India Update 03
Classes are going well and definite progress in at least a few brothers. My rapport with the students is extremely good – utilizing an iPod, digital camera, digital voice recorders, etc. certainly liven up the class for the seminarians – especially when I allow them to keep these tools overnight. Decided the best way to get a lot of information to you – the “select few”, would be to describe different categories people, places, things that I have encountered. Here goes:
Rapport with the seminarians: Couldn’t be better. I instruct them in pronunciation each evening (for those who will be reading scripture the following day). I accepted their invitation to play their games at recreation – cricket and volleyball. They protected me (from fierce spiked balls) pretty well at volleyball and the team I was on won one of the two games played. They invited me to go on their “tea and walking” excursion, etc. etc. When I described the wedding I went to and made “love eyes” (trying to imitate the bride looking at her groom in the church) the class went into peels of laughter so loud that a priest was sent up to the classroom floor to see if the brothers were “acting up” with me. This category get an “A” rating.
My “Digs”: I have an 8 ½ x 9 foot bedroom with an adjoining 4 ½ x 5 foot bathroom. In the bedroom is a single bed with mosquito net, a simple and small table and chair (no luxury items like drawers in the table), an a built-in closet with shelves only (no hangers. or a hook to put one on. All clothes are folded). In the bathroom there is a showerhead in one corner (cold water only) and a water drain in the floor in the opposite corner. A sink, toilet and towel rack. The windows have wooden shutters with no glass or screening. A funny story about how I forgot the instructions to close the shutters before the sun goes down. I now have screening. Father Joseph took pity on me and said he was afraid I would get malaria because those types of mosquitoes are more prevalent at night.
Weather: I made a big mistake when talking to Father Joseph re: weather. He thought I asked about the harsh weather in the summer – 120 degrees and monsoons. Actually, the temperature is quite nice. About 65 or 70 degrees at night and 70 to 80 degrees during the day. Humidity is not high except after a rain, which is not common this time of year. Mostly sunny and mild. I was offered a bucket of warm water to be delivered outside my door, however, I declined and enjoy cold showers.
Shanti Bhavan: S.B. stand for “House of Peace”. It consists of a 35 acre compound with one large seminary building that includes the three floor seminary / classrooms / chapel / offices / dining room. It has two corridors on each floor. There is a cement barn for the eight cows. Chicken coop, dog pens and storage sheds summarizes the out buildings. Lots of trees and vegetable / fruit gardens. Tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, two types of banana tees, tapioca trees, bread fruit, coconut trees (40 feet high that were planted when Fr J was a seminarian here). Mango trees and lots of other food growing in the gardens. A rather primitive kitchen puts out wonderful meals for a group of 30 hungry men each day. A cement wall surrounds the entire compound and it is needed. In the past there were visitors who were looking for more than a chance to pilfer food. The dogs are let out of their cages each night to roam the grounds. I was introduced to the three dogs and had to allow them to sniff me and get used to my foreign odor. All in all it is a neat, clean and Spartan physical plant – except for the chapel on the third floor. The chapel is appropriately adorned with well-chosen murals and altar decorations. There are no pews. Only four plastic chairs and two kneelers for the staff. Seminarians sit, kneel or stand on the floor (just as you would do in any parish church). No shoes are worn in the chapel, to include the priests who celebrate Mass.
Food: Very basic, healthy and good. Breakfast is often a “pancake” of some type. No sugar in the wheat or rice flower cake with natural holes in them from bubbles in the pancake mix. When you pour the meat gravy or vegetable gravy over it, the sauce penetrates the entire “pancake” which is very good. Coffee is made with hot milk fresh from the cows (the milk is not treated in any way other than being boiled before serving) with a concentrated powdered coffee and sugar if you prefer it. Reminded me of Austrian coffee on the farm we vacationed at during two years while my family was stationed in Germany. Tangerines, tiny little green and red grapes from the garden, two types of bananas, steamed vegetables, etc makes for a great start to the day. Lunch is a variation, with tapioca in various forms (always with a vegetable sauce / gravy), rice with a spicy gravy, sometimes fish (small pieces highly seasoned), a deep fried hard boiled egg is a treat. All very good food with no preservatives, pesticides, fertilizers (other than manure) or unnatural substances allowed in the gardens or kitchen. A definite lack of fat in the diet that I am enjoying and benefiting from. The traditional curry / hot dishes are an option but only served once in a while.
Religious Celebrations: All classes and religious services are conducted in English. It is not in a Western English and that is the problem Fr J is trying to help correct with my presence. Remember my mentioning the Constitution Day parades on TV? The narration for that parade was half in Indian and half in English. No subtitles, just sometimes Indian and sometimes The King’s English. All prayer services and Masses are simply beautiful. Daily music includes many songs – all beautifully sung by the brothers – no instruments. On Sunday when you add in the drums, cymbals and tambourines it is a “joyful noise”. Music is a major part of the Orissan culture and they are very good at it. I hope I can record some of the songs and music while I am here. The small digital recorders I brought are not up to the task. I cannot describe the Adoration Service that is celebrated on Sunday evenings. It is so moving and beautiful. I’ll get pictures and hopefully the accompanying music.
Miscellaneous: You have seen the S.B. seminary routine schedule (reminds me of my Army days). There is some, but not much, social time. Fr J put me to work straight away and I have been trying to catch my breath each day. I sleep like a rock and only the dog fights wake me up. The flower gardens in the front of S.B. are very attractive. Common flowers (marigold) mixed in with exotic flowers of types I do not know. I have pictures. The chapel altar is always adorned with a small vase of flowers. I have only enjoyed evening walks around the compound with Fr J. I am finally caught up with my class work (I assigned too many writing assignments forgetting that I am the one who has to correct them J).
Dealing with the local seats of authority (otherwise known as, “Momma didn’t raise no fool).
I have made a special effort to make good buddies with the three S.B. guard dogs. While they are locked in their pen at mid-day, I have taken a cookie and broken it in three pieces. One dog is so mean that he has to have his own pen and I give him a piece of cookie right away. The other two whine a little until they get their piece. At first they (when they were exercising freely in the compound) would approach me with their heads down and gave low growls. Now when I meet them while they are walking free on the compound, their tails wag and they race toward me looking for more cookies.
Immediately after arriving at S.B., and upon learning that the two women who do most of the cooking also wash the clothes, I presented both women with a bar of fragrant soap and a small “hotel” bottle of shampoo. I asked a priest from the adjoining Social Services outreach organization to interpret for me. I stated that all of the beautiful women in the U.S. liked these particular products. This morning one of the S.B. priests complained that the laundry was rather slow this week. I get my laundry back in one day J.
That’s about all for now. God is good. Life is good. All those at Shanti Bhavan are good.
Love ya’ll,
Bill (Willie, Dad, U.B., Pop Pop)
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