My Heart Will Go On

September 19, 2011

Okay so i technically have two blogs to post…here they are.

My first weekend at Buchanan has been full of little joys. On Saturday I had a really nice phone call with my fellow volunteer Claudia. She inspired me to get out of my room and go outside. Nature is one of my greatest comforts, so I decided to go on a walk. Two girls from the hostel next door joined me. We stopped our walk at the swings in front of the Bishop Speechly School. I was surprised that the girls immediately gestured for me to get on the swing. For me, this gesture was extremely symbolic. Let’s rewind to March of this year at the YAV Placement event in Louisville, KY. Before I turned in the form that established I wanted to go to India, I needed some time to clear my head.  I found some swings between the apartments on the Louisville Seminary campus. That swinging session is one of the little God connections that brought me to India. Swinging not only brings out the kid in me, but it makes me feel…free, liberated and yet ultimately dependent; dependent upon the pendulum of the swing to keep me safe, and dependent upon God to guide me. I gave part of this speech to my church at First Presbyterian of Grapevine to express my mission in India. When Deepa grabbed my hand and said “Swing?” I felt this ultimate sense of purpose and a complete peace that this is exactly where I need to be. I’d like to say we spent the afternoon walking around and teaching each other words….but really the girls were my teachers.  They taught me tons of Malayalam words, of which I remember about 5.  They also showed me this amazing little plant that looks like a regular fern, but then you touch it and its leaves collapse. It is called Tarundari. The man who was out watching the rubber trees called them “sensitive plants.” I was overly excited about it. It was definitely a day full of childhood wonder. In the evening I made a few goals for myself. I decided that I will try to read the Bible in 90 days…which boils down to about 12 pages a day. I am embarrassed to say that I haven’t read it all the way through before.  I think I will do much better here if I set some goals for myself.  Sunday was full of confusion for me. Since the girls don’t ring any bells after the rising bell on Sunday morning, I was lost. After I got my bearings we spent almost all day sitting through Malayalam services. The church service at the Church of South India Pallom was a short walk away and was very nice. We also went to Kottayam for a meeting of the India Bible Society. I am hoping to spend a little more time this week working on my Malayalam because my ability right now is that of a 2 year old. Haha. The girls think how awful I am at pronouncing things is pretty funny.  My first time at teaching will be today!  Prayers are welcome.

“Life is a promise, fulfill it.” – Mother Theresa

So as many of you know, today is the 21st of September, not the 19th. I haven't had internet access till today, but all is SO GOOD. Monday was full of wonderful surprises. I woke up thinking I would teach, got all dressed up and ready an headed to the mess hall, and strangely there were no children in uniforms standing around to greet me. The Hostel girls looked very confused as to why i was dressed so nicely. School was cancelled Monday because of a Kerala- wide strike about the rise in oil prices. No drivers, no school. So it was instead we had tons of free time. It was truly a community building day. The first year girls taught me how to wash all of my clothes by hand on a stone. I had an audience giggling at me as I pounded my clothing onto the stone like a complete amateur. After they were hung out to dry, they asked me to sing Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On" for them and also wanted me to dance. My impromptu performance was well received. We went downstairs to continue our talking. I learned all about Malayali and Indian actors that the girls love. One of my fastest friends is Merin, a 17 year old first year teaching student. She is obsessed with Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus. haha. Merin holds my hand often as we walk to the mess hall. It is extremely common in India to see same sex friends holding hands. I think it's a really sweet sign of affection. The rest of the day was filled with more sharing and laughter. It was really a joy. I am typing to you after my first day of teaching and guess what? It was not that scary. I taught 10th standard (ages 15-16) and they were a lot of fun. 

Grace and peace

Rachel