The Kitchen

Kitchens are always exciting places, the hub of activity that makes us all happy, and that is no different at Rising Star Outreach.  Our kitchen is temporary, as we are awaiting the building of our new dining area and kitchen.  This will be a separate building from the hostels.  At present the kitchen is rather primitive, by our standards, but very adequate to produce some wonderful meals.

You may remember from a previous entry that one disadvantage to where we live is that we are right across the hall from the door into the kitchen.  It is continuously visited by many people, big and small, and is therefore a very busy, happy, loud place!  The kitchen is presided over by our head cook, Padmini, and her husband Govendaraj.  They live here with their two children, who are both in the school.  There are many helpers in the kitchen, including Vijaya and Magesh, two beautiful women who sit on the floor and do all the chopping of the vegetables. Vegetables are a big part of every dish.  The protein often comes from the lentils, so many of our dishes are vegetarian.  Chicken is included twice a week, eggs, three times a week, and fish, twice a week.  The children get milk twice a day, and in the morning it includes protein powder. The after school snack is milk and lentils or fruit. Their diet is really very good, although by our calculation they probably get too much white rice, which is pretty much empty calories. Everyone loves the rice!

Some of our favorite Indian dishes that they prepare here are Dahl, Biryani (vegetarian, or with chicken or egg), Masala (with chicken or egg), Samba rice, Brindal sauce, and onion curd with yogurt, tomatoes, curdled milk, and something green (parsley?).  Idli, a rice pancake, is good for breakfast, and of course many good breads:  naan, parota, chipotte, and puri.  They also do a great side dish with beet root, as they call it.  The beets are chopped with onion and always many spices.  The curd dishes are served, I think, to soften the spice--Indian food is spicy!!  So many dishes are based in the curry sauce, with peppers and other hot ingredients added.  Even the children's food is spicy.  (Remember, all towns, foods, personal names and words in general, have many spellings, in case you think my spelling is bad--it is!!) 

In the morning, the children begin with their milk (it's always boiled), then a bit later they get their Samba rice, or some noodle dish.  They carry big pots to their rooms (six girls rooms and six boys rooms) and eat sitting in a circle on the floor.  Every meal begins with Hindu and Christian prayers, and songs.  All eating is done with the fingers--right hand only.  When finished, they bring all the pots and dishes back to the kitchen area, washing their own plates and returning them to their rooms.  At lunch time, taking food to their rooms is repeated.  The staff are served on the floor in one of the downstairs rooms:  teachers join in this meal, as well as cooks, cleaning ladies, gardeners, after the teachers and office staff.  Their meal has more variety than the children's  food--we often take our dish and receive a plateful from someone in the circle who is doing the serving.  Today's lunch will be a vegetable dish, with cauliflower being the main ingredient--it's delicious if you can tolerate the heat!  For dinner, the children sit in big circles out on the front area--part green, part dirt.  The pots of food are placed in the center on the ground, and the children are served by the older girls or boys, or by the housemothers.  The staff eat much later, also outside (all this is of course contingent on the rain.)

Everything smells so good, and to watch these beautiful women in their saris, with the flowers in their hair, working so hard, just adds to the anticipation of a great meal.  The children are thriving with this wonderful food, and so are we!

India Independence Day. August 15, 2008

Independence 

Day 

Celebration and

Honoring Amy

Antonelli

What an exciting day for the people of India, and all the children and staff here at our little community.  It has been 61 years since India regained her Independence, and by our assessment started a giant (perhaps impossible) task of putting her many diverse peoples and cultures together under one government.  One language was impossible, except by naming English the official language, and dealing with the problem that most of the lower classes of people speak very little, if any English. 

Our children and teachers worked all week on a wonderful program of song, marching, dance and speeches in both Tamil and English.  The children, of course, loved it, and so did all of us watching.  I was so glad the volunteers were still here to make such a wonderful audience.  The town of Chennai was filled with flags and vendors in the street trying to sell car flags and stickers every time the traffic stopped.  I kept holding up all our purchases, but it didn't stop the sellers (mostly children risking life and limb) knocking on the windows trying to sell us more.

Indians are very proud of their country--there is so much that is good and beautiful.  It seems sad to me that the systems in government and business are often run with money under the table and a perpetual skimming off the top.  The infrastructure of the country leaves much to be desired: the schools, medical care, waste management and transportation are difficult, at best, and that means the people suffer.  There are so many who are poor and destitute. Driving the streets of Chennai is hard.  The people in the little villages around us look to have a better life than those in the cities.

We celebrated again on Saturday.  We had some of the members of the Rising Star Outreach India Board with us, as well as members of the School Committee (comparable to our school Boards--required by law.)  Samuel Ambrose has been the Chairman of the Board, and his term was completed.  He was honored as the outgoing chairman--he has done so much to help us stay on track these past three or four years.  It was Amy Antonelli's last day, and she too was honored.  She has been so tremendous these past four years.  We can't imagine going forward without her.  Four of the children spoke about their love for her and what they would miss most in her absence.  It was very dear and made us all quite teary.  Parts of the Friday program were repeated for our guests, much to the delight of the children, and then we served a nice lunch to all on the rooftop.  The meetings were completed, and at the conclusion we were exhausted!

A Morning on the Rooftop

The rooftop of the Girl's Hostel is a heavenly place.  It is off limits to the children (they're all at school at the moment anyway) but there is a nice awning with tables and chairs.  The volunteers eat up here every evening and have all their planning sessions, scripture reading, and other activities here.  The breeze is nice, and the view is nothing but mango and coconut trees, and this morning blue skies with clouds.  It is truly beautiful.  The property owned by Rising Star Outreach is one grove of trees after another--15 acres.  They are mature and during their season grace us with wonderful fruit.  There are some fields planted, as well, with sesame and some nameless plant that flowers and is planted like cucumbers with it's own mound and water well for each plant.  There are many other species of plants, none of which I'm familiar with.  The birds are plentiful, with Kingfishers, small parrots, and a host of others, some identified, some not.  We have time for all that later.

We had a little girl (Manimegalai--age 8) fall from a tree last night and break her arm.  They took her to the hospital in Changleput where she spent the night (with dear Amy by her side for the night) and she was to be operated on this morning.  A driver went to get her parents from the Colony where they live, and Dr. Karl Kirby and Amy are with them, also.  It's a government hospital and a bit scary.  We haven't heard anything yet.

All the women who work here are always dressed in their beautiful saris.  Many of the girls who are here (volunteers and staff) also wear them on Sundays.  I have not been so brave yet.  It requires at least two house mothers to dress those of us who have not worn them every day for most of our lives.  I think it is perfect that these women whose lives are so hard, and who have very little by worldly standards, choose to clothe themselves in such a lovely way.  The wage for most of these people is just over $2.00 US (100 rupees) per day, but they all look better than most of the rest of us (I'm speaking for myself.)  Something to think about.

Thank you for those who have posted comments.  Lets me know that someone is out there reading this.  Sorry for the long space between reports--it's not easy to get out on the internet here on the property.  We are still alive and well, and getting a better rhythm to our activities. 

Tamil--the language of Tamil Nadu

Neither of us have ever been great linguists--the best I can do after many years of being around Spanish-speaking people is make sure the proper beds get changed, the sheets washed, and the roses get fertilized, so I haven't had a lot of hope of learning Tamil.  Not only is the written alphabet (some 260 characters) completely unrecognizable, but the names are long, and the sounds are all v's, t's, k's, g's, and s's and combinations thereof.  To our ears it all sounds like that look that comes up on your attachments when it doesn't open properly--;sdlkfalsdfjSFskjfasfjasf--you know!  

Anyway, we're determined to give it a try as we know it will enrich our experience if we can converse a bit in the native language.  We have a tutor for this project:  his name is Deepan raj, and he is 12 years old.  Ron got a program in Tamil before we left home, so every evening we put on the program and Deepan raj comes to help enunciate and help us with breaking the words into syllables in sounds we can understand.  He is so darling, and so patient--I'm sure he can't believe how slow people can be.  His English is quite good--his accent is so easily understood as compared to most of the adults who speak English.  Anyway, last night he also brought his older brother, Modan raj, to be a part of it.  They both love the computer, and look forward to the day when our computer lab will be a real part of the school.  Thanks to Melissa Mitchell and others, that day is getting closer.  Don't hold your breath, however, until Ron and Joyce spout forth in Tamil--it won't be soon.

Yesterday was Parent's Day.  The first Saturday of every month the parents of the students that are able to travel, start arriving around 9:30 with picnics, gifts, and all the brothers and sisters, to visit their children.  Our children were all dressed so beautifully.  The boys had sharp-looking shirts, and the girls the prettiest, most colorful dresses I have seen.  They were dressed and ready before 7:00 a.m.  The families set up with mats and blankets under the mango trees and hug and love the children, as well as feeding them all their favorite treats.  The girls get flowers for their hair, and the mothers or grandmothers, aunts or dads, comb and brush their hair and add the flower leis.  They look so beautiful.  Thank goodness for 14 acres, as there are a lot of people that come and they are playing ball and games all over the place!  At the end of the day everyone is tired, some are very, very sad, (the little ones, especially) but they know it will all take place again in another month.  

Rush Slowly!

The title for todays blog is such a perfect picture of India--think about it!  Ron saw/heard it somewhere yesterday and it was his favorite quote of the day, and it has become mine too.  We could describe many things that have occurred in the past couple of days that illustrate, but I will mention only a couple.  

We have only three major problems on the Rising Star Campus: Power, Water, and Sewer. Now you might think these three entities are fairly crucial to survival, but we've discovered that life goes on even when all are not functioning as part of the scene at once.  On Tuesday, however, we had an incident when all three were cut off at once.  We have been digging large trenches all around  the hostels and leading to the school to lay the fiber optic lines to get our computer lab up and running and provide us all with connection to the outer world.  The backhoe (much to the joy of the children) operates at all hours of day and night (Amy chased them away at 11:00 p.m. the other night).  The trench from the school to the hostel runs parallel with the path leading to the school and, unfortunately all power and water lines ran along that same path.  The water line was broken in at least 5 places (my questions was why they didn't notice they were pulling up broken pipe with each scoop--it is very bright blue??), and the power line was ripped up about the same.  Now the sewer line was destroyed nearer the girls hostel, which wiped out their bathroom.  So, the children and part of the boys hostel had no water or power, and the girls hostel had no power nor sewer although water was still available, but could not be used.

We watched the "Rush Slowly" mantra go into action.  There were several men standing around conferring and scratching heads, while the volunteers grabbed shovels and went to work digging out the broken sewer (that was definitely the most critical problem to them.)  The men patched, pieced and created ways to get things temporarily working again, completing the job   (it took two days) by plugging the end of the broken water line with carefully crafted sticks.  It wasn't pretty, but by evening of the second day all systems were go again, and the girls especially were so grateful to have a shower!!

This one from the United States--Ron's T Mobil phone that he spent hours setting up in the US was not functioning, so he emailed telling them the problem.  They replied that they would refund his money, if he would come in and return the phone.  He had explained that he was in India, and that would not be possible until December.  They emailed back wanting proof that he was in India:  Ron emailed back saying "we are the happy few in the middle of nowhere--what more do you need to know??"

As you work today, remember Rush Slowly.

Love, Joyce and Ron

Our Weekend

Today is Sunday--Ron, Amy, Erin and I have just had a wonderful buffet lunch at the Marriott Courtyard Chennai and are settled in the Executive Lounge answering and reading emails.  It's lightly raining outside and the clouds are heavy, ready to really let loose.  The rains are like nothing I have ever experienced--the heavens truly open.  We left the property about 7:30 this morning:  church starts at 9:30 and it is an arduous drive into town.  The new location for the church is in the basement of a big office building.  It is a very big improvement over where we were a year and a half ago when we attended our meetings.  There are eight Elders in the area, and a missionary couple who serve part time in Chennai, and part time at Pathways (the wonderful facility that Bill Sheffield has been connected with for some time.)  The Martinez's have given a lot to move that work forward, also.

The building was packed--well over 200 in attendance, and there were four confirmations. Every week there are baptisms and confirmations.  The Mission President and his wife were there and spoke, as well as the District President.  It was a lovely meeting:  lovely, gentle spirit. Gospel Doctrine and Relief Society and Priesthood were also very good.  There are quite a few Americans, but all the leadership is Indian.  Ron and I gave the opening and closing prayers.

From church we came to the Marriott, but we will be back at RSO in time for the Devotional that Amy Antonelli does with the volunteers each Sunday evening.  She is an amazing person--can't imagine her ever leaving here.

Yesterday was a great day--"home run day"  as Skipper from Laguna would put it.  We started early to do our final organization for our first monthly (weekly) "Beautiful India" day.  Garbage is a terrible problem everywhere, and no one seems to feel any responsibility for where things are left, dropped, and dumped.  It is not just the children that litter--all of India litters! Anyway, with the volunteers working with their families (a group of about 25 children), they set out to pick up every piece of trash they could find.  MANY black bags later, you wouldn't have recognized the place.  Later in the morning a big backhoe arrived to dig a large garbage pit for us.  We also separated out as much plastic as we could, and actually sold it for $12.00!  That was a windfall.  If we can get the cooks and cleaning people to start separating, they will share in the monies we can receive.  Everyone was proud of their efforts at the end of the morning.

It didn't last long, however.  In the afternoon 25-30 employees from the Marriott came for their monthly visit.  What excitement and what fun!!  They bring lots of food for the children, and they have a big picnic in the mango grove.  Those who come, serve the children their food and in addition to the food share a treat of a boxed fruit drink for each child--that is their favorite.  After the food, it was out to the playground area, where a wild game of cricket begins, along with musical chairs, dancing, balloons, and all kinds of fun and games.  The children love it--but so do the Marriott employees.  They fight to be on the list of who gets to come each month.  What a lovely gift to both the givers and those who receive. This morning, there were all kinds of remains of the day littering the grounds, so we will clean again next week.

Living in the Boy's Hostel

In the boy's hostel live approximately 75 beautiful Indian boys, 4 or 5 house mothers, all the male volunteers, the cooks, and a variety of others, including Ron and me and Gordon and Vicki Gibb (school principle and coordinator--here for one year on a leave from BYU.)  There may be others, but these are some that I know for sure are there.  The Gibbs and the Hansons are currently sharing a two bedroom apartment until the volunteers leave for the summer and the Gibbs can move back into their own housing.  It is indeed a wild and crazy place.  Our door is almost directly across from the kitchen, which is a hub of great activity.  Our bedroom window is just above where the boys start congregating about 5:30 am to wash their clothes, as well as their bodies.  It is a wild and happy time, often accompanied by singing in their very loud and off key voices.  No one ever speaks softly--the loudest of all are the women who can be heard from a long way off.  The activities in the kitchen also begin at about the same hour.  I never knew how many things can be accomplish if you regularly start your day at 5:30 am!! 

The windows in the front of our common room and the little kitchen both face on the pass way leading from the stairs from the boys area to the kitchen and the washing area.  The children quickly discovered where Joyce Auntie and Uncle lived and that they could slide the windows open from the outside--What fun to slide the windows open and with about 10 beautiful faces stand in the window calling "Auntie, Auntie!"  Sunday we finally drilled a hole through the two windows to put a pin holding the windows closed.  Sundays are especially hard because not many of the children are leaving the campus for church, and no school on Sunday.

It is very warm (hot is a better word for it) and our electrical power works sporadically.  There is a new generator, but it too seems to be a bit touchy.  It is also not connected in a way so that when the power goes off, the generator will automatically go on.  We have to go out and switch it on.  Sometimes that works, but in the middle of the night it's hard to go out and do that.  We have become very adept at doing many things with a small flashlight in the hand or the teeth. When the air goes off (that means the fans also), you learn to lie very still so as not to work up a sweat!

In spite of our very communal living condition, all is well when we leave our rooms to be greeted by the happy and energetic hugs, hand-holding, and genuine excitement that these children feel in their lives and share with those of us who are lucky enough to be here and experience pure love and joy.  With a good pair of earplugs, we will survive!