Now that I have your attention, let me explain!!! My faulty geyser was fixed yesterday. Let's see how long it 'holds' this time!!! I moved into my apartment here in Jadavpur four weeks ago today. On the following Mon, a geyser was installed, and hot showers were the result . . . bucket baths had been the order of the day, which are not a problem. At one time in my S. Asian experience, that was all I took. I am so grateful for the fact that I am not a novice in this land. It has come in handy on so very many occasions!!!
Back to the mountaintop experience . . . the Montabaun Guest House was built during the days of the Raj (when the British ruled in India). It would have been the destination of many an expat who came to Ooty in the hot season, especially the missionary community. We had such a guest house in Mussoorie, Edge Hill, which was very near my home, Maple Cottage, for four years! Anyway, I had a very basic room with an attached bath. All of the rooms have attached baths. There were two buckets in my bathroom, a big cup for dipping the water from the bucket and then throwing it onto your body to both get it wet and rinse it off, and a Western toilet . . . thank goodness! My knees don't like the Eastern toilets anymore, and I have only had to use one of them so far on this trip! Anyway, Rajan who redefines the definition of a 'servant's heart', serves all who enter in at Montabaun! The first night we were all there, I made a list of when everyone wanted their "bed tea" the next a.m. You could also request coffee. Then, we were instructed to put an empty bucket outside our room when we wanted our hot water for bathing. I don't know who the watchful eyes were, but the coffee, in my case, came within 10 minutes of my appointed time, and I never waited longer than 5 minutes for my bucket of hot water! I last remember getting that kind of service in the 70's when I was at Hebron in Hyderabad!
All of this is to say, that I have been bathing, but a hot SHOWER really felt like a treat this a.m. The weather is getting cooler here, and so throwing cold water over your shoulder and washing you hair in the a.m. is a chilling experience.
This week I got an email from my almost 10 year old great nephew asking me some things about how India and the US compare. It has made me look at my surroundings differently. I can hardly imagine how to explain the difference in the two places. Yes, I am in a big city, and yes, we do have a huge mall near where I live, and you could close your eyes there and think you were in the West. But, the walk to 8B bus stand, where I walk most days either to get a rickshaw to the Metro, or to come and use the cyber cafe. . . well, it is like nothing you have ever experienced in the West! The cycle rickshaws; the small, somewhat dirty shops, the pile of garbage that the crows and the dogs are going through . . . someone will come around eventually pick it up, but that doesn't happen everyday! There is the little shop that does re-appostrying (sp?) mainly in the street . . . sorry about the type change . . . I'm not sure just how it happened!!! There are the cycle rickshaws lined up, seemingly for nothing sometimes, shops that may or may not be open and side walk/street vendors that may or may not be open. Yesterday I noticed a sign for the first time that said, "Do not urinate here!" I had to laugh to myself as I remember being in Mumbai with my brother in the 70s and being amazed by the number of people who just stop and urinate along the street! (I must say it does seem less nowadays . . . well in the cities anyway!)
Then, there is the whole idea that many here don't have birth certificates, or don't even know what day they were born . . . maybe the season, or by an event. I am sure that this is changing, too, but it has been a sobering thing for me to ponder.
Yesterday I went to Ripon Street, where the office is, which meant I took the Metro. It seemed unusually crowded and it was the first time I had had to push to get on, and my bag was pushed off my shoulder. I remembered the 70s in Mumbai and being horrified at the pushing and reluctant to take crowded public transportant for fear of being touched. That doesn't happen anymore, the touching I mean. Last night was the first time I had ridden the Metro home in the peak hours, and there was a long queue (line) waiting to get a rickshaw to Jadavpur . . . the Metro stop is Tollygunge which has a new name, but I can't honestly tell you what it is. India is in the process of renaming things to what they were before the British came and named things here. (Can you believe that there is Charing Cross in Ooty, for example.) Anyway, Indians are generally not good at lining up for things, but here they were waiting patiently for it to be their turn to get into the rickshaw that would take them home!!! I was amazed, and grateful not to have to push, or get knocked out of the way! (Survival of the fittest . . . one of my first memories of India.)
Starting Mon, our Christmas programs begin and I will start being apart of the CDC (Child Development Center), kind of like a daycare with informal education that is held at the school from 3:30 to 5:30. The director is going to join his family in Ireland as they await their second child. They won't be back until the end of Feb!
I have been helping students at the Calcutta Emmanuel School make Christmas cards for their sponsors for the last several days. (I'm at the school M, W, and F). Monday will be the last day. Then I'll go shopping with my colleague and a couple of the kids whose sponsors have sent them some Christmas money. I just love Molibaka, and it will be fun to bring the kids here to the 8B bus stop to shop.
It is about 6 p.m. and time for me to head home. All of the kids at PB have now finished their exams. I think some of the older girls are probably asleep! They have been really studying hard! I laughed today after making cards. One of the boys said, "Maam, when did your country become indepentent?" They had their history exams today. He got the answer right! I wonder how many American school kids could tell you when India got their independence!!!
Oh, next Tues is another holiday . . . a Muslim one. So, English lessons won't start for the adults, maybe now until Jan as we are into Christmas program mode these days!!! Never a dull moment. Please pray that all of the preparations will end up being more than a performance! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!!!
Back to the mountaintop experience . . . the Montabaun Guest House was built during the days of the Raj (when the British ruled in India). It would have been the destination of many an expat who came to Ooty in the hot season, especially the missionary community. We had such a guest house in Mussoorie, Edge Hill, which was very near my home, Maple Cottage, for four years! Anyway, I had a very basic room with an attached bath. All of the rooms have attached baths. There were two buckets in my bathroom, a big cup for dipping the water from the bucket and then throwing it onto your body to both get it wet and rinse it off, and a Western toilet . . . thank goodness! My knees don't like the Eastern toilets anymore, and I have only had to use one of them so far on this trip! Anyway, Rajan who redefines the definition of a 'servant's heart', serves all who enter in at Montabaun! The first night we were all there, I made a list of when everyone wanted their "bed tea" the next a.m. You could also request coffee. Then, we were instructed to put an empty bucket outside our room when we wanted our hot water for bathing. I don't know who the watchful eyes were, but the coffee, in my case, came within 10 minutes of my appointed time, and I never waited longer than 5 minutes for my bucket of hot water! I last remember getting that kind of service in the 70's when I was at Hebron in Hyderabad!
All of this is to say, that I have been bathing, but a hot SHOWER really felt like a treat this a.m. The weather is getting cooler here, and so throwing cold water over your shoulder and washing you hair in the a.m. is a chilling experience.
This week I got an email from my almost 10 year old great nephew asking me some things about how India and the US compare. It has made me look at my surroundings differently. I can hardly imagine how to explain the difference in the two places. Yes, I am in a big city, and yes, we do have a huge mall near where I live, and you could close your eyes there and think you were in the West. But, the walk to 8B bus stand, where I walk most days either to get a rickshaw to the Metro, or to come and use the cyber cafe. . . well, it is like nothing you have ever experienced in the West! The cycle rickshaws; the small, somewhat dirty shops, the pile of garbage that the crows and the dogs are going through . . . someone will come around eventually pick it up, but that doesn't happen everyday! There is the little shop that does re-appostrying (sp?) mainly in the street . . . sorry about the type change . . . I'm not sure just how it happened!!! There are the cycle rickshaws lined up, seemingly for nothing sometimes, shops that may or may not be open and side walk/street vendors that may or may not be open. Yesterday I noticed a sign for the first time that said, "Do not urinate here!" I had to laugh to myself as I remember being in Mumbai with my brother in the 70s and being amazed by the number of people who just stop and urinate along the street! (I must say it does seem less nowadays . . . well in the cities anyway!)
Then, there is the whole idea that many here don't have birth certificates, or don't even know what day they were born . . . maybe the season, or by an event. I am sure that this is changing, too, but it has been a sobering thing for me to ponder.
Yesterday I went to Ripon Street, where the office is, which meant I took the Metro. It seemed unusually crowded and it was the first time I had had to push to get on, and my bag was pushed off my shoulder. I remembered the 70s in Mumbai and being horrified at the pushing and reluctant to take crowded public transportant for fear of being touched. That doesn't happen anymore, the touching I mean. Last night was the first time I had ridden the Metro home in the peak hours, and there was a long queue (line) waiting to get a rickshaw to Jadavpur . . . the Metro stop is Tollygunge which has a new name, but I can't honestly tell you what it is. India is in the process of renaming things to what they were before the British came and named things here. (Can you believe that there is Charing Cross in Ooty, for example.) Anyway, Indians are generally not good at lining up for things, but here they were waiting patiently for it to be their turn to get into the rickshaw that would take them home!!! I was amazed, and grateful not to have to push, or get knocked out of the way! (Survival of the fittest . . . one of my first memories of India.)
Starting Mon, our Christmas programs begin and I will start being apart of the CDC (Child Development Center), kind of like a daycare with informal education that is held at the school from 3:30 to 5:30. The director is going to join his family in Ireland as they await their second child. They won't be back until the end of Feb!
I have been helping students at the Calcutta Emmanuel School make Christmas cards for their sponsors for the last several days. (I'm at the school M, W, and F). Monday will be the last day. Then I'll go shopping with my colleague and a couple of the kids whose sponsors have sent them some Christmas money. I just love Molibaka, and it will be fun to bring the kids here to the 8B bus stop to shop.
It is about 6 p.m. and time for me to head home. All of the kids at PB have now finished their exams. I think some of the older girls are probably asleep! They have been really studying hard! I laughed today after making cards. One of the boys said, "Maam, when did your country become indepentent?" They had their history exams today. He got the answer right! I wonder how many American school kids could tell you when India got their independence!!!
Oh, next Tues is another holiday . . . a Muslim one. So, English lessons won't start for the adults, maybe now until Jan as we are into Christmas program mode these days!!! Never a dull moment. Please pray that all of the preparations will end up being more than a performance! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!!!
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