Simple Ponderings

Tomorrow (Wednesday, October 19), I will be leaving Aluva to meet the other volunteers in Kottayam. Kottayam is the base for Alex and Erin, and when all six volunteers have reached the city, we will then move on to Thekkady, where we will be on retreat for four days. I don’t know much about this area, but it is supposed to be the perfect nature retreat – a chance to hike and sightsee, as well as to relax in the comfort and company of our volunteer “family.” (Note: Due to the fact that I will be away, I won’t be able to post any new blogs for about a week.)

In preparation for this retreat, Achen has asked all of us to consider what have been our most rewarding experiences and our most unpleasant experiences during the past month. As I pondered these questions, I thought you might be interested in what’s going through my head. Read on…

My most unpleasant experience has been boredom and restlessness at my job. I work at Union Christian College (UCC) from 9:30 to 3:30, Monday through Friday, and there is simply not enough work to fill this time. I absolutely love the people I have met and the warm way in which I have been received by all who study and work at UCC, and I also love the projects that have been designated for me. The problem is that many of these projects have yet to begin. I am trying to be patient as more programs are developed and work begins to arrive on my desk, but boredom and restlessness sometimes get the best of me. I want very badly to provide a service for this college, and my fervent prayer is that my superiors here will call upon me to use the talents and gifts that I have brought very, very soon.

My most rewarding experience has been the process of building relationships and forming friendships with my neighbors at Chacko Homes. I highlighted my experiences there in October’s newsletter, but even since I wrote that, I have grown closer and closer to the people with whom I share a home. Everyone is helping me to learn Malayalam, and they absolutely love it when I say the simplest thing. And although I still can’t dress myself, all of the little old ladies is so impressed that I’ve started wearing saris every once in a while. To top it all off, the other day my official Malayalam tutor, Sheela, said to me: “My home is your home, and you must think of me as your amma (mother). While you are here, you are my daughter.”

The moral of the story is that my time in India continues to be one great struggle after another, with an abundance of blessings – both small and great – thrown in to keep me going.