pictures with people

i rarely take pictures with people. this is a bummer for our families who just want to see evidence that their daughters are alive. so i borrowed some proof from Ariel, Angelle, and our new Amy friend that indeed we are living.

and quite well. 

a bit cookily (yep). 

but quite well.

we took a trip

first we stopped at Vailankanni, the Marian apparition town where Mary appeared in the 1500s (i know, it's like we're collecting Blessed Mother baseball cards here)

we found a holy tree. 

it's the banyan tree where Mary appeared to a little boy. people tie their prayer requests to it. these are the requests for babies. 

we visited temples

there was a goat who wad some troubles. 

i don't know what happened to him. 

then we went to kerala 

 kathakali dance theater

these water fairies are in Kochi where they use chinese fishing nets which require 5 men to pull in. 

 

we boated around the kerala backwaters and visited canal-side villages where we ate and drank peculiar but thoroughly delicious things. coconut alcohol. ginger spice muscles. and certo, chai. 

 

we witnessed some serious glory of mankind in kalaripayattu, the kerala martial art. it demands you maintain peace.

 it also demands you fight with animal movement. 

my camera died shortly after this geekout

so i have few pictures of the Jungle Book...

fortunately i was traveling with three others so we're covered. elephants and tiger reserves and all. next post. 

tod

tuesday
some things we see biking to work every morning:
~ our elephant. he sleeps by our neighborhood grocery store.
~ women guarding their house with salt designs (see below)
~ entire families riding on one bicycle ( I can't figure out how to word that better)
~ young men rolling the newspapers and drinking chai
~ homeless families washing in the streets

once we saw a naked man walking through the street escorted by 7 orange robed monks

wednesday
our bikes have been out of commission this week due to one rickety traffic run-in and generally bad Indian bike maintenence. hence, this week we rickshaw it to work.
here is our daily rickshaw driver good morning greeting:
"hello, auto?"
"yes madame yes"
"mission street. you know mission street, yes?"
"yes yes get in" <he gathers a crowd of 3 to 7 other rickshaw drivers to discuss directions to the place we go every day>
"mission street. yes mission street. okay, how much?"
"100 rupees."
"We'll pay 40."
"80 m'am"
"We'll pay 40. We live here. We know its 40."
"70 70"
"Ramesh, we pay you 40 every day."
"No 40! 60."
"Ramesh, it's 40. And we bought lunch yesterday."
"okay okay 50."
<we start walking away>
"wait! wait! no problem get in 40 40 eesokay."

thursday
bonjour saravanahananana. je m'appelle Angelle.

friday
Three or four times a week the nuns help me out by informing me that I look like street rifraf. Today Sister G gestured to me that my hair was childish and unpleasant and was so kind to re-do it for me. Earlier this week I was told to send my hair wrap back to where it came from. The other day Sister O offered to swap my pants for some of their donated ones. Where would I be without these girls?

saturday
"I'm not so much upset that I'm covered in poop. My issue is that we don't know how it got there."
C'est la vie en India?