Well, unfortunately, this week has been filled with a bit of sickness.. at first I thought it was from eating bad food, but it turns out there's a virus going around Ooty (100 of the kids from the international school here got it..). Still not exactly sure what the deal is, since mine seems to be lingering longer than anyone elses.. but I should be up and running in a few days, as I slowly gain my appetite back.
Anyway, I thought I'd fill you all in on just some little bits and pieces, cultural tid bits, from my life here in Ooty (I've been here 7 weeks already, can you believe it?) :
As a sign of respect, people are referred to with some title, which takes the form of a family member. For example, I am "Bronte Didi" - which literally translates as "Bronte sister". Men are referred to as brothers, or uncles if they are older.
The girls in the program speak Kannada - a langauge from their state, Karnataka. But, they are learning Hindi and English in school. Locals here in Ooty speak Tamil - so, there's a lot of languages floating around, which, unfortunately means I haven't picked up anything! Which is ok, because it's good for the girls to learn more English from talking with us.
We walk a lot here in Ooty - basically eveyhwere, unless we want to pay for a rickshaw - one of those little three wheeler things (http://conqueringthecenturyclub.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/autorickshaw.jpg - glamourous, huh?) ;) We live on the top of a hill/mountain so we get a bit of exercise in ;) Which has caused a few pairs of broken shoes.. hopefully my last pair or two last the next 5 weeks!
While we are walking, we see lots of cows, since India is so heavily Hindu. They kind of just roam about aimlessly, eating rubbish off the side of the road, some with decorative head bands and painted horns. There's a few dogs and goats (and monkeys) around too.
While we walk, we are also very wary of the men - in Indian culture, it is a bit provocative to make eye contact with a man, so we tend to just stare past them, as to not give the wrong impression! Women are definitely seen as the "weaker" "less valuable" gender here in India, which is a bit troubling.
We are required to dress appropriately - all shirts/tops must be longer than our bottoms, have a high neckline, sleeves, and loose fitting. It is rare to see an Indian woman not wearing a punjabi (a long tunic top with matching puffy pants!) or a sari (mostly the older women wear saris).
Hygiene is a bit of a different story in India.. they don't use toilet paper, they use.. well.. other things..
Which is why when we eat we are only allowed to eat with our RIGHT hand.. the left hand is for.. well.. other things.. We eat rice with samba, which is like a vegetable curry. We don't use forks or spoons or knives.. it's all done with our hand! Quite messy, but a bit of fun.
That's all I can think of for right now..! That's my educational post for the time being ;)
Thank you all for your continued support. Only 5 more weeks! All your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement means more than you know - thank you! (Please pray for my health to completely return!)
-Bronte.
Address:
Bronte Hughes
C/O Freedom Firm
78/85 Indu Sadan
Glenrock
Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643001
INDIA
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