So much time has passed since I last wrote. I've been busy with meetings, classes, and social outings and just haven't found the time to be bloggin'.
Side note: I have been so busy. If you replace the word busy with lazy I think that you will have a better understanding of what I mean.
Here are the four major happenings that I have been itching to write about:
1. SOS Take Two
Laura & I went back to the SOS Children's Village to drop off a letter. Of course, this task would take a total of 5 minutes in America, but lets face it, this is India. The director sends someone to make us coffee as we wait for him to give us a receipt. Of course we receive the receipt much quicker than the coffee and are forced to wait for it (we were planning to make a quick stop at SOS). We sit outside on his porch and some of the children spot us. They are asking us all kinds of funny questions and start to jump rope, dance, and sing for our attention. I was spending some time with this one little girl who must of been about 8-10 years old. Keri (my OT childhood development professor) would be ashamed of my abilities to guess children's ages, but in India it is so much harder because some children are so much smaller than they should be. Anyways, I was talking to this girl for some time and mentioned to her that I had a headache. She looked at me and told me the following thing:
"When I was a baby I put the..... (I don't remember what the exact word was because it was in Tamil, but another boy told me the word= ayruvedic headache balm)....on my head and face. And then I put it alllllll over my body. When my momma saw me, she beat me real nicely. She beat me sooo good."
The whole time the girl was saying this she was smiling. After she said this, she starting laughing wildly and looked at me waiting for my response. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I stood there shocked with a blank face and didn't say anything. At first I was thinking that maybe she was making this story up, but her loony laugh had a layer of grief in it. I am hoping that this didn't happen at SOS, in fact I am almost certain that it couldn't of. Still- her story cut deep.
2. Crazy Street Lady
Laura & I were walking back from the market when two guys started talking to us. They asked us what we were studying because they were students themselves. The conversation was completely harmless. We parted ways with them and then one older woman approached us and said she overheard the conversation. She seemed very sweet and told us how great of a school MCC is and was glad to hear we were studying social work. Then things started to get a little weird. She asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes, because she had a condescending tone when she asked. She smiled, and than asked if I read the bible everyday. I told her that I didn't everyday because I am busy with my studies. She shook her head and told me that I must everyday. Then she starting going on a rant about how I wasn't wearing a cross. And then she looked at me disapprovingly and told me to cover up. I was beyond shocked and almost livid. First off- I was wearing long pants and a long sleeved cardigan..... Secondly, who is she to tell me what to do?! Yes, my body is a temple and I promise you that I was completely covered up when she spoke to me. I guess you find religious fanatics no matter where you are.
3. Freshers Audition
Martin Hall has this tradition where at the beginning of each school year the first year undergrads & postgrads have to show case their talents at something called the freshers audition. I say it is a bit cruel because it is mandatory for everyone to do something.... they will literally drag you up on the stage to perform. Showing up is not an option. We watched some amazing traditional dances and heard a lot of Hindi and Bollywood songs. Just at the last acts are going off the MC comes over to us and tells us that we have to perform. AHHH. We thought because of our foreign status we could get out of this one.... we were wrong. We marched on stage and belted out a verse from "Wannabee" by the Spice Girls. The lines were forgotten and I resorted to some gangsta hand movements. Lets just say it was not pretty... but embarrassing myself isn't anything new, so I had fun.
4. The Lake
There is a lake somewhere on this campus that I have been itching to find. Apparently it is really dried out now but will be overflowing by the time monsoon season is over. So yesterday Laura & I headed off into the general direction of this lake. We had no idea where we were going so we asked some girls standing nearby for directions. They told us that they didn't know how to get there because the lake is off limits to all woman. HOLD UP, NO LAKE?! Little injustices have begun to build up and it is starting to eat away at me. I guess in 1998 a female student was raped and murdered at said lake, hence the restriction. However, this was long before a giant wall was built around the campus with security guards surrounding the perimeter. So, if men can go to this lake there is no reason why woman can't. The funny thing is that this lake restriction rule doesn't even bother most students. Well, it certainly bothers me and I am going to find a way to see this lake.
Running list of injustices:
1. Female students must be back in their dorms by 6:30 pm, Men must be back by 10:30 pm
2. Female teachers must wear saris while male teachers can wear what they please
3. No lake access to female students
OH, and someone in Laura's class said that she thought it was okay for a father to beat his daughter. I am seriously appalled, yet I guess this experience is about getting cross-cultural perspectives.
OH! Also, today in class I learned that in India they determine someone as living below the poverty line by amount of kilo-calories consumed instead of income. Isn't that nuts?!
Well I'm exhausted from a day of feasting at the president's house with other student groups that are visiting. We had our first real down pour, let me tell you.... it was wonderful.
Much love,
Becca
Side note: I have been so busy. If you replace the word busy with lazy I think that you will have a better understanding of what I mean.
Here are the four major happenings that I have been itching to write about:
1. SOS Take Two
Laura & I went back to the SOS Children's Village to drop off a letter. Of course, this task would take a total of 5 minutes in America, but lets face it, this is India. The director sends someone to make us coffee as we wait for him to give us a receipt. Of course we receive the receipt much quicker than the coffee and are forced to wait for it (we were planning to make a quick stop at SOS). We sit outside on his porch and some of the children spot us. They are asking us all kinds of funny questions and start to jump rope, dance, and sing for our attention. I was spending some time with this one little girl who must of been about 8-10 years old. Keri (my OT childhood development professor) would be ashamed of my abilities to guess children's ages, but in India it is so much harder because some children are so much smaller than they should be. Anyways, I was talking to this girl for some time and mentioned to her that I had a headache. She looked at me and told me the following thing:
"When I was a baby I put the..... (I don't remember what the exact word was because it was in Tamil, but another boy told me the word= ayruvedic headache balm)....on my head and face. And then I put it alllllll over my body. When my momma saw me, she beat me real nicely. She beat me sooo good."
The whole time the girl was saying this she was smiling. After she said this, she starting laughing wildly and looked at me waiting for my response. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I stood there shocked with a blank face and didn't say anything. At first I was thinking that maybe she was making this story up, but her loony laugh had a layer of grief in it. I am hoping that this didn't happen at SOS, in fact I am almost certain that it couldn't of. Still- her story cut deep.
2. Crazy Street Lady
Laura & I were walking back from the market when two guys started talking to us. They asked us what we were studying because they were students themselves. The conversation was completely harmless. We parted ways with them and then one older woman approached us and said she overheard the conversation. She seemed very sweet and told us how great of a school MCC is and was glad to hear we were studying social work. Then things started to get a little weird. She asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes, because she had a condescending tone when she asked. She smiled, and than asked if I read the bible everyday. I told her that I didn't everyday because I am busy with my studies. She shook her head and told me that I must everyday. Then she starting going on a rant about how I wasn't wearing a cross. And then she looked at me disapprovingly and told me to cover up. I was beyond shocked and almost livid. First off- I was wearing long pants and a long sleeved cardigan..... Secondly, who is she to tell me what to do?! Yes, my body is a temple and I promise you that I was completely covered up when she spoke to me. I guess you find religious fanatics no matter where you are.
3. Freshers Audition
Martin Hall has this tradition where at the beginning of each school year the first year undergrads & postgrads have to show case their talents at something called the freshers audition. I say it is a bit cruel because it is mandatory for everyone to do something.... they will literally drag you up on the stage to perform. Showing up is not an option. We watched some amazing traditional dances and heard a lot of Hindi and Bollywood songs. Just at the last acts are going off the MC comes over to us and tells us that we have to perform. AHHH. We thought because of our foreign status we could get out of this one.... we were wrong. We marched on stage and belted out a verse from "Wannabee" by the Spice Girls. The lines were forgotten and I resorted to some gangsta hand movements. Lets just say it was not pretty... but embarrassing myself isn't anything new, so I had fun.
4. The Lake
There is a lake somewhere on this campus that I have been itching to find. Apparently it is really dried out now but will be overflowing by the time monsoon season is over. So yesterday Laura & I headed off into the general direction of this lake. We had no idea where we were going so we asked some girls standing nearby for directions. They told us that they didn't know how to get there because the lake is off limits to all woman. HOLD UP, NO LAKE?! Little injustices have begun to build up and it is starting to eat away at me. I guess in 1998 a female student was raped and murdered at said lake, hence the restriction. However, this was long before a giant wall was built around the campus with security guards surrounding the perimeter. So, if men can go to this lake there is no reason why woman can't. The funny thing is that this lake restriction rule doesn't even bother most students. Well, it certainly bothers me and I am going to find a way to see this lake.
Running list of injustices:
1. Female students must be back in their dorms by 6:30 pm, Men must be back by 10:30 pm
2. Female teachers must wear saris while male teachers can wear what they please
3. No lake access to female students
OH, and someone in Laura's class said that she thought it was okay for a father to beat his daughter. I am seriously appalled, yet I guess this experience is about getting cross-cultural perspectives.
OH! Also, today in class I learned that in India they determine someone as living below the poverty line by amount of kilo-calories consumed instead of income. Isn't that nuts?!
Well I'm exhausted from a day of feasting at the president's house with other student groups that are visiting. We had our first real down pour, let me tell you.... it was wonderful.
Much love,
Becca
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