound).  I wasn’t feeling too hot either, so I slept the hour bus ride to Whitefield.  Once there, we had tea (we have morning and afternoon tea here) and then brought out a soccer ball.  A couple of teenagers joined us and we played until we couldn’t see anything and it was dinnertime.  That evening, Cassie, Sara, Chiea and I made decorations for Lisa’s door for her birthday the next day.  We stayed up late to put them up after she went to bed.

The next day we had a tour of Bangalore, which wasn’t much of a tour, since everything was closed for a religious festival.  They literally have religious festivals every other week here!  We walked around the botanical gardens for a while.  There were many Indian tourists from the country there who wanted pictures of the white people, so we stopped for many photos, including one with a baby. 

In the afternoon, Min Loon, Reggie and Jeb took us out shopping.  I got an Indian style tunic that I wore today.  They are really nice and comfortable.  My only complaint is that, being 100% cotton, it wrinkles.  But they are all cotton.  We had lunch and dinner at a hotel restaurant.

Today was our first day of class.  In the morning we had a lecture on Indian values and their origin.  It was interesting to see how one group of elite were able to create a value system that benefitted them so completely and how everyone has just accepted it as truth.  I can’t help but wonder though.  Indian society seems to stress contentment where you are.  Which can lead to peace of mind.  But it also hinders progress.  There are elements of Indian society that seem so backward, like the lack of good water and the attitudes towards women.  Are these being perpetuated by the contentment and lack of urgency that Hinduism and its associated values produce?  Or is there some confounding element that is keeping India back.  I do not know.  But I have often wondered about the idea of whether contentment is in conflict with progress.

After lunch we had a lecture on Yoga.  It was amazing what is all involved in truly doing yoga.  It is not only an exercise, but a way of life.  For someone to truly gain the benefits of yoga, they must first adhere to what our teacher called a “universal moral code,” which promotes non violence, truth, not stealing, chastity before marriage.  The yogi must strive for contentment, self-control, worshipping “the almighty” and I am forgetting the rest.  Interesting though about worship.  Actually it is remarkably compatible with Christianity if treated as a science.  A yogi must have good posture, with muscles as relaxed as a flower, but the control to become as hard as a diamond.  Both physical and mental strength are valued.  A yogi must meditate, so that they can focus purely on one thing at a time, and eliminate the duality that comes from self-doubt.  Basically, you develop perseverance to the point where, once you set your mind to something, you will complete it and not doubt that you can or should.  This focus gives way to the mental state of flow, which gives way to a higher, unexplainable state.  To sum it up, yoga is an exercise in physical and mental discipline that promotes values that are similar to and compatible with Christianity.  And if it will give me focus, emotional control, and mental clarity, I am willing to give it a shot.

In the evening we played with the kids.  The youngest was not even two, while the oldest was probably in high school.  The older kids played soccer and badminton, while I and a few other girls played with the younger ones.  We played hide and go seek, catch and catch (tag, with one team of taggers and one team running), a game like heads up seven up, one at a time with nose pinching, duck duck goose, steal the bacon, and doggie doggie where’s your bone.  Then I played badminton for a while, then Frisbee, then I finally went inside.  After dinner and some internet time, I played ghost in the graveyard with a few other people.  I prefer this infinitely to clubbing.

6:30 yoga tomorrow. This will be fun.

Good night

Andrea