Day 9

June 1, 2011
I really wish I were not so sleepy right now so I could remember everything I wanted to write. The day itself was not exhausting and honestly I didn’t really do much in the clinic, but rather it was filled with a lot of thoughts, prayers, and celebrations. Every morning in the clinic we have devotions where we sing a variety of songs in Telegu (local language in Hyderabad), Hindi, and then English. You would think I would be having the songs with the words I know stuck in my head, but I find myself humming and unconsciously singing Telegu and Hindi songs in my head. They are actually quite catchy and fun to sing. The women’s voices hear are unlike anything I have heard or learned to appreciate before. If Simon from American Idol were judging them I am sure he would degrade them into tiny pieces, but then again he would not understand the beauty of such a culture. I absolutely love the voices of the people here. My point however in this was to explain the event of today. After the daily devotions we continued to enter data into a specific national survey program and then went to another prayer meeting where we were served Chi. Chi Tea here is there staple drink and if you do not drink it at least three times a day something is wrong with you. Really alls it is for you who are not addicted to it like Kristina, it is a mixture of black tea, milk, spices, and some sugar (or a LOT of sugar if you’re in India). You are served Chi at breakfast, 10:00, lunch, and 3:00. After prayer meetings and entering data all morning it was finally time for lunch. Quick side note…the mangos here are the BEST mangos you will ever taste! I may be addicted. Anyways after lunch I slept to the sound of light thunder outside my window. The rain during the lunch hours made the air outside super sultry and sticky. Not much to complain about, but it makes trying on sarees a bit complicated. This evening we were invited to an Indian wedding so it was only appropriate that we dressed in a more formal manner aside from our typical tunic like outfits. I always thought that the tops of sarees were made of stretchy/elastic material, but boy was I wrong. Each top is hand tailored to size for each woman specifically and the tighter they are the better is how the typical rules go. Needless to day being even sweatier than usual and sticky did not make this process any easier. You would think that a saree is just a piece of cloth wrapped around you in a unique way, but once again you would be incorrect. Putting on a saree is a true skill and talent, one that I could not do myself. The nurses in the clinic were so kind and helpful and I think they had a good time acting like we were their barbies. They ushered us into the treatment room in the clinic and put the rolling AC unit in front of the door so no one could come in. The cleared a good sized area so the material could be properly placed as we spun around in a circle. The Indian lady who let me borrow her saree was tiny! She took out the inner stitching to make the fabric give more way so I could still squeeze into it. The way things are tucked and pinned are so specific and clean. The sarees themselves were also quite heavy and not the easiest things to walk it. Let me tell you how much more respect it gave me for Indian women! On the plane here I saw so many women in sarees’ and they at the time looked super comfy, but now I know from personal experience how wrong I really was. Getting ready for the wedding and watching its uniqueness with friends was a lot of fun. It is nice to get away from some of the harder experiences and just let loose and see the joys and celebrations that are existent in India. Luckily the marriage tonight was not arranged but considered a love match. I hope for them all the best! One very unique thing about tonight that was instead of trading rings this couple chose to exchange Bibles! Definitely something I have never seen before, but it was very sentimental. Here is a fun fact we learned the other day… if you wear toe rings here it means you’re married! That’s all for now, but tomorrow and the next day should be really interesting so I will do what I can to keep you posted!
With love from Hyderabad,
Leah