FRIDAY JUNE 17
The Chronicles of Nania
Today, because there was no work, we had no time constraints to wake up, unless you wanted to eat breakfast (for free* - an asterisk attached b/c while we didn't leave any money on the table after eating our 3 set meals a day, they were paid for out of what we paid for fees to go on the trip).
Friday was a special treat because in that we were going to see how Nan bread was made. I'd often eat two or three (or sometimes even four) pieces of the sweet tasting bread at whatever meal it was served to us. No real mystery, but it was confirmed that the sweetness of the Nan came from the sugar used to make the dough.
It seems that almost everything we ate had sugar added. Or rather, Indians add food to their sugar. Each morning at breakfast, we were served a glass of freshly squeezed juice - with sugar added. It's as if sugar is one the major food groups. To paraphrase a friend of mine, maybe the Indians believe that food is just an excuse to eat sugar.
That afternoon we boarded our Magical Mystery Bus for our last outing. We went to go see some sort of waterfalls. I think waterfalls are really attractive, natural wonders to see. Now, I wasn't expecting to see anything of the magnitude of Niagara Falls, but I definitely wasn't expecting to see what I did see.
The waterfall, whether natural or man made, was in some sort of park that required admission. Actually, to call it a waterfall is an insult to waterfalls everywhere, but for ease of reference, I'll call it a "waterfall". This waterfall was really just an outdoor shower area - yes, water was falling over a cliff edge of some kind, but I don't envision a bunch of Indian men, most in shorts and some in their traditional Indian skirts (which the white skirts become VERY transparent when they get wet) lathering up. Worst 2 rupees (approx. 5 cents U.S., yes a nickel) I ever spent.
The Last Supper
That night was the closing ceremonies and our final meal as a group, since two were leaving that night because they had really early flights the next day. There were speeches from Mr. John, the head of Habitat for Humanity Kanyakumari (the local affiliate) and we got to meet the homeowners, many of them who had never met any "white" people. Note, that Leo is Korean, Andrew is Chinese and Flore is Columbian, so I don't think that they'd be consider "white" by any stretch of the imagination. For the homeowners, it was good for them to see the people who were volunteering their time to help build their houses.
We were showered with gifts of appreciation - including certificates that had watermarks of the photos taken of us throughout the week - and some sort of ceremonial shawl. It was a nice way to close off the 2 weeks of work.
The Chronicles of Nania
Today, because there was no work, we had no time constraints to wake up, unless you wanted to eat breakfast (for free* - an asterisk attached b/c while we didn't leave any money on the table after eating our 3 set meals a day, they were paid for out of what we paid for fees to go on the trip).
Friday was a special treat because in that we were going to see how Nan bread was made. I'd often eat two or three (or sometimes even four) pieces of the sweet tasting bread at whatever meal it was served to us. No real mystery, but it was confirmed that the sweetness of the Nan came from the sugar used to make the dough.
It seems that almost everything we ate had sugar added. Or rather, Indians add food to their sugar. Each morning at breakfast, we were served a glass of freshly squeezed juice - with sugar added. It's as if sugar is one the major food groups. To paraphrase a friend of mine, maybe the Indians believe that food is just an excuse to eat sugar.
That afternoon we boarded our Magical Mystery Bus for our last outing. We went to go see some sort of waterfalls. I think waterfalls are really attractive, natural wonders to see. Now, I wasn't expecting to see anything of the magnitude of Niagara Falls, but I definitely wasn't expecting to see what I did see.
The waterfall, whether natural or man made, was in some sort of park that required admission. Actually, to call it a waterfall is an insult to waterfalls everywhere, but for ease of reference, I'll call it a "waterfall". This waterfall was really just an outdoor shower area - yes, water was falling over a cliff edge of some kind, but I don't envision a bunch of Indian men, most in shorts and some in their traditional Indian skirts (which the white skirts become VERY transparent when they get wet) lathering up. Worst 2 rupees (approx. 5 cents U.S., yes a nickel) I ever spent.
The Last Supper
That night was the closing ceremonies and our final meal as a group, since two were leaving that night because they had really early flights the next day. There were speeches from Mr. John, the head of Habitat for Humanity Kanyakumari (the local affiliate) and we got to meet the homeowners, many of them who had never met any "white" people. Note, that Leo is Korean, Andrew is Chinese and Flore is Columbian, so I don't think that they'd be consider "white" by any stretch of the imagination. For the homeowners, it was good for them to see the people who were volunteering their time to help build their houses.
We were showered with gifts of appreciation - including certificates that had watermarks of the photos taken of us throughout the week - and some sort of ceremonial shawl. It was a nice way to close off the 2 weeks of work.
posted by kacob at 2:33 PM
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