These past few days have been pretty weird. I'm not really sure how to describe it all.
I was invited to Yamuna's house this weekend. She is a matron at the hostel and helped me out when I first arrived... she is really sweet. So we left on Friday at around 10:45 for Colombo. We took an A/C bus (luxury!) and once we got there, had lunch and took a non-a/c bus the rest of the way to her village. She said it would take about 2 hours... It was more like 3-4. Luckily I had a window seat so I had the breeze in my face and could look at the scenery. The bus got crowded very quickly and there was barely enough standing room for people. Since we were the first on, we got great seats. The cost to get to the village was less than $1. Buses here are awesomely cheap.
We arrived in the village where her brother's house is, and where she said we could stay for the first night. Little did I know, her brother passed away a year ago, and it was his widow and her children there. The alms giving ceremony we were attending is actually something that is done on the anniversary of someone's death date. It has been one year since her brother passed in a traffic accident. The home was less than nice, with the front being an (old?) storefront that sold foam mattresses and the back part was the house. There was a shoddy addition, and another one under construction. There were lots of women in the kitchen and they promptly made me tea and gave me some oil cakes and biscuits. My items were put in a room with one giant bed in it. Yamuna's mom spent the whole day in there just sitting and lying down and rocking back and forth. She speaks and everything but it didn't seem like she was 'present'.
I helped cut dough into strips for frying to make these spicy sort of chips. I was out in the back where there were even more women cooking over smoldering logs and fires with giant pots and bowls full of rice, onions, and other foods. They were preparing a meal for those who come to the ceremony, an estimated 100 people. The men were kind of hanging around, cutting coconut and creating decorations out of palm leaves. The women definitely had more work to do and were very busy. It was at this time I met two girls, Sashani and Madu. They are 11 and 23 respectively and are neighbors in the village. Together we picked flowers for an offering and they wanted to know about my family. I showed them the photo album I brought with me and they seemed to like it. They were nice.
By the time the ceremony started it was around 6 or 7 o'clock. The monk came and walked on special rugs and sat in a seat covered in a white cloth.He taught dhamma/darma: the teachings of Buddha. The room was full of people and they chanted together. He lectured, or taught and I just sat and observed. Unfortunately I couldn't understand what they were saying but it seemed important! Afterwards, the monk left and everyone had food and dessert before dispersing for the night.
I was taken to Madu's house (a 2 minute walk away) where I could shower and sleep. Her house is nice and has a beautiful garden. There were a lot of spiderwebs and bugs in the house and the bathroom was very dirty. It was not what I am used to at all. I went on my computer using her dad's rocket stick (mine wasn't working) and then washed up and got ready for bed. To my surprise Madu and I shared her double bed. While my sleep was good, the whole thing made me uncomfortable. In the morning I ate string hoppers (rice noodles and curry) prepared by her mom and washed up. I proceeded back to Yamuna's brother's place.
The second part of the ceremony began at lunch. Six monks came. Again, they walked on special rugs and their chairs were white. I then napped while they taught dhamma again, because I was tired and couldn't understand anyways. I was woken up and got to help feed the monks. I basically walked around with a dish and if they covered their plate with their hand it meant 'no' and if they smiled and looked at me (maybe to be polite?) it meant 'yes'. I went around with two dishes. It was kind of cool and the monks seemed pleased and interested in my involvement. I then offered them gifts, by placing a bag of clothes, pillowcases, food packets, and soap (etc) in front of one man. Each man got a bag. People knelt and bowed down before the monks and they were blessed by them. Then they proceeded to the cars waiting to drive them home.
Earlier in the day I went to a temple with Yamuna and bowed before a female monk and she blessed me. The prayer apparently is something like "May you live a happy life and be protected". Why not? This was on the way back from dropping a meal off for a home of disabled women. One woman used sign language and I thanked her for a picture we got together. She was so sweet and seemed really happy that I knew one sign. Other women had physical and mental disabilities, although they weren't disclosed to me. The home was in the middle of nowhere down a winding road... that turned into no road. It seemed like a place that was trying not to be found. It was a little creepy that way.
Anyways, when I woke up at Madu's house I was covered in little red bumps.. Kind of like little burn marks or mini-chicken pox. Until late morning they didn't itch, but all of a sudden they were killer! They are up my left arm, and on my right elbow. My left foot and left pinky finger is also covered with bumps. When I scratched it just turned into a big red mess and now it looks like I have a skin disease. And it's still horribly itchy... I was close to a breakdown tonight because my whole body itches.
After lunch with the monks at Yamuna's brother's house we drove to Yamuna's actual house. It is in a very small village and is absolutely beautiful. It is near a little lake, rice paddies, and there are cows roaming in near by lots. In her lot alone, she has so many fruit trees! Papaya, banana, mango, tamarind, avocado, lemon, rose apple, cashew, pomegranite, coconut, and probably more that I'm forgetting! It's unbelievable! Her house is nice and has modern amenities. I get my own room with a queen sized bed and get this... I get to sleep alone!
We went for a walk around the community and visited with some neighbors. I was wearing the saree my Uncle Jim and Carole got me for a grad gift and I got so many compliments on it! Many people appeared jealous and lots were touching it and looking me up and down. Yamuna actually has a wedding to go to and wants to borrow it because it is 'so beautiful'. She helped to pin the saree at the shoulder for me and get it all set up. I felt like a princess and it felt right to be walking down a dirt road, surrounded by fruit trees, a palm tree forest, and old men on bicycles in a saree. It seemed traditional and I liked that. I like the peace and calm that exists here. There were wayyyy too many people at the ceremony earlier, so this was a nice change of pace.
We passed two cows (one of which I took a picture with) and saw some rice paddies. We met a young girl who loves to meet the foreigners that Yamuna brings to the village. The family invited us in for tea. I had just had tea and was hot so politely declined. They offered me pineapple instead, which I gladly took. I ate almost the whole thing! The little girl had fun taking pictures of me with my camera and I ended up getting a picture with her and her brother. They were adorable. I don't know their names though.
Since having the pineapple I have gotten more itchy bumps. Yamuna and everyone seem to think it is an allergy to pineapple (which would be so unfortunate) but I've eaten it the whole time, so I'm not entirely convinced. My whole body itches and it's killing me. They said I can see a doctor to test and see if it's an allergy. The bumps come in clumps (the newest one on my left-lower back). And that rhymes! I also have them on my face. Maybe I should face the music and accept it could be an allergy. I have had a lot of pineapple the past 2 days.. Like, at least two whole fruits! We'll see.
We went home and I am now borrowing her nephew's (?) dongle, or rocket stick. I got to skype with my parents and update the blog. It's been nice. Unfortunately the pictures are having problems uploading, so I'll add them later. Tomorrow we plan to go to the temple around 8:30 and see the kids at Sunday School. Afterwards, we will come home for lunch and then leave for Moratuwa again. Hopefully the ride back will be faster and Yamuna said we can get an a/c bus. That might be nice, although more expensive. I guess we will play it by ear... depending on the weather...
Now I am going to go to bed. I hope that tonight I do not get more bumps if they are from mosquitoes and I hope to have a good sleep. Please pray that these itchy bumps go away! It's unbelievably itchy and I'm struggling with it! Again, I will upload pictures soon and update again pronto! Thanks!
ADDITION: I went to one of the neighbor's houses where a little girl was. She is super cute. Her family runs a coconut business (or at least their house is on the same lot as one). I've never seen so many coconuts in my life! They invited us in for tea and I declined. I had just had tea and was really hot. So in stead they served me a pineapple. It was so delicious. They also gave me some curd (I left at Yamuna's place), an orange, and a peacock feather! That was pretty cool.
Today we went to the temple and saw the head monk. I bowed to him and he blessed me. I got to visit with the kids who were there to learn about dhamma. They were all ages and seemed excited to see me. We all stood in one room and I talked about myself very briefly and they asked me some questions. Yamuna translated for me and then we sang songs. They sang a school song and their national anthem... Then I did a solo of Oh Canada, which was terrifying, but I surprised myself at how well I did. We left a gift for the monk and played with the kids before leaving.
We bussed to Colombo and then to Moratuwa, where I saw a doctor and got medicine for my itchy bug bites. Turns out it's from ants and now I have tons of meds to help me. :) I got some cream, antihistamines, pain pills, and some other mysterious tablets I don't think I will take. I am looking forward to a (hopefully) peaceful sleep with this sleep time antihistamines. Fingers crossed!
I just got done Skyping with my mom and dad which was nice and now I am trying to get a hold of Max. Proving to be difficult... I am now winding down for the night an ready to begin my third week of work here at Sarvodaya. Looking like a regular week with a trip into Colombo to renew my tourist visa. Keep you posted!
I was invited to Yamuna's house this weekend. She is a matron at the hostel and helped me out when I first arrived... she is really sweet. So we left on Friday at around 10:45 for Colombo. We took an A/C bus (luxury!) and once we got there, had lunch and took a non-a/c bus the rest of the way to her village. She said it would take about 2 hours... It was more like 3-4. Luckily I had a window seat so I had the breeze in my face and could look at the scenery. The bus got crowded very quickly and there was barely enough standing room for people. Since we were the first on, we got great seats. The cost to get to the village was less than $1. Buses here are awesomely cheap.
We arrived in the village where her brother's house is, and where she said we could stay for the first night. Little did I know, her brother passed away a year ago, and it was his widow and her children there. The alms giving ceremony we were attending is actually something that is done on the anniversary of someone's death date. It has been one year since her brother passed in a traffic accident. The home was less than nice, with the front being an (old?) storefront that sold foam mattresses and the back part was the house. There was a shoddy addition, and another one under construction. There were lots of women in the kitchen and they promptly made me tea and gave me some oil cakes and biscuits. My items were put in a room with one giant bed in it. Yamuna's mom spent the whole day in there just sitting and lying down and rocking back and forth. She speaks and everything but it didn't seem like she was 'present'.
I helped cut dough into strips for frying to make these spicy sort of chips. I was out in the back where there were even more women cooking over smoldering logs and fires with giant pots and bowls full of rice, onions, and other foods. They were preparing a meal for those who come to the ceremony, an estimated 100 people. The men were kind of hanging around, cutting coconut and creating decorations out of palm leaves. The women definitely had more work to do and were very busy. It was at this time I met two girls, Sashani and Madu. They are 11 and 23 respectively and are neighbors in the village. Together we picked flowers for an offering and they wanted to know about my family. I showed them the photo album I brought with me and they seemed to like it. They were nice.
By the time the ceremony started it was around 6 or 7 o'clock. The monk came and walked on special rugs and sat in a seat covered in a white cloth.He taught dhamma/darma: the teachings of Buddha. The room was full of people and they chanted together. He lectured, or taught and I just sat and observed. Unfortunately I couldn't understand what they were saying but it seemed important! Afterwards, the monk left and everyone had food and dessert before dispersing for the night.
I was taken to Madu's house (a 2 minute walk away) where I could shower and sleep. Her house is nice and has a beautiful garden. There were a lot of spiderwebs and bugs in the house and the bathroom was very dirty. It was not what I am used to at all. I went on my computer using her dad's rocket stick (mine wasn't working) and then washed up and got ready for bed. To my surprise Madu and I shared her double bed. While my sleep was good, the whole thing made me uncomfortable. In the morning I ate string hoppers (rice noodles and curry) prepared by her mom and washed up. I proceeded back to Yamuna's brother's place.
The second part of the ceremony began at lunch. Six monks came. Again, they walked on special rugs and their chairs were white. I then napped while they taught dhamma again, because I was tired and couldn't understand anyways. I was woken up and got to help feed the monks. I basically walked around with a dish and if they covered their plate with their hand it meant 'no' and if they smiled and looked at me (maybe to be polite?) it meant 'yes'. I went around with two dishes. It was kind of cool and the monks seemed pleased and interested in my involvement. I then offered them gifts, by placing a bag of clothes, pillowcases, food packets, and soap (etc) in front of one man. Each man got a bag. People knelt and bowed down before the monks and they were blessed by them. Then they proceeded to the cars waiting to drive them home.
Earlier in the day I went to a temple with Yamuna and bowed before a female monk and she blessed me. The prayer apparently is something like "May you live a happy life and be protected". Why not? This was on the way back from dropping a meal off for a home of disabled women. One woman used sign language and I thanked her for a picture we got together. She was so sweet and seemed really happy that I knew one sign. Other women had physical and mental disabilities, although they weren't disclosed to me. The home was in the middle of nowhere down a winding road... that turned into no road. It seemed like a place that was trying not to be found. It was a little creepy that way.
Anyways, when I woke up at Madu's house I was covered in little red bumps.. Kind of like little burn marks or mini-chicken pox. Until late morning they didn't itch, but all of a sudden they were killer! They are up my left arm, and on my right elbow. My left foot and left pinky finger is also covered with bumps. When I scratched it just turned into a big red mess and now it looks like I have a skin disease. And it's still horribly itchy... I was close to a breakdown tonight because my whole body itches.
After lunch with the monks at Yamuna's brother's house we drove to Yamuna's actual house. It is in a very small village and is absolutely beautiful. It is near a little lake, rice paddies, and there are cows roaming in near by lots. In her lot alone, she has so many fruit trees! Papaya, banana, mango, tamarind, avocado, lemon, rose apple, cashew, pomegranite, coconut, and probably more that I'm forgetting! It's unbelievable! Her house is nice and has modern amenities. I get my own room with a queen sized bed and get this... I get to sleep alone!
We went for a walk around the community and visited with some neighbors. I was wearing the saree my Uncle Jim and Carole got me for a grad gift and I got so many compliments on it! Many people appeared jealous and lots were touching it and looking me up and down. Yamuna actually has a wedding to go to and wants to borrow it because it is 'so beautiful'. She helped to pin the saree at the shoulder for me and get it all set up. I felt like a princess and it felt right to be walking down a dirt road, surrounded by fruit trees, a palm tree forest, and old men on bicycles in a saree. It seemed traditional and I liked that. I like the peace and calm that exists here. There were wayyyy too many people at the ceremony earlier, so this was a nice change of pace.
We passed two cows (one of which I took a picture with) and saw some rice paddies. We met a young girl who loves to meet the foreigners that Yamuna brings to the village. The family invited us in for tea. I had just had tea and was hot so politely declined. They offered me pineapple instead, which I gladly took. I ate almost the whole thing! The little girl had fun taking pictures of me with my camera and I ended up getting a picture with her and her brother. They were adorable. I don't know their names though.
Since having the pineapple I have gotten more itchy bumps. Yamuna and everyone seem to think it is an allergy to pineapple (which would be so unfortunate) but I've eaten it the whole time, so I'm not entirely convinced. My whole body itches and it's killing me. They said I can see a doctor to test and see if it's an allergy. The bumps come in clumps (the newest one on my left-lower back). And that rhymes! I also have them on my face. Maybe I should face the music and accept it could be an allergy. I have had a lot of pineapple the past 2 days.. Like, at least two whole fruits! We'll see.
We went home and I am now borrowing her nephew's (?) dongle, or rocket stick. I got to skype with my parents and update the blog. It's been nice. Unfortunately the pictures are having problems uploading, so I'll add them later. Tomorrow we plan to go to the temple around 8:30 and see the kids at Sunday School. Afterwards, we will come home for lunch and then leave for Moratuwa again. Hopefully the ride back will be faster and Yamuna said we can get an a/c bus. That might be nice, although more expensive. I guess we will play it by ear... depending on the weather...
Now I am going to go to bed. I hope that tonight I do not get more bumps if they are from mosquitoes and I hope to have a good sleep. Please pray that these itchy bumps go away! It's unbelievably itchy and I'm struggling with it! Again, I will upload pictures soon and update again pronto! Thanks!
ADDITION: I went to one of the neighbor's houses where a little girl was. She is super cute. Her family runs a coconut business (or at least their house is on the same lot as one). I've never seen so many coconuts in my life! They invited us in for tea and I declined. I had just had tea and was really hot. So in stead they served me a pineapple. It was so delicious. They also gave me some curd (I left at Yamuna's place), an orange, and a peacock feather! That was pretty cool.
Today we went to the temple and saw the head monk. I bowed to him and he blessed me. I got to visit with the kids who were there to learn about dhamma. They were all ages and seemed excited to see me. We all stood in one room and I talked about myself very briefly and they asked me some questions. Yamuna translated for me and then we sang songs. They sang a school song and their national anthem... Then I did a solo of Oh Canada, which was terrifying, but I surprised myself at how well I did. We left a gift for the monk and played with the kids before leaving.
We bussed to Colombo and then to Moratuwa, where I saw a doctor and got medicine for my itchy bug bites. Turns out it's from ants and now I have tons of meds to help me. :) I got some cream, antihistamines, pain pills, and some other mysterious tablets I don't think I will take. I am looking forward to a (hopefully) peaceful sleep with this sleep time antihistamines. Fingers crossed!
I just got done Skyping with my mom and dad which was nice and now I am trying to get a hold of Max. Proving to be difficult... I am now winding down for the night an ready to begin my third week of work here at Sarvodaya. Looking like a regular week with a trip into Colombo to renew my tourist visa. Keep you posted!
I loved this post and envisioned everything every step of the way! I bet those bumps are an allergic reaction to the mosquitoes because you have so many your body is overwhelmed. Don't you have some benedryl?? Certainly worth a shot. Can't hurt.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention how the people who had you in for tea/pineapple also gave you a gift of a peacock feather!! :)
mom
Glad to hear the saree is a hit. Can't beat "genuine" Indian fashionns....from St. Vital :-)
ReplyDeleteUJ