Recent Memories

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This morning we went to a Republic Day celebration. Republic Day is a holiday for the writing of the constitution in 1950. The celebration was held at a massive field that is part of the government school compound. We had a wonderful time and sat on the front row of the honored guest box, along with the mayor and some military official. It is quite humorous, because a good bit of the locals think we are with National Geographic filming the documentary. It was quite odd to see all the respect we receive simply for our color and nationality. There are sixty year old wealthy men that we have to stop from touching our feet (a sign of respect and subordination). It is quite flattering, but we just treat all the people we meet with the upmost respect. Mark, Joseph and I wore our kurtas, which is a male Indian decorative outfit. Being for two weeks the “white man” stare had started to die down as locals got used to our presence, but it certainly was rekindled today with our traditional Indian apparel. Indians love to see us embrace their culture. At the beginning the politicians made some extensive speeches to the over six thousand in attendance. All the schools, both public and private, were represented at the celebration, and we enjoyed a variety of entertainment, from music to dance. We were amazed at some of the school children’s talent level. It was also nice to see the Rambo English School (the one we work with) children perform after we witness them practice the last two weeks. The celebration was filled with national pride chants and marches that were led by the national cadet corp, similar to our ROTC in the States. Republic day is a huge celebration and the loud speakers in Mungeli have been especially loud today, along with drumming and fireworks.
Last night, we had a going away party for Sam, Landa and Toni. All six of us received kurtas, which I briefly explained earlier. We all received a shade of brown and they drop down near our knees. We were some white pants with it that are extremely tight near the ankle and calf, but extremely loose around the gut. We have a draw string to tighten the waist. There were about sixty people in attendance at Dr. Henry’s house, and he split up the room to have a karaoke contest. It was all “good fun” as he puts it as our group pulled out a nail biter with a perfect performance of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. We edged out the nurses by two points. Anil has an awesome karaoke machine with both English and Hindi songs so everyone on the compound can play. After about a week in a half in Mungeli, it is great to see all the relationships we have built with the people in the community, mostly employees of the hospital or school. It was tough at first, with the language gap, but we have had a lot of help with some of the more affluent doctors, Rotash and Geo, and the school’s headmaster, Avinash. We ended up eating at 11pm, somewhat late for here, as we enjoyed some chicken mixed in with rice, chutney and dahl. Chutney is a tomato based sauce, and dahl is lentil-based (the root of most of our protein here). At these events we always eat with our hands, the traditional Indian way. Finally, we passed out some Snickerdoodle cookies (mom’s favorite) to everyone, which everyone enjoyed. We have received so much generosity from everyone that it feels great to give back in multiple ways.
Before the party, us Americans got spoiled again. Anil took us to a government zoo about an hour away near Bilaspur. Because it was the day before Republic Day the zoo was closed, but Anil got us an up close tour of all the animals with his connections. It was remarkable to be that close to lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! We also saw some wildcats, birds, deer, and monkeys. The tigers were white tigers and there power was magnificent. We heard the lions’ deep roars from fifty feet away, and that was a remarkable experience to say the least. At one point I step in front of one of the female lion’s cage, which was connected to her quarters, for a better picture. That was a bit frightening, because I got near her food during dinner. So she came running into this cage, jumped on the cage end about a foot and a half from me and gave out a large roar! It is great to witness these animal might and speed so close, but you can’t help but feel bad for their caged lives. I think the most fun moment was getting to touch a nine month old lion. It was not as little as I thought it would be for the age, so were a little hesitant to get our hand on him.
I have neglected to give accounts on a few key events that have happened in the past week, because we have been very busy so I will give a brief recap. I think Mark, Landa and Sam’s blogs might have touched on some of them though.
Cricket match: We teamed up with some of the adult male teachers and staff to play the older schoolchildren last week in a friendly cricket match. We learned so much about the game and really enjoyed playing it. We also learned how slow it is, which might be the reason it never picked up in America. Each team has twelve players, and if you are not one of the two batsmen on offense or the bowler (pitcher) our backstop (catcher) it can be quite boring. Hitting was fun, but I got out pretty quickly. On my third at bat, I swung and missed at a bowl, and stepped out of the crease momentarily and the backstop threw the ball at the wicket before I could return. I am sure a lot of that does not make sense, because the game is so foreign to us. Cricket is like 360 degree baseball with some odd rules.
Weddings: In the past week we have been to two weddings receptions (the weddings are more private). The receptions are for the community, and they really flaunt the bride’s family’s wealth. I feel so bad for the bride, because she is supposed to look sad. The tradition is the sadder the bride is the more she is going to miss her family. We all thought the first wedding was extravagant, but it was meager compared to the second one. The second one had Indian castle walls set up in a field. It had a dancer on ice blocks, women representing Hindu gods on platforms standing still all night, and a fragrance bar. At the wedding it is traditional to go greet and congratulate the bride and groom as the set on their throne in the middle of the stage. The grooms are extremely appreciative and honored to have Americans at their wedding, because they say it makes it more special. We tell them how honored we are to be invited. At the weddings we eat a lot of amazing food, with our hands of course. The food at weddings is a lot spicier than our cook, Kavita, makes us so we make a lot of stops at the refreshment bar (not alcohol). I also got to enjoy some cotton candy and vanilla ice cream as desert. The milk and ice cream is so delicious here, because of the purity of the cattle and their traditional processes. After we eat, we dance. At weddings, only the men dance, it was quite weird at first, but we embrace it the best we can. The DJ puts on a lot of beats, and the Indians go crazy watching us dance. I make it a point to get a picture with the traditional guards at the entrance of each wedding (check it out).
Kanha National Park: On Thursday night, Anil took our group to a lodge near the park. We ate dinner outside near a fire, and we just sat around and talked about our experiences thus far. At the lodge, Sam, Joseph and I shared a very wide bed that took up nearly the entire room. The next morning we got up before the sunrise, squeezed into open air jeeps, and headed through the park in search of animals. Kanha National Park is a wildlife refuge, famed for the Rudyard Kipling inspiration for “The Jungle Book.” It is also known for its high probability for tiger sightings, though we were not so fortunate. We will get another chance for the elusive tiger when the next group comes in mid-February. However, we did see a lot of deer, peacocks, and monkeys up close, and it was nice to see Indian that was not developed and covered in trash.
I love Republic Day, from our apartment; we hear American music, like Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera and some Sting songs. I think we are about to go search for it. We miss all of our loved ones back home and we appreciate all the letters yall sent with us. It has been fun to teach the English speaking Indians our Southern slang word like yall and wonder. I had Geo wake up Sam and Joseph the other day with, “Yall wake up now, we gotta head to the NASCAR race.” It was priceless.

Tiger Time

We are fixing to head to the zoo in Bilaspur where Anil knows the zookeeper, and we should get to play with a tiger cub, who is more like a toddler now. Hope he does not see me as a meal. Should be fun. We are making snickdoodle cookies for the sendoff party for Sam, Landa and Toni when we return.

Sam's Post

I look back on the past two weeks I’ve spent in India, and the quote that resounds in my ears is the one that is one our t-shirts: “Come and See”. We did exactly that: traveled halfway around the world to see something that we would not have seen otherwise. I walked into the trip expecting the overwhelming, “life-changing” adventure that so many had told me that it was going to be. However, there were no words or stories that could have prefaced me for such an eye-opening time.
I am in awe of Dr. Anil Henry, a man who wears many different hats in serving the roles in the Christian Hospital of Mungeli. He is a man with clear eyes and heart that takes care of all patients, while at the same time looking forward. His actions reflect a true love of all people that I greatly admire; there is not one action that he does in the hospital that is not for the betterment of a patient. He goes full throttle throughout the day. I begin to wonder if the man sleeps!
The staff is also quite the amazing crew that works for countless hours to keep the place running. The nurses have a dedication that patients can truly rely on. The remaining staff members constantly have a smile on their face, emitting a positivity that seems uncharacteristic in a setting usually reserved for sadness and worry. They welcome all that enter the campus of the hospital – patients, families, and even “pilgrims” such as ourselves!
As someone who has left college with an “Alright, now what do I do?” feeling of confusion, this place has given me a support that I need as I step forward. I may not know exactly how I am going to reach my goals in life, but I know that acting on G-d’s love by giving to those in need ALWAYS will always be integral in whatever I may accomplish. Dr. Henry, his staff, and the people that surround this truly special place have been a stark reminder of that, and I may never forget it. My only hope is to be able to express that extreme gratitude to others once I return and throughout my life.
May G-d’s love be with you and yours,
Sam B. Veal

Mark's Reflections

Mark’s Mungeli,

Today I hope to write a few things I have experienced after more than a week in India. From our arrival in India to today, our trip has been nothing but extraordinary and unpredictable. Our first 24 hours in India were started with a night spent in the Delhi airport and an aborted take-off trying to fly to Raipur. In Raipur we were repeatedly warned not to film as we waited an hour and a half for our ride/ambulance. Regardless, we made it to Mungeli intact and in good spirits. The last 24 hours has been extremely exhausting, yet rewarding. Yesterday, Saturday January 23rd, we spent the day helping out with a Maila or carnival type event at the school (Rambo Memorial School). It looked as if well over 1000 people attended the event, that was held to raise money for the school. Our group, Landa, Toni, Joseph, Sam, Andrew and I (Mark) were in charge of the games. We were already quite exhausted after going on a day and half excursion to Kanha, a National Park, which is known for its wild tigers. I was in charge of organizing all of the games and let me tell you it was a lot of work. Although we had been planning the games for several days, we arrived at the school around 10 in the morning and worked until 7 in the evening.

In total we had 8 carni-esque games, which were intended to be difficult, if not impossible. We had over 500 prizes for the winners of the games, but at two rupees to play, thousands of chances were had to win the games we created. Besides the games we sold snicker-doodle cookies and had a jar full of raisins, which contestants had to guess how many raisins were in the jar. The selling of snicker-doodles was Andrew’s idea, and our group moms, Landa and Toni baked them to perfection. The most difficult part of the preparation was crowd control. The kid’s in Mungeli have no idea of what a line is or what order looks like. Generally, students who come from more economically well-off families cut in line or get what they want first and always the bigger or older kid cuts in front of everyone else, especially among the boys. So, we created a system of lines, made by metal rhubarb and yellow rope. For the most part there was some semblance of order and fairness. In all, I think the Maila or carnival was a big success in terms of how much fun the kids had and how much money the school was able to raise.

After the carnival and clean-up was over, we came back to the hospital compound to retire for the night. However, the night is never over just like that in Mungeli. A few of the nurses from southern India were cooking up a storm, making dosa and masala. Once again we ate too much, but you just can’t help yourself when the food is so delicious. Finally, we made it back to our room and watched Die Hard IV with one of our Indian doctor friends, Geo who is from Karala, in south India.

Today we had a day full of activities planned, yet just like most days in India our plans didn’t come to fruition. Instead of meeting our town’s cricket team and visiting the zoo in Bilaspur, we attended an Indian Republic Day practice, went to see a church renovation in Bishrampur, and are planning to attend our second wedding tonight. Indian Republic Day commemorates the signing of India’s constitution on January 26th, 1950. At the Republic Day practice students were reviewing their various marches, drills, and skits. The church in Bishrampur is one of the oldest in all of northern India. Abrupt end.

Sorry for the short post, but we are actually going to make pizza tonight for our group so we need to walk into Mungeli to get more supplies. Love y’all back home and keep up the prayers, we’re always in need of those.

Peace, (Shanti)
~Mark

day to day life

Sorry there have not been more blog posts recently. We have been inhibited with power because the amount of American power strips we have blown recently. We have been focusing our last strip mostly on the camera equipment needed for the documentary. I want to write about day to day lifestyle we experience each day. On all days except Sunday we wake up for chapel at 7:30 AM. Next, we normally go on morning rounds, and then we come back for breakfast. The 7:30 chapel is a loose term, because punctuality is not valued here like it is in the States. So we normally start worship ten to twenty minutes late. So we have learned that it really takes an effort to be late to anything here. Chapel is a beautiful experience. We normally start it with prayer, then mix in some scripture reading and hymns. For the most part, the service is conducted in Hindi. It is an extraordinary feeling worshipping in a foreign language, especially during their beautiful singing. After chapel, we meet on the steps outside chapel to reading the morning patient reports with all the doctors and nurses. Following that, we head to the hospital to check on all the patients’ progress during morning rounds. For the most part, it is amazing to see the progress of all the patients each morning. Next, we go for breakfast that is prepared by our great Indian cook and maid, Kovita. Kovita really takes care of us, and I can conclude that these American have been spoiled relative to most of our Indian counterparts. She prepares us mild Indian food (so our mouths aren’t burning), cleans are rooms and washes are cloths. It’s hard to beat that at 500 rupies ($10 USD) a month. Breakfast usually consists of an array of fruit, oatmeal, toast, and more recently scrambled eggs, at our request. The fruit is a mix of familiar staples like apples, oranges, mangos, papayas, and bananas, and Indian specific fruits like bar (pronounced like bear) and guava(truly life changing). We are also spoiled with American toilets. Indian toilets are a hole in the floor, which requires a tough squatting position. Showers are interesting because of the lack of water heaters, but sponge baths are not tough to get used to. To shower, we have to fill up three gallon bucket and utilized immersion rods to heat up the water. This smart American learned the hard not to stick your hand in the water to check the heat of the water, it was a shocking experience to say the least. We mostly get around Mungeli by foot, but we have tried the Indian way by making motorcycles and bicycles family vehicles. It really slows down the 150cc motorcycle with two 200+ pound Americans weighing the vehicle down. It is really amazing to see a whole family of five Indians fit on a motorcycle to get around (quite a balancing act). It is also very romantic to see an Indian man transport his wife on a bicycle. Indian women do not straddle a bike when seating, rather they ride with both feet on one side.
I have so much more to get caught up on, but I must go. We are meeting a semiprofessional cricket team, and going to a zoo in Bilaspur (about an hour away) for lunch and to play with tiger cubs. I hear the get ferocious when they get bigger. Peace and I hope to write much more later when we get back today.

Carnival games

Need some help thinking of easy to make carnival games. We have to help host a carnival this Saturday at the school, and we have to set up easy to make and understand games. Please send any reliable ideas. We expect about nine hundred people.
Thanks

Playdough recipe

Landa wants a playdough recipe for the kids here. So if anyone has a trusted one they have used in school, please send it along.

Thoughts from Landa

Hi Y’all, What an amazing group of pilgrims this year! Rev. Toni Kemp serves as our chaplain and leads us in a time of reflection every day. Her thoughtful prodding helps us process the myriad of new experiences we enjoy every day. Her personality draws children to her like a magnet. Mahima, a 10 year old little girl even came by after school yesterday to visit. When I arrived late at the school after Toni had left, they all wanted to know where Grandmama went! The teachers also wanted to know how Kyle Packer is doing and if he came with us this year. They delighted in knowing that Kyle now attends Dartmouth Medical School.
Mark and Andrew Jensen have already achieved a following among all the children at the school and in town. Along with Sam and Joseph, they walked the streets of Mungeli yesterday (Monday) filming different scenes of life in the village. At one point, they stopped traffic in town because over 25 children had joined the parade! They also engaged in an awesome cricket match and are already hard at work at the school and getting ready for the livestream chapel service that we hope to send back to the states on February 17th. Sam and Joseph have a tremendous amount of focus and a passion for the documentary they’re filming. The parents of all these young gentlemen should be extremely proud of them. Their kindness, manners, wit, intelligence and ability to engage another culture with grace exemplify the very best of the families and faith communities which sent them.
Thank you all not only for your financial support of these pilgrims but also for the gifts you sent with them. The school supplies sent by both Terressa Ewing of New Hope Christian and Mary Kaye Veal of Sandersville First “hit the spot”. Union Christian sent life jackets for the children, and Andrew and Mark brought adult life jackets. Sandy Springs and Avon Lake UCC Church sent LCD projectors. Carol Evans of Decatur First and Barb Duren of Sandy Springs sent medical supplies from their medical offices. Ellen from Sutures, a non-profit which sends sutures throughout the world sent a whole box of different sized and strength with us. Dale Williamson sent a DVR for the security camera/monitoring system as well as two Linksys routers. Through Joseph Highsmith, Peachtree Christian sent a DVD player and multiple DVDS for the school. The new principal, Avinash Presad extends his great gratitude to all of you.
Another group of pilgrims will come in February. If any church or person would like to send a gift with the next group, Avinash, when we asked for specific ideas expressed that it would be wonderful to have some more DVDS, especially ones like The Jungle Book, Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, etc. to show to the children to help them learn English.
Also, the school would love to have any old software programs that you have that will run on Windows XP—like Jumpstart, e.g.
It’s time for breakfast, so I’d better go. We all are having a fabulous experience!
Blessings, y’all,
Landa

First Three Days Elaborated

Here is Joseph Highsmith(BL), Sam Veal(BR), Andrew(TL) and Mark Jensen(TR) in Raipur. I am still catching up on the blog since we have been so busy. Here is more from our first three days here.

The experience of India instantly initiates when you get off the plane in Raipur. When we were at the first airport in Delhi for five hours, we still had our American conveniences: KFC, Pizza Hut (I got a pepperoni pizza), internet, and safe drinking water. However, it wasn’t until we got to the airport in Raipur that we began to notice with all five senses the diverse cultures that are present in India. Our flight from Delhi was quite interesting. When we landed in the international terminal from Amsterdam, we had a five hour layover in Delhi before our flight to Raipur. But to get to the domestic terminal, we had to take a twenty minute bus ride with armed Indian soldiers to the other Indian of the airport. Originally, our flight was scheduled for 5:40, but due to some intense fog during this dry season, our departure was delayed until 6:30, or so we thought. We get on our Boeing 737 bound for Raipur, finally a plane that wasn’t over booked, or even half-booked. So Mark and I to full advantage and finally got to stretch out our 6’4” bodies. However, the hour and a half flight transitioned to approximately a three and half hour ordeal once we boarded. I have probably flown about twenty flights in my twenty three years, and I have never had an aborted takeoff. Fortunately, we were unharmed and after an hour back at the terminal for maintenance we were able to fly on to Raipur.

I like to call the first chapter of our time in India as “The Great Escape.” I’m sure that doesn’t sound reassuring to our loved ones back home, but the title appropriately describes what occurred during our first true hour in India. Our group exited the simple Raipur Airport with our twenty plus bags collectively to wait for Dr. Anil Henry to pick us up in the hospital ambulance. When he arrived, our film crew wanted to document our departure to Mungeli, but that only drew some uncomfortable attention from the twenty or so Indian men waiting in the parking lot. We quickly departed as some Indians came to the front doors of the ambulance asking for money.

The three hour ambulance ride from Raipur was interesting to say the least, but before we left Raipur we stopped to pick up some produce at the market and grab a bite to eat at a South Indian restaurant. The market was an eye opener to say the least. It was so expansive as about a hundred stands were set up that sold both familiar fruits and vegetables like cauliflower and mango, but was also filled with exotic fruits like guava and bar. Regardless of whether we knew these fruits before or after our trip to India, one thing is for certain: the produce here is way better than you can get at any supermarket in the states. The food, in general, contains a wholesome goodness that is rich in flavor and spice. We then went and ate at the South Indian restaurant. India is a mix of so many diverse cultures. Not only is there a variety of religions practiced, but there are fifty spoken languages that compliment Hindi. Apparently, each region of India has different cooking customs. At this particular restaurant, we ate dosa, masala, curds and other foods. Curds are used as a neutralizer to the spiciness that is so prevalent in Indian food (Watch out).

The ambulance ride was a crazy experience and something I never expected. I figured Indians, like Italians (the other country I have visited), would not respect the appearance of their car as much as Americans, but their driving and highway systems were completely shocking to this American. Basically Indians drive in an organized chaos manner, where the largest vehicle gets the right of way. So if you are on a rickshaw or bicycle, watch out! Also, the use of car horns is always present, even from the compound you can hear them blend with the Muslim loudspeaker messages. During the ambulance ride, our group even compared Anil driving the ambulance to car racing video games of our youth, and we thought how we could make a game called “Cruisin’ India”, where we progressed from traveled on India’s road from a simple three year old pedestrian to driving the infamous and massive Tata trucks. There were multiple times when I thought we were about to collide with other cars, but Anil would turn quickly. There are so many unfamiliar and different ways of doing things here in India, but their system works for them for the most part.

We arrived in Mungeli just before dark, got settled in, and headed to Dr. Henry’s house for dinner. We had a wonderful meal, and I realized that unlike American meals, if meat is present than it is to compliment the meal, rather than serve as the main entrée. After dinner we all participated in one of Anil’s favorite activities, karaoke. Sam mastered some Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, I tried my hand at some country, and Dr. Henry rocked some oldies but goodies. Anil lives with his wife Terry, his father and mother. Terry is a remarkable woman, an anesthesiologist, who serves as a doctor at the hospital, as well.

The next morning we went to chapel, morning rounds and then eventually to school. We had a great time at chapel, as we worshipped in both English and Hindi. It was overpowering, and at the end of the service we introduce ourselves to the congregation, mostly comprised of hospital staff. After our introductions, a few nurses presented us with a marigold necklace that resembled Hawaiian laihs. We also ate some mouth watering deserts. We then went on our first morning rounds. Though, the hospital and its equipment was primitive relative to American hospital standards, it was far nicer and modern than I expected. Anil has made so much continual progress not only to the hospital, but to the entire compound and school as he carries out his vision for the center to be a beacon for hope in the region.

More to Come Soon! Peace.

Three Days in India and so much to write about!

We have finally got quite acclimated to living in India. We have been in Mungeli for about three days now, and we just got back from a special Masala picnic at the Lake Kuria. We now have a good internet source at Dr. Anil's house so I should be able to have more frequent blogs. I will catch up with all the events we have done in the last three days soon. Right now I can only add one photo per blog, but there are more on my facebook page. I will work tomorrow to get more pictures and videos uploaded.
Peace

Writing from New Delhi

Just wanted to report to everyone that we are safe and at the Delhi airport, waiting for our last flight to Raipur. In recap, we began our trip with flights from Atlanta to Amsterdam to New Delhi to Raipur, and we will conclude our arrival with a two hour ambulance ride to the Christian Hospital. So our journey began at 4:30EST Wednesday January 13th and we should arrive in Mungeli around lunch time on Friday, January 15th. All six of our traveling crew are enjoying each others company as we get to know each other better and we look forward to our main objectives at the Christian Hospital and Rambo English School. We look forward to everyones feedback, and hopefully we will have some pictures and video uploaded in the next few days. 

People to People Pilgrimmage to India

This is my first blog, so please bear with me. I intend to use this blog as an opportunity to document our six week mission trip to India, where we will work at a Christian hopsital and Mungeli. We are also making a documentary with two recent graduates of the University of Georgia film school, Samuel Veal and Joseph Highsmith. Other members of our group include two Reverends, Landa Simmons and Toni Kemp. The final member of our group is my brother, Mark, who will create a live stream over the internet of a church service to connect congregation half a world away. We want this blog to be an interactive forum to all who visit this site, and we look forward to everyone's comments.