Share the Well

Sharing is something we are all taught at a young age. We share our crayons, share our toys, and as we grow, we share our knowledge. People in Kerala are amazingly good at sharing both their things and their thoughts.

I literally just got finished eating rice off of the floor of one of the Second Year TTC students' room. Let me explain, because that may sound really weird to you. Merlin's father came to visit today and he brought her a ton of amazing food: Rice, chutney, toran (cabbage salad), two kinds of pickle, and some other things. The spirit of sharing in the hostel is so pervasive that Merlin didn't even have to think about it. Of course she was going to share the food with all of us.

When food is packed up "to go" style in Kerala, it will be one of two ways almost every time. One way is to pack it in a metal tiffin box, which is very secure and provides a good solid way to separate out all of the components of a traditional meal. The second way is to flatten out and clean a banana leaf, place the entire meal on to the leaf, fold the leaf around the meal and then wrap the leaf in newspaper. It sounds strange, but it works really really well. 

Merlin's father utilized the banana leaf option to wrap up all of the goodies. This is not the first time I have joined the girls in feasting on homemade dishes. In fact, this opportunity presents itself at least once a month and I always get excited for it. 

Mainly I enjoy this time because there is something about sitting and eating mountains of rice on a crowded concrete floor that also leads to sharing stories, laughs and ideas. One of the first times I shared food this way with the girls, they asked me to tell a ghost story. We have also shared our feelings on arranged marriage versus love marriage, the challenges of teaching, and other serious topics of discussion while gathering around a banana leaf. 

So tonight when Merlin looked at me and said "Chechi, will you remember this?" my mind went racing through all of the wonderful ways this community has shared with me this year. We have shared our innermost selves with each other, despite the language barrier, despite how busy we all are, and despite our struggles. Recently we have all been sharing in the struggle to preserve the very scarce supply of water we have. It seems that all of those challenges have only united us more.  

I responded with my whole heart, "Merlin, I will. Always." 

By sharing these little gifts with each other, we have widened the well of our knowledge, love, and mutual respect. I found myself walking away from this meal humming a Caedmon's Call song that applies perfectly to this situation of sharing abundantly, even when we are sharing moments of difficulty and scarcity.

Merlin trying to pick Joshmi up

All God's creatures share the water hole 
The blessed day the monsoon comes 
And in His image we are woven 
Every likeness every one 
From Kashmir to Kerala 
Under every banyan tree 
Mothers for their children cry 
With empty jar and bended knee 

Share the well, share with your brother 
Share the well my friend 
It takes a deeper well to love one another 
Share the well my friend 

-from "Share the Well" by Caedmon's Call