I have arrived at last: exhausted, but all in one piece. I flew into the city of Madurai and got picked up by Kandasamy, the farmer whose house I am staying at. I was feeling awake enough yesterday to visit the most famous temple in Madurai before we made our way to the village. The Sri Meenakshi Temple is also one of the most famous temples in all of India. The basic temple structure has been around some 2,000 years, though the structure seen today was constructed a mere 600 years ago. (This country sure has a long history!) The temple rooms were carved out of one piece of stone, one of which contains 100 colums picturing dieties and other figures- a truely incredible sight. The temple complex features 12 towers with an impossible number of carved and colorfully painted figures covering them.
I am living in a small town of 600 people in a house with 4-5 others. Kandasamy, his wife, Jeyanthi, his daughter, Sankari, Auntie Suganthie and possibly his son who I haven't been introduced to yet. Auntie doesn't speak English and my host mother and host sister speak just a little. Kandasamy is the only one that is fluent, but gestures and expressions get you pretty far. So far my interactions with the family and with people around town have been very good, with one exception. On the bus ride from Madurai to the village I sat down next to a woman and her little 2 yr old son. He took one look at me and started crying. He was incosolable for about 10 minutes until his mother moved to another seat. White people are scary! The news was soon passed around the bus and everyone found this very humorous. I'm glad I can be a source of amusement, if nothing else! A very memorable bus ride indeed.
I took some pictures of the temple, but I will wait until another time to see if have the technical ability to post them. Sorry.
So far I haven't done any farm work (they let me sleep in this morning) but perhaps I'll help pick brinjal (eggplant) tomorrow.
I am living in a small town of 600 people in a house with 4-5 others. Kandasamy, his wife, Jeyanthi, his daughter, Sankari, Auntie Suganthie and possibly his son who I haven't been introduced to yet. Auntie doesn't speak English and my host mother and host sister speak just a little. Kandasamy is the only one that is fluent, but gestures and expressions get you pretty far. So far my interactions with the family and with people around town have been very good, with one exception. On the bus ride from Madurai to the village I sat down next to a woman and her little 2 yr old son. He took one look at me and started crying. He was incosolable for about 10 minutes until his mother moved to another seat. White people are scary! The news was soon passed around the bus and everyone found this very humorous. I'm glad I can be a source of amusement, if nothing else! A very memorable bus ride indeed.
I took some pictures of the temple, but I will wait until another time to see if have the technical ability to post them. Sorry.
So far I haven't done any farm work (they let me sleep in this morning) but perhaps I'll help pick brinjal (eggplant) tomorrow.
2 comments:
hey scary white woman! we´re on 2 separate corners of the earth now....I still love you a lot a lot a lot...Congrats on finally arriving!!!
E
YAY!!! you're alive! you're alive!!! can't wait for the first pics.....
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