Hi everyone,
What a week this has been! It feels like we have been going non-stop since Monday. There is just so much to do, especially with all of the Christmas stuff! I know it must have been a stressful week because we have felt the need to visit the Fruit Shop a total of 5 TIMES. Terrible.
Anyway, last weekend was spent doing some Christmas shopping for each other. Trying to secretively buy presents for each other when we are all in one tiny shop is a tad tricky! And we took Naomi clothes shopping. I am terrible when it comes to clothes shopping here- I want to buy everything! Maybe I will keep wearing Indian clothes when I am home... We also discovered that one of the things we miss most about home is eating boiled veg! I never would have guessed it, but with almost everything being fried here, it is a refreshing taste to have grease-free, boiled potatoes and beans. It is strange, the things you miss. I am also looking forward to having fresh air to breathe. The pollution is pretty bad in the city and my lungs are starting to suffer a bit.
On Sunday we visited Sparky's and were greeted by the most amazing Christmas decorations you can imagine! They really go in for the over-the-top, tacky decorations here. There are so many Christmas events and productions, too. We have been invited to so many that we could spend every night of the week at one if we wanted to. On Monday we did go to a big open-air concert which made us feel very Christmasy. When we arrived, there was a company hading out leaflets on the door- it turned out to be advertising termite killer! Made us laugh. We did enjoy the concert, although it was a bit long. By the end I had stopped noticing if they were singing in Tamil or English. We also found our claim to fame, because the neighbour whose flat we borrowed after the fire was conducting the choir. We didn't realise quite how well known he is in the musical world!
Yesterday we had two Christmas parties. In the afternoon we had our work get together, with everyone's families, too. We carted our Christmas tree and decorations over to make the hall look a bit festive. There was some hilarious dancing going on and we had the joy of Byriani for lunch. Byriani is the Indian equivalent of a roast dinner, but I just can't see what is so special about it. I have certainly tasted better Indian food! I was a bit worried that we would be forced to eat it again that evening at our church Christmas party. Thankfully, though, we had the closest thing to a proper roast dinner that we are likely to get here. Sparky's were catering and we had mash and chicken and stuffing. It was so good! (I know, you are all thinking that I have finally lost it, telling you about my dinner. Trust me, it was good!)
Sabrina and Helen have had a bit or a rough week as they have both had a nasty stomach bug that had them in bed for a day. There was a lot of sick flying around in the flat! Nice. So far I have kept clear of it (the bug and the sick!), and hopefully it will stay that way. Naomi has been fine, too, other than the fact she realized that a lot of the children we are working with have a proper nit farm going on. As a result, she decided to try to buy a nit comb, armed with a piece of paper with 'nit comb' written in Tamil. It was hilarious watching her go into the shops and show the owners the paper, who immediately try to stifle their laughter. I said she should go up scratching her head furiously, just to add to the effect!
We have had some fun since Naomi has been here- it is nice to have some new company, as lovely as Sabrina and Helen are. We are forever teasing Sabrina about her 'poshness', being from Kent and all. The other night I told her that my house didn't have a fire place and she was shocked, informing me that she couldn't imagine a house without one. I also get my fair share of teasing in return, apparently for being too competitive and having bad table manners...
Enough rubbish- I should really tell you all about work. We have taken to walking to work to try to keep fit, seeing as we are no longer members of the gym (it was too expensive in the end). One of the roads we walk down is covered with big advertising posters (something Chennai is famous for) and I found it hilarious to see a group of goats munching on one straight off the wall. Wish I'd had a photo! We are also getting a lot more confident to venture out alone , which is something I really appreciate. Just walking to work on my own is a welcome break from always being in the company of other people.
Tamil classes are going well, although I do need to practice more. Last week I learnt how to say, "You have a big stomach." Could prove useful... We do spend quite a lot of time just chatting to our teacher rather than learning Tamil!
Balwadi has been going well this week. On Monday one of the kids came in with the most horrendously infected thumb I have seen- there was (what looked like) green mould growing all over it. We took him to get some antibiotics and sprayed it with antiseptic, and were glad to see it looking much more healthy and pink on Friday. We are going to try carrying some antiseptic spray with us to put on the little cuts and scratches we see, just to keep them from getting infected. We are doing musical instruments as our topic this month, so I thought I would bring in some household objects that we could use to make music (loo roll shaker, coconut shell clacker, etc.) When I got out my glass bottle and blew over it, for the first time in history, there was silence in Balwadi! Their eyes went so huge and they just stared in amazement. It was hilarious! They then all had to try to do the same, with little success.
Jacob's Well is also keeping us busy. I am getting to know Deevia (the new girl) a bit better now. She knows more Englsih than we thought, but is just so lacking in confidence. I did have one atrocious English lesson this week because my class was split into two warring factions. Whenever I asked one of the girls of one group "What is her name?" (pointing to a girl in the other group) she would refuse to say the name of whoever it was I was pointing to. Made the lessons a bit difficult and I let them know I was not happy about it. The next lesson was much better, though. I guess like most girls they spend all day, everyday together and are often having their disagreemets. We were also talking to them about getting married this week. They all think that we will be old ladies when we marry if we wait for 5 or 6 years! They marry so young. We had fun making various Christmas crafts, with a lot of glitter flying around and far too much cheek-pincing going on (a strange Indian sign of affection).
Fun Station is proving to be more and more exhausting! We get about 10 girls and 10 boys now, but they can be so hyperactive. We did a proper dressing up and acting out Nativity with them which was great, tea towels and all. The wise men brought a pack of eclairs, baby Jesus was a teddy, the kings were wearing our curtains and cuddly Tigger was our sheep! I think we enjoyed it as such as they did. We also went on to look at why Jesus came (to save us) and I did the classic four points with them. We asked them to share stories of when they had been saved / saved someone else, expecting some funny tales. One boy shared about how his mother had had an evil spirit and a priest had cast it out of her. Another boy said that his Dad had tried to kill himself one night by pouring kerosene over himself and lighting it. This particular boy woke up before he had lit it, though, and woke his Mum up, who saved her husband. Playing games and having fun with these kids, it is easy to forget what difficult backgrounds they come from. In many ways they have had to grow up so quickly. The young girl who is usually looking after her younger siblings has been able to come more often and I am getting to know her quite well. Every time we walk past her house she comes out and walks with us for a bit. It is just so good to be able to spend time with them having fun and letting them be kids. We tried to teach them Little Donkey this week, and on Friday we made Christingles. They loved that!
On Thursday (Human Rights Day) we went to Vyasarpadi to participate in a rally that Oasis had organized. It was the first real event that Oasis have held in that community and it went pretty well. The work there is still scheduled to kick off in January, so please keep praying for that. The best part was that on the way there I got to travel by motorbike and for the first time practiced riding with both legs on one side (cos I was wearing a skirt). It is definitely one of the best modes of transport!
It is only one week until our Christmas holidays and I cannot wait! We are spending Christmas day in Chennai, probably with Becky and her family, but that evening are taking an overnight train to Ooty where we will spending 5 days with the Bangalore team. I really feel like I need the break! Being here really makes mes appreciate all the people who are working so hard around the world for God's Kingdom. We meet such amazing people who have given up everything, good careers, comfortable lives, prestige- all to work with some of the poorest people. And I know, particularly from those people who work for Oasis, that the work can be so difficult (living in England it is easy to have a rosy view of helping people and of them being so grateful and accepting) and unrewarding and plain exhausting. But they keep going! Try to take some time to pray for the missionaries you know this week. I enjoyed reading the updates from Mali and South Africa in the Vision magazine!
So quickly, a few prayer requests:
- For our health, that Sabrina and Helen will continue to recover and Naomi and I will not catch this bug. Also that the pollution here will not bother my lungs.
- For a good rest over the Christmas break so we are refreshed and ready for work in January.
- For safety and a good time on our holiday to Ooty.
- For the Jacob's Well girls to have good relationships within the group and also for the new class to come together in time to start in January.
- For the health of the Balwadi children to improve and particularly for the little boy with the infected finger.
- For the kids at Fun Station- thank God for the increase in numbers and pray that we continue to see more kids attending and that discipline does not become a problem.
Have a great week everyone!
Kan x
Sabrina (who is going to Cambridge) "You know, apple is like a fruit."
Psalm 97:5
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.
1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
