Day 26: Commitments and Communities
Today I realized that appreciation doesn't come from looking at something from the same angle over and over again. It comes from finding new ways to see things. For example, if I only ever ate our Durga's cooking I would never really see the variety that exists in Telugu cuisine. Or if I only talked to my translators I would never hear the multitude of other opinions that people have in this city. And so as I was thinking about how fast my time in Vizag is slipping away I realized that I really want to see this city in new ways all the time. But how can I do that?
I have a few ideas :) And I'll report on them ASAP. But here is a list of commitments I'm making. These are things I still want to do in this city before I go. I think they will help me get a bigger picture of the diversity of people who live here. My 5 new commitments are:
1. Make a new friend (I think I might have started on this one today; Rebecca and I met this nice girl named Sneha in our yoga class)
2. Hear someone play the Vina (I think this one is going to happen tomorrow!)
3. Ask someone what some people what they think about education being mostly focused on the maths and science (as someone studying anthropology its kind of fascinating to me that there are so few programs for social science and even less for arts and humanities)
4. Speak with the members here more openly; ask more questions about what being a Christian is like in India (I wonder what brought them to the Church in the first place!)
5. Go to the market again... alone perhaps? (Don't worry mom, it's really close to the house and very safe) I kind of want to see how people react when there aren't 7 of us to stare at... maybe they will act more like they usually would?
I am loving this city more and more. It has this rhythm to it that kind of suits me. I get up, I go to class, and between 11 and 5 I know that most people are willing to have me in their homes. That is one thing about India that I will miss and cultivate in my own home: people always have their doors open to each other. Friends visit, people know their neighbours and communities are ALIVE. I think that, in general, the West could really learn from this. We need to want to know people and talk to people. If you could classify one country as introverted and another as extroverted, India would (in many ways) be the latter and America would be the former. Why don't we form more meaningful connections with people in our communities? Why don't we invite people into our homes more often? There, it's on my list of things to do when I get back to America!
So far I think the thing I'm learning the most from my experiences here is that community is family too, and we should be much more active participants.
Stéf
I have a few ideas :) And I'll report on them ASAP. But here is a list of commitments I'm making. These are things I still want to do in this city before I go. I think they will help me get a bigger picture of the diversity of people who live here. My 5 new commitments are:
1. Make a new friend (I think I might have started on this one today; Rebecca and I met this nice girl named Sneha in our yoga class)
2. Hear someone play the Vina (I think this one is going to happen tomorrow!)
3. Ask someone what some people what they think about education being mostly focused on the maths and science (as someone studying anthropology its kind of fascinating to me that there are so few programs for social science and even less for arts and humanities)
4. Speak with the members here more openly; ask more questions about what being a Christian is like in India (I wonder what brought them to the Church in the first place!)
5. Go to the market again... alone perhaps? (Don't worry mom, it's really close to the house and very safe) I kind of want to see how people react when there aren't 7 of us to stare at... maybe they will act more like they usually would?
I am loving this city more and more. It has this rhythm to it that kind of suits me. I get up, I go to class, and between 11 and 5 I know that most people are willing to have me in their homes. That is one thing about India that I will miss and cultivate in my own home: people always have their doors open to each other. Friends visit, people know their neighbours and communities are ALIVE. I think that, in general, the West could really learn from this. We need to want to know people and talk to people. If you could classify one country as introverted and another as extroverted, India would (in many ways) be the latter and America would be the former. Why don't we form more meaningful connections with people in our communities? Why don't we invite people into our homes more often? There, it's on my list of things to do when I get back to America!
So far I think the thing I'm learning the most from my experiences here is that community is family too, and we should be much more active participants.
Stéf
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