It's almost impossible to believe that we only have 3 days left in Bangalore. Sunday we fly to New Delhi for 3 days and then on to Bangkok where we begin our 10-day fall break. These last several days will be full of ECC community events, like Culture Night tonight, where we share elements of our culture in story, dance and song with members of the ECC community, who will share as well. Should be fun! We have a farewell ceremony and dinner scheduled Saturday evening before leaving bright and early Sunday morning.
The last couple of weeks have been so full! On Oct. 30 we threw a Halloween party for the kids (or mostly the kids) from ECC. The students did a great job of planning games and activities, including transforming our classroom into a crazy haunted house followed by trick-or-treating down the main hall of Dialogue House, our "dorm". We all had costumes. There were even several small carved jack-o-lanterns. It was great fun!
The following night the ECC community threw a Diwali party for us. Diwali is an Indian Festival of Lights. All the women in the group had purchased saris and the guys had purchased traditional long tunics and cotton pants. We looked pretty good I must say. Walking in a sari is clearly a skill one must develop over time. I ended up resorting to borrowing a huge diaper pin from the director's wife to secure mine since I couldn't shake the feeling that I could easily unravel at any time. Most of the students had also gotten henna designs drawn on their arms and feet so we were really looking the part. We played games and set off LOTS of fireworks and lit sparklers.
We have had several field trips to various places south, east, and west of here. While the bus rides over extremely bumpy roads can be tiring, the countryside is very beautiful here, especially the fields and various plants and tress. We've seen lots of coconut and banana trees, rice paddies, vegetable fields, temples and large rock outcroppings. Granite seems to be in abundance here and the boulders and rock formations are unlike any I have ever seen. Many farmers still use oxen to till land and pull wagons to market. Around holidays, they paint the horns of the oxen and decorate their cars and trucks with banana leaves, flower garlands, and other strung bits of fruit, leaves and spices. My face is usually plastered to the window as we drive down the road because there is so much to see!
I have also found that, while Minnesotan mosquitos are not very fond of me, Indian mosquitos find me quite delicious! I now have much more sympathy for people who have complained of itchy bites. Those mosquito nets on all our beds are not just for looks.
Yesterday we took a day trip to visit an Indian Catholic Center in Bangalore. A priest talked to us about the process of "inculturation" that they are fostering to bring about a more authentic Indian experience in the Catholic mass. Some of their changes have been officially approved by the Vatican, others not yet. For instance they had to get permission to allow participants to sit on the floor for the duration of the service. This is traditional for Indians, but not Westerners. We attended mass there, which was very different in some ways from a 'western" mass, yet many similarities were still apparent. Since there were a couple of different groups in attendance, the priest took time to explain what they were doing which was helpful since the songs and prayers were often in Hindi. Passing the peace was not a handshake, but a traditional nod with hands held palms together at the chest. The art work at the chapel came from Jyoti Sahi, an artist whose studio we had visited last week so it was nice to see continuity from another visit. In the lecture we received, the priest commented that inculturation is possible with Christianity because unlike Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, Christianity is not tied to any particular culture. He said that even though Jesus was himself Jewish, his message was specifically intended to reach anyone, anywhere. Seeing how Indians have adapted Christianity to forms and customs that they are familiar with (bowing vs. a handshake) was another opportunity to see my own faith practices in a different way.
So, having only scratched the surface of a small piece of India, off we go to explore another new place. The adventure continues.
The last couple of weeks have been so full! On Oct. 30 we threw a Halloween party for the kids (or mostly the kids) from ECC. The students did a great job of planning games and activities, including transforming our classroom into a crazy haunted house followed by trick-or-treating down the main hall of Dialogue House, our "dorm". We all had costumes. There were even several small carved jack-o-lanterns. It was great fun!
The following night the ECC community threw a Diwali party for us. Diwali is an Indian Festival of Lights. All the women in the group had purchased saris and the guys had purchased traditional long tunics and cotton pants. We looked pretty good I must say. Walking in a sari is clearly a skill one must develop over time. I ended up resorting to borrowing a huge diaper pin from the director's wife to secure mine since I couldn't shake the feeling that I could easily unravel at any time. Most of the students had also gotten henna designs drawn on their arms and feet so we were really looking the part. We played games and set off LOTS of fireworks and lit sparklers.
We have had several field trips to various places south, east, and west of here. While the bus rides over extremely bumpy roads can be tiring, the countryside is very beautiful here, especially the fields and various plants and tress. We've seen lots of coconut and banana trees, rice paddies, vegetable fields, temples and large rock outcroppings. Granite seems to be in abundance here and the boulders and rock formations are unlike any I have ever seen. Many farmers still use oxen to till land and pull wagons to market. Around holidays, they paint the horns of the oxen and decorate their cars and trucks with banana leaves, flower garlands, and other strung bits of fruit, leaves and spices. My face is usually plastered to the window as we drive down the road because there is so much to see!
I have also found that, while Minnesotan mosquitos are not very fond of me, Indian mosquitos find me quite delicious! I now have much more sympathy for people who have complained of itchy bites. Those mosquito nets on all our beds are not just for looks.
Yesterday we took a day trip to visit an Indian Catholic Center in Bangalore. A priest talked to us about the process of "inculturation" that they are fostering to bring about a more authentic Indian experience in the Catholic mass. Some of their changes have been officially approved by the Vatican, others not yet. For instance they had to get permission to allow participants to sit on the floor for the duration of the service. This is traditional for Indians, but not Westerners. We attended mass there, which was very different in some ways from a 'western" mass, yet many similarities were still apparent. Since there were a couple of different groups in attendance, the priest took time to explain what they were doing which was helpful since the songs and prayers were often in Hindi. Passing the peace was not a handshake, but a traditional nod with hands held palms together at the chest. The art work at the chapel came from Jyoti Sahi, an artist whose studio we had visited last week so it was nice to see continuity from another visit. In the lecture we received, the priest commented that inculturation is possible with Christianity because unlike Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, Christianity is not tied to any particular culture. He said that even though Jesus was himself Jewish, his message was specifically intended to reach anyone, anywhere. Seeing how Indians have adapted Christianity to forms and customs that they are familiar with (bowing vs. a handshake) was another opportunity to see my own faith practices in a different way.
So, having only scratched the surface of a small piece of India, off we go to explore another new place. The adventure continues.
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