the latest from "the three friends"

It’s been a while since Trevor, Sid, or I have written anything about India. I think it’s about time for an update!

Trevor got back this week from his trip with his mom. We sat in our kitchen, like we do very often, and he shared with us all the wonders of sights he saw and we oohed and awed over his descriptions of the clean streets and great food of Singapore. Sid and I have not actually left our school, besides going on walks or runs through the surrounding villages, since February 23 when we went to Kadapa to pick up Trevor’s mom! We are starting to feel a little stir crazy.

We seem to cook a lot!

                

While Trevor was gone, Sid and I were subbing 5 or 6 classes every day and by the end of the two weeks we were dead tired. Then to add to the fun, I preached for church one of these Sabbath’s and we continued our Bible study lessons on each Sabbath afternoon. (Trevor spoke the week before I did, and Sid is up next!) Thankfully we have had a small break this week and our job has switched to secretaries. Like we did before Christmas for half-yearly exams, we are typing up the portion and question papers for the final exams. These are basically study guides for the kids. There is one for each subject for each grade, so it takes time! But it seems relaxing compared to keeping kids under control in class all day.

We make delicious banana mango smoothies!

Our daily schedules have turned into something like this: I wake up around 6:30 am, drink some tea, do my devotions, eat breakfast, and then wake up Trevor and Sid 10 minutes before worship. We all go to worship on time at 8:40 am and then get our daily assignment from the headmaster. We then go to class, type some portions, and read our books in between. At lunch time we cook up some delicious food. We have become pretty good at using our resources to make really good stuff. Sid and I blend up the best banana mango smoothies in the ‘mixie’ everyday (and that’s not just a nick name for a blender, it’s actually called a mixie!). We also make our own ‘curd’ which is the same as home made yogurt. After school is over at 3:30 pm, we reluctantly do an insanity work out video to get some exercise, drip sweat all over the floor, and then mop it up. It’s gross but we’ve adjusted to sweating most of the day, so it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal! There is some afternoon tea drinking with our brother Ramana somewhere in here as well. 

This is Nancy

The kids have recreation period around 5 pm so we go play volleyball most days. Afterwards we go straight to the home of our friends Vara and Prim where we skillfully bust out like 15 chappati on the stove and help with some other dinner preparations. This is also play time with our little sister Nancy who is almost three years old now and has changed so much since we first met her. She knows who her ‘acca’ (big sister) and ‘anna’ (big brother) are and likes to draw on us, dance with us, and instruct us to “come!” She is the cutest!

More cooking at Vara and Prim's... 

Most days we end up eating around the time the boys start there evening worship. Vara is the boys dean so his house is a part of the boys hostel and we get to listen to their singing while we eat! Sometimes it takes a minute or two to decipher what song is being sung. The boys seem to enjoy the challenge of “who can sing the loudest” and end up yelling the words.

The rest of our evening is usually spent in our little house. And that’s pretty much the average day!

It’s funny to think about how things have changed since our first month here in October. When we entered this culture, we were scared of curd and buffalo milk, eating with our hands was kind of weird, and we thought we weren’t going to survive because all there was to eat was rice and dal! Now we are making our own curd and buying buffalo milk everyday, we don’t think twice when we shovel food into our mouths with our hands, and our creativity in the kitchen has us cooking up meals better than Martha Stewart! You enter a new lifestyle, and you adjust and move on. You can always make the best out of your situation. Even though it may take time!

Just last week, on March 15, school became half days because of the heat. This is a government required thing! The temperature is almost 100F or more everyday and the power that keeps our fans going seems to go out at the hottest time of day. At these points we find ourselves plastered to the floor trying to stay cool. In December we would boil water at night to add to the really cold water from the faucet for our bath, now we are putting water in the fridge to mix with the water from the faucet which comes out at a very warm, unsatisfying temperature. It might feel like winter in Idaho when we get home in May, but I will definitely not be complaining!

This post is getting much too long, but I am almost finished!!!

This last weekend, we celebrated Women’s Day by having all the church services run by the women on campus. For vespers on Friday night, our sister Chandu sang a telegu song that was probably the best special music I have heard since I’ve been in India! (maybe I’m a little biased, but it was SO GOOD!) On Sabbath, I trudged up to the stage in my sari for both Sabbath school and church programs with all the women. Our sister Prim gave one message for church that actually made me tear up. She talked about Heaven and how there will be no more pain, fighting, or goodbyes. I was already thinking it in my head, but she went ahead and said, “next month we will have to say goodbye to our three friends…” and that did it! It hit me that we really only have five more weeks with these people and I have no idea when I will see them ever again. It makes me sad to think about leaving this place that has become our home, but at the same time I am anxious to get back and see my family and friends. It will be a bitter sweet feeling when we leave for the Chennai Airport on April 23!

-B

the campus hens are here to keep away snakes and scorpions.
 they are extremely obnoxious and squawk
outside our window in the EARLY morning...
we don't really like them :)

enjoy