A Series of Unexpected Events

A Series of Unexpected Events

After waking up at a reasonable time, we were treated to Lal's amazing coffee. After that, we packed into the bus and headed up to St. Peter's Higher Secondary School. When we got there, the class started off with a debate about the effects of media. Some subjects that came up were celebrity idolization and exposure to violence in movies, TV, and advertising.

The next activity was a discussion about three videos. The first video they showed us was about a motivational speaker, a man with no arms or legs, who was still able to accomplish anything he wished. It was a wonderful inspirational video. Some students went up to the front and shared their inspiration after seeing this video. The next one, a video of the 9/11 attack was a big shock to us, and we were totally unprepared for a response. Mark and Jennifer, despite the initial shock, talked about the impact of the attack on the United States and how it changed us. They also explained that it was a very touchy subject for us. The third one, chosen by us, was a section of Barack Obama's acceptance speech after the election in which he talks about some of the issues facing our country. The students that responded all thought positively of President Obama. It's weird to think that there are people on the other side of the world who follow American issues and politics. They even brought up his reaction to hurricane Sandy, something many students in the United States wouldn't know. The biggest lesson from this visit was that we should pay more attention to issues outside of the United States and learn more about the world around us.

Our final activity at the school was a game called password. The goal of the game is to get someone to say a certain word only by describing it. For the game, we used words that were given to us at our last visit. These were words that the students were studying in English class. It gave the students a chance to practice their English while also enjoying their time with us.

Our game of password.

After heading back to the house for homework time and lunch, the girls went down to try on their saris at the sewing center. Despite a few mix-ups, all the girls were satisfied with their new attire.

With the whole group back at the house, we walked down to the garden in front of the clinic where a plaque had been set in honor of Susie Keeton, who had passed away last year. She was a key pillar to Bridges to India and Hope Charities. We held a small ceremony in her honor, and a few people spoke about the impact she had in their lives and some favorite memories with her. It was a simple and beautiful ceremony, and she is greatly missed.

Our next destination was St. Mary's Metropolitan Church in Changanacherry. It was built over 150 years ago, and it still looks brand new. Inside was a huge, breathtaking altar depicting Jesus on the cross. One man there was nice enough to show us around.

The next activity was shopping. We mostly bought large pants, pillowcases, scarves, and other cloth-related products. In the middle of the shopping center, a pipe burst and started spewing water into the air and onto the pathway. Luckily someone was able to plug up the hole before it caused too many problems. We were all very happy with the gifts we had bought.

After dark, we headed off to the Parrinel Hindu temple. It was very festively lit up and was playing loud music. Walking in, there were three elephants chained to the floor wearing well-decorated headdresses and enjoying a nice meal of leaves and other various greens.

The Hindu Temple

Earlier in the day, we were invited to a badminton club. There, we were beaten by other teenagers who were well-practiced in the sport. After a few matches, we were treated to some cold drinks. After that, we were on our way.

Nathan showing off his skills.

Our last stop was the grocery store. Everyone was running low on snacks, and we wanted to stock up. We headed back to the house for dinner and our final meeting with Karl and Jennifer. They are returning home today, and we'll miss them in the coming week.

XOXO,
Sean and Maya