The Bellarmine Experience

In Conclusion:

There is so much to India and the 10 days I spent there.  I am very grateful for the work Fr. Leo did in order for me to meet and talk with people about the ways Kerala addresses the needs of its citizens in terms of education, health, and housing.  He arranged who I was to meet and how I was to get there. 

I enjoyed traveling around the countryside with the undergraduate students and professors from Bellarmine – Prof. Caren Cunningham & Prof. Muzaffar Ali, Ann, & the students MaryAnn, Jovan, Christian, Mareah, and Angela. They added quite a bit of joy and perspective to some of our journeys especially to Tamil Nadu and the Backwaters.  

                                                                                

  

 Fr. George and the friary made me feel at home.  It was quite an interesting place and included a number of pets such as the turkeys.  Do they remind you of anyone you know?

and plants such as a nutmeg tree, pepper, and other spices they harvest and sell.  Sweetie, the pet monkey was more amiable with the guys than with other females.  We were well taken care of by the fathers.  

 Additional pictures (785 total, including video clips) are available at:   pictures of India

The Backwaters of India

Day 10 & our last day 12/21/2012  Backwater boating

The Backwaters region of Cochin has the nickname of Venice of the east.  Here we boarded a large 2-deck houseboat and trolled through a number of canals.  The boating excursion began with fresh coconut milk and encompassed refreshments and lunch, ending with fried bananas for dessert. 

Most of the water within this area is fresh water, enabling them to plant rice fields.  The rice paddies are 4 feet below sea level and the residents are able to plant rice 3 times a year.  After the rice is harvested, the fields are flooded with the water for around 15 days and then drained in order to enrich the soil for the next round of rice plants. 

Many of the islands within this region are long and narrow.  Folks do live here and use the water for multiple purposes – cleaning dishes, clothing, swimming, etc.  We did get a chance to pass by a snake boat that is used for racing.  The crew for this boat we saw was around 100 – a bit bigger than the crew boats I was a coxswain for in college.    

 This was a great way to relax before heading to the airport the next morning – 1:30 am Kerala time 12/22/2/12 and 3 pm Kentucky time 12/21/2012. 

On our way back to the Assisi, we did stop at some shops for last minute gifts. At the mall, we were able to hear more groups caroling, including the seminary students who won the other night at our caroling contest.  The traffic that night, Friday night traffic preceding a holiday, was the pits though.  It made the shore traffic in NJ look like the Indy 500.  Our bus/van driver definitely deserves a medal for getting us safely back.

Homes & kids, little kids

Day 9 - 12/20/12   Homes & kids, little kids

Fr. Matthew is quite amazing and it has nothing to do with the fact that he too read one of my most favorite book The Art of Possibilities by the Zanders.  It could be that he has organized the building of homes for folks in Kerala, India and now in Sri Lanka.  He also pays it forward, enabling others to continue the help he began.  I appreciated his patience in explaining to me why cement is the preferred building material (does not rust and has longevity) and the role water plays in curing cement. We also talked about the way his communities handle waste (what we call trash) when he is around – create a safe place to burn and work together to collect and transport trash to a local dump.  There is still a lot of work to do both in Kerala and in Sri Lanka in providing housing but at least here in India many folks no longer live in shacks but in homes.  

Afterwards, I visited 3 preschools in Chalakudy - a day care where Fr. Leo’s nephew attends, Our Lady of Fatima nursery school that opened 2 years ago, and St. Joseph Nursery School.  The average age is around 3 & most kids live in the neighborhood.  Each place was physically different from the others.  The first day care consisted of a 2-room building with a dirt yard where the children could play.  There were 2 women in charge of around 20 kids.  Due to a language barrier, I was not able to ask much and instead took pictures of the kids.  I felt the kids were a bit intimidated by me and so I sang some nursery rhymes to them. They did send me on my way with a lot of kisses blown to me. 

     

 

I was impressed with the facilities and accomplishments of the 20 students at Our Lady of Fatima.  The facility was larger and contained a garden and playground.  Inside the building were tables for the students to use and each child had a slate board and chalk.  Fr. Jain called them their iPad’s.  These students sang nursery rhymes for me and that was such a hoot.  I was amazed at how well they also wrote as well as recited the alphabet and knew their numbers up to 50.   Here is a video of them sharing the nursery rhymes:      http://youtu.be/yFoo2u2mxHs

I learned that the Malayalam language spoken in Kerala contains 53 letters of which 20 are short and long vowel sounds. English is also spoken here as evident in the nursery rhyme songs. These students were around 3 years old as well.   
The head sister there is another exuberant nun who treated us to some chi tea and biscuits.  She and the teachers absolutely love the children.  It was quite evident during the children’s singing of nursery rhymes and the interaction between and among everyone there.  This was one group of happy children. 

Before heading to the last day care, I was treated to another excellent meal at Fr. Leo’s family home.  His mother is a fabulous cook and I appreciated her going the extra step and preparing me a soup that was mild for my digestive system. 

The last group was at a church and we arrived at a time where the children generally are napping before heading home so the visit was short.  

 On our way back to the friary, we did stop at a shrine – The Holy Land.  It is a cement version of the Holy Lands and the life of Jesus.  Very unique and very hot. 

That night, the friars and seminary students had a farewell dinner for us outside.  We helped christen their tandoori oven and I got to roll out all the bread.  It felt good to participate.  The fellows are excellent cooks and entertainers.  One young seminary student demonstrated Bollywood dancing a few times.  Jovan and Christian did a fabulous job learning.  I videotaped.  The quarter moon was shining and there, when you view the moon, it is at a different angle – it has rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise so that a quarter moon looks like a bowl in the sky rather than a crescent.