An Eventful Week
Things are going well here in Mumbai! The rains have decreased, leading to some warmer, but lovely, sunny days. The temperature is in the mid-eighties today, which I consider hot, but I’m wondering how this perception will change by the time I get home in April.
This week Alex and I got a big addition to our routines: reading time in the evenings. For about an hour or an hour and a half every day kids, split up into groups according to ability, get the chance to read story books, helped along by Alex, me, some of the teenage boys, Brother Joseph, or Hitansu the social worker. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were a little tough because we had the kids in groups C and D (the second graders were asking me to tell them what “i-t” spelled). Thursday was a little easier with groups A and B. One thing that’s certain: they all love stories. It’s just getting them to read the stories rather than making up their own version based upon the pictures that’s the challenge.
Friday we didn’t have reading or classes. Everyone kept calling it a holiday, but classes were canceled not so we could celebrate any kind of festival, but because of severe Hindu-Christian violence over in eastern India. (read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/world/asia/29india.html?em) I can’t imagine this sort of religious intolerance. Here at the school Hindus, Christians, and Muslims interact with no problem; Brother encourages the kids to learn about their respective religious traditions and brings in different types of religious leaders to help them do so.
No one seemed much concerned about the violence, however, as Friday was also the day of the big party. A well-to-do family decided to celebrate the tenth birhtday of their daughter Hema with the 250 kids at St. Catherine’s. This was a lovely gesture and they certainly went all out: DJ, clown, magician, decorations, catering, presents for everyone, and ice cream cones (”25 rupees each!,” the kids kept telling me). I felt a bit uncomfortable, though, when they were handing out cardboard masks and noisemakers by emptying bags over a crowd of screaming kids. The children yelled and grabbed as they scrambled on the ground for these rare treats. Some got five, some got none, some cried, some sulked, and others bounced around thanks to the lethal combination of sugar and loud Bollywood dance music. I found some of it rather overwhelming and not necessarily good for the kids. But during one of the craziest moments, when they were tearing down the tinsel-like streamers and popping what seemed like hundreds of balloons, I looked at Brother, who stood off to the side chuckling and smiling serenely. If he wasn’t worried about it, I wasn’t going to be. But let me tell you, few parents I ever met would have approved of their children acting this way and I certainly would not have gotten away with any of it.
One good part: I wore a bindi for the first time, thanks to the caretaker Rupa, who painted it on for me. Everyone asked me about it, told me it looked very nice, and added that next I have to learn to wear a sari. I’m up for it! My favorite comment was from one little boy who told me, “Didi, you are looking very handsome.”
After such an eventful day Friday, I was glad to go out yesterday and take a walk. I went to the post office, bought a couple of t-shirts, ate lunch. A nice quiet Saturday. Or at least, that’s what I had planned until a soaking wet, naked Indian man vaulted a low fence and tried to steal my water bottle. There’s no context that could make this situation make sense, but I will tell you that he seemed to want me to pour the water over him. I just scurried away while a group of young men laughed. Definitely the craziest thing that’s happened to me here yet…In the moment I was just surprised, but now that I think about it, it was pretty funny. Who does that?!
On a final note, a health update: You’ll be happy to know my stomach is feeling much better, perhaps helped by the addition of peanut butter and crackers that I’ve been keeping in my room to snack on now and then. The new health hurdle is lice. I’ve got them, despite having applied some chemical-smelling, scalp-stripping medecine last Sunday. The box says I can apply it again after 15 days. Perhaps lice are simply something I have to live with. All the girls have lice, to varying degrees and it’s harder than you’d think to prevent them from playing with my hair (plus, I like it– very good bonding time). If anyone has any suggestions, please share!
All in all- things are good and definitely not boring!
PS. Alternate title for this post: Of Lice and (Naked) Men
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