This country grows on you - Brooke

We've been here over a month and a half. We still talk about America and what were going to do when we get home. Where we're going to eat, where we're going to go, who we're going to see. But we are no where ready to go back to America yet! Today we were talking about how much the people here are growing on us. There are some kids we have each connected with, but mostly we've gotten to know the teachers, and we love em (mostly)! When we first got here, there were some people we weren't so sure about, and didn't really like very much...but to look back at that now, some of it seems pretty ridiculous! I love how you get to know peoples quirks and little pieces of their personality that make them unique.

To be honest, during the first week of school, I couldn't tell the difference between half of the women teachers. They all had these difficult names to say and remember and they looked the same with their black hair braided down their backs. I think about it now and their differences are incredibly obvious, how could I have missed them? It's like when you see one of those movies showing a busy street in China where everyone is walking somewhere and they all look like clones of each other. That's kind of how I felt when I arrived in India! In case any of you have ever felt the same, I am here tell you that even though there are things they all say and mannerisms they all do, they are very different from each other. They all look different, sound different, and treat us in different ways.

I'm glad we get to spend enough time here to really get to know the people who make everything about this place what it is and what we enjoy. It's kind of like people watching on steroids, and I love it! Our 'brothers' and 'sisters' on this campus are truly fascinating.

-B

Weekend in Bangalore!

This weekend we took a little trip down to Bangalore which is about six hours away by bus. The “Super Luxury” bus leaves at 11 pm and we arrive around 5 am. (Don’t be misled by the term Super Luxury). This is the bounciest road I have experienced here in India so far! At one point, I think Trevor’s head may have hit the ceiling and on the way home I was literally bounced onto the floor. We arrived at 5 am at the bus station and were immediately offered an auto ride to our destination of choice with a small fee of a million dollars because we are rich Americans. We bartered with the guy and got him down to a somewhat reasonable price to take us to Lowry Adventist College where we rented a guest room. At Lowry, we crashed for a few hours and then got up to tackle our first day in this big city! 

Shekarato!

The first place we went was Mahatma Gandhi Road, a touristy area that has food, coffee shops, book stores, and all the shopping we could imagine. Our first stop for food was the Mateo Coffea shop which was like a dream come true! They had delicious pictures of coffees and desserts and scrumptious descriptions of pasta dishes and sandwiches lining the multi-paged menu… This place was just about like heaven. We treated ourselves to “Shekerato’s” (their version of a frappeccino) and espresso and enjoyed the nice atmosphere where everyone wasn’t stopping to get a good look at us. It was great!

Zach and Jeff Gilbert arrived soon after and we spent the rest of the day chatting and catching up with them. It was fun to share our stories that were similar in so many ways…ha! We ate at McDonalds and discovered that they have 12 rupee soft serve cones, which is only about 25 cents so we spoiled ourselves on these! Later that night we even went to Pizza Hut and ate some more American food… That day definitely ended with satisfied bellies.

Day two in Bangalore started with breakfast at the local Indian shop next to Lowry College. Here you can get three dosa (similar to crepes or pancakes), puri (I would call these an elephant ear without the sugar), or chappati for 20 rupees. Much cheaper than the American style food in the area! So with our bellies full, we set out for the Iskon Temple where we may have accidently become Hindu. We were ushered through the tourist section and given a card with lines to repeat outloud as we crossed over 108 stepping squares in our bare feet and up into the ‘worship area.’ The phrase consisted of four lines and went something like this, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.” So after 108 repetitions of this, we made it into the temple and even sat down to try and sneak a photo of the golden statues and incense… They confiscated all cameras before we entered, but Zach luckily was able to sneak his in. He got a good picture of our clan (all in matching blue attire, accident ha!). The security seems very tight, but it really isn’t that thorough when it comes to searching… The rest of the temple was a maze of tourist attractions and shops selling coloring books of the gods and snacks. At the end we were given a free bowl of soupy rice that was really good!

After the Iskon, we piled all five of us into the small back seat of the only auto that would allow it to Mantri Square. The auto charges one rate, so the more people there is to split it between the better. We were surprised when most of the auto drivers wouldn’t allow us to put more than three people in because back in Vempalli, they pile six people inside, a few on the back, and some more on the roof! Mantri Square is a huge 5 story mall with a giant food court up top and a supermarket similar to Walmart downstairs. I’m pretty sure I may have experienced culture shock in that supermarket. Or maybe it was just because I was overwhelmed trying to look at every single item they had for sale to make sure it wasn’t something I needed to buy and take back to school with me. Ha! Probably the most exciting part of this mall was the fact that they had a Taco Bell (although I didn’t have any, the boys tell me the burritos didn’t quite measure up, but it was still a little taste of home!)

Sketchy photo of the Palace

From Mantri Square, we walked about 30 minutes up to the Bangalore Palace and tried to snag a few photos and avoid the guards with their whistles. Then we found an auto who would give us a free ride back to MG road if only he could take us to one shop for 5-10 minutes. This is the scam that many of the auto and taxi drivers try to trick tourists into. If they can get tourists to go to these several different shops with WAY over priced souvenirs, they get a 30% off gas card, or something like that. They are so desperate for these things that they will even drive you somewhere for free just so they can get it! So we got our free ride, all five in one auto once again, back to MG road and spent the rest of our night hanging out there at the shops.

We were pretty tired after that busy day, so Sunday we took it easy. We met a nice western guy at our favorite Mateo Coffea place who was from LA and had only been in India for three days. He is part of the Watson program where you are given a yearly salary and told to go travel anywhere in the world that you have never been and study some topic of your interest for a year. During this year you aren’t supposed to work or go to school, just simply learn! He had previously been in London for 3 months and now he would be spending 3 months in Bangalore, and his next stop was Australia. He was a real interesting guy! He had even heard of Walla Walla University. I love meeting new people that have something small in common with you in an unfamiliar place.

Cubbon Park

Zach and Jeff had to take off for their train back to Nuzvid around noon, so we went to Cubbon Park and relaxed there for a while and did some more exploring and walking around that area. It was nice to just take it easy. Our bus was leaving that night at 10:30 pm. Before we left, we treated ourselves to a great meal (unfortunately mine left me sick as a dog for the whole six hours of bumps back home) and made it to the bus station to experience something else completely new. The bus station was so packed with buses that all seemed to be itching to get out of there and were slowly creeping and honking at one other toward the main exit. There was no organization. There was a platform with a number, but this number really had nothing to do with where your bus was! It was completely random. In Sid’s words, “This must be what it is like to be on the Amazing Race.” Thankfully all the people who work there roam through the buses and each one stopped us to ask which bus we were looking for. After being led around by several different official looking people for 10-15 minutes, we were finally directed toward the correct bus and took off for our bouncy ride home!

Our trip to Bangalore was fun and refreshing! This modern city reminded us of the many things we have at home and it was fun to get out of the normal weekend routine and experience a different part of India. But when it all comes down to it, we were very relieved to be back in our home on Monday morning. Somehow the big, bustling city made the quiet farmlands of Andhra Pradesh seem more inviting, and it was a good feeling to be back!

Auto ride!

India#8 - Brooke Updates Us in Bangalore

Pizza, Pumpkins, and Poisonous Snakes

The end of October found us missing home as we thought of fall, pumpkins, and Halloween treats back in the US.  However, our last weekend in October was special in a way we didn’t expect.  On Saturday morning we went to church and were greeted by three Americans, Sue, Nancy, and Jack.  They sponsor children at the school and have been involved with it since the beginning so they visit every year.  These were the first white faces we had seen in a month.  The sponsors were pretty busy that day talking with their kids and catching up with people at the school but Sue invited us over the guesthouse that night to talk with them.  It was extremely interesting to hear about the history of the school and how much progress the kids really have made since first coming from their villages to the school.

The next day we had scheduled a shopping tip to Kadapa to stock up on groceries at the More store that we can’t get here in town.   We invited Sue to come along and since this was her seventh trip to India, she had no lack of wisdom, stories, and information to share with us on the car ride.  One such interesting bit of information was that one of the villages we drive through on our way to Kadapa recently was a terrorist town and home to a terrorist leader. The road had to be paved on either side of the town but not through because of the violence towards the construction crews.  The road is now finished but lets just say we won’t be stopping in that town for tea anytime soon.

The last time we had gone to the More store in Kadpa had been our second say in India so we didn’t really know what to buy.  This trip found us walking every aisle with a magnifying glass.  An hour later found the van loaded with cereal boxes, ramen like noodles, jelly, and ketchup.  The highlight of our trip was when Sue treated us to dinner at the Kadapa Café.  Although the food had a slight Indian twist, we enjoyed sandwiches, pizza, ice cream, and we even got some cakes to take home.  On our final stop in town, Sid and I each bought a lungie, which is one of the traditionally pieces of clothing men in this area wear.

Mom I know you’re not going to want to hear this but Sunday night was a bit exciting when the principle’s daughter found a cobra by her house and beat it to death with a stick.  We joined the circle of kids peering at the snake as it still twitched and of course took some pictures with the snake on the end of the stick.

After school on Monday Brooke and Sid went into Vempalli to hopefully find pumpkins for us to carve.  They came back with green pumpkins, or at least relatives to them and we spent the night sitting on our floor carving pumpkins.  The kids and teachers got quite the kick out of them when we lit them the next night.

We would like to thank Sue Smith for everything.  The love that Sue has for India and its people is so apparent and definitely inspiring to us.  She treated us like her own children for the weekend and even brought us some peanut m&ms on Halloween.  Her advice, wisdom, and support were all much needed and helped make the conclusion of our first full month in India a special one.

-T

Diwali-Gettin Crazy in India

Wednesday the 26^th of October marks a Hindi holiday here in India called Diwali or the Festival of the Lights, or more accurately fireworks, bangs, and sparklers.  I don’t think words, pictures, or even videos can express the fun and craziness Sid, Brooke, and I experienced on this day but I will try.

Since a large number of the students here at the school are Hindi there was no school.  Things got even better as it has been raining here lately, and periodic torrential downpours provided the perfect weather for a relaxing day with no school.

We were slightly worried about the heavy rains as we were preparing to go into the nearby town of Vempalli to see what the festivities were all about.  But the rain let up to a slow drizzle and we piled into an auto rickshaw and rode into town not knowing what the night would hold.  We began walking through the town and ran straight into our friend Raju standing under an umbrella in the middle of the street.  Raju and his wife Vani have been nothing but kind to us.  Their absolute generosity has blown us away on numerous occasions.  We walked to his house where we were served coffee and a complete meal including warm chipote as we waited for it to get dark.  Brooke was under constant attack from the almost two year old Blaine, who kept dumping curry leaves and chilies into her hands and onto her plate.

  We all slightly jumped at what sounded like a gunshot right outside the door.  We excitedly went outside to see what was going on.  What sounded like bombs echoed across the town.  Sidney remarked, “This is what living in Iraq must be like.”  Imagine the booms you hear at fireworks shows, except instead of in the sky they are five feet away.  The neighbors and their children were already setting of fireworks, lighting sparklers, and soon we were joining in.  After a while Raju led us through the town on our way to buses so we could go back to the school.   Every alley we looked down was a glow with candles and sparks from a new firework.  Even on the main streets storeowners were lighting fireworks.  The whole town had a smoky haze from so many fireworks being lit off.  Upon getting on the bus we felt somewhat disappointed to be leaving the excitement so soon but we had no idea what lay ahead for us back at the school.

The day before many of our students had informed us about how they were going to have “crackers” the next night for Diwali.  I figured some sparklers maybe a few little fireworks etc.  Boy was I wrong.  We got back to our room that night and started unpacking before we heard the first few bangs.  We all looked at each other, and made a dash for the door. We were about to truly experience Diwali. I began running towards the noise and was welcomed by a rocket shot straight at my head.  As it exploded by me I could already see the boys starting to laugh at my surprise.  The entire boys dorm was outside, around 140 since some had gone home for the holiday.  It seemed each boy was armed with an arsenal of fireworks.  Now these are not your average fireworks.  They put US fireworks to shame.  We were immediately surrounded by a mass of chaos.  Sparklers were thrust into our hands and we were told to jump and wave them over our heads.  Rockets were shooting across the field and up over the fence across the road while sparks were raining down.

Now usually in America, when we lights fireworks at home, one person lights the fuse, everyone stands back, waits, and then watches and ooohhs.   Here is India with the boys, it was more like a war zone.  We had to be careful with every step, similar to a real life game of Minesweeper.  Nowhere was safe, fuses were various lengths, giant bangs often made our ears ring, and just because a rainbow rocket was aimed towards the sky did not mean that was the direction it was going to travel.   My feet found that out after Brooke lit one.  My favorite was a firework they would light on the floor that would spin like a top sending sparks in all directions.  We soon found that you jump in the sparks as it spins.   This nonstop lighting of rockets, sparklers, bombs, and bangs went on for two hours non-stop.   As the supply finally began to dwindle the attention turned to dancing.  Some of the boys definitely have some moves and they loved it as they would do a dance move and then thrust us into the middle of the circle to imitate it.  Sidney was definitely the star of this activity as he gave them a run for their money.

We danced, laughed, yelled, jumped, acted crazy, and celebrated, all for a holiday we really knew nothing about.  But it didn’t matter, it meant so much more than that.  Lighting those fireworks made us feel a part of India, a part of our kids here. Diwali is definitely a memory that will help make India a place we will never forget.

-T

Discovering the life of a teacher...

It’s week two and we have decided that we have to go backwards in our teaching material… I gave them their first homework assignment and the next day I was met with blank stares and empty answer sheets. So we are going back to basic English words and phrases! Hopefully we are more successful this way. Sometimes we can use their English textbook (usually taught by our neighbor Chandu) but it’s difficult to teach English when their text books are full of grammatical and spelling errors… I always cringe when we do reading comprehension and half of the sentences aren’t capitalized and it switches from present to past tense randomly!

The other struggle we have with the kids is their focus. Now that they are getting used to white people being around, they are letting their true colors show and like to be disrespectful. It’s even harder when you can’t tell if they understand you when you tell them to be quiet! The teachers here have sticks that they use to keep the kids in line, and we recently got our own to use when the kids start to get rowdy. One of Trevor’s third graders actually gave us this stick and told him to hit the trouble makers… haha! India definitely has a different standard for corporal punishment.

This weekend we are speaking for vespers (they said only about a 30-40 minute talk of course), doing music for church, and leading out Bible study on Sabbath afternoon. They asked us to do the sermon for church as well, but we politely declined and said we would work up to it. We have also acquired a few other jobs during the week such as supervising a study hall period after school and opening the computer lab for students to practice their typing. We have been playing volleyball with teachers and the older students, which are pretty fun (and gets a little intense!) and have learning to play cricket a little bit too.

Right now the dengue fever from the morning mosquitoes is raging in this area and kids are going home or to the hospital for shots every day. There is also a viral flu going around that we are trying not to catch… I may have already gotten it but I’m hoping it’s just a little cold. (sometimes people give us really sugary Indian sweets and tell us to “eat! eat!”) So with all of that and the sugar we drink in our tea, my body isn’t handling it so well! Praying that it will go away soon…

In the morning I get to watch a pretty cool sunrise sometimes (while Sid and Trevor are sleeping away). Although we are in one of the more hot, dusty, and smoggy places in India, it’s still really pretty when the smog burns off every once in a while! Sunsets are pretty cool too. We are still waiting on the rain to come and cool us off and Chandu was telling us it will also kill off the virus that’s going around, so pray for rain!

Both Sid and I got packages this week from home (thanks moms!). I’ve never been so excited to eat Nutella or to open a package of splenda haha… Let’s just say that the jar of Nutella will be licked clean before we are done with it. Same with our peanut butter jars. We try really hard to savor these things, but it’s difficult. Hopefully it helps us appreciate all the peanut butter and other things we get at home! With the supplies we have we are trying to be creative with the cheaper things that grow in this area. So far we have turned our white rice into fried rice with veggies and eggs. Peanuts are popular here (I don’t understand why peanut butter isn’t) so we made candied peanuts out of those. Papaya and coconut are also a big thing, and I just happened to find a recipe online for papaya coconut muffins that we can make into a cake! Also since bananas are abundant and ripen super fast, I am going to try making some banana cake too. So our food situation isn’t as bad as I’ve made it sound, although there is nothing more comforting then eating something from America!

Well I think that about covers it for this week. Trying to keep from being homesick as much as possible…  J

-B

                                                                                        

One week of school down...

This week began with us substituting for every teacher who hadn't arrived back on campus (as well as some who were here but needed some leisure time…….). We taught several math classes, English, biology, physics, computers and some PT (physical training, equivalent to our PE). It was an interesting experience since we hadn't been given any books or notification as to what we would be teaching. Basically we walked the hallway and found classes with no teacher, jumped in, ask the kids to borrow a book and taught the lesson on the spot. I think our improvisation skills improved quite a bit actually. By the end of this week we actually figured out a set schedule and had our own classes to prepare for, which was a relief. The Hindi teacher is gone for a few months doing some training elsewhere so we took over her six classes for 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade. Since we know Hindi really well, this is a great opportunity for us! Just kidding. We are teaching English instead and so far we have learned that we have to start very basic… Since this area is pretty rural and most of the kids come from villages where their families work in the farm land, not many of them know English very well. Another obstacle is that the kids don’t have a lot of motivation to learn English because they expect to end up working in the farmland like their family. But to us it seems like having a teacher from America who speaks English is working to motivate them a little bit. So far so good… Along with the English classes, we are teaching all of the PT classes they have. Only some grades get to have PT and usually it means that their teacher takes them outside and supervises while they play, or if they are older, sit and talk. We are trying to make it a little more organized and involve them in some exercises and games that we participate in also. We don’t have a lot of resources for that, but we’re working on it! If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. So far we have volleyball, capture the flag, and running races haha!

We've been asked to take charge in a lot of situations so far, including the sermon for church, afternoon bible study, and many more… it’s a bit overwhelming but we are dealing with it! We have taken on some of the responsibilities but we couldn’t possibly do them all and we let them know that short notice is hard for us. Sooner or later we are going to have to step out of our comfort zones (more than we already have ha!).

Our neighbors, Ramana and Chandu are the sweetest!!! We still have daily tea with them and have started eating lunch at their house too. It’s fun getting to know them and feels a little like our Indian family. According to Ramana, Trevor is “big brother,” Sidney is “small brother,” and I’m the sister! Chandu is teaching us some of the ways of Indian cooking and this morning helped me make something called sweet vermicelli, which is almost like tapioca pudding with noodles in it, and of course a very different flavor… Hopefully we can come home with some great recipes!

We have been walking or running pretty much every day and have explored lots of surrounding villages. We are now used to the staring and expect a crowd of kids to form behind us as we pass through. Today we had kids on bicycles zooming past us only to stop and wait until we passed so they could ride by again. Yesterday we were invited in for some Indian coffee as we walked through a village. They didn’t speak English, but their kindness spoke for them! People are starting to get used to seeing our faces around more often and it’s fun making connections with villagers close by.  

Until next time!

-B