Greetings from Family Village Farm in Vellore, India.
Several words convey whole categories of impressions and stories for me:
Kaliedescope, Cacophony, Crowded, Lush, Congenial, Industrious, Optomism, Serene, to name my top eight.
The constant parade of colors and shapes and designs is overwhelming and never ending day and night. The only people wearing black seem to be Muslim women. They must be hotter than the other ladies. Posters and billboard signs appear on every vertical walls. This includes private walls in front of Upscale houses. No doubt the owner gets paid?
The sound level is huge from every possible source. The children in school use full volume when reading out loud. The emphasis is on LOUD. They are learning English in every school we have visited. It is amazing what 5 year olds can read and recite. The teachers in our group say their 5 year olds are not at this level yet. That is an informative comparison.
Traffic sounds are also loud and various. The book Geraldo gave us at the commissioning service states that "in India a driver is better off with no brakes than with no horn". We believe it now ( though we have not experienced no brakes). The horns are the communication path of the traffic flow. I have begun to recognize different patterns of toots tell other drivers what our next move will be and thanks after they coordinate moves with ours. This allows all vehicles to move faster on very crowded streets and highways.
Crowded yes. Trucks loaded to the hilt, public busses likewise (some look like no single person could be added). Plus cars, smaller trucks, smaller busses like ours, small motorcycles, and crowds of people on foot. Courtesy is everyplace in all of this.
Lush vegetation: Tropical plants which we grow in pots grow wild here and huge. Elephant Ears, for example, have been sighted with leaves over 4 feet long. Spotted gold dust plant is a 4 foot hedge along the driveway at the Retreat Center in Kerala. Banana palms are planted below coconut palms which grow very tall and provide the shade for good bananas. Everything is lush and green even in yards of very poor homes. However here in South East India, Vellore, this is less so because of low rainfall over 7 years now.
The last four words interconnect within the population as a whole.. The optomism is palpable everyplace in ways we do not feel in the US. From Posters, to the plans and dreams the students have for their lives it is very pervasive.
More impressions another day. For now know that we feel the support of your prayers and are sharing Plymouth love here for you.
Peace and Namaste,
Marguerite
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