May 21...It's Friday and I'm at school again

As the day closed yesterday, I took a short walk in the neighborhood. I walked by a church (St. Anthony's) that was having a service in tamil. I took a few pictures of the outside and noted the service times. They have a service in English on Sunday and I hope to go...yeah...I can attend church and understand what they are saying! :) The traffic was bad and there was a police man to help people cross the street at the church. I almost got ran over and I was standing right next to the officer...must be more careful.








I am starting to become more familiar with the area, but still worried that I may get lost, so I decided to go to school with my mom again today. The school is nice and clean and the courtyard areas are beautiful (see below). When you are inside the school grounds it is like being in a bubble or being transported to a different place. You can almost forget where you are and the poverty that engulfs you once you walk outside the school walls. However, the bubble is multicultural because inside the school I am surronded by children and adults from all over the world.




The auto rickshaw that picked us up today was a little larger; however, it still appeared to me to have a capacity of only seven with the driver and when my mom and I got in there were already 6 passengers. We got on and then the driver stopped to pick up another person...I'm definitely getting up close and personal with the locals, but I guess when it only cost 10 rupee (about 20 cents) to travel, I can't really complain. Besides, it is called a "share ride". There are no doors on these little vehicles and people just keep climbing in. We finally ended up with 10 adults and a toddler on board including the driver...that's one full load! So off we go...and for some reason, despite the close quarters, I really like riding in these little vehicle with the local people.

We are driving along and we stop and then the driver gets out. I was a little confused, but I guess this is not unusual. We had stopped beside a roadside Hindu temple (see picture below...this is not the one we stopped at because we were too packed for me to take a picture, but I took a picture of one by the bus station when we stopped.) I could not hear what was said, but from what I could see, the driver bowed and then got some type of red powder and rubbed it on his forehead and also on the front of the vehicle windshield before we took off again.



The rest of the pictures below were taken from the bus on the drive to school. The bus doors and windows remain open so it is fairly easy to take pictures in the morning on the drive to school at 6:30 a.m. It is more challenging on the way home because we have left between 5 and 6 and the buses are very crowded at that time.







I am disappointed that I have not been able to take a picture of one of the cows yet, but this is my mission before I leave. There are many of them roaming free in the city, but I am still surprised every time I see one! Most of them look malnourshed, as do the dogs and I also saw one cat last night. I desperately want to adopt them...all of them...the cows, dogs...and especially the cat...some of you know I am a cat person. The animals seem to all roam free and I wonder if they have owners. I was told that the cows are used sometimes to pull carts and saw one with a cart this morning. I feel so sorry for these stray animals, but I have been warned not to touch them because they often have diseases...I will try to resist the temptation to play with them, but can't promise that I won't keep extra food with me to give them. :)

Well...I think we are going to do some shopping on the way home today...yahoo...I don't usually like to shop, but I am excited to go shopping here. They have beautiful long skirts here and I would like to get a few. I might get some made by the tailor, but my mom said I should be able to find some in the stores that I like. I might get a sari too if I can find one I like. The Indian people that work at the school told me that they would teach me how to put it on properly...maybe I will get a few to wear and then the Indian people may stop staring at me...at least not as much. I have been told that I look the marrying age for the modern city, and therefore I must be careful (in the modern cities the women get married later, unlike the villages where the women still get married young (18 or so). Hmmm...maybe I could find a husband here...just joking...I'm glad that I am having this experience and I am learning a lot, but I don't think I would want to live here the rest of my life...so don't worry Bryan, I will be coming home without an Indian boyfriend or husband.

On a side note...trivia for today courtesy of Teena (the teacher assistant for my mom's class)...topic is clothing:
Women in India sometimes wear a salwar (long top with pants) instead of a sari (5 foot of material wrapped around the person). The men may wear a kurta (long top with pants), lungi (short skirt like atire that has shorts underneath which is often worn in the house after work or casually around), or dhoti (looks like a long, straight skirt that is white and used only for formal occasions such as a wedding, which is worn with a white shirt). My mom has embraced the culture and often wears a salwar. She also has a sari or two. Check out the pictures I have posted to see the clothing...I will post more pictures of the Indian people throughout my trip...check out there clothing....do I sound like a teacher?...if yes, that is probably a good thing, after all I do start teaching at UAB in the fall.

And so the Indian adventures continue...