I may not have acquired the best of reputations around here in the first week, but boy, did I have a good time! I quickly became known as the "smelly" one in the group since I didn't shower for the first 4 or 5 days (fine, maybe it was 6...). That I could deal with, but when it turned into the "sweaty" and "skanky" (not what you think, explanation to follow) one too, I started to realize that there were a few things I needed to adjust in my routine here. So, I took the plunge and have enjoyed my fair share of "bucket showers" on a semi-regular basis. I realized that wearing a backpack over a thin, white shirt in the market in the mid-day heat (usually about 110 degrees) shows more back-sweat than one ever wants to see. And, lastly, that no matter how hot it is, always wear long pants when leaving the confines of our home base. I guess I didn't realize just how "sexy" ankles were until Will finally pointed out that every person in the market, both male and female, was staring at me in shock (and disgust) that I could possibly go out in public revealing so much (mind you, I was wearing a 3/4 length sleeved shirt, baggy pants and sneakers- hardly sexy)! Needless to say, I haven't made any of these mistakes again, and I think I'm finally beginning to fit in here (well, kind of...)
Since Will has done such a thorough job of keeping you informed of all of our daily activities, I will keep this brief and summarize my favorite moments/memories/experiences so far.
1. Walking up the stairs on our first day of school and witnessing the daily morning Assembly. I'll never forget the sound of that 6th grader's voice screaming "Attention! Stand at ease!" to the rest of the children who were standing in perfect military formation, besides the handful of 3 year olds who had absolutely no idea what was going on, were staring blankly at us and then began to sob uncontrollably. The loud bang of the drum to signal the next portion of the assembly did not help these poor little ones, but Will and I certainly got a kick out of it, especially when the 6th grader in charge rattled out the headlines from the newspaper: "Serena Williams storms the quarterfinals of the French Open" and "Air France flight still missing." Not exactly what I expected these children's education in a small rural village to consist of.
2. The entertainment that our 5'1" driver, Pinku, provides me with on a daily basis. For those of you who have seen the TV show "Chelsea Lately", he is remarkably similar to Chuy! He is he oldest CCS staff member who drives the extremely large red van around, which he takes great pride in as he dusts it off every morning, even though I'm still baffled by how he is able to reach the pedal. Will and I have decided that this is the reason why his flip-flops are about 3 sizes too big for him, to give him those few extra inches. Riding with Pinku is always an adventure! Not only does he play the best Punjabi music, but his commentary and reactions to the crazy things that happen on the roads here are priceless. He never seems to be bothered by the herds of cows in the middle of the road or people, for that matter, as he just holds down the horn for however long he wants. He started giggling in a sort of malicious tone the other day as he approached an old, seeminlgy deaf man on the side of the road, and I had to remind him that "hitting people is not funny, Pinku". Besides his road rage, he is one of the sweetest people I have met here, and is always up for a card game, cricket or kicking the "football" around. I'd feel bad about laughing at him so much if it weren't for the fact that he is the butt of most jokes made around here. Pictures to come...
3. Driving up into the hills in the pouring down rain (our 1st glimpse of monsoon season) to visit a Buddhist monastery. Not only were we able to roam around the monks' dormitories and meet some of the "gurus" who answered any questions that we had, but we were allowed into the main temple and a shrine of the mummified remains of one of the original Master's Disciples at the very top of a hill. The view was fantastic, despite the rain, and I still get the chills thinking about the fact that I was a foot away from a dead body.
4. The "function" that Will and I were invited to by the teachers at our school. What we thought was going to be a family member's wedding turned out to be a memorial service for the 4th anniversary of the death of the Principal's husband. We didn't realize this until we arrived at the Principal's house, so we just had to play it cool, pretend like we knew what was going on and go along for the ride. We had a ridiculously good meal (I was introduced to my new favorite dish, sweet rice), and were immediately welcomed and treated as the host's "daughter" and "son". Yet another example of the incredibly generous and kind nature of the people that live here.
5. The scenery. We are completely surrounded by the Himalayas. For as large as the mountains are, they surprisingly disappear in any picture that is taken...it is impossible to capture the essence of their beauty, but I promise, they really are here! Not a moment goes by where I am not in complete awe of where I am. The commute to our school (about 20 minutes) just keeps getting better and better each day, as I find a new house that I want to move into, a new spot by a stream where I want to read my book or a different angle of the highest mountaintop. Even the dirtiest and most impoverished areas of town are colored by the beautiful people that live here.
I could go on and on but, as promised, I will keep this brief. Will just informed me that I will be allowed one guest post per week, so I guess you'll be hearing from me again soon. Until then...
It's funny that you said brief, because it's sort of not. But I love it--laughing out loud big time.
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